How to Grow & Care for Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ (2024)

It is quite interesting to add new plants that can do wonders in your garden, don’t you think so? Let me help you, gardeners.

Do you want to know what I have for you today? It is “Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’,” one of the most beautiful houseplants with leaves featuring contrasting white stripes and burgundy underneath. I am sure the appearance of the plant will make you love the plants that bloom with large, emerald leaves. What are you waiting for? Let’s start planting Calathea Veitchiana.

QUICK TAKEAWAYS:

Scientific Name	Calathea veitchiana ‘Medallion’ or Goeppertia veitchiana
Common Name	Calathea medallion
Light	Bright direct light and low indirect light
Watering	Water if the top 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry
Temperature	65 to 80ºF (18 to 27ºC)
Hardiness Zone	USDA hardiness zone 9 to 12
Humidity	50 to 60%
Soil Type	Rich, quick-draining, loamy
Soil pH	6 (mildly acidic)
Fertilizing	A balanced feed once a month in spring and summer
Repotting	Every 2 years
Pruning	Only to remove dead foliage
Propagation	Division
Toxicity	Not toxic to humans and pets
Mature Size	24 to 36 inches as a houseplant
Bloom Time	Rarely blooms

About Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’:

Talking about The Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion they belong to the Marantaceae family which means aka prayer plant family.

The plant is native to Ecuador and there used to grow in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. The plant does consist of peacock-looking green patterns on its leaves.

Calathea Plant Varieties

There are various varieties of calathea plants and I will explain some of them on a beautiful day so that you come to know which variety you like to grow in the home garden. They are as follows: 

Orbifolia prayer plant

• This variety is larger than the other varieties of calathea. 
• They grow about 3 feet greater than the other varieties.
• They tend to produce flowers and leaves in the plant that are broad-shaped.

Pinstripe calathea

• It is another variant of calathea varieties that produces veined leaves in the plant.
• It Likes to grow in a good level of moisture and a low amount of sunlight.
• Provide them with distilled water so that the plant grows well.
• You have to keep the soil moist by watering it. 

Rattlesnake plant

• Calathea lancifolia or rattlesnake plant is another variety of calathea varieties.
• It tends to produce a variegated pattern on the leaves.
• The leaves of this variety or narrower, than the other varieties of the calathea plant. 

Zebra plant

• The Zebra plant is a variety of calathea plant that produces straight leaves in the plant in the shade of dark green.
• It has light green colored stripes on it that contract well with the background.
• This variety of calathea will not be able to bear the direct sunlight for their growth. 

Rose-painted calathea

• This variety tends to produce dark purple-colored leaves in the plant.
• It also carries pink and green colors, and texture on the leaves that contrast amazingly with the purple-coloured leaves.
• Feeding them with moderate sunlight will help them grow more.
• They prefer to grow in a humid area. 

How to Grow Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’?

There are different ways to grow the Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’  and one of the best methods for growing them is by dividing it rhizomes by which the plant is used to spread underground. The following is the way to grow Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ in your home.

Step 1: First you need to prepare the soil that should be well drained then fill it in the container consisting of drainage holes. As a soil mix, you can mix the perlite and peat moss or sphagnum moss with potting mix as it helps in improved drainage and aeration.

Step 2: Now it is time to divide the rhizomes for that you need to get the cutting from the existing Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’. Clean the dirt off the roots and then tease the roots by using your finger so that you will find healthy roots and then cut the stem from the mother plant.

Step 3: Now the last step is to replant the cutting and for that, you need to dig a hole deep and plant the root. After that fill the hole so that the stem can stand. 

Step 4: The last step is to water the cutting thoroughly and place it in a location where it gets bright and indirect sunlight. 

How to Care for Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’?

You need to maintain the environment for growing the Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ according to the origination place. Here are some ways to help them grow healthily:

• Light 
• Temperature
• Soil
• Watering
• Fertilizer
• Potting repotting
• Pruning
• Humidity

Light needs:

• According to Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ needs light, they require bright but indirect light.
• The light ranges between 2,500 to 10,000 lux.
• Placing the plant in the north or east-facing window plants will allow the plant to get the perfect amount of light.
• In case of keeping the plant in the south or west, you need to find a place where the plant don’t get in direct touch of rays that will harm the leaves of the plant.  

Watering needs:

• To complete the watering need for Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ you need to make sure the soil never stays soaking wet.
• To check the conditions of watering, check if the top inches of the soil are dry then it the time to water it.
• The best water needs are fulfilled with rainwater or tap water and keeping the container uncovered overnight so that it gets chemical-free such as fluoride dissipating.

Temperature needs:

• The ideal temperature for growing Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ ranges from 79 to 82ºF (26 to 28ºC).
• In the case of planting it in the houses, the temperature range is from 65 to 80ºF (18 to 27ºC).
• The temperature tolerance ceases below 55ºF (13ºC) for growing the plant.

Humidity needs:

• The humidity for growing Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ is between 70 and 80% in the rainforests.  
• While growing them in the house the humidity ranges from  50 to 60%.
• The disadvantage of not providing the humidity is the leaves start getting brown tips.
• The humidity you can maintain is by using a small humidifier.

Soil needs:

• For growing Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ the soil should be spongy and loose.
• The soil should be able to drain as well as retain an adequate amount of moisture.
• The pH level of soil for growing Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ is 6.
• You can also make the soil yourself by using an African Violet soil mix and mixing equal parts of the peat moss, perlite, and potting soil.

Fertilizer needs:

• Using fertilizer to grow Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ in the growing season will help to make vigorous growth of its lush leaves.
• The perfect ratio of mixing the fertilizer is 10-10-10 or 10-10-5.
• You need to dilute the fertilizer over the soil surface and water it after pouring.
• Make sure to provide the fertilizer to the plant in spring and summer not in the fall and winter seasons.

Potting & Repotting needs:

• The repotting of Calathea Veitchiana needs to be done every 2 years.
• In case you find signs of rootbound you need to repotting the plant.
• For repotting the plant you need to increase the pot size a few inches from the current pot.
•  You can use a glazed or plastic pot to reduce the loss of soil moisture and make use of a pot that consists of enough drainage holes.

Pruning needs:

• The pruning helps in removing the old leaves once they start to die encouraging new growth.
• You need to cut the leaves that are developing brown edges or tips or just trim them away with the help of small, sharp scissors.
• Remember to use only sharp, sterilized tools for pruning the Calathea veitchiana.

Uses of Calathea Medallion

Some of the uses of the Calathea medallion are explained beautifully in the below points:

• It will be the best choice to use this plant in the shaded corner of your living room, which will look attractive.
• It will form a tropical oasis on the balcony if you plant it outdoors.
• Its leaves that are in a pattern shape will look like a star and look amazing if you use them in your home Garden.
• As they’re not too big, they will not be toxic to nature in your garden area. Even its foliage will add magic to your area.

Some Common Problems with Calathea Plants 

Various problems are faced by the plant and the same is the case with the calethea. The area follows:  

It becomes challenging for Gardner to prevent those problems, but first, you need to know about those common problems with the calathea plants: 

Brown-colored leaf tips

One of the problems with the begonias is the brown color leaf tips in the plant. 

It is because of the excess supply of sunlight to the plant which makes them dull. Also, less supply of watering can be the cause behind this issue.

Spots on the leaves

Sometimes there are holes or spots on the leaves that disturb the look of the plant in the garden. 

As you know, there are various best that like this plant, so they come near the plant so that they can take the fluid from the plant to satisfy their hunger.

So you must remove those logs or bests from the plant by hand if possible. Otherwise, you can make use of the homemade solution to prevent it. 

Yellow-coloured leaves

Oh! Another main problem faced by this plant is the turning of leaves into yellow color, which shows the exact sign of overwatering. So you have to keep in mind, not to overwater the plant. 

feed them with water when the soil becomes dry and that can be checked by inserting a finger in the soil and effect. If it feels dry about an inch then is the right time to water your plant.

Conclusion:

Hence concluding here, for growing the Calathea Veitchiana ‘Medallion’ you need to follow the steps for basic requirements you need to provide the plant so that the grows healthily without wasting your time and money.

Thanks for reading! Happy Gardening!