Hi everyone, I’m new to the plant world! Last week I went out and bought my first plant without doing any research. So of course I was drawn to a Calathea and ended up doing my research after coming home with it… big mistake. I’ve noticed that it has gotten droopier during the day and has gotten some browning/spotting. I’ve been using filter water (only have watered it once) , misting it, and leaving it in indirect sunlight. It’s not very humid in my apartment and I don’t have a humidifier so I’ve been letting it sit outside in the evenings since it’s so humid where I live. Am I killing it without knowing? Any advice?
by drblepper
7 Comments
Honestly don’t fluctuate the humidity like that. It t wouldn’t do that in nature it needs to adjust to your humidity in your home.
Filtered water is good. If you use fertilizer use a very diluted amount. Indirect light is great but if you notice the leaves getting brown it may be burn move it further away slowly. These guys don’t like change. Water when the top two inches is dry in your soil and repot with an aroid mix whenever you can (typically orchid bark, perlite and soil). Don’t disturb the roots as much as you can: if dry when re potting knock of any dry dirt when you do. If whey repotting you can literally hose the roots down. If you have no other plants no need to quarantine but know these are pest prone because of the thin broad leaves. You can get captain jacks dead bug brew for that though. I wipe my leaves once a week with a little lime juice, some distilled water ( which is my preference for these plants) and a drop of mint Castile soap. I make maybe a couple teaspoons total and I have around 30 plants. Hope this helps! GL!
Also side note these are known as fussy but the more you fuss the worse they look. Just check the soil and leave it. Lol
Nooooo not the terracotta planter 😭
Peacock Calathea so Beautiful
I have avoided the calathea curse by throwing them into a weather sealed ikea greenhouse with a fan.
I ignored the initial browning and dying off of leaves as it adapted to the new conditions, and now it’s happy as a clam.
Hell, I even neglect it often! Once you manage to replicate their native conditions, they’re easygoing plants. I think that’s the thing: learn their needs, replicate it as best as possible, rather than force them to adapt to our cave homes with no airflow
They look nice now, but be prepared, The roller coaster ride is about to start…. LOL! Beautiful plant. I recommend to repot into a better container than Terra cotta
spray for pests …. have bought around 20 new plants, each different type or variations….. all 3 calatheas were with bugs
This is probably a silly question, but when you say droopier during the day, what do you mean?
It’s a prayer plant, and opening during the day then raising the leaves to close at night is very typical and a sign it’s happy.
Mine has thrived in my shower (in a window). I’m not sure constantly moving it in and out is helpful for it to be honest.