Calathea crocata Tassmania Blooms - Eternal Flame

Its a bedtime plant today that I'm featuring on leavesnbloom.

Each night it looks like it is saying its prayers as it folds up its leaves  to let me know that its time for bed hence its common name here “The Prayer Plant”.

Its called Calathea crocata “ Tassmania” and is grown in the UK as a houseplant but originates from the tropical jungles of Brazil.

It has the most touchy feely leaves – puckered and ribbed. 


I must say that even without flowers the plant would look very ornate and grows into a lovely clump.  If you look at the leaves the top side ones are a very dark green while the underside ones are purple.

Care Instructions

I have to be honest and say that this plant can be quite demanding.  Lets face it – who really wants their house to feel like a jungle!

Light and Temperature

• It likes to be kept away from strong sunlight so is best suited to light shade in the summer months and brighter light during the wintertime. Strong sunlight spoils the vibrancy of its leaves and fades them. 

• It also likes to be kept warm with a minimum of 16C / 60F and hates draughts.

Humidity

• This plant can get homesick!  It likes to be reminded of its jungle home so requires to be misted everyday with lukewarm/room temperature (soft) water – never cold water!  If it doesn’t have enough humidity it will promptly protest by having brown tips on its leaves.  Just make sure you only mist the leaves not the flowers.

Watering

• It also likes to be evenly moist especially during the hot summer months.Check what type of compost your plant is growing in when you buy it.  Mine is growing in a cocofibre type compost (most of them here in the UK are imported from Holland in this type of compost).  If its grown in this medium then you need to keep the plant standing in 2cms of water while in growth.  It will say on the back of the label if it needs to be kept like this.

Feeding Requirements

• It isn’t a heavy feeder and only requires half strength plant food. Once the clocks spring forward an hour in March I start to feed this plant once a month and once the clock falls back an hour in the autumn I will only feed the plant once every 2 months. 
 

 

Flowering period

As for its flowers – they are quite spectacular and many call the plant the Eternal Flame due to the shape of its blooms perched on top of the tall thick stems.

Its still in flower for me and the flowers should last about 2 - 3  months.

How to bring the plant back into flower again

Below is the email I received from the growers in Holland detailing how to bring the plant back into flower again.

Goodmorning,

When the Tassmania stops flowering please let it grow in the living room.

If you see new shoots and  they are big enough ( 15 cm) then place it in a darker place like your bedroom  for 10 weeks. Only water it  a little when it really needs it. In this 10 weeks it will make new  flowers.

After the 10 weeks you  can put it in the living room again and give it enough water. It will take about 8  weeks before you see the new flowers coming.

Best  regards,

Rob

kwekerijtass

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"Ever since the creation of the world  his eternal power and divine nature, invisible  though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has  made. So they are without excuse." Romans 1:20

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