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jessica525_gw

Another sad calathea story

jessica525
15 years ago

Okay, I have a very sickly calathea plant on my hands and I desperately want to rescue it. I just started getting interested in house plants this past February and it was one of the first one's I bought (I didn't know they could be such a challenge!), so I'm learning as I go along. Here's the long sad story. (Bear in mind, I had no idea what I was doing at first so try not to cringe at all the awful things I've done to this plant).

I bought it in March and it was absolutely gorgeous--thick and full with green stripy leaves and maroon undersides. It came in a 8" plastic pot and I repotted it in a 8" ceramic pot. I added too many pebbles at the bottom so the soil around the edges came right up to the rim of the pot and the soil in the center was actually higher. Whenever I watered it, I would have to pour the water very carefully in the center of the plant; otherwise if I watered around the edges, it would roll right out of the pot. I put it in the window sill of an east facing window with no curtain. (You can probably see where this is going already).

After a few weeks of this treatment, the leaves around the edges started to droop, turn yellow, then brown, then die. I should also explain that my job requires frequent trips out of town, lasting anywhere from five days to two and a half weeks. I could never get my husband to remember to water it when I was gone so it got worse and worse after each trip I took. Soon I noticed that tiny little white bugs had built a network of webs all along the edges of the leaves and were laying tiny white eggs on the undersides. (I know now that these are spider mites). At that point (the end of July), almost all the leaves were yellowish and transparent with crinkly brown, spider-infested edges. It was then I decided that I should probably learn how to take care of plants. I did some research and made the following changes (you'll note that even then, some of these steps were probably misguided):

-I thoroughly sprayed each leaf with insecticide and snipped off the worst leaves.

-I repotted it in a 12" pot, making sure the soil level was below the rim of the pot and filling in around the edges with a mixture of peat moss and miracle gro garden soil. I also put dried moss on the soil around the plant to help hold in moisture when I went away on trips.

-I stuck five fertilizer sticks of 13-4-5 around the plant.

-I placed it on a pebble tray and moved it to a spot 5' away from the same window where it only gets indirect light; and I surrounded it with a diffenbachia, a rubber plant, an English ivy, and a golden pothos.

-I started misting it with water 3-5 times a day (when I'm home) and leaving the windows open in the morning and evening to let in some humidity from outside.

So, a month after all these changes, how does my plant look? The spider mites are gone and have not come back, and the remaining leaves are back to their original bright colors. The problem I'm having now is that the edges of the leaves still get brown and crispy even though the centers look fine. After a week or two, the brown takes over, the center turns yellow, and I have to cut the leaf off. I'm down to nine leaves left. It is putting out new leaves, but even these are getting the brown edges before they even uncurl. It had ten new spikes coming up but so far two of those have died before opening and another is looking like it will be going the same way. All the rest look healthy so far.

Here are my thoughts on what I might be doing wrong. Please let me know what you think.

-I put it in too big of a pot with two much moss and now the roots can't absorb all the water. If this is the case, can I repot it? I've already repotted it twice since March. If I do repot it, how do you go from a big pot to a little pot? How do you change the soil to include more perlite if the plant is already established in soil that doesn't include it?

-I put the wrong type of fertilizer in; either that or too much. If so, what type should I use, and how? Is there any way to flush out the old fertilizer if needed?

-My tap water has too much flouride. I actually just switched to room-temperature distilled water last week, but haven't seen any change yet.

So that's my story. Sorry it's so long. I would appreciate any advice you all have to offer. I really want to save this plant! Thanks!

-Jessica

Comments (7)

  • seaecho1
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Jessica,

    You're right--Calatheas are definitely not the best beginner plant. They certainly can be a challenge, as you're finding out. First of all, the fact that your husband forgot to water it got it off to a bad start. Calatheas do not like to dry out. A little, but not completely. Sounds like your Calathea had possibly mealy bug, but not spider mites. Spider mites are black or dark brown, not white.

    You don't say how big the plant actually is, but a 12" is a pretty big pot. In order to be in a pot that size, it must be a HUGE plant. Your soil sounds all right, but what kind of dried moss are you referring to? Spaghnum, or that stuff that is often put into fake plants? Spag will help keep the humidity up a bit around the plant and help with moisture, but that dry moss stuff is useless. Also,if you DO use spag, only use a little bit on the surface, which it sounds like you're doing anyway.

    I've never used fertilizer sticks, but maybe someone else here has, and can commment on that. I fertilize once a month in spring and summer, diluted a bit more than the package recommends. Sounds like you're doing an excellent job with giving it good, but indirect light, and surrounding it with other plants to increase the humidity. Also, the pebble tray and misting will help.

    I also recently lost a Calathea that sounds like the description of yours. I'd had it for a few years, and it looked pretty good until a few months ago. Like I said, they are temperamental, and even though its care had not changed, the tips of the leaves got brown and crispy, and one by one every leaf browned and I could not save the little guy. I have another one that also had a set-back, but it is apparently recovering. Its the lighter green variety with red veins running down the center of the (I can never remember their names).

    Finally, I'd keep using the distilled water if I were you. I have hard water, and only mist and water my Calathea with the distilled. Good luck.

    Randi

    Maybe Toni can advise you about how to correctly repot it at this point, but I do know that you can mix perlite into a soil mix. Just gently keep adding perlite litte by little and mixing it in GENTLY so as not to break the fragile roots. I've done this before with success.

  • bihai
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I grow a ton of Calatheas and Marantas but mine have an advantage of being planted in the ground. They just do not make good long term houseplants.

    There are probably several factors affecting your plant, and when they affect it "all at once", it can lead to big problems.

    #1--most Calathea are not high light plants. This is a good rule of thumb to follow for light: if a plant has leaves that have red or maroon undersides, its a shade or low light plant. The red coloration is a genetic adaptation of rainforest plants that thrive in moderate to deep shade. The pigment is made up of specialized cells adapted to catching what is called "green light"...this is light that filters through the canopy layer, hits the ground and bounces back up. These plants with red undersides are specifically adapted to catching and utilizing green light. So putting your plant right in an unobstructed South facing window might have been a little too much light all at once.

    #2--almost all the Maranta and most of the Calathea have a sensitivity to not only chlorine but also mainly to fluoride in the water. Since most municipal water supplies are both chlorinated and have added fluoride for the kids teeth, you shouldn't use it for plants like these. Your water may also contain added ammonia, which forms what are called "chloramines" which are also bad for plants. All this will cause leaf troubles like the crispy edge. Using pure spring water, distilled or purified water is a good start.

    #3--Humidity is a key factor for these plants and misting and a pebble tray may still be inadequate, especially in a home in a Northern zone when it gets to be winter and you turn the heat on. Air conditioning is bad enough in summer, drying out the air but the heater is killer in winter. If you can stand it, you might have better results if you purchased a cheepo cool mist vaporizer from Walmart and ran it on a timer to cycle on and off in the close proximity of any plants you have that require higher humidity. You could group all your needy plants together maybe and hit them all at once.

    #4--5 fertilizer sticks is just way too much for a houseplant that is already stressed.And Calathea and Maranta can be resentful of too much fertilizer. Since you have trouble keeping your plant adequately watered in the first place, it would be much better to err on the side of underfertilizing and just use some 1/4 to 1/2 strength water soluble maybe once a month.

    #5--if you had white bugs AND webs, you probably had a mixed infestation of mealies and mites. The webs are from the mites, mealies don't build webs. But mealies do infest the soil and also lay eggs in the soil. Calathea and Maranta are rhizomatous plants, and mealies can attack the plant below the soil level. To be certain they are gone you may need to use a systemic pesticide that goes into the soil, like Bayer, on a regular basis.

    Your plant sounds like it is trying valiantly to make a comeback and you sound like you did your research pretty well. Just give it time.

  • jessica525
    Original Author
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks so much for all the comments and advice. It's nice to know I'm on the right track!

    Randi, at this point, my plant is pretty small since I've had to cut it back so far. It has nine low leaves which probably don't rise more than 9-10" above the soil. As for the moss, I mixed the spaghnum peat moss in with the soil that I used to fill in around the sides when I repotted it into the 12" pot. I put the dried decoration moss on top of the soil and mist it daily to help keep up the humidity. Do you think it was a bad idea to mix the spag in with the soil? I wanted it to be able to go for a long time without watering when I go on trips, but maybe it's retaining too much water...

    Bihai, it's been a month since I put the fertilizer sticks in. Should I take them out and try to flush out the soil? I haven't seen any white bugs on the soil, just that one time on the leaves. Should I just assume they are there and treat the plant for mealies? Would that hurt the plant if it doesn't have mealies?

    Thanks!

    -Jessica

  • seaecho1
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jessica, there is nothing wrong with mixing spag peat moss in with the soil, but like you said, it may tend to hold too much water for too long, and that could lead to root rot, ESPECIALLY when you have it in a pot that is too big for the plant. With the plant being the size you are describing, I'd get it out of that 12" pot ASAP. I'd put it in a 6" pot, or even a 4" pot (although the roots may not all fit in a 4" pot). Be sure to add perlite too. I like to add 1/3 to 1/2 perlite and mix it in well. Sounds like a lot, but you do want free draining soil.

    The problem with the plant not being watered often is something that will take some planning on your part. Can you have someone come over and water it when the top 1-2" of the soil is dry? Its better than using a heavier soil that could very well rot the roots just to insure the soil stays moist. If the roots rot, you'll lose the plant. Personally, I'd rather err a little on the side of the plant being too dry rather than too moist for the above reason.

    Randi

  • mttp
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a Calathea concinna plant that I inherited from a dear friend who passed away two years ago. She had the plant for over five years. Until August of this year the plant has been beautiful. One day I came home and it was a mess. I was told to repot it because there might be bug infestation. It was repotted in the same container. The soil seems to retain the moisture and I haven't watered it because it is still moist and that was four weeks ago. Some of the leaf stems are brownish. I can't lose this plant it has too much sentimental value. What can I do. I would repot again but from what I read it can't be done until spring. I live in upstate NY.

  • summersunlight
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Can you post a photo of your plant, mttp? That might make it easier to figure out what is going on.
    Dont repot it again. Reporting is usually not the answer for a sudden decline. It would only be a new source of stress for the plant.