Rattlesnake Plant Care
Native to Brazil, your indoor rattlesnake plant wants exacting atmospheric conditions to do its best. You might have heard of this plant named Calathea lancifolia. However, it’s been reclassified as Goeppertia insignis. It’s good to know that any of the Calathea or Goeppertia species can be extremely finicky, but once you see this plant and become more comfortable with their primary indoor houseplant care, it is among the easier species to grow indoors. Below you’ll learn more about caring for your rattlesnake plant!
Light Requirements for Your Plant
These plants love a lot of sunlight, but not excessive direct sunlight. A few hours of the morning sun are good.
If you are in the Northern hemisphere, North-facing windows or East-facing windows are ideal. All these plants love growing near an Eastern window to get gentle early morning sunshine there. Unobstructed Southern or western windows can provide too intense or too long direct sun, relying on where you dwell, so either places them back a little or diffuse the sunlight with some blinds or sheer curtains. Eastern or southern windows will do if you are in the Southern hemisphere.
Watering & Water Quality for Your Rattlesnake Plant
Keep your plant’s soil potting mix relatively moist, and water it again only when its surface seems dry.
Goeppertia species are susceptible to salts and other additives present in tap water, so if you’re in a location having hard tap water, it will eventually pile up in the potting mix and cause problems with browning leaves.
Keep that in mind. A plant’s brown leaves can also appear by letting the soil potting mix dry out for long. On the other hand, don't allow your plants to stay in water for long periods, increasing the risk of root rot. For ideal outcomes, use distilled water or rainwater to water your plants.
Fertilising Your Plant Needs
It would help to fertilise your plants with a urea-free fertiliser to help them grow well. The urea-free fertiliser is ideal as it won’t burn your rattlesnake plants and contains every micro and macronutrient required for a more healthy houseplant.
Fertilise your plant with a dilute quantity of fertiliser while actively growing. To prevent any buildup of fertiliser salts that can damage your plant, be sure to flush its pot with rainwater or plain distilled water frequently.
Temperature And Humidity Your Rattlesnake Prefers
Rattlesnake plants like high humidity and warm temperatures to grow at their best. It is a tropical plant hailing from humid and warm jungles in Brazil and isn’t strong in your home environments that are very cool and have too bone-dry air. Prevent cold drafts keep your rattlesnake plant in a warm place, and do your best to enhance humidity to about 60%. This is particularly essential in the wintertime if you use forced air heat. Although thorough watering practices and proper attention to your plant’s potting soil mix moisture is much more critical, enhancing humidity levels is also crucial for the overall health of your rattlesnake plants.