if thats its permanent position.. it probably is not getting enough light ...

is there any chance it could go outside.. in full shade?? . for summer ..

that is a rather small pot.. for a large plant ... when is the last time it was repotted ... media wears out over a long time.. leading to water issues ... and salt accumulation ...

does that pot drain ... if not.. a pot in pot system might help .. where you put a draining pot inside a pretty pot.. so you can dump out excess water.. if need be ...

tieing it up does not address any of the above ...

ken

Ken,

Thanks. It's not a perm position no. I have tried it in several places, moving it every three weeks or so to see if it will perk up. The pot is fairly large, and I can see the roots don't fill it - and it is well-drained. It is growing well (new leaves, old leaves getting larger and larger) it just seems t have no strength in its stems so the weight pulls it down. I'm not sure if this is just how they are - I have seen them on iGram etc looking more 'upright' - but that could just be people arranging them that way.

I can try maybe repotting it to see if it is a salt-level issue. I hadn't thought of that.

Thanks!

The most common cause of low turgidity is watering issues, be it too little, too much, or salt accumulation in the media. Your media should be very well draining, to the point that you can pour water through it to the point of runoff when you water, which helps to rid the soil of salt and other water deposits. If the media retains too much water, you have to water in sips, and ther is no runoff to carry away the excess salt and water deposits, which then accumulate and cause additional problems. Look up Al's 5-1-1 media. That seems to be the magic ticket for most of my houseplants.

Calathea orbifolia likes constantly moist but well drained soil. It will go limp if too dry or even under high temperatures with low air humidity. Direct sunlight will also make it limp, but it does need good light.