The Calathea Grey Star

Ctenanthe setosa 'Grey Star' / Calathea 'Grey Star'

With striking silvery green leaves that show off thin dark green veins and eye catching purple underside, Ctenanthe setosa 'Grey Star' - the Calathea Grey Star - comes to you in either a 15cm or 20cm plastic nursery pot (terracotta pot not included). 

The Calathea Grey Star belong to the genus Ctenanthe and is related to Calathea, Maranta and Stromanthe. These indoor (and shade loving outdoor) plants belong to the Marantaceae family, well known as prayer plants or never never plants, because they fold their leaves up as if in prayer each night and back down in the day.

They have very fine hairs on the stems, and are fast growers, producing new leaves regularly when kept in optimal conditions.

How the Calathea Grey Star Makes You Happy:

• Calatheas are one of the most popular houseplant varieties, so getting yourself a Calathea Grey Star will certainly afford you great plantie bragging rights.
• As a Calathea - of the prayer plant family - it's leaves dance to the light. Curling up at night and unfurling in the morning to catch the most sun rays. This will surely delight and surprise you!
• It has been proven that including green plants in our living and working spaces makes us very happy! So putting a Calathea Grey Star in your home or office will boost your mood, enhance your creativity and help you to feel good.

Where The Calathea Grey Star is Happiest:

• This distinctive houseplant enjoys medium light. Keep out of direct sunlight as this will cause the leaf colour to fade.
• It is happiest in a humid environment. 
• Mist the leaves of your Calathea Grey Star regularly (with a spray bottle or mister) to enhance the humidity in the air around it.
• If you would like to increase the humidity even more, or have chosen a very dry space for your new Calathea, you can also place it on a tray filled with pebbles and water to ensure the humid environment that this indoor plant needs to really thrive.
• But typically a room that gets some sunlight and an excellent watering routine will keep this plant very happy.

Watering The Calathea Grey Star:

• Keep the soil consistently moist. But not soggy and don’t let your Calathea dry out completely between waterings.
• We recommend watering when the top 2cm of the soil has dried out. Water well, pouring over all the soil until the water drains right through the pot and out of the drainage holes at the bottom.
• Test the soil by sticking your finger into the soil to feel the dryness, and then water accordingly.
• The leaves will curl when your Calathea Grey Star is too dry and needs more water. Keep an eye out for these signs to develop a consistent watering routine.
• You can reduce watering in Winter. Keep testing the soil moisture.

Feeding The Calathea Grey Star:

• Fertilise your Calathea Grey Star once every 2 weeks during Spring, Summer and Autumn (the growing season) with a liquid plant food.

Knowing Your Calathea Grey Star:

• The Calathea Grey Star comes from the family of plants that are commonly known as the prayer plant family, due to the fact that many of the plants within this family have the unique characteristic of folding and unfolding their leaves based on the time of day. You will see your Calathea Grey Star lift its leaves and display the gorgeous purple undersides and the sun goes down because of this characteristic.
• The Calathea Grey Star is safe for pets and kids, so this a hot favourite for full homes!  

Giving this plant as a gift?

• If you are gifting this product to someone; let us know by leaving a note for the receiver of the gift on the Your Cart page where it says "Add note for the seller" (Click the cart in the top right hand corner before checking out or add the item to your cart before purchasing to see this option). We will then include your message on a tag, as a hand written note, with your gift package.
• If you have any further requests such as corporate gifting, tailored gift orders or special requests contact us directly at hello@happylifeplants.com and we will be in touch to assist.