Calathea Rufibarba Fenzl (Velvet Calathea)

Calathea Rufibarba (Goeppertia rufibarba) is a native plant of the Amazon rainforests in Brazil. This plant has long, slender, and wavy leaves that are light green when young. As the leaves mature, they transition into darker green upper side and maroon to burgundy below. The stems of a rufibarba are long and slender and are burgundy in color as well. What makes this plant unique is that the stems and the leaves’ underside are covered in hair-like fuzz. This has led many gardeners to give it nicknames such as “the fuzzy/ furry feather Calathea,” “velvet Calathea,” “furry Calathea,” and many more.

Plant Care:  Calathea Rufibarba Fenzl is NOT a easy growing plant. Certainly not for beginners. They have very particular requirements in terms of heat, light, and moisture. Calathea Rufibarba Fenzl is tropical native needs lots of heat and humidity to thrive. Filtered light is the best option. If you want to have your rattlesnake plant in a window, select one that doesn’t have intense afternoon sun streaming through it, or diffuse the light with drapes. A bright spot in a well-lit room away from the direct light in a window can work well, too. The most common mistake made with these plants is overwatering. Even if your plant is placed in ample bright indirect light, you won’t need to water it more than once every 7 days (at most) during the growing season. Do not over water it. Keep it in a place where you have a sun light , NOT the direct sun. For a this plant, you need well-draining soil. This type of soil ensures excess water drains through the plant pot. This prevents all that extra water from building up in the soil. When there’s too much water in your plant’s soil, it blocks the oxygen from getting through to the roots. The lack of oxygen to a plant’s roots can cause root rot. Root rot is just as the name sounds. It’s when the roots of a plant start to rot away.

General advise about Indoor plants: Indoor plants require a indirect or filtered sun light (NOT the direct sun) . Each indoor plants have a different requirement of sunlight. So please google or read about the plants light requirement. Plants growth and survivability also depends on the climate and seasons. In simple words right amount of sun light, water, manure , pest control . There is no set standard for watering. Each plant has varying requirement of water . Check if the plants stores water in their leaves or in rhizomes (bulb like structure in the roots). Check when the soil is dry then put the water. Over watering kills the plant due to root rot. Best suggestion is to shift the plants outside (in shade) once in awhile till they recover.

** Plants photos are for representation purpose only. We will make best efforts to send the plants as in photos itself.  There may be small white dots on the plant, as these plants cared in nursery using the hard water and pesticide spray. However these will eventually disappear as you take care and clean the leaves. Trust us, we want to give you the best