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Calathea Medallion Care
Calathea veitchiana
Basic Calathea Medallion Care
Part of the prayer plant family, the Calathea Medallion have large striking leaves with dark red purplish underleaves. They are definitely one of our favourite plants! Below your will find the complete Calathea Medallion care guide with everything you need to know.
Bright Indirect Light
I love the sunshine but too much direct light will damage my leaves.
Water Moderately
I don't like my soil to be too dry or too soggy. Little and often is what I'm after.
High Humidity
I thrive in humid environments so please mist my leaves every so often.
Potting Soil
I need soil specifically for indoor plants as it retains the right amount of water.
Detailed Calathea Medallion Care Information
Whether you're looking to make sure your Calathea Medallion is in it's perfect conditions, or looking to see if one could work for your space. We've got you covered.
Avoid all direct light for your Calathea Medallion
Whilst a Calathea Medallion does need plenty of sunlight, you want to be very careful to make sure this is all indirect. Intense sunlight can scorch the beautiful leaves.
Whilst they can survive with medium light levels, the markings on the leaves won’t be as striking.
Keep the soil moist for your Calathea Medallion
We recommend going for a little but often approach to watering your Calathea Medallion. This makes sure the potting mix is moist but not soggy or overly dry.
Average room temperature is fine for a Calathea Medallion
When it comes to temperature, Calathea Medallion plants will be comfortable if you are comfortable. So keep them away from windows or doors that are not draft proof as the cold air from outside (especially in winter) will shock the plant and can cause a variety of issues.
High humidity is key to keep your plant thriving
Calathea Medallion plants love high humidity levels so you want to make sure you are misting their leaves several times each week. This is also a great way to remove dust from their large leaves which is a bonus!
Other ways to increase humidity include using a pebble tray, buying a humidifier or giving your plant a shower. You can find out more about raising the humidity for your houseplants in our guide.
Fertilise your Calathea Medallion monthly in the growth period
If you choose to fertilise your Calathea Medallion then you want to make sure you are only doing it in the growth months of spring and summer. Use a water soluble fertiliser once a month but no more. Stop feeding your plant in autumn and winter as growth is dormant.
Calathea Medallion are fast growers
One great thing about Calathea Medallions is that they reward you with new leaves pretty frequently if the care is right!
Avoid using leaf shine on Calathea Medallions
Using leaf shine can actually damage the leaves on your Calathea Medallion as well as make their patterns less intense so refrain from using it.
Propagate your Calathea Medallion through division
The most successful method of propagating a Calathea Medallion is division of the mother plant. Make sure that each section has a good chunk of the root system to help it survive.
You can either grow the sections in water for a few weeks to encourage new roots to grow or pot straight into fresh soil if they are ready.
Repot your Calathea Medallion once a year
Repotting gives your plant more than just a bit more room to grow; it allows you to refresh the potting mix and give your plant more nutrients.
When choosing the new pot, only go up one size (only a few cms wider in diameter) otherwise this can damage your plant.
Calathea Medallion purify the air
Calathea Medallion plants are great for bedrooms and offices as they naturally purify the air!
Calathea Medallion plants are safe for pets and humans
Another great thing about Calathea Medallion (if we haven’t convinced you already) is that they are completely safe for pets and humans so you don’t need to worry if you have a child or dog/ cat who likes to nibble on things when you aren’t looking!
About the Calathea Medallion
The Calathea Medallion is one of our favourite Calathea varieties due to their large patterned striking leaves with deep purple undersides. Native to the tropics of South America, the Calathea Medallion loves warm temperatures and a high humidity level so misting the leaves is crucial.
As with all Calatheas, the Medallion variety is also air-purifying and non-toxic to both humans and pets which makes them great houseplants for most homes!
These aren’t always the easiest plants to care for though as even small changes in care or environments can lead to issues such as brown leaves, yellow leaves or droopy stems. So we don’t tend to recommend them to beginner plant parents or those who are often away or busy.
Calathea Medallion Care Starter Kit
We've put together this great little starter kit that includes all of the equipment and information you'll need to take proper care of your Calathea Medallion.
Common Problems with your Calathea Medallion
Here are some common issues that you might run into. It's important to diagnose any issues early to give your plant the best chance of bouncing back.
The most common cause of dry brown leaf edges on a Calathea Medallion is underwatering. Check the moisture levels in the soil to check and slowly increase how much or how often you are watering your plant.
It can also be that a lack of humidity is causing the dry brown leaf edges in which case make sure you are misting your plant regularly and using a humidifier.
Calathea Medallion plants curl their leaves inwards if they aren’t getting enough water. Check the soil to see if there is any moisture and increase your watering going forward. You can also give your plant a quick bath where you let it soak up as much water as it needs to in about 15-20 minutes before taking out of the water.
Do note that Calathea plants do curl their leaves overnight (it’s where they get the prayer plant name from) so be sure that this isn’t natural curling before making any changes to how much your water your plant.
The most common cause of yellow leaves on a Calathea Medallion is overwatering. They are quite sensitive to waterlogged soil and this may have caused the roots to rot, leaving the plant unable to take up necessary nutrients. Check the potting soil and replace if waterlogged. In future cut back on how much water you are giving to your plant each time and make sure it has time to dry out before watering again.
Simple Calathea Medallion Care Requirements
It sometimes helps to take caring for your plants back to the basics, here's the key considerations that you should take into account when caring for your Calathea veitchiana.
These simple points should give you all you need to keep your plant happy and healthy for years to come.
| Common Name | Calathea Medallion |
| Latin Name | Calathea veitchiana |
| Light | Bright Indirect Light |
| Water | Water Moderately |
| Humidity | High Humidity |
| Soil Type | Potting Soil |
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