Calatheas need specific care in order to thrive. They need a consistently warm spot and bright but indirect light – keep them out of direct sunshine. Keep the soil moist from spring to autumn, and provide some humidity by misting the leaves daily or standing on a tray of moist pebbles. Calatheas need to be watered with filtered or distilled water, or rainwater – not tap water.
Keep the soil evenly moist (but not soaking wet) at all times from spring to autumn – watering little but often is ideal. Use distilled water, filtered water or rainwater as calatheas are sensitive to the chemicals in tap water. Make sure any excess water has drained away. Water less in winter, keeping the soil just moist. Calatheas do best in a humid environment, so mist the leaves daily with tepid water or stand on a tray of gravel or pebbles that is topped up with water. Feed your calathea every couple of months with a balanced fertiliser. Wipe the leaves occasionally to remove dust. More varieties...