Peacock plant – Indoor House Plants

Peacock plant (Calathea Makoyana) is an ornamental, evergreen perennial indoor house plant. It grows up to 18 inches tall. The leaves are thin, oval in shape, and about 12 inches. They are light green, feathered with fine, dark green lines running from the midrib to the edge of the leaf, and have elongated, irregularly shaped blotches occurring at intervals. The underside of the leaves is also marked and tends to be pinkish maroon rather than green. The foliage is held upright on long thin stems. Blossoms are purple or white, small and arranged in spikes and rarely appear on indoor plants. Peacock plant is an air purifying indoor house plant.

Scientific Name: Calathea Makoyana
Synonyms: Calathea olivaris, Goeppertia makoyana, Maranta iconifera, Maranta makoyana, Maranta olivaris, Phyllodes mackoyana.
Common Name: Peacock plant, Cathedral windows.

How to grow and maintain Peacock plant:

Light:
It thrives best in bright indirect sunlight or filtered sunlight to partial shade. Direct sunlight will damage the leaves and fade the color. Keep your plant in front of East, west, or north facing window is suitable.

Soil:
It prefers to grow in rich organic, moist, Well-drained soil. Use a two-part peat and one part sand or perlite mix will do the trick.

Temperature:
It prefers an ideal temperature between 60 degrees F – 75 degrees F / 15 degrees Celsius – 24 degrees Celsius. It can not tolerate the temperature lower than 60 degrees F / 15 degrees Celsius.

Water:
Water your plant regularly during the growing season. Never allow the soil to dry out during the growing season. Keep the soil always moist but not soggy. Reduce watering during the winter season.

Fertilizer:
Fertilize once every two weeks with a diluted liquid fertilizer during the growing season from April to October. Be sure that do not fertilize your Peacock plant during the winter season.

Propagation:
It can be easily propagated by division. Take divisions from mature plants at a re-potting time. Simply divide the plant by half or more segments and plant each segment into a separate pot. Make sure to carefully isolate the stems of each plant.

Repotting:
Re-pot your peacock plant every year in spring. As the plant grows, you should move it to a wider pot so the new stems and roots have enough room to grow.

Pests and Diseases:
No serious pest or disease problems. But watch for spider mites, scale, Mealy Bugs, and Aphids. Plants do not thrive in low humidity where leaves may roll or brown up.