the laeves and stems of calathea rufibarba are covered with tiny hairs. this is why it’s sometimes called furry feather calathea. the genus calathea belongs to the marantaceae family and their members are folding up its leaves during the night.

care

a bright to light shade place without direct sun is welcome. some morning and/or evening sun will be tolerated.

the furry feather calathea can be planted in a good regular potting mix. keep it constantly moist and avoid overwatering such as drying out. sitting in water can cause root rot.

a half diluted water soluble fertilizer can be given monthly in spring/summer and every six to eight weeks during fall/winter. there is no need to feed for the first six to eight weeks if you have recently re-potted.

calathea rufibarba likes it warm with a minimum of 15 °c (59 °f) in fall/winter. spraying it over with water increases humidity and keeps its leaves free from dust.

propagation

the furry feather calathea can be propagated by division.

what differs sansevieria concinna from the other snake plants are its spoon shaped leaves. it’s available in different sizes and also as variegated cultivar (very hard to get).

care

sansevieria concinna does good on a bright to light shaded place with indirect sunlight. if protected from afternoon sun it can be placed outside during summer. but give it back inside if the temperature is falling under 15 °c (59 °f) constantly.

a good drained soil is welcome, you can use a standart cactus mix or a mix with some humus, sand and gritty.

it likes to be good watered and the soil should dry out before watering next. wet legs can cause root rot.

sansevieria concinna can be fed with a half concentrated cactus fertilizer. monthly during spring/summer and every six to eight weeks in fall/winter (if placed at room temperature).

it needs a winter minimum of 15 °c (59 °f). if placed at this temperature keep nearly dry and don’t feed.

pragation

sansevieria concinna can be propagated by division and with leaf cuttings.

this plant became popular more and more over the past few years and now there are a lot of cultivars available. sansevieria cylincdrica is known as cylindrical snake plant, african spear or sometimes spear sansevieria.

care

sansevieria cylindrica grows best in full sunlight. a light shaded place will be tolerated. during the summer it can be placed in the garden, but make sure that rainwater can run out of the pot because sitting in water can cause root rot.

it needs a well drained soil, a regular cactus mix or a mix between humus, gritty and some sand can be used.

the cylindrical snake plant needs to be good watered, what runs out of the pot’s hole should be removed after a few minutes. let it dry out before watering next.

a half concentrated cactus fertilizer can be given monthly and if placed at room temperature during fall/winter every six to eight weeks.

sansevieria cylindrica can be cultivated at room temperature the whole year through with a winter minimum of +/-15 °C (59 °f). if placed colder during winter it needs less watering, a fertilizer must not be given.

f. l. t. r.: sansevieria cylindrica, “patula”, “skyline”

propagation

the cylindrical snake plant can be propagated by division or leaf cuttings.

the genus ctenanthe is another member of the big marantaceae family. ctenanthe pilosa is native to brazil. there are cultivars with colored leaves available.

ctenanthe pilosa is folding up its leaves during the night. if they are staying on daytime this can indicate that it’s placed too to sunny or needs some watering.

care

ctenanthe pilosa can be placed on a bright to light shaded place without direct sunlight. some morning and/or evening sun will be tolerated. the colored cultivars shouldn’t be placed to dark for building up theyr leaf color.

it can be planted in a good regular potting mix. keep it constantly moist but avoid overwatering such as drying out. wet legs can cause root rot.

a half diluted water soluble fertilizer can be given monthly in spring/summer and every six to eight weeks during fall/winter. there is no need to feed for the first six to eight weeks if you have recently re-potted.

ctenanthe pilosa likes it warm and should not be placed under 15 °c (59 °f) for a longer time. spraying it over with water increases humidity and keeps its leaves free from dust.

ctenanthe pilosa “magic mosaic” is a variegated cultivar

propagation

propagation can be done by division, for example when it needs to be re-potted.

the genus stromanthe belongs to the marantaceae family and contains about 13 members which are originally located in south and middle america. from stromanthe sanguinea are some cultivars available, very popular is “triostar”.

like the other members of the marantaceae family, stromanthe sanguinea is folding up the leaves in the night. if they are staying during the day this can indicate that it’s placed too to sunny or needs some watering.

care

stromanthe sanguinea can be placed from bright to half shady without direct sunlight. some morning and/or evening sun will be tolerated. if the colored cultivars are placed to dark they probably will show more greenish leaves.

a good regular potting mix can be used. keep it constantly moist but avoid overwatering such as drying out. wet legs can cause root rot.

a half diluted water soluble fertilizer can be given monthly in spring/summer and every six to eight weeks during fall/winter. there is no need to feed for the first six to eight weeks if you have recently re-potted.

the stromanthe likes it warm and should not be placed under 15 °c (59 °f) for a longer time. spraying it over with water can increase humidity and keeps its leaves free from dust.

stromanthe sanguinea “horticolor”

propagation

propagation can be done by division, for example when the stromanthe needs to be re-potted.

syngonium podophyllum is known as arrowhead vine, arrowhead plant or sometimes goosefoot plant. the popular houseplant is native to central and south america. there are some variegated cultivars available.

care

the arrowhead vine does best on a bright but not sunny place. it will tolerate some shade but then grows a bit slower. if placed to dark it produces smaller leaves.

it can be potted in a good regular mix. keep it constantly moist but not wet and avoid overwatering such as a complete dry out.

a half diluted water soluble fertilizer can be given monthly in spring/summer and every six to eight weeks during fall/winter. if recently re-potted or bought there is no need to feed it for the first eight weeks.

the arrowhead vine can be cultivated at room temperature throughout the year with a minum of 15 °c (59 °f) during winter time.

propagation

the arrowhead vine can easily propagated by cuttings.

the diffenbachia is a very popular houseplant and there are a lot of cultivars with leaves spotted or striped from white to yellow or green available. the common name dumb cane is based of the poisonous nature of their sap. the genus diffenbachia belongs to the araceae family and is native to the tropical america.

as indoor plants often used are cultivars of dieffenbachia amoena, d. bausei or d. seguine.

care

dieffenbachias like bright light without direct sun but do also good on a half shady place. if placed to dark they will grow a bit slower and the extreme white colored cultivars will show more greenish leaves.

they can be cultivated in a good regular potting mix which has to be kept constantly moist but not wet. overwatering can cause root rot. they also shouldn’t completely dry out.

a water soluble fertilizer can be given at a half strength monthly during spring/summer and every six to eight weeks in fall/winter. re-potted or fresh bought plants don’t need to be fed for the first eight weeks.

dumb canes like a warm place throughout the year with a winter minium of 15 °c (59 °f). if sprayed over with water regularly this keeps their leaves free from dust.

1-4: dieffenbachia amoena cultivars, 5: cuttings from d. oerstedii

propagation

dumb canes can be propagated by cuttings.

what makes the prayer plant (maranta leuconeura) special is that it’s folding up the leaves in the evening and open it back again in the morning. if the leaves are staying during the day this can indicate that it’s placed too to sunny or needs some watering.

there are different colored cultivars available.

care

the prayer plant (maranta leuconeura) likes a bright place without sun. if placed sunny, the leaves can bleach. it likes room temperature throughout the year with a winter minimum of 15 °c (59 °f).

it can be planted in a standart potting mix. keep it constantly moist but not wet and avoid “wet legs” such as drying out.

to increase humidity the prayer plant can be sprayed over with water in the morning. this also keeps the leaves free from dust.

a water soluble fertilizer can be given monthly in half of the indicated concentration. after re-potting there is no need to feed for about six to eight weeks.

propagation

the prayer plant can easily be propagated with cuttings.

the genus clivia belongs to the amaryllidaceae family and contains six species. the bush lily (clivia miniata), also known as kaffir lily is native to south africa. there are cultivars with red, orange or yellow flowers available.

care

the bush lily likes a bright but not sunny location, a light shaded place will be tolerated.

the soil should be well drained, you can use a standard potting soil mixed with some sand (3:1).

keep it moist but not wet. water running out of the pot’s hole should be removed after a few minutes. let it moderately dry before watering next.

clivia miniata can be fed monthly during summer, with a half concentrated water soluble fertilizer.

in winter the bush lily can be placed at 12-16 °c (54-61 °f). it now has to be kept moderately dry without fertilizing. blooming time is in spring.

propagation

the bush lily (clivia miniata) can be propagated by seeds. older plants can be divided.

the sometimes called plover eggs, adromischus cooperi is a south african native. the leaves of this dwarf succulent can get 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 inches) long. it belongs to the crassulaceae family.

plant care

adromischus cooperi likes a bright and sunny place, light shade will be tolerated. during summer it can be placed in the garden, but make sure that rain water can run out of the pot’s hole. because “wet legs” can cause root rot.

the soil should be well drained with some gritty, sand and a bit humus. a regular cactus mix can be used.

the plover eggs need to be good watered, what runs out of the pot should be removed after a few minutes. before watering next the soil must dry.

adromischus cooperi can be fed monthly with a half concentrated cactus fertilizer.

if you can give em enough light, it can be cultivated at room temperature throughout the year. during winter the plover eggs can be placed at 10-15 °c (50-59 °f). then keep it nearly dry and don’t feed.

propagation

adromischus cooperi can be propagated by seeds or cuttings.