Calathea plants are some of the most gorgeous house plants. With their leaf patterns that look like watercolor artwork, they are a wonderful exotic plant for any household. Of course, with every exotic plant comes a very exotic set of problems like leaf curling, fungus gnats, and limp leaves. If you’re a calathea plant owner, check out these calathea plant care tips for beginners. These tricks will save your life when it comes to keeping your calathea healthy and alive.
Calathea plant care tips for beginners
As with any potted plant, it’s best to use a well-draining potting mix to prevent issues with root rot. However, due to the humidity needs of this plant (spoiler alert: they’re HIGH) it’s best to keep your calathea out of a terra cotta pot. I’ve found that mine grows best in a wooden one.
Calathea plants thrive in bright, indirect light. However, since calathea’s grow on forest floors in the wild, they can tolerate extreme low-light conditions as well. Just be warned that your plant will grow MUCH slower in conditions of lower light. Take care not to place your calathea in direct sunlight as you might end up with scorched leaves. Believe it or not, I found that my calathea plant did best in the darkest corner of my bedroom. The darker the better!
As I mentioned earlier, calathea plants do better in high humidity. Incorporate a pebble tray or humidifier to help supplement the necessary humidity. Though counterintuitive, it’s best to only water when the first 1-2 inches of soil are completely dry, or else you might deal with a fungus gnat issue.
Common remedies to calathea problems
Calathea plants can be super finicky and are prone to a whole host of problems. Fortunately, I have the remedies for some of the most common ones below:
Wilting, curling leaves
Curling leaves are one of the most common calathea problems. If your leaves are curling (such as mine was in the photo below) this is a symptom of inadequate watering AND humidity. To fix, never let the top of your soil get completely dry. Water when damp and this should solve the problem. Additionally, a humidifier can really help provide more humidity which is an easy way to solve the problem! If you don’t want to get a humidifier, an easy way to increase house humidity for house plants is to incorporate a pebble tray. Learn how to make your own here.
Yellowing leaves, black base
Is the base of your calathea turning black? This is often a symptom of overwatering. To fix, follow this guide to treat root rot in houseplants.
Leaf spots
Noticing unsightly spots on your leaves? This is often a symptom of mineral build-up from tap water. To fix, only water your plant with bottled water. Also, flush the soil when you do water (flush means water deeply) so that the roots are cleared of any mineral build-up.
Do you have any questions about calathea plant care? Comment below and let me know how I can help!
This article was originally published in July 2021 but was updated with additional calathea plant care tips in October of 2021.
