Calathea Beauty Star – #1 Care Guide with Pro Tips

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Calathea Beauty Star is one of the many variations of the plants from the Calathea family. This one has some of the basic characteristics for which the family is known. It’s amazing as a house plant, and is mainly a low-maintenance one. Also, it stands out in the room with its long striped green leaves. The Beauty Star plant is best recognized for its quite dense and also elegant upright growth, so it will make a beautiful extension of your indoor garden.

This is what we will go through while researching the Beauty Star Calathea:

  1. Different types of Calathea
  2. Instructions on watering
  3. What are the light and temperature requirements?
  4. Does beauty star Calathea require some special type of soil?
  5. How to fertilize it properly?
  6. Does it need frequent pruning?
  7. The simplest way to propagate this plant
  8. How and when to repot it?
  9. Problems and solutions
  10. Frequently Asked Questions

Different Types of Calathea

When it comes to the Calathea family of plants, you can probably guess that there are a lot of different species which belong to it.

You have probably seen many versatile yet very similar plants to this one at various indoor spaces, or maybe you already knew about the wide diversity this family has.

If you are an avid plant lover, you probably have some Calatheas in your home or workplace already!

Calathea plants are native to the tropical climates of South America. They became widely popular indoor plants because of their stunning looks and not overly dramatic requirements.

The most commonly kept ones are the following:

  1. Calathea Rufibarba
  2. Calathea Zebrina
  3. Calathea Lancifolia
  4. Calathea Fasciata
  5. Calathea Vittata
  6. Calathea Leitzei
  7. Calathea Medallion
  8. Calathea Musaica
  9. Calathea Makoyana
  10. Calathea Roseopicta
  11. Calathea Ornata
  12. Calathea Orbifolia

Actually, the Calathea Beauty Star species is one of the many variances of the Calathea Ornata group, or to be even more specific – it belongs to the Marantaceae family.

This is why you often see Calathea Beauty Star being compared to the Calathea Ornata plant.

While they are pretty similar in their looks, just like all of Calathea plants in the end are, there are some differences between Calathea Ornata and Beauty Star.

The most prominent difference is the color scheme of their patterns.

On one hand, we have Calathea Ornata that has a dark green leaf striped with the beige, white, and yellow color combination. On the other, there is the Calathea Beauty Star that has more light to dark green variances, and even a pop of purple on the downside of its leaves.

The shape of their leaves is kind of different, but that is mostly everything that you can see is different when comparing Calathea Beauty Star vs Ornata.

Related: 25+ Stunning Calathea Types You Need to Know About

Instructions on Watering

When it comes to Calathea Beauty Star care, the first thing that should be considered is of course watering.

Throughout the entire Calathea family, the water requirements are pretty similar. These plants enjoy well-balanced watering.

On one hand, they come from tropical climates which are prone to having lots of rain. However, in their native environment, they are shielded by high growing trees, which in a way defuse and balance the amount of rain that gets all the way down to the Calatheas.

Which leads us to what I already mentioned- it is essential to find a balance with watering.

Your Calathea Beauty Star will love to be in moist surroundings, but try not to overwater it since it can lead to many problems.

In a way, it can be better to leave it a bit dry than to overwater it.

The general rule is to water it once the first inch of the soil gets dry. Once you water it generously, let the excess liquid drain out of the pot.

Another important tip that you should leave with regarding the Beauty Star plant care, is that Calathea plants react badly to some minerals, such as fluoride, that are commonly added to regular tap water.

To avoid your plant being affected by this, you should seriously consider using either filtered water or even distilled water.

Pro-Tip: You will have to water your plant more often when it’s often exposed to bright light. When it’s in a bit lighter place it will require watering less regularly.

What Are the Light and Temperature Requirements?

Of course, we can’t talk about Beauty Star Calathea care without discussing the light and temperature requirements.

The best kind of lightning to go for is medium or bright indirect light.

This should also give you an idea of where you should be placing your plant – absolutely not near a south-facing window.

The best places to put it are therefore either east, west, or north-facing windows. This makes sense having in mind where the Calathea family originates from.

It is used to Brazillian tropical forests and being tucked in and shielded by the canopy of high and large trees.

Having Calathea Ornata Beauty Star in direct sunlight will have many consequences. Some of them include leaves going yellow, or its beautiful pattern being bleached.

Calathea beauty star light requirements

Temperature requirements are quite appropriate for a house plant – it thrives anywhere between 65 and 75ºF (18-24ºC).

Some other important temperature aspects that you should keep in mind is that you should really try never to have your temperature drop below 15ºC. Also, to avoid as much as possible exposing your plant to sudden and big temperature changes, as that’s something that can be a shock for it.

Another thing you should have in mind when it comes to your environment is moisture.

Calathea plants enjoy moist surroundings, so try to adjust the level to 50 percent or more. If you ask me, the ideal number is 60%.

If humidity levels in your home seem to be a problem, if they are too low for your plant, then find some ways to tackle it. For example, consider using a humidifier or placing the pot of your plant over a tray filled with water and pebbles.

When thinking about environmental requirements, you should also make sure that your Calathea Beauty Star is nowhere near any kind of drafty area.

Pro-Tip: To make the environment more humid for your Beauty Star, you should keep all of your Calathea plants together. That increases overall humidity!

Does Beauty Star Calathea Require Some Special Type of Soil?

Soiling requirements for the Calathea Beauty Star are generally similar to other members of the Calathea family. Nonetheless, this specific one tends to need soil that is a bit moister.

A go-to product to be a free-draining soil, since you don’t want your plant to swim in the water. It will certainly cause the roots to rot.

Except for being humid, your soil should also contain as much as possible organic matter.

Those commercial mixes for African violets would be a good one to go with.

You can also make a good mixture yourself using 50% potting soil, 20 % orchid bark, 20 % charcoal, and 10 % perlite.

For having the best nutrients for your plant, you can even use compost instead of peat moss. That will not only retain moisture better but also release nourishing particles slowly.

Calathea beauty star likes humid soil

How to Fertilize it Properly?

When it comes to feeding, you should fertilize Calathea Beauty Star about once a month. Use balanced food for indoor plants. Dilute it with water in a 1:1 ratio.

Before you put your fertilizer in, you should water it thoroughly, so you don’t risk having burned roots.

Also, there is a time when you should not be feeding. That’s in winter when the growth of Calathea Beauty Star slows down.

Iif you happen to be someone who prefers to use organic food, you can find that commercially. But- you can make a mixture of your own.

To do so, you should replace 10% of peat with compost in your potting mix.

Some benefits of this are that like this, you can get a slow-release product for your Beauty Star. Plus, you won’t have to fertilize it at all until you repot it.

Another thing you could also do on your own is making liquid food.

How to make your own liquid fertilizer?

What you need to do for this is to fill half of the bucket with compost, and then add water over it. Allow it to soak for a few days. After that, remove the undesired particles from that mixture, and dilute with water the liquid you’ve got in half.

Does it Need Frequent Pruning?

Calathea beauty Star is a plant that actually requires minimal pruning. The only time you should prune it is when you see that the leaves have been damaged, or when you notice some kind of rotting.

What you should do in these situations is to gently cut off the critical parts. Soon enough you will be seeing new and healthy leaves growing on your plant.

To do this you will need a pair of sharp and clean scissors, and something to disinfect them with before and after use since you wouldn’t want any kind of bacteria to be spread.

Shedding of some parts is quite normal and expected. However, if you prune your Calathea and then the leaves keep turning brown on yellow, that’s a sign that maybe something more is going on so keep an eye on that.

The Simplest Way to Propagate This Plant

The most common way of propagating plants from this family is by division. They tend to thrive when you separate them each year in early spring, just before the active development phase begins.

This is how you should go around about your Calathea Beauty Star propagating:

  • First and foremost, you should have a new and nicely sized pot ready and full of soil.
  • Then you should take the plant from the container. Hold the stems in one hand and try to protect the foliage.
  • Loosen the soil using your around the mother plant’s root system, and then carefully pull it apart.
  • Gently pull or cut any roots from a good clump of stem which are connected.
  • When you’ve done that, you should repot your plant

How and When to Repot it?

Calathea Beauty Star is actually a plant that doesn’t like to be transplanted much. This one should be moved to a new container every other year, or in case the roots have outgrown the pot, every year.

Therefore, one important thing to consider is the size of your new pot.

If you wish that your plant to be wider, then you should find one that is 2 inches in diameter bigger than your current one.

If you, however, want your Calathea Beauty Star size to stay the same, you can then just reuse the old container, and only change out the soil.

To do this you will need to do the following:

  • Spread out some old newspaper on the floor.
  • Take your Beauty star out from the container, and shake as much soil from the roots as you can.
  • Put your Calathea in the center of the container.
  • Add new soil, and press tightly.
  • Water it thoroughly, and put the plant where they can receive indirect but bright light.

It will take around 2 to 4 weeks for your plant to adapt well after the repotting!

Related: Calathea Guide – How to Care for Calathea Plants

Problems and Solutions

As with any plant, some problems can occur when you have a Calathea Beauty Star.

The following ones are the most common problems, and also the solutions that are most popular to use.

Calathea Beauty Star common problems

Leaves or tips of the leaves are browning

When you notice changes like these on your plant, it’s most likely that the environment is not humid enough. To fix that situation, you can try using a humidifier, which will also have benefits on you, and your housemates if you don’t live alone.

But, if it’s particularly the tips that are getting brown, that may indicate that there is a problem with your water.

As it was already stated, Calathea Beauty Star is sensitive to minerals usually found in tap water, so if you aren’t already, this is the sign that you should start using distilled or filtered water when watering.

Fungus gnats

If you have made your environment may be too humid, or maybe you’ve overwatered the soil for Calathea Beauty Star’s liking, then you might notice small insects surrounding it.

Those insects resemble fruit flies and you can see them flying around your plant. The good news is that they are harmless, but their presence can be annoying,

To fix this you can try the luck with bottom watering. All you have to do is submerge the container in water.  Of course, make sure the uppermost layer, around an inch, of the soil is dry.

This should probably help, but if it doesn’t then you should try to mix some diatomaceous earth into the top part of the soil.

FAQ

How often do you water Calathea Beauty Star?

The best frequency is found in the happy middle. You should water your Calathea Beauty Star when you notice that the first upper inch of the soil is dry. Be careful to not overwater it, as it can be a bigger problem than forgetting to water it.

Does Calathea Beauty Star need sunlight?

Of course, plants don’t live well in a completely dark environment, so it absolutely does need sunlight. However, there are some specifics when it comes to what kind of lightning Calathea Beauty Star needs. You should keep your plant in an area that gets indirect sunlight, and keep it away from any direct sunlight exposure.

Does Calathea Beauty Star like to be misted?

While Calathea Beauty Star likes to be misted occasionally you should be very careful about how you go around spraying it. You should avoid misting this plant on the top of the foliage or have droplets of a waterfall into the tightly tangled straws from the new foliage.

When you mist your plant, be careful to do it from the bottom up, and generally try to keep generally higher humidity in the room rather than misting it.

How do I know if my Calathea Beauty Star is happy?

The most important thing when it comes to any Calathea’s happiness is keeping it from direct sunlight. If it was overexposed, you will see that by leaves turning brown, or the pattern on them getting bleached. If your Calathea keeps its vibrant green hues, it’s probably a very happy one!

Can I bring my Calathea Beauty Star back to life?

Yes, you can. Calathea is a family of plants that can be quite resistant, so if you notice that your plant looks like it’s dying you should go over all of the needed requirements for it. You should inspect the water, lighting, humidity level, the root system (is it slimy and soggy?), and when you spot something suspicious- fix it ASAP!

Final Thoughts

I truly hope my guide brought you some valuable insights on Calathea Beauty Star overall care. As you can see, if you follow all these simple directions, you will have a healthy and happy plant.

Do you find propagation of this plant overly complicated? Hit the comments section below, I’d like to hear from you!

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