Cuban Cigar Flower Plant (calathea lueta)

ABOUT THIS CALATHEA Cuban Cigar Flower Plant (calathea lueta) – Deep purple and unusual in shape, the inflorescence grow tall looking like cigars protruding from the leaves, with small yellow flowers that hide deep inside the bracts. Tall deep green leaves, similar to a banana leaves in shape and appearance, grow from to three or four feet in height. Dappled sunlight and well drained soil are preferred by Calathea. Our Cuban Cigar Flower plants allow you to enjoy amazing tropical blooms in the first year or so. All the Calathea we offer are vegetatively propagated from healthy flowering mother stock, grown right here in our nursery. This means, you receive an exact clone, true in form and bloom and won’t have to wait years to enjoy fresh tropical flowers, as is often the case with seed grown or tissue culture plants. Truly a better plant! The growth rate of Cuban Cigar Flower will vary greatly depending on soil type, sunlight, temperature and other factors. A few leaves are often trimmed prior to shipping to reduce transpiration and travel stress. QUICK SPECS OUTDOOR Zone 10-11 PATIO Zone 4a-11 SOIL TYPE Rich Moist % SUN 80-90% POT SIZE 2x2x7″ Deep INCLUDES One Plant CALATHEA CARE Calatheas are easy to grow, tropical flowering plants that produce lightly scented, waxy, blooms. Calathea will grow happily and flower in a pot or in ground. They add a tropical accent to any outdoor space, garden or patio. In cooler zones a containerized Calathea can be relocated indoors for the winter months. When you receive your new Calathea, there is no need to worry about planting right away. Your new plant can be stored for a while by simply placing it in a bucket with about a 1/2 inch of water in the bottom and moving it to a shady location, simply keep moist. This will give you plenty of time to select the ideal location for your new Calathea. CONTAINER SIZE All Calathea varieties grow very well in containers, indoors or on the patio. This larger variety needs enough room for growth, generally a 24″ to a 36″ diameter, 20″ deep container will suffice. Remember the looser the roots, the taller and healthier your Calathea will be. When the plant becomes root bound its growth will slow, at that point it is time for a larger pot. SOIL Cuban Cigar Flower Calatheas enjoy a well drained, general potting mix easily found at your local box store. Remember try to stay away from arid or wet, mucky soils. FERTILIZER To help establish your new Cuban Cigar Flower Calathea, fertilize sparingly ten inches away from the base, tri-annually with a slow time released product. Unfertilized they will tend to grow at a slower pace. Note: The heavy salts in cheaper fertilizers will damage the roots and possibly kill the plant. Its best to use a brand you know and trust. GROW ZONE & LIGHT Best outdoors if grown in zone 10-11, find your zone here. This Calathea requires 80-90% sunlight. Depending on your location partial sun is often best. In the northern end of their grow zone Cuban Cigar Flower Calathea should be brought indoors or protected during the winter months. The patio zone is 4b-11 which means the potted plant will flourish over the summer months in colder zones but must be brought inside before winter. BEFORE YOU PLANT OUTDOORS At the nursery these Calatheas are grown under 20-40% shade cloth. If you plant this Calathea in a brightly lit area you may experience leaf burn. It is best to acclimate this plant to its environment by keeping it outside and slowly moving it into a sunny area over a week or two to avoid stress before planting. WHAT IS THE SHIPPING SIZE All Cuban Cigar Flower Calatheas for sale will vary in size. In the spring, plants are often smaller than plants shipped in the fall. Plants designated with a sku ending in -4, -6 or -8 will arrive in a standard 4 inch, 6 inch or 8 inch round growers pot respectively. Our new, reusable, recyclable deep plugs are 7 or 9 inches deep and 2 or 2.5 inches in width. Products growing in these pots are easy to transplant and allow for deeper roots and faster growth, they are designated with a sku ending in -7 or -9. (Note: The item sku number can be found just below the buy button.) The color and style of these pots may vary. If we are out of a particular size item, we may ship a larger size at no additional charge. For more information, click the “best packaging” link at the bottom of this page. Note: Before leaving, Calatheas are inspected, watered, and pruned. Larger plants, generally those that ship in 8″ pots, will be topped to 36″ or 48″ overall, depending on the variety, if necessary, to facilitate shipping. Your new plants’ pot is then bagged to ensure that the soil stays in the pot and not loose in the box. Plants are tissue or kraft paper wrapped and generally secured in place with natural biodegradable peanuts. You may want to order your Cuban Cigar Flower Plant (calathea lueta) online now while they are in stock, supplies are limited. Zone.10a Zone.10b Zone.11a Zone.11b