Calatheas can tolerate some shade but thrive in direct, strong light. Keep away from draughts and direct sunlight, which will scorch the leaves. A minimum of 15C should be provided, and rooms with frequent temperature changes should be avoided. Calatheas love a humid environment, making bathrooms the perfect place for them.
How to plant a calathea
Plant your calathea in compost that is made of a 2:1 mixture of perlite and compost derived from soil. Every few years, repot in the spring into a little bigger pot.
Caring for a calathea
From spring until autumn, the soil should always be evenly moist (but not drenched). It is best to water sparingly yet frequently. Calatheas are delicate to the contaminants in tap water, so use distilled water, filtered water, or rainfall. Verify that any extra water has been drained. Wintertime irrigation is reduced, keeping the soil slightly damp.
Calatheas thrive in a humid atmosphere, so spritz the leaves every day with lukewarm water or place them on a tray filled with pebbles or gravel and water.
How do I make Calathea content?
Calathea do not like damp soil; they want moisture. Consider using a mixture of 50% potting soil, 20% orchid bark, 20% charcoal, and 10% perlite. They dislike being dried out as well. Check to see if the soil seems dry by putting your finger in it every few days.
What location should I put my Calathea?
PRO HINT: Calathea have very expressive foliage, and when they are thirsty, the leaves will start to curl inward. If the leaves start to curl, it is advisable to feel the soil and water if it is dry. Calathea recover from being underwater extremely quickly.
The most widely distributed species of Calatheas (Calathea lancifolia) is known as the Rattlesnake plant because of its oblong, braided leaves, despite the fact that they come in a wide range of patterns and shapes.
Watch your Calathea’s leaves rise and fall with the sun by placing it where it will receive bright indirect light! However, keep in mind that direct sunlight will burn the delicate foliage.
Read our article on how to measure light in your environment if you are unclear of the lighting conditions in your house or business.
Throughout the day, a Calathea’s leaves will spread out and slant differently according on the direction of the sun. If you see it move out of the corner of your eye, don’t be alarmed.
How frequently should a Calathea be watered?
There are several common varieties of Calathea, all of which require the same level of care: Orbifolia of the Jungle Whitestar Crimson Pinstripe Medallion
Light
Calatheas may withstand lower light levels but flourish in medium, indirect sunshine. Their beautiful colors may fade in bright sunshine, and extended exposure is likely to burn and sear their leaves.
Water
Weekly waterings of calatheas allow the top 2′ of soil to partially dry out. To avoid overwatering and root damage in the winter, we advise watering less frequently. Because it cannot tolerate prolonged dryness, this plant’s leaf edges will eventually turn brown.
Humidity
Additionally, your Calathea will benefit from being placed in a humid atmosphere, which you can produce by misting it frequently, putting it near other plants, or putting it on a pebble tray that has some water in it. In humid bathrooms and kitchens, calatheas flourish.
How much time in the sun does a Calathea require?
You must take into account three crucial factors: light intensity, duration, and quality, to provide Calathea the best lighting possible.
Light Intensity: How much light do Calathea need
Calathea need sunshine for photosynthesis in order to produce energy for growth, but excessive amounts of direct sunlight will burn the leaves of the plant.
Calathea can tolerate low light levels, although it requires 10,000 lux or 1,000 foot candles of intense indirect light.
By monitoring the light, you may determine the ideal intensity and placement for your Calathea plant:
Measurement of Light Intensity:
I typically use a piece of paper and my palm to measure the brightness of the light, albeit it might not be precise.
Simply place your hand 8 to 10 inches from a white sheet of paper in the location where you wish to gauge the light’s intensity.
The lux level is between 10,000 and 15,000 lux if all you can make out is the vague contour of your hand. It’s ideal for Calathea.
You must use a light meter to measure the light intensity in order to be more precise.
Locate the Proper Location:
You can begin measuring the light output in each room of your home, as I indicated above.
However, the intense indirect light coming from the south-facing window is generally the perfect light intensity for Calathea. West-facing windows can be too intense, while north-facing windows are typically too faint.
To lessen the glaring afternoon glare, thin curtains should be draped over windows that face west.
Light Duration
The second criterion for light is the photoperiod, generally known as the length of daylight. It counts the continuous hours of light that Calathea plants get each day.
Calathea plants require between 8 and 10 hours a day of bright indirect light. In order to give the same number of daylight hours in the winter, you might need to utilize a grow light.
However, take care not to expose a Calathea plant to more than 16 hours of sunshine when growing it under artificial light.
Since they use respiration to disperse the energy created during photosynthesis for growth, Calathea plants require darkness to boost this rate.
Light Quality
The quality of the light is the final condition for Calathea. This is the quantity of blue, green, red, and far-red light that a light source emits.
The Calathea plant will benefit from a red light spectrum for photosynthetic activity, whilst blue light promotes deeper color in the plant’s various color forms.
Despite the fact that your window has a film, it only blocks ultraviolet light, not the red and blue light that the plant needs.
How can I determine the health of my Calathea?
The following are some typical symptoms that Calatheas experiences and treatments for them:
- The presence of crisp, brown leaf edges indicates low humidity. Cut off the brown sections, and then either move them to a more humid spot, spray them frequently, or put them on a pebble tray to enhance humidity (a tray filled with pebbles and some water).
- Underwatering causes leaves to curl, get speckled, and turn lower yellow. Always keep the soil moist, “like a wrung out sponge,” as the saying goes. Only in the cooler winter months can the plant overlook your lack of watering.
- Overwatering could result in limp, rotted, or drooping stems or leaves, while low weather or exposure to drafts are more likely culprits. Move the plant to a warmer location or away from the cold breeze right quickly since if it stays in these conditions, the harm is irreversible. Click here to learn more about overwatering vs. underwatering.
- Leaf Pattern Fading: This issue can be caused by either too much or not enough light. Leaf fading is typically caused by exposure to direct sunshine. Locate a more shaded area for your plant.
- If the air is very humid, botrytis (also known as grey mold) may develop, but since the Calathea enjoys high humidity, this issue might never arise. Fungi in the air that land on harmed or dying tissue generate grey mold. There could be soft rotting areas that quickly turn into grey fungus. Improve the airflow in the area and remove the sick plant pieces. If the problem still exists, use a fungicide, such as Copper Soap.
- Pests: Mealybug can affect Calathea since they enjoy warm, muggy weather. If your plant has Mealybug, we advise moving it to a slightly less humid location or increasing the ventilation in their habitat. While they can be extremely vulnerable to Spider Mite if kept in dry conditions or with dry air. If so, we advise increasing the humidity level around your plant. When an infestation is discovered, the best course of action is to clean as many pests off the leaves as possible and treat with a Neem-based oil until the infestation has decreased. Read on to learn more about common household pests.
Do I need to spray my Calathea?
Calatheas are adored for the captivating presence they bring to any area with their ethereal elegance and richly colored leaves.
They also possess a unique trait known as nyctinasty, which causes its delicate leaves to move in response to light. They raise their leaves in the evening and descend them in a lovely Calathea sun salutation throughout the day. They are affectionately referred to as “Prayer Plants” because of their habit.
Calatheas, like any goddess used to being worshipped, values kindness and thoughtfulness. If you compliment them appropriately, they’ll prosper for years to come. Simply abide by these 10 commandments!
Give Them the Lighting They Love
Sunburn is the last thing your Calathea wants. Make sure your plant receives indirect light—medium is ideal, but low light can also be tolerated—without coming into direct contact with the sun’s harsh rays. When unsure, think of your Calathea’s natural environment, a damp, humid rainforest. The air is thick with mist, and a dense canopy of trees filters the light. Calatheas adores these circumstances. So don’t be reluctant to keep her there!
Like all of us, Calatheas Need the Occasional Spa Day
The Calathea, a native of Brazil, prefers a humid atmosphere, which can be challenging to create in enclosed areas. In order to give your Calathea the moisture it needs, prepare to mist it frequently (once a week is excellent). Misting is a fantastic method to engage with your Calathea while avoiding overwatering, which can result in damage that is challenging to repair.
Keep Your Calathea Away From Dry Breezes and Appliances
Calatheas are highly sensitive to even minute alterations in their surroundings. As a result, it’s better to keep them away from vents, heaters, air conditioners, and regularly opened and closed doors.
A Steady Temperature Is A Must
Even when the seasons change, your Calatheas shouldn’t ever experience a substantial temperature change. Your Calathea would appreciate it if you maintain a constant temperature between 65 and 80 degrees all year long for these tropical plants!
Fertilize Your Calathea With Care- and Only During Its Growing Seasons
During the winter, Calatheas do not require fertilization, but once springtime arrives, your Calathea will benefit from a monthly application of foliar plant food, such as our Plant Elixir, or another mild fertilizer. The summer and fall feeding schedules can be maintained.
During the slow winter months, you might feel tempted to feed your Calathea, but keep in mind that these plants don’t grow nearly as much during this period and need less food and water. Being overly fertile might have negative effects, so pay attention to this fragile and lovely plant variety’s specific requirements.
Give Your Calathea A Long Drink of Water
Your plant may be letting you know that it needs more water if you see that the leaves on your Calathea are curling inward and seem dry. Remove your Calathea from its ceramic planter, but retain it in its plastic nursery pot, and put it in a sink or bowl to give it a lengthy drink. Calathea should be thoroughly watered and left to soak up the gathered water for a few hours. Its roots will consume exactly the amount of water they require. Remove your Calathea from the bowl or sink after a few hours and let it drain. Within a day, your Calathea should start to exhibit symptoms of health improvement.
Prune Unhealthy Leaves
It’s common to have anxiety when pruning (cutting leaves or stems off of your plant.) However, since pruning has so many advantages for the health of your plants as a whole, it’s actually a good idea to start doing it. If given the proper amount of light and water, all plants will eventually develop, and all plants will occasionally endure dying leaves. It’s simply a fact of life!
Don’t be hesitant to remove any Calathea leaves that seem to be mostly or completely dead. At the point where they connect to the plant’s stem or base, you can easily cut them off with scissors or pruning shears. If your Calathea’s leaf just has one region of browning, you can cut the brown spot out by using scissors to cut along the leaf’s natural curve. Visit this page for a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on pruning houseplants if you need a bit more direction.
As With All Living Things, Patience is Key!
Calatheas are infamous for being finicky creatures. Like many indoor plants, they originate from tropical, extremely humid regions that are miles distant from the majority of our homes. You might see leaf drop, browning, or other growth pains in your Calathea, especially as it gets used to a new place.
Of course, there is a flip side, and that is that it will also produce new growth and beautify your home over the coming months and years. Therefore, exercise patience as your Calathea settles in and give her personalized attention. She may be a diva, but that just adds to what makes her a lovely and distinctive plant.
Don’t Be Afraid to Repot
Similar to pruning, repotting can seem like an onerous task that you would prefer to avoid. Nevertheless, repotting your Calathea every year or two has several advantages.
Because the plants utilize the nutrients to maintain themselves developing healthily and strongly, the earth loses its nutrients over time. Repotting is a wonderful chance to give your Calathea some of that old dirt back in exchange for new, nutrient-rich soil. Repotting your Calathea into a bigger container gives it more room to spread out and produce new growth. Initially repotting? To understand how to repot your plant, read our whole tutorial.
Introduce the Company of Friends
You may not be aware, but plants adore being clustered together. Your houseplants will benefit from each other by forming a mini-biome of moisture when they are grouped together. Additionally, grouping your plants together makes it simpler to remember to give them care, love, and attention! Just keep in mind to double-check that the plants you’re bundling together will grow in the environment of the area and that their needs for water and light are compatible.
The rule of three comes into play here: groups of three plants in a space are aesthetically pleasing and simple to maintain, especially if you keep your mister and watering can close by. (The House of Botanicals Watering Can, for example, is so beautiful that it doubles as decor and has a mister and watering spout!)
Every new plant is a new adventure, and Calatheas are no exception.
They have a rich history of many different applications, are beautiful, and are spiritual. So embrace your Calathea and keep in mind that this site is a source of knowledge that can help you on your quest.