Calathea White Fusion Care — Calathea lietzei

Last Updated on October 19, 2021 by Grow with Bovees

Calathea white fusion, isn’t that just one of the coolest plant names you’ve heard?

And rightly so, this magnificent variegated plant definitely deserves the honor of bearing such a great nickname.

Unique Name

The title Calathea white fusion was given to this stunning plant due to its beautiful glossy dark green leaves which are embellished with crisp white streaks merged with amazing pale purple undersides which are super eye-catching.

This plant, with its vibrant leaves consisting of unique patterns and color combinations, makes for a complete attention grabber in any room.

Classification — Tropical Plants

The scientific name for calathea white fusion is Calathea lietzei.

It is a hybrid plant belonging to the calathea plant family, and it originates from Malaysia.

The calathea white fusions’ natural environment is rainforest, it is therefore classified as a tropical plant, which makes it quite fussy when it comes to the moisture level of its surrounding air and water requirements.

Other Names

Two other names the calathea white fusion is also known for are peacock plants and prayer-plants.

Peacock plant, you can only guess, derives from the magnificent look of these variegated plants. The name Prayer Plant leads me to another interesting fact.

Fun Fact

At night the calathea white fusion folds up its majestic delicate leaves. When this happens the leaves of the white fusion appear to be in a prayer-like position.

The name prayer plant is however, also given to another plant, namely the Maranta leuconeura.

These are the actual prayer plants and the two should not be confused as they are completely different species of plants.

This popular houseplant is quite a rare variety. It will, unfortunately, not always be available for sale in a plant shop, local nursery, or flower store.

The calathea is grouped as a medium-size indoor plant, and it can reach heights of one to two feet tall. As mentioned earlier, it can be quite tricky to care for as it is quite high-maintenance and sensitive to the correct amount of water and humidity levels.

Having said that, let us continue by going through some plant care tips to properly grow a healthy plant.

Calathea White Fusion Care

In this section, we shall discuss all you need to know about the proper care of this unique piece of greenery. We hope to make any cultivation lover an expert on the topic.

White Fusion Humidity and Temperature

Let us start off by discussing one of the more challenging requirements for the white fusion plant, namely humidity.

The calathea thrives best in high humidity conditions. We are talking about humidity levels that reach 75% or higher.

Getting your hands on a moisture meter is a good way to observe levels of humidity.

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If you find your house to have generally dry conditions, using a humidifier will make for a happy white fusion.

Misting the leaves lightly from time to time or adding a wet pebble tray to your pot also aids in raising the humidity level.

Bathrooms usually have great humidity conditions.

Place the calathea near a bathroom window where there is enough light and where hot water cannot be sprayed directly onto its beautiful foliage.

The calathea is a lover of warm steam and will add a lovely touch of glamour to your bathroom.

Good air circulation around a plant in a humid environment is vital.

Stagnant, humid air is a great environment for pests to occur.

Room temperatures should be moderate to warm at a temperature range of 60° — 75° F. Your calathea will start stressing when temperatures reach below 50° F.

Keep the white fusion away from strong drafts and breezes, man-made or natural. Air conditioning drafts, heating vents, and drafty windows are a no-go.

Calathea White Fusion Water Needs

This plant grows best when keeping its soil consistently moist. Avoid soggy soil and completely dried out soil at all costs.

A good rule of thumb of knowing when it’s time to water is by sticking your finger into the soil and feeling whether the top part is dry.

If it is, the calathea “white fusion” is ready to be watered. If you feel wet soil, hold off on watering for a while.

When watering the calathea, do so in a slow manner, allowing the roots to really soak up the water, and then make sure that excess water runs out or is tipped out. Excess moisture will cause soggy soil.

Tap water is ok to use when watering the calathea. It does however contain chloride and fluoride. The calathea fusion white is sensitive to the fluoride in water.

Allow these mineral gases to escape by leaving a bucket with tap water overnight and then using it to water your plant.

If you want to be sure to avoid fluoride toxicity, use rain water or filtered bottled water.

Calathea White Fusion Light and Placement

Correct light levels and light intensity are vital for the survival of the calathea white fusion.

The calathea ‘white fusion’ is best placed in an area of medium natural bright light.

This plant grows best in bright indirect sunlight. Too much bright light should be avoided. A bit of direct morning sunlight will however, not harm the calathea.

For even growth, rotate the white fusion regularly.

The perfect spot to sit your calathea “white fusion” is near a west or even east-facing window for optimal bright indirect light.

If you notice your plant getting too much light, cover the window with a sheer curtain. This will help in creating filtered bright light, making the rays of the sun less intense.

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South-facing windows should be avoided as they make for overly sunny windows with too much direct sunlight and are therefore the worst spot to place the white fusion.

Areas that are too dim or have a high degree of shade, are not advised for the white fusion calathea.

If you are unable to find the perfect location in your house, or you feel your calathea white fusion is not thriving, consider investing in an artificial light for growing plants.

They have been shown to be very effective and safe, speeding up growth without damaging the foliage.

You may also be interested in further Calathea information;
Calathea Veitchiana Medallion Care
Orbifolia Calathea Care Guide
Pinstripe Calathea Ornata Care

Soil Requirements

For a happy plant, place your calathea into a commercial potting soil mix made for houseplants such as African violets.

This potting mix contains enough peat moss to keep consistently moist soil, and it is also a well-draining soil, which is essential to good plant growth.

Make sure the soil mix which is used, is slightly acidic and contains some organic matter. Perlite and sand are great additions to the perfect potting mixture. Fresh soil with good drainage of excess water is a must.

Repotting

Due to the fact that Calathea White Fusion grows at a rather slow pace compared to some other houseplants, like pothos for example, repotting is not such a frequent requirement.

Repotting the calathea should take place in 1-2 year intervals. Roots emerging from the soil are an obvious sign that appears when it’s time for repotting.

Using Fertilizer

When deciding on using fertilizer to give your white fusion that extra boost, it is best to feed your plant with a liquid house plant fertilizer that is well balanced.

The time to be feeding your calathea would be once a month from spring to fall when the weather is warmer and your white fusion calathea is actively growing.

In winter months, the growth of the calathea slows down, and the plant becomes almost dormant. It is not necessary to fertilize in colder temperatures.

Remember that the white fusion calathea is generally a slow-growing plant. It is easy to over-fertilize because you want to speed up the growth process. Over-fertilizing will damage this gorgeous wonder.

Pruning

There is not much to it when pruning this plant.

Simply remove any sign of discolored, damaged, or curled leaves. New leaves will quickly grow from the stem where the sick damaged leaves were removed.

Use a damp cloth to remove any dust from leaf surfaces. Crispy leaves and leaves with spots should also be cut away.

Prune off any blossoms that look tired or that are hanging down. This process is called deadheading.

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Flowers are very rare, and your plant would need special treatment in order for it to develop flowers.

Calathea White Fusion Propagation

The calathea white fusion propagation is a straightforward process and should be done during summer by means of the root division method.

This is easily done when repotting your calathea. Shake off any excess soil from the plant’s roots and then split the parent plant, (also known as the mother plant), at the stem and roots before placing it and the divisions into new pots.

Make sure that each division consists of at least three stems. This will make for the best chance of survival.

Be careful of adding too much water to your newly planted baby plants. Smaller succulents require less watering over long periods of time.

Signs of An Unhealthy Plant/Root Rot

Insufficient watering causes curling or spotting of leaves.

An excessively dry environment will cause browning leaves.

Limp stems and rotten stems may be caused by root rot which is caused by too much water or temperatures being too cold.

Scorched leaves due to great amounts of direct sunlight will cause a fading of the leaf coloring.

In order to keep your plant healthy and neat looking, don’t hesitate to cut off any crispy leaves which are brown or damaged.

Other issues that you may encounter could be a sign of spider mites infesting the calathea.

White Fusion Calathea Leaves Curling

The calathea is a very temperamental piece of vegetation that is not shy when having to express unhappiness.

When the foliage of your calathea fusion starts curling or folding, it is trying to tell you that something is wrong. Sorting out this issue, whatever it may be, will let the calathea white unfurl again.

When the calathea suffers from dehydration, it curls up its leaves as a defense mechanism to minimize water loss through transpiration.

There Are Many Reasons for Calathea Leaf Curling

When this happens, try to adjust your watering schedule, humidity levels, and temperature ranges. Other causes of leaves curling could be root rot, diseases, or too much fertilizer.

Although the calathea is a bit of a drama queen and will not hesitate to make you aware that something is wrong, simply adjusting its surrounding conditions will have the calathea thriving again, and it’ll be like nothing ever happened.

Conclusion

I think we have made it clear that even though the calathea white fusion with its delicate leaves is a bit finicky and set in its ways, issues with calathea plants are easily sorted out, and it is simple to make it happy if the right care tips are followed.

Keep your plant environment happy and you’ll make your plant happy.

Good luck and happy planting!