The Calathea Musaica certainly has a very interesting pattern on the leaves, even for a Calathea as they are known to have pretty detailed patterns in general and look super aesthetic.
So not only does this plant look amazing and will go well in any home or outdoor garden, but this Calathea is also generally pretty easy to care for and look after, especially compared to other plants out there.
By following the tips listed below, you shouldn’t encounter very many problems and will be well on your way to growing a beautiful Calathea Musaica whether the plant is brand new or you’re just trying to ensure you’re currently doing everything right.
So let’s have a look at what you need to know to provide proper care for many years to come.
Calathea Musaica light requirements
Musaica Calatheas aren’t super picky on the type of light they receive but they will grow best in bright but indirect light for most of the day.
A few hours of direct light or full sunlight will also be fine but just don’t let this plant stay in direct light for most of the day, especially during intense heat or the leaves can burn.
A little here and there and your Calathea will be fine but indirect light daily is the way to go to keep your plant healthy and the leaves looking great.
The light requirement can be achieved by growing this plant really anywhere outdoors that gets shade or by just about any type of window if you’re planning on growing indoors.
Keep in mind that you may want to keep this plant a few feet away from windows just in case they don’t provide the best protection against full sun and the intense rays.
It all just depends but having your Musaica a little bit away from a window will allow bright indirect light with less chance of full sun.
Other than that, this is all you need to know for the lighting situation.
How to water
The Calathea Musaica likes to be watered thoroughly whether indoors or outdoors as well as staying at least slightly moist the vast majority of the time.
You don’t really want this plant completely drying out as that can cause the leaves to wilt or curl upwards and you certainly don’t want standing water as that can cause all sorts of problems, especially root rot.
You want to find that middle ground where the bottom of the soil will be moist but not constantly soaked.
To get this to happen you will not want to water on any set schedule, but rather when the top inch or two of the soil has dried out completely.
This will happen much faster in the summer than in the winter and soil will also dry out faster in dry environments more so than humid areas.
This is why you shouldn’t go based on a schedule as watering needs will vary throughout the year and based on the growing location.
So just water your Calathea Musaica fully and let the water drain through the drainage holes that I hope you will be using if growing in a container.
Then just water the same way again when the top inch or two of the soil has completely dried out, ensuring that the lower level of the soil is still moist but not soaked.
That’s really all there is to it.
What kind of soil to use
Your Calathea Musaica will prefer soil that not only drains well but also can keep moisture for some time.
Peat moss will be a good choice for soil mix as it has both of these properties that you really want.
You can then add in some perlite to the mix for extra drainage as you see fit.
A good ratio of these components will be around 3/4 Peat and 1/4 perlite or you could go with 2/3 peat and 1/3 perlite depending on your growing environment, moisture levels, etc.
Nothing here has to be exact but this is a good starting point if you want to experiment with other types of soil mix or organic materials you can certainly do so.
At worst, just make sure the soil drains well so you don’t run into root rot and have to deal with that.
Temperature and humidity
Calathea Musaica can really only be grown in warm temperatures and actually likes humidity compared to dry environments.
In terms of temperature, 60 degrees Fahrenheit and above is what you want to be growing in as generally anything below can cause issues with growth or damage to the plant.
This makes it the perfect houseplant as I know for a fact that everyone likes to keep their home in the mid to high 60’s on average or above as nobody wants a cold home.
Growing this plant indoors is also ideal because in most places the weather can certainly get in the 50’s and below during certain times of the year and so you won’t have to deal with that indoors.
Nonetheless, growing outdoors could very well be suitable to your needs depending on the space in your home or if you just like having a full garden, it’s really up to you.
Just keep an eye out on the weather now that you know this plant won’t tolerate the cold.
As for humidity, this Calathea likes to be grown in pretty humid locations just like it’s native location in South America.
70% Humidity levels will be the sweet spot for this plant and anything above 50% will also be okay.
If you live in a generally dry area of the world then it may not be ideal to grow outdoors as it will be much harder to get that humidity up compared to what you can do indoors.
As for growing indoors if you want to increase humidity levels then you can do a few things to get to that desired level.
For one a humidifier will be a great choice for the plants needs, plus who doesn’t like using one?
Another tip would be to grow this plant near water sources in your home such as near the kitchen sink, bathrooms or anywhere water can be evaporated and provide a boost in humidity.
You could also just have a container or pot of water nearby that will do the same thing essentially, the choice is yours.
A few signs of low humidity will be wilting or drooping leaves, or leaves that just seem to want to curl in response to the lack of moisture.
Repotting Calathea Musaica
If you have had your Calathea Musaica for some time such as a few years, you may have noticed your plant is outgrowing the container it’s in, assuming your care has been on point.
Or maybe you have been having issues with the soil or drainage and just feel like repotting your Calathea.
Whatever the case may be, repotting plants every few years is never really a bad idea and is welcomed most of the time or even needed.
To repot a Calathea Musaica you will first need to select a container that is one pot size bigger than the one you’re currently using as going too large can lead to water not being able to drain properly or could cause repotting stress in general.
Once you have chosen your container, you will need to carefully remove the plant, the rhizomes and the roots all at once and keep them together.
Next you will need to add some fresh soil mix to the bottom of the new container.
Now place the rhizome and the plant on top of that soil and fill around the plant to the point where the visible part of your Calathea is not in the container but sitting at the top of it like you normally would.
From here you can wait a day or two before watering to let your plant settle in to it’s new container and once that has passed you can water like normal.
Be sure you are still using drainage holes with the new container as they are super important.
Also repotting during the spring is a good idea and it gives you a chance to propagate if your plant is ready to do so.
How to propagate Calathea Musaica
If you have a mature Calathea and it’s springtime, then now is a good time to propagate, especially if the plant needs a repotting as mentioned before.
The way to do this is by rhizome division which means you will be splitting the rhizome in several pieces depending on how many you want to be propagated.
You can use some clean gardening shears to cut the rhizome into 2 or 4 inch sections while being sure that each cutting still contains roots.
Once you have these split rhizomes you can place one or two per container, ideally one though to provide adequate room for each plant in the future.
You will once again want to have some well draining soil mix placed at the bottom of the container and then place each rhizome on top of that soil.
Then for every inch wide the rhizomes are you will want to place it half as much under the soil that will be on top.
So a 2 inch rhizome you will want it to be placed about an inch under the soil and so on.
Wait a few days before watering and then go easy on it for a while until the roots can become more established.
That’s really all there is to it.
How to deal with pests
Like many other types of plants, the Calathea Musaica is not exempt from getting these annoying bugs every once in a while or if your care hasn’t been on point.
Spider mites, mealy bugs, scales and aphids can all invade the plant and feed on it, leaving your plant with nutrient loss and overall dehydration at the very least.
Some potential signs of pests can be webbing, white spots, brown spots, wilting leaves and so on.
Thankfully most pests can be eliminated by using some good quality neem oil at night or in shade to prevent burning of the leaves but it does work quite well at treatment of pests and prevention.
If you suspect you have a pest problem going on then it’s best to isolate this plant away from other plants to prevent the bugs from spreading around and ruining your whole collection.
Should I use fertilizer?
Fertilizer is not entirely necessary for your Calathea but it’s also not a bad idea to use some every few months to give the plant an extra boost.
You want to be careful though by not giving your plant too much or too often as over time salts can accumulate in the soil and cause what is known as fertilizer burn.
This will cause damage to the roots and foliage causing yellowing or brown tips on the leaves along with other issues.
If you still want to fertilize then I recommend using whichever fertilizer you prefer at a much lower strength than what is usually recommended.
A 1/4 strength fertilizer every other month will work just fine in terms of giving the boost without running much of a risk of fertilizer burn.
That’s really all you need to know.