I got this baby on recommendation for a dark apartment, forgot to mention that my flat is also cold and dry (because I don't want to get mold in my flat). Found out that these plants like warm, humid, brightly lit places. So NOT my apartment 🥲
She used to close and had lovely dark spots, and then I overwatered her once (once 😭) and now she lost her lovely dark spots apart from one two leaves (one of which is new) and she won't close anymore. She just droops sadly 😢
She needs repotting I think because her roots poke out at the bottom. During the day she sits by a bright window in the kitchen where it's the most humid, sometimes she goes into the bathroom to enjoy the humidity there. At night I put her in the warmest part of the apartment with a little bowl of water to try increase the humidity, but other than that, I think I'm watching this plant die 😭
Any advice? Especially on humidity without getting mold 🥲 and how to repot safely because I know these plants are very sensitive!
by humblehemptress
4 Comments
Hey mate,
Which soil are you using for this beauty?
Plants can adapt to many different environments as long as their basic needs are being met.
Get a humidifier for that plant and put it next to it OR use a tray with pebbles and water so that the water can evaporate from the pebbles surface to generate some humidity.
I just bought a humidifier and keep it at around 50-60% humidity without any mold issue yet (keeping marantas and calatheas for over 1 year now).
Also please please please stop moving around that plant like a maniac.
Plants need weeks and sometimes months to adjust to the place you put them.
Just imagine you are being dragged around to different places on a daily base without ever being able to adjust and chill out.
I personally water them about once a week when it is colder or 2 times a week if it is warmer outside/inside.
Use perlite, bims, lava, orchid bark and some airy soil like calathea substrate and mix it together to avoid root rot.
Never had any issue with root rot with this soil mix.
Also calatheas and marantas can have a decent bounce back after throwing a tantrum.
Never be too much of a perfectionist with them, imperfection is perfection.
Hope it helps 🙂
I’ve had my maranta for ages now, and it’s one of my oldest, so it’s put up with my mistakes for a long time. It’s currently flourishing and flowering, but it’s had its bad moods.
I honestly don’t use a fancy soil, but it does have good drainage. I water (tap, but my local water is fairly soft) roughly every 10-12 days when it begins to lightly droop. I’ve learned it wants far more sun than I expected; I have it in a south window where it gets decently blasted in the afternoon. I weakly fertilize every other watering, but I’m not terribly consistent.
I’d keep yours in the kitchen. It sounds like it has good light and decent enough humidity. My relative humidity is about 50% – 60 on a day I remember to use the humidifier. Give it some time and it’ll bounce back. 🙂
EDIT: If you do use a humidifier and you’re worried about mold or mildew, a small fan to aerate the room should be enough.
Honestly does not look that bad. If you really want to improve humidity put it closer to 2-3 plants and have a humidifier set to like 55-60%.
It needs more light. The new leaves will come in with the darker pattern. Mine is in a south facing window about 3 feet back. When the leaves get crispy, for me it’s because I waited too long in between waterings.