Fun Fact – there are over 300 different types of Calathea plant! This version, also known as Peacock Plant and Zebra Plant, can grow to be between 12 and 24 inches tall, and 6 and 10 inches wide.A member of the Marantaceae family, Calathea White Fusion is another in the short list of colorful houseplants. With its soft white, lilac, and dark purple marbling it’s a stunning addition to the solid green of most houseplants. It likes medium indirect sunlight, and an all-purpose potting soil with good drainage. Native to Brazil, this beginner level plant likes the same general temperatures as humans do – around 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Calathea White Fusion’s scientific name is Maranta Lietzei. You won’t typically see flowers on the Calathea White Fusion in a household setting, but it does occasionally sprout little white flowers. It is safe for pets, can help clean the air, and even tolerates lower light than other houseplants, making it a very versatile plant with lots of placement options. As with most houseplants, you’ll want to rotate Calathea White Fusion regularly to encourage regular growth and avoid having one side of your plant grow taller and wider than the others.
Because Calathea White Fusion will tolerate lower light, and does better with high humidity, consider putting it in a bathroom with a small window to help up the humidity factor. Calathea White Fusion will even tolerate fluorescent light if you don’t have a window! Of course a humidifier works great too, just keep Calathea White Fusion away from vents and drafts.
Calathea White Fusion can be very sensitive to fluoride in water, so it can be a good idea to water it with distilled or boiled and cooled water, or just let your tap water sit out overnight so that the fluoride can dissipate before you water your plant. As with most houseplants, Calathea White Fusion does not like for its roots to sit in soggy soil (the soggy soil blocks the roots from getting the necessary oxygen, and encourages bacterial growth), so water only when the top inch or so of soil is dry. If your pot has good drainage, just give the plant a good soak until the water runs out of the bottom of the pot, but don’t let a lot of water sit in the tray. If your pot does not have good drainage, you’ll want to take the extra step of checking the moisture level at the bottom of the pot with a Moisture Meter before watering, and be careful of just how much water you give it. Don’t let the soil dry out completely, but take care not to water if the soil at the bottom of the pot is still wet, or on the “wetter” side of “moist” according to your Moisture Meter. Without a drainage hole you’ll need to find that sweet spot of just how much water to give your plant when it is time to water it, but your Moisture Meter will help you determine what that level is.