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Calling all Calathea experts!

10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago

Hi everyone!

I became the owner of a beautiful Calathea (Rattlesnake variety) a week and a half ago, and I think in that week and a half I've read every Calathea-related post on the internet!

My confusion mostly stems from:

a) reading conflicting information, and;

b) having just moved to San Francisco from Australia!

I don't yet know whether my city is considered humid, or what months are considered "planting season" which is really throwing me!

I was hoping any experienced Calathea owners could clear up a couple of questions for me. I haven't yet had to water my plant at all - (the top inches of the soil are still moist). It came to me with a couple of curling, closer-to-yellow-than-green leaves and a couple of small yellow leaves around the bottom. I've placed in it a north-facing, frosted window with blinds, and in this time the larger leaves have quickly turned vibrant and green like the rest of them and are starting to uncurl, I've noticed a new leaf curled up like a straw, starting to open, and the small leaves are still mostly yellow and are now beginning to dry out.


Now I've read that yellow leaves could be from getting too much water, not enough water, or just be baby leaves. I'm wondering if the nursery had overwatered due to the soil still being moist after over a week when we are approaching Summer. Is this the most likely conclusion? Is there any way those leaves will recover, or should I snip them straight off? If so, should I snip these from the MAIN stem, or just the individual stem the leaf has sprouted from?


To correct whatever damage has been done before the plant reached me, I want to ensure I get this right from the start. I understand I shouldn't water until the top couple of inches of the soil seem dry - does this vary from plant to plant or should I be watering on a schedule of any kind? And I've also read today that these plants love to be misted - how often should I be doing this?


Thank you so much for any help you can give!
Em

Yellow leaves

Calathea a few days ago!

Comments (7)

  • 10 years ago

    Update: I have removed the yellow leaves and am snipping back any brown edges - however there seems to be new browning tips each day.

    i gave it a good watering yesterday as the top finally seemed a bit more dry and immediately panicked and regretted it because I'm so nervous of killing this plant!

    Now when I watered it, I worried I may have overdone it, however only a small few drops of water exited the post onto the counter and I've since read a few people say to keep adding water to it until a cup or more of water pours out the bottom. Does anyone have experience with this? I keep reading the plant should be "moist" always but never "wet" - so I'm confused as to whether it's a good idea to water it this much. I'd rather err on the side of caution than overwater and kill it in one shot! I'd love to hear your experiences.

    I'll be getting a misting bottle tomorrow and in the meantime I'm placing a bowl of water next to it to add some humidity.

    Thanks again, I hope I see some replies!

  • 10 years ago

    There is so much ground to cover, and many growers are reluctant to reply when the OP asks for an expert. I don't think of myself as expert, but I do know quite a bit about how to keep plants in pots healthy, and this I can say: A) You can look at the fact you're measuring the interval between waterings in weeks instead of days two different ways. Either your soil is inappropriate, or you're leaving a lot of potential lying on the table. B) The best time to do serious work on an extremely high % of houseplants is mid June. C) In the short term, reading this thread about dealing with excessive water retention and implementing some of the 'tricks' outlined therein will offer some relief. D) Neither the bowl of water nor the misting is going to make a difference you can verify when it comes to raising the RH of the air surrounding the plant. E) It's best to water to beyond saturation - so at least 15-20% of the entire volume of water applied exits the pot drain. This helps keep salts from tap water and fertilizers from accumulating in the soil.


    Al

  • 10 years ago

    Thanks very much for the input! Good info here. On the plus side it is looking TONS better the last couple of days. The yellower leaves have turned vibrant green and there has been no new brown edges since I snipped them.

  • 10 years ago

    I have had trouble with Calatheas, prayer plants, etc when I've tried them in the past. The leaf is awfully thin and they are susceptible to drying drafts, either cold or hot. They're one of those plants that is probably best in a bright but filtered light, high humidity, moderate temperature environment, which is a "greenhouse" environment that's hard to achieve in living space. Doesn't mean it's doomed - just don't feel bad if you don't find it an easy houseplant to grow.

    Small yellow leaves at the bottom of the plant would be pretty normal after it's been moved. You can pinch those off. In general, if you do find a spot it likes, do your best to keep it there and not move it around too much. It may react badly to a lot of changes of conditions. I've seen old prayer plants that have stayed in one spot for a loooong time.

    Having lived in San Francisco, I can attest that it is (1) usually humid and (2) usually on the chilly side. Depending on exactly where you are in the city, it can be more or less foggy or more or less cold - all of coastal California is characterized by microclimates, but in a place like San Francisco, microclimates are measured in blocks. The summer months are typically very overcast for much of the day. The most sun you'll see is in Sept-Oct (that's usually when the film production companies do location shoots in San Francisco). IF it rains it will rain between October and March or April, and not at at all other times. So "growing season" is a somewhat different proposition there than in most US regions. Get a Sunset Western Garden book and figure out which Sunset zone you are in and go from there@

  • 10 years ago

    I've read you should water with distilled water to keep the edges from browning and that's what I've done, I also put a pebble tray underneàth with water up to near the top of pebbles - have read that this helps and that it won't help so whatever. This plant did brown a lot during winter due to the air being too dry. May have to get a humidifier during that time of the year to prevent it.

  • 10 years ago

    For those wondering, my plant is doing absolutely wonderfully!