Calathea Medallion Care
Humidity is the key to good calathea medallion care, we’ll go into more detail in the following guide….
Calathea Medallion Care Summary
| Light needs: | Medium to bright indirect sunlight. |
| Watering needs: | Water when the top 25% of soil is dry, check once a week. |
| Fertilizer: | High in nitrogen feed once a month in summer. |
| Soil: | Rich, well draining and loose compost. |
| Humidity: | 50-60% humidity. |
| Temperature: | 18-27°C (65-80°F). |
| Where to buy: | Try Etsy. |
| Common issues: | Lack of humidity. |
Introduction
The calathea medallion is known for it’s round, patterned leaves. They make great houseplants, the genus is really popular for good reason…
See also: Calathea Musaica.
Tip: we recommend Etsy for buying plants. Look for the best rated seller you can, and try to buy as close to your home as possible so the plant does not travel too far.
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Light Needs
Calathea medallions will do best in medium to bright indirect sunlight. I have calatheas in varying light conditions in my home and they all do fine.
How Often to Water
Water when the top 25% of soil is dry, checking it once a week with your finger. They like to be kept moist and will dropp if you underwater them, so check them weekly and even twice weekly if it gets hot.
Fertilizer
Use a feed high in nitrogen (NPK 3:1:2) once a month in the summer months. High nitrogen in plant feed is to good for leaf growth.
Soil
Rich, well draining and loose compost is idea for calathea medallion care.
When To Repot
Repot you calantha medallion once a year in spring. It’s good to give it fresh soil even if not potting it up a size.
Humidity
50-60% humidity. This is the higher end of normal household humidity. You can put a pebble tray under the pot or mist them now and again. I’ve found that when the humidity drops due to the weather at certain times of the year can cause big issues for calatheas. For me, all the other care needs are very easy to meet, but the leaves can curl up dramatically when the humidity drops, so be careful.
Tip: keep them humid, aim for 60% in the day and they’ll be ok with a bit less at night. You can buy a humidity meter (affiliate link) to keep an eye on maximum and minimum levels.
Temperature
Aim for a daytime range of 18-27°C (65-80°F), try to keep them from getting below 10°C (50°F) at night or in the winter.. They do well in most households.
How To Propagate Calathea Medallion
The best way to propagate a calathea medallion is to divide it at the base. It needs to be big enough, you cannot use a small plant. There needs to be multiple stems that can be separated out into individual plants. Then you can take the plant out from it’s pot and soil and separate out the smaller plants. Then plant them all up in to different pots.
Calathea Medallion Vs Marion
They are very similar the marion has a wider border of cream, the medallion’s cream border is much thinner.
Calathea Medallion Common Name
They are often referred to as peacock plant.
Do Calathea Medallion Flower
They don’t always flower, but can put out fairly small flowers, much smaller than the leaves and are often hidden behind the foliage.
Calathea Medallion USDA Zone
They can live outdoors in zones 8-11.
Can You Propagate Calathea In Water?
You cannot propagate calathea in water like you can a monstera or a pothos, which use node cuttings that can root in water. A calathea does not have nodes like that and so it cannot be water propagated using cuttings, they need to be divided and potted up in soil.
Where To Buy
You can buy these at a lot of plant stores and florists, so visit your local shop if you can. Also you can try a site like Etsy.
Other Names And Scientific/Latin Names:
Calathea Medallion Scientific Name: the calatheas medallions fall under two very similar scientific names: Calathea Veitchiana and Calathea Roseopicta. They are two very similar types of calathea, both bundled under the commercial name Calathea Medallion. Note, you may also see the latin names written Goeppertia Veitchiana and Goeppertia Roseopicta, which are synonyms for Calathea Veitchiana and Calathea Roseopicta.
I know that seems complicated! But basically there are two types of similar calatheas sold as the medallion (the Veitchiana and Roseopicta), and sometimes their scientific first name is Calathea and sometimes Goeppertia depending on who is using it.
Other commercial names are: Peacock Plant, Zebra Plant, Rose Painted Calathea.
FAQs and Common Problems
Humidity is the biggest problem for a calathea, I’ve had them crisp up and sometimes die on me in the past when the weather got drier. Give them a pebble tray with water under their pot and mist them daily they’ll be fine.
Is Calathea Medallion Toxic To Cats?
Calatheas are non-toxic to cats. (Source).
Do Calathea Medallion Like To Be Root Bound?
They do not like to be root bound so check them around Easter time and pot them up a size if they are starting to get crowded to they have plenty of room to grow.
How Big Do Calathea Medallion Get?
They can get about 60cm or 2 feet high.
Calathea Medallion Vs Roseopicta
The calathea roseopicta is a type calathea medallion. There is also the very similar Calathea Veitchiana which is also sold as a calathea medallion too.
Calathea Medallion Drooping
Calatheas droop naturally when they are dry and when there is no light. Make sure you check the soil weekly and water them when it starts to dry out. They also droop each night when it gets dark and then move to the sun slowly during the day. The best thing to do is make sure it is watered and gets enough sun during the day. Do not worry if it is only drooping in the morning as it is almost definitely due to light.
Curling Leaves
The medallion’s leaves curl up when it is too dry, this can be from lack of humidity or underwatering. It is well worth keeping the humidity levels high around your peacock plant with a pebble tray of water under them.
Is Calathea Medallion Toxic To Cats?
They are not toxic to pets, as classified by the ASPCA (source).
Calathea Medallion – How Big Do They Get?
The are not big plants and can grow 30cm-45cm for a normal mature plant (one to one and half feet) (source).
Other Articles You Might Like
Hope you liked our article on calathea medallion care, you might also like our other guides: Calathea Rufibarba, and Calathea Lancifolia Care.
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