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As a newbie gardener, I had a lot of issues with the growth and care of plants. There was always something I was doing wrong to my houseplant and it wasn’t something I could handle on my own.
Then I got a pinstripe flower with hopes that it would be easier to propagate, grow, care for and keep as a beautification to my home.
Since it is a perennial, I knew I just had to make the best of its life in the first year of cultivation and nature would take care of the rest. But goodness gracious, I was wrong.
I was gruesomely wrong. It seemed like my pinstripe plant knew my plans beforehand and so it just didn’t bulge to my care.
It was either a pest attack or a root rot disease from overwatering or the curling of leaves from little application of water, something was always wrong.
But, time, as they say, heals all wounds. It only took some time for me, before I learned all the ways to take care of a pinstripe indoor plant.
Today, I am a proud owner of various pinstripe plants as well as different species of houseplants.
From time to time, I sell off an old plant potting and get a new seed to cultivate a new generation.
Even though I’ve grown so accustomed to the former plant, I sell it off with the fulfillment that it would bring joy to someone just as it brought so much joy while it still sat in my home.
These days, I’ve been taking out leisure hours to teach people how to grow and care for houseplants. I am more passionate about teaching about pinstripe plants and all of their unique requirements and I often recommend the owning of a pinstripe flower in every home.
It is perhaps because I have grown so fond of the smell, color, and aesthetic appeal that comes with owning a pinstripe prayer plant. And this is what I’ll be doing in this article.
I’ll be taking out the time to show you how to grow and care for a pinstripe plant. I’d be employing various storytelling techniques to help you see my struggles with the pinstripe plants as well as how I patiently overcame them.
Keep reading to learn how I got through, from amateur gardener to a proud pinstripe owner and enthusiast.
So, What is a Pinstripe Plant?
A pinstripe plant is scientifically called the goeppertia ornata or calathea ornata. It is one of the many genera of the popular calathea prayer plants. The pinstripe plant is native to the temperate regions of southern Africa, and so loves to grow in temperate regions.
The pinstripe plant haver very long stems whose ends grow leaves that are broad, green, and white striped. It is best kept as an indoor plant and requires minimum to very adequate shades.
Its beauty is usually expressed better as an indoor plant, growing in a corner of the house, bringing nature right to your doorstep. The patterned white stripes on its dark green leaves are what gave it the name pinstripe.
Sometimes, the tips of the pinstripe plant produce pink colors that are very visible and attractive. The underside of the leaves is purple with a blend of reddish glow. In the sun, it looks more like an orange-purple.
This plant does not usually produce flowers very often. Its beauty and desire are not tied to its ability to bear flowers. The broad striped leaves that look like feathers, make for all its beauty.
I used to be afraid of growing houseplants in my home because of my pet, Wilson, a bright-eyed curious cat. I didn’t want to return home one day to find it dead from eating the toxic leaves of a houseplant.
All of these fear is unnecessary with a pot of growing pinstripe. This is because the pinstripe is not toxic to pets. It can only cause some irritation to humans when ingested.
The pinstripe plant is gorgeous and I advise you to grow one or two broadleaf plants alongside the pinstripe. It is a perennial with very turgid root systems.
You shouldn’t have a problem growing this plant whether you are a beginner or an experienced gardener.
How Do You Propagate Pinstripe Calathea
I had a few issues when I first started out growing a calathea pinstripe. It was because I didn’t have the minimum knowledge of what it demands to grow a calathea pinstripe plant.
All I had was a love for flowers and an enthusiastic drive to have a house plant sitting comfortably on a corner of my house. As I tried out various techniques, I gathered good experience on the right and wrong ways of growing pinstripe plants.
If you intend to propagate a calathea pinstripe plant, the following should be taken into consideration and done correctly:
- method of propagation
- Natural or artificial light Supply
- Soil and environmental Temperature
- Type of soil and its constituents
- Watering technique
Here’s what to consider and what questions to ask yourself as an intended owner of a pinstripe plant.
1.Method of Propagation
You need to decide what method or style of propagation you deem fit for the propagation of a new pinstripe plant. The beautiful nature of the calathea pinstripe is in its ability to be propagated either sexually by seeds or asexually by rhizomes.
The seeds of the calathea pinstripe are a great way of propagating the plant, but considering the difficulty of getting pinstripe plant seed and the length of time the seed needs to grow out of the soil and germinate, you might get tired of watching and watering an empty plant pot.
I know this because I used to be the guy who wakes up every morning to water a plant pot with hopes that my hard-earned calathea pinstripe seeds were still in the soil and had not gotten eaten up by some soil bacteria.
It eventually germinated but I almost gave up. So, I’d advise you to propagate your calathea pinstripe by the use of rhizomes. For best results, uproot, divide and transplant the rhizomes into new plant pots during spring, this is the period when the plant is developing new stems and still expanding in size.
Taking off some of its rhizomes would not adversely affect its growth or kill it. Selecting the right method of propagation reduces stress on other factors necessary for propagation.
2. Natural or Artificial Light Supply
This is simply high school science. Every plant needs sunlight to carry out photosynthesis and grow. Your calathea pinstripe also needs sunlight for the same reason.
Despite the importance of sunlight to plant growth and development, ensure you are not exposing the pinstripe to excess sunlight.
It needs a little direct sunlight and lots of indirect sunlight. This is why it thrives better as an indoor plant.
Direct sunlight causes stress to the leaves and leads to loss of moisture. Prolonged exposure to sunlight eventually leads to the browning of leaves and wilting.
3. Soil and Environmental Temperature
The temperature of the soil as well as the environment where you are growing your pinstripe plant is very important and should be taken very seriously.
Note that the pinstripe plant is native to a temperate tropical region and so cannot tolerate hot weather conditions and excessively cold weather.
Therefore, do not situate your pinstripe plant pot in a place where the temperature falls below sixty-five degrees.
The pinstripe plant does not tolerate frost and will begin to display signs of stress when the frost level is high.
Pinstripe does not grow in winter. It goes dormant until the weather condition is favorable again.
4. Type of Soil and its Constituent
You should not just get any soil mix to grow your pinstripe. The pinstripe plant loves soil that is rich in humus and peat. It also likes well-draining soil. I use coconut coir to ensure draining in my soil.
Your soil pH should be set at slightly acidic or completely alkaline. A bad soil will kill the seeds before they even germinate and destroy the rhizomes while they are still not sprouting.
You might keep getting new rhizomes and seeds for growing new pinstripe plants until you fix the issue of the soil. Your soil for growing pinstripe should be constituted of good compost material and from time to time you should apply fertilizer to boost the pH quality.
4. Watering Technique
I cannot over-stress this factor. It’s just too important to be ignored. Most newbie gardeners often ignore this rule and end up growing pinstripe plants that die off as easily as they grow up.
The pinstripe calathea loves moist soil. So you must choose a watering technique that keeps the soil properly watered and moist.
This technique is none other than the soaking technique.
How Do You Care For a Calathea Plant
Care of the calathea plant is easy and can be done in three easy and routine steps:
- Apply enough water to the pinstripe plant regularly. Do not let the water dry out before you water again.
This often leaves the plants susceptible to pests and disease attacks. Also, be careful not to overwater the plant. You do not want to lose your pinstripe to root rot.
- Expose your pinstripe plant to just medium indirect sunlight. This amount of sunlight is enough for photosynthesis
- Do not place the pinstripe in areas withcold drafts and temperature fluctuations.
When should I Repot calathea Pinstripe?
You will need to re-pot the calathea pinstripe plant when it has grown too big for its current plant pot. A root system that is bigger than the plant pot will lead to low drainage which might make your roots drown or cause root rot.
How Do I Keep Calathea Happy
The calathea pinstripe is happy when it has enough nutrients and water additions. Ensure that you add fertilizer regularly to the potting soil. A good mix of nitrogen phosphorus and potassium will do.
Also, keep the plant happy with a good watering routine as poor watering causes stress to the pinstripe root and stems.
Conclusion
I found a way to move from an amateurish gardener with little gardening skills and a garden of dying pinstripe plants to a proud owner of multiple pinstripe plants and a gardening teacher.
You too can make this move. It begins with one step at a time. This article has provided you with the necessary requirements you need to have to take that step.
