The Urban Gardener 9

9th Issue Vol. 2 No. 6

ISSN 2094 - 1765

June 2009

GROWING PRAYER PLANTS OR CALATHEA By Norberto R. Bautista The Calathea is a large genus of tropical plants all of which have attractive, colorful and decorative foliage, making it ideal additions as an indoor house plant. The leaves are green, with stripes or patches of white, dark green, light green, or light red, and the underneath surface is reddish purple. Calathea insignis (left) is one of the most popular plant used in shaded gardens Calathea belongs to the family Marantaceae, a distant relative of the ginger. There are about twenty five species in the genus. Native to the tropical Americas, many of the species are popular as house plants, popularly called prayer plants, as their leaves tend to fold as night approaches or zebra plants because of their colorful leaf markings.. These plants are excellent landscape plants for shaded gardens usually near the house, near ponds or under trees. Some are small plants, about half foot in height, while some may grow as tall as 2-3 feet. They add color in corners, or used as a colorful border in the garden. Potted plants are best displayed outside or inside the home. Some of the available species with pictures includes: Calathea insignis, also called Rattlesnake plant, is a bushy species with narrow, tapering erect foliage, wavy at the margins, yellow green with lateral ovals, alternately large and small, of dark green. The underside is maroon. Calathea makoyana, Also known as Peacock plant, it has oval leaves, with opaque, olive green lines and oval areas alternately short and long, in a translucent field of yellow green. The pattern is repeated on the underside of the leaf with a purple red color. Calathea zebrina. Also called Zebra plant, it is a very beautiful plant, with velvety bright green leaves with darker green stripes. It is plant used as accent in shaded corners of the garden.

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Calatheas are closely related to, and often confused with species of Maranta, Ctenanthe and Stromanthe. CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS Light. Calatheas prefer medium light, about 1000-2000 foot-candles, usually in a tree-shaded window, or a partially shaded garden. The plants needs moderate but sufficient light for the colors of the leaves to come out. Too much light, specially hot noontime light will bleach or burn the leaves. On the other hand, lower light levels can cause pale leaves with indistinct markings.

Calathea zebrina is one of the most attractive species with velvety green foliage

Temperature. This plant prefers tropical conditions and will thrive almost anywhere in the Philippines, though high humidity is required. Foliage needs to be mistsprayed daily with water. Rainwater is excellent forthis, since it leaves no unsightly white lime deposits. Watering. Water plants plentifully, especially during active growth, as often as necessary to keep the potting mixture thoroughly moist. During rest periods, water moderately, just enough to keep the top half inch of the potting mixture moist. As much as possible, use soft or lime-free water.

Calathea makoyana is another interesting species with an attractive foliage with oval green markings.

Fertilization. Calatheas needs to be given generous amount of liquid or solid artificial fertilizers. For foliar fertilizers, use about 1 teaspoon complete orchid foliar fertilizers with trace elements mixed in one gallon of water, and drench about 1 cup of this for each pot once every two weeks. An alternative is to use about 6 granules of controlled release fertilizer per pot and apply every 2 months.

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Potting Mix. Calatheas loves organic rich soils. Use a mixture of equal parts of garden soil, compost and sand. Healthy plants needs to be moved into pots one size larger every year, usually during summer. For seedlings, use 3-inch clay or plastic pots, while 6-10 inch pots for larger plants. Controlling Pests and Diseases. Since Calatheas are foliage plants, care must be made not to damage the foliage and to keep them in good condition. Prayer plants are susceptible to fungal and bacterial diseases, especially leaf spots, rotting and wilting. As much as possible, practice good sanitation in the garden. Isolate diseased or rotting plants. Allow ventilation for the foliage to dry once every day. For prophylactic purposes, spray Captan or Dithane fungicide once a month once diseases occur, especially during the rainy season. To prevent viral diseases, sterilized pruning shears when dividing plants. To control insects like caterpillars, mealybugs, mites and scales, use appropriate insecticides. To control snails and slugs, which usually damage foliage and young buds, apply molluscicides or snail baits, which are all available in garden centers. Propagation. Calatheas are propagated by division of overcrowded clumps of plants or tip cuttings, with nodes to form the roots. Mist and reduced light are important during the early stages of propagation. For effective survival of transplants, enclose newly potted plants in clear plastic bags to retain humidity, and keep them in medium light. Remove the bags when new roots have formed. Some plants produce root nodules which later develop into plants.

Ms. Cynthia A. Tamang, Barangay Secretary, Mr. Buenaventura Santos and Mr. Roberto Sabudo at the Barangka Drive Barangay Hall, Mandaluyong City. The Barangay is having their Urban Agriculture project in coordination with the Research & Development Center of RTU.

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GROWING HOYA PLANTS By Norberto Bautista Hoya, or locally known as Shooting Star, is also known as Wax flower, Wax Vine or Wax Plant. It is a climbing or trailing plant with thick, shiny, fleshy leaves and clusters of waxy starshaped flowers. They are the most colorful group of plants under the Asclepiadaceae plant family, in which other plants like the common milkweed, the succulent Stapeliad and the Dischidias vine also belong. They have pollen in gelatinous masses called pollinia, similar to orchids.

Here are some of the various species of Hoya found in Philippine Forests. Note the variety of colors, shape and texture, which makes this plants often sought after my plant collectors. (Photos by Leonardo Co) Robert Brown, famous for his discovery of the 'Brownian Movement' in Physics, named the plant in honor of his friend and fellow botanist Thomas Hoy, who worked as head gardener for the Duke of Northumberland at Scion House, England. It are about 200 to 300 species of Hoya that are native to Eastern Asia, Polynesia and Australia. It is popularly grown as a garden plant or house plant, due to its attractive foliage and highly scented flowers. Hoyas are found throughout the Philippines at all altitudes, usually growing on coconut trunks and tree branches. As of present, there are about 51 identified species of Hoya in the country. Cultural Requirements for Hoya Plants: Light - Hoya plants grows in diffused bright light (about 50% light). Protect it from direct sun. For indoor cultivation, three to four hours of bright light a day are essential for healthy growth and flowering. Watering & Humidity - Water plants regularly and do not allow them to dry out completely. They can benefit from moist media and occasional flooding to was away excess salts. Use soft water like rain water, or water low in salts. Provide a humid environment by grouping Hoya plants along with other shade-loving plants and watering them regularly. Allow ventilation and air-movement between plants at all times to prevent rotting of leaves. Temperature. Hoya plants grows well in normal room temperature or in the lowland temperature. Potting Technique – Plant Hoya plants in plastic or clay pots with any porous and low-fertility mixes like mixture of coconut husk cubes or coconut dust, charcoal, sphagnum moss, tree fern

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fiber and paslak (chopped roots of Birds nest fern). The media should be well drained and open enough so that air reaches the roots. Repot if the media breaks down, or when the plants needs a bigger pot. They are usually potted as a hanging plant. For non-hanging pots, place wooden, wire or plastic coated stakes as vines tend to crawl up supports. Roll long vines around the stakes. Fertilization. Hoya plants are light feeders. Spray a dilute solution of balanced fertilizer high in potassium, in order to continuously produce flowers. Apply about ¼ or less of control release fertilizers in the sides of pots. Pruning. Prune back very long vines to induce branching. However, long vines are usually not cut, but rather trained and rolled together around stakes or wire hangers attached to the pot, as the long vines are the ones which produces flowers. Pest & Diseases. Hoyas are usually susceptible to sucking insects like mites, aphids and white flies. If insect infestation occurs, spray with a dilute solution of insecticide like Malathion, Sevin or Lannate. To prevent leaf spots or rot, allow ventilation among plants, allow proper spacing and keep plants dry between watering. Spray a weak solution of Captan or Dithane fungicide during the rainy season as a prophylactic to prevent fungal diseases. Propagation. Hoyas are usually propagated by stem cuttings with 2 to 3 nodes. Leaves from the lower nodes are usually removed before the stem cuttings are inserted into the potting media. Stem cuttings are relatively easy to root especially when rooting is done under mist condition or when the pot is wrapped in clear plastic bag. Cuttings root best in a growing media that retain a lot of moisture like coconut coir dust, coconut husk, charcoal and crushed fern chips. Hoyas can also be propagated by seeds. Some species readily produce seed capsules containing tufted seeds which burst when mature and are wind dispersed. Care must be observed by covering seed capsules with a gauze or nylon stocking when nearing maturity. Once mature, the seed capsule slips and the seeds can be removed. Seeds can be sown and germinated in a pot with a mixture of coir dust and sand. Transplant seedlings when they have developed true leaves. Hoya are interesting plants to collect, and some garden clubs, local and abroad, are formed just to cater for the growing of this plant. Conservation is also needed for this group of plants. [NRB]

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