Adam, Your Calathea needs to be kept warm, moist but with excellent drainage. Good light but no sun. Mine does well under a 100-watt tablelamp as it is usually on 10-12 hours a day. Also receives some light from nearby north window. If the new leaves come in with less color, may indicate not enough light. Once you find the ideal spot...it's an easy plant.

Calathea is in the same family as the Prayer Plant: Marantacaea. On the linked site you can find Maranta leuconeura, one of the Prayer Plants. Same care required as for Calathea. Good luck. josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Maranta leuconeura

Hi Josh,

Thank you for the information and the link on my Calathea..didn't even spell it correctly, did I? [g] Sounds great! I am pleased to know it will grow near a north window. I have it in an East window right now and it is also near a reading lamp that is on a lot. I hope I can propagate it and have one in a north window location too. Maybe it will be ready to in the spring. A very pretty plant.

I actually thought it might be a prayer plant til I got it home and noticed the leaves didn't fold up at night. I would also like to get a few of those, so I am on the look out for a nice variety. From your link it seems it can get 3 ft tall, I didn't realize that. The plants I have seen have all been under 12 inches.

Do you have a Calathea? Do you mist it for humidity?

Thanks again,
:-)
Adam

Adam, I was surprised myself to note that the Calathea zebrina would grow to 3 feet tall. I only have Calathea roseopicta now and like your plant, I think 12-15 inches is what we can expect for these particular varieties.

Also in this same family I grow Ctenanthe Burle-marx and Stromanthe sanguinea, which do grow to 3 feet. You might want to click on the various photos in the attached link. Doesn't show all the varieties available but a representative sample of this family. One nice benefit to trying several "kinfolk" is that in this case they all enjoy the same cultural conditions and can be grouped together, short ones in front of tall.

I don't mist but we have high humidity here in GA plus I keep my house a little cooler (68-70 F) in winter and therefore air is moister. I usually take my plants to kitchen sink (or shower if large) and spray with warm water thoroughly under and on top of leaves. Not every time I need to water them but as often as I can. (My hubby says my drainboard in kitchen always has a few plants he has to dodge...not to mention having to clear out shower!). I find this method easier than trying to mist...plants get really clean leaves and well-watered soil all at one time. An important side benefit is the thorough washing of leaves helps keep insects at bay, plus you get a chance to thoroughly inspect each plant for problems.

Good luck...josh

Here is a link that might be useful: Marantaceae Family

Hi,

My Calathea is not doing well. I had to move it from an East window that was getting maybe 1/2 hr of direct sun at about 7:30am. It seemed to be doing better then. It is now on a table about 8ft away from the window but still the light hits it @7:30a for about 15 minutes. We haven't had much sun here lately. Most of January has been cloudy. A number of my plants look like they are having trouble with the lack of sun. But I have lost some leaves on the Calathea. The soil stays moist too long. It gets misted every day and is on a pebble tray.

The only other place I could put it would be in a West window with about 3 hours of direct sun in the pm.

Adam

Adam, I'd stop misting. Also, pull it out of the pot and check the roots. If the soil is staying too wet, you might have roots which are mushy and may smell bad indicating rot from too much moisture. If so your drainage may be clogged or soil mix too dense. You may want to cut off rotten roots and repot in fresh soil...and most important: water less often.

It's vital that plants have good drainage. Also I've found that waiting an extra day or two when I think water may be needed is better than watering too soon... most plants can take a little dryness and recover better than risking rot from overwatering.

I think a spot near the west window maybe with a blind tilted up to keep sun from hitting directly, or if no blind, as long as plant maybe a foot or two away from window probably your direct northern sun would be fine. Even here in GA the late afternoon sun is still pretty puny this time of year...smile.

Hope this helps. You've learned a good lesson...plants adjust to one spot and fuss usually a little when their light is lessened. We just have to re-adjust their light, and/or water less in lower light as they don't use as much. Plants which need daily water outside in shade for summer here get watered only every 7-10 days when brought inside for winter. Good luck...josh

Hi Josh,

Thanks very much. Sounds like very good advice that I can put into practice this week. Maybe I can save the plant. I kept it in the pot I bought it in and it really looks too dense and not light and well drained at all. I have a lot of perlite in the house and can repot it in a lighter mix. I haven't been watering it more than once a week, and I read somewhere it didn't like to dry out.

Well..I will take your suggestions and let you know how it works out. I would have tried the west window, but my window space is at a premium and it was full. I will find a better place for it. I have plants that I thought would do well in the east window, but it really didn't work out. A tree to the south of our front yard, doesn't allow enough light, so even my begonias got moved to the west, and they seem to like it there for the most part.

Thanks again,
Adam

Adam, though Cal's like humidity, they don't like wet feet in winter. Keeping it constantly moist in low light may cause problems, especially if air is dry. Honestly though, of all the Cals, Roseo Picta is hardest to grow. Toni

I see you say the Picta should be able to drain well. We have our picta in a self-watering pot. Does this provide adequate drainage. We did have the plant on the DR table by out west window. Now i moved it so that it isn't directly in front of window. Some leaves are wilting, but I do see one sprouting. Is this a good sign?
Thanks,
Jennifer