Stromanthe Triostar produces tri-color leaves. They look fabulous in bright light. The green and white foliage of stromanthe Triostar glow pinkish when light falls on its leaves. Although stromanthe Triostar care is simple but this plant is not for beginners. Because it needs consistent care otherwise it develops ugly yellow and brown leaves.
How to care for stromanthe Triostar: Plant it in fast-draining soil, Keep the soil moist for 365 days. Minimum 50% Humidity is required for the best possible growth. Set the room temperature between 65 to 80 degrees F and fertilize once in 30 days.
Below we explain stromanthe Triostar care requirements in detail. If you like to grow this plant in your garden or indoors. Then follow the below Detailed care guide.
About the stromanthe Triostar plant
In USDA zones 9-11 this plant can be easily grown in shady places. Its beautiful foliage makes it a good houseplant.
The leaves can grow from 6 to 10 inches depending on the growing environment. Leaf variegation is its real beauty. Every leaf of this plant is different in color from the other plant. No two leaves are identical in color and appearance.
In good conditions, stromanthe Triostar grows up to 3 feet in height and spread 2 feet. It needs high humidity like calatheas. So, it is a close relative to the calathea group of plants. The leaves are green in color with white patches and reddish undersides.
The color and size of the plant leaves are directly related to the amount and source of light. Stromanthe Triostar plants cannot handle direct sun rays. For the best possible stromanthe Triostar care choose shady place to grow them. Where they can get filtered light.
Quick care guide
| Common Names | Stromanthe Triostar, Calathea Triostar |
| Native Country | Brazil |
| Light | Medium bright filtered light |
| Soil | Fast-draining Soil |
| Water | Consistent moist soil |
| Fertilize | Once in 3 weeks in the active stage |
| Temperature | 60 to 85 degrees F |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic to pets and humans |
| Pests and Diseases | Fungal diseases, Aphids, Spider mites |
How to care for stromanthe Triostar?
Stromanthe Triostar care is not a hard task (it is easy). But many people fail to care about it because it needs consistent care. Grow this plant only if you do not have a busy schedule. If you will daily give some time to this plant.
If proper care treatment is not given. Then the plant develops bad ugly color leaves. It also needs high humidity. A sudden decrease in air moisture instantly affects plant growth and leaf health.
Read the below care guide and grow a happy healthy stromanthe Triostar plant.
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Light requirements of Stromanthe Triostar
Triostar plants cannot handle full direct sunlight. They like to thrive in medium filtered light. Therefore, protect your plants from direct sun rays. For outdoor growing plants arrange shade for them to save their life.
When growing Stromanthe Triostar indoors put the container near the east-facing window. Morning sunlight is essential for them to develop brilliant color markings.
Remember that in low light conditions Stromanthe Triostar plants lose their leaf color. Therefore, try to put the plant pot in a bright location.
In its native place the Triostar grows in bright filtered light location. The big trees around it absorbs the high intense sun rays. Only a limited amount of sunlight reaches the plant.
Here, mother nature gives this plant reddish undersides. The leaves of the plant absorb all sunrays in large amounts. The plant uses them to carry out the photosynthesis process.
You may surprise to know that Stromanthe Triostar acts like a prayer plant. It folds its leaves in the night time and again opens them in the morning.
When the light in the room becomes extra bright the plant folds its leaves. Open them wide in low light condition.
Stromanthe Triostar changes its leaf behavior according to the amount of light in the room. And the intensity of light that it is receiving.
The best soil for Stromanthe Triostar care
Stromanthe Sanguinea needs well-draining potting soil that is light and has good aeration. It should not become soggy and clogged after the watering application. You can also make good potting soil at home. Use the normal houseplant potting mix and add few parts of perlite to it. Perlite makes the soil fluffy and this increases the water holding capacity and also air circulation.
Stromanthe Sanguinea has tube-shaped rhizomes. They do well in big size deep pots. Because the deep pots can hold a large amount of soil. This gives them support and regular moist soil.
Make sure the plant pot you choose has a drainage hole. It is necessary to save plants from unwanted root fungus.
Do not use garden soil for growing Triostar in plant pots. Commercial potting mix with perlite is the best growing medium.
Watering
Watering Stromanthe Sanguinea plants is a little tricky part. The plant needs slightly moist soil for the entire year. Few cups of extra water can make the soil wet and soggy. That is not good for Stromanthe Triostar care. Unwanted water results in many unwanted fungus plant diseases.
The problem is, you cannot judge the watering needs of Triostar from its ever-moving leaves. You need to work extra to know about its watering needs.
Closely check the soil the upper inch of the top surface should be dry before watering. If the soil is not dry then do not water it and check the next day.
For beginners, use of a soil moisture meter is the best option. Because they do not have enough experience. That they can check the soil moisture by poking their finger in it.
Another important thing that you need to aware is the quality of water. It has to be treated before watering Stromanthe Sanguinea. Use filtered water only Because our tap water is not good for houseplants. It may contain some heavy salts. Plants cannot absorb them they get collected in their root area. This blocks the absorption of essential nutrients and plants become nutrient deficient.
Temperature
60 to 85 degrees F temperature is the perfect range for growing Stromanthe Sanguinea. You can put the plant container outside in spring. But once the winters start you should bring the plant pot inside.
Our home environment and temperature are good for all types of houseplants. The only problem is the percentage of moisture in the air. Every house has different humidity. But most of the plants need consistent high humidity.
Humidity for Stromanthe Triostar care
This is the second most important thing after light requirements. Minimum 50 % humidity is essential for growing and caring for Stromanthe Triostar plants.
Use hygrometer to measure the humidity of the room where you decide to grow it. If it is 50% or above then this will be okay.
But if the humidity is less than 50% you need to increase it.
The first and oldest method is grouping the plants. In this technique, you put all plant pots close in a group. This will surely increase it by 10 to 15 %.
The second option is the use of a pebble tray. Fill this tray with clean water and put the plant pot on it. The water level in the tray has to be low so that it cannot touch the drainage hole of the pot.
In last, the only option left is the use of an electric humidifier. This device will increase the humidity of the room in minutes. You can set the level of it and turn the machine ON.
Putting the plant in the bathroom will not work for Stromanthe Triostar. Because in shower rooms we do not have good airflow. Therefore, it can get infected by many bacterial diseases. Killing these bacteria to revive the plant is not possible in 60% of the cases.
Fertilizing Stromanthe Triostar
Warm season is its growing season so it needs fertilization in it. Liquid fertilizers are the perfect choice over the other forms. They are easy for container plants to absorb. Also, they do not get collected in the root area. Whereas the slats in powdered and granular fertilizers build up in the root area.
This results in blockage and plants become weak and eventually die.
If possible, buy organic fertilizer because they are safe and do not cause any harm to plants.
You also do not need to dilute them much like you do synthetic fertilizers. The choice is yours and it depends on your budget.
Fertilize the growing Stromanthe Triostar plants once a month for good care.
Pruning
Generally pruning is not required for Stromanthe Triostar care. But as we all know for hygienic growth of the plants. We have to remove the damaged leaves.
If it is necessary to remove the plant foliage then do not remove one-third of it. Because this will affect the light absorption rate of the plant.
Repotting
Do not repot the plant until the plant roots are visible on the top layer of the soil. The last days of spring and early of summer is the time of repotting Stromanthe Triostar. Let’s say you just buy a plant from the local garden store. Do not repot it on the same day. Let it be comfortable in your home environment. Then after few days, you can repot it.
Only use one size big pot. The roots of this plant do well in shallow pots. At the time of potting up inspect the roots. Remove the damaged part and use the new potting soil.
Propagation of Stromanthe Triostar
You should propagate the plant right before its growing season. This means the early days of spring are the best time of propagation. Separate the rhizomes and plant them in different containers.
Step-by-step process
Water the plant 24 hours before propagation.
Lose the soil and gently remove the plant without damaging its leaves.
Then separate the rhizomes into different sections.
Take the new pots and fill them with the recommended type of potting soil.
Then plant these separated rhizomes in them.
Fill the remaining pot with the soil.
Give some water to help plants settle well.
Then put the pots in the right locations and follow the care steps.
Disease and Pests
Stromanthe Triostar is not prone to common houseplant diseases. But their high demand for humidity invites many fungus diseases. To prevent them only water the plants when the top inch of soil becomes dry.
They are also not prone to common pests. The only problem is sapsucker aphids. They are easy to treat. Use rubbing alcohol and wipe the leaves. Then apply diluted neem oil to prevent future infestation.
Pests like scales and spider mites hardly found on these plants. If the nearby plants have spider mites, then they can infect this plant. Otherwise, there is no chance of pest infestation.
