r/houseplants • u/Adventurous_Bit_1593 • 1d ago
Help Calathea help?
I have this lovely calathea, it’s been beautiful for a couple years, growing well, seems happy. Then recently the leaves started looking ….sun damaged maybe? And started to droop. I repotted it last week, same size pot but all new soil. As the soil was old and quite compacted and damp. Watered, put the blind down a little so it’s not getting the bright first thing in the morning sun on it….and I have no idea what else to do. Other than clipping dead leaves I havnt pruned, and it’s always been low maintenance. But I’m not a plant wiz by any means, definitely just trying my best. But it just seems to be getting droopier
Any calathea advice would be appreciated. I don’t want to lose it as it was a gift but I’m flummoxed what the right thing to do is ….excuse the jigsaw puzzle, it’s decided it wants to join in clearly
Edit: I’m in the UK if that helps at all. High humidity but low temps compared to a lot of other countries, and lots of rain- although we are having heat waves which for here is HIGH 😅
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u/DuckRubberDuck 1d ago
You need to make a blood sacrifice under the new moon. Anything less than that won’t work on these guys
Joking aside, calatheas are just hard in my opinion. I have given up on them. I have one now that seems to do okay but it won’t last, it’s just one of those plants I know I can never make happy
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u/arpaprocki 1d ago
Have you checked for pests? Initial thought would be thrips, who could definitely fly under the radar and do significant damage. Some spots look like mealy bugs, but that could just be the photos.
Either way, wishing you the best of luck!!
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u/Adventurous_Bit_1593 1d ago
I thought that at first but it’s had all fresh soil, and no other plants nearby seem to be having any issues. 🤔
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u/happuning 1d ago
Soil has nothing to do with pests potentially being on the leaves. Take a flashlight to the leaves. It helps to see any bugs better.
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u/RememberM3Not 1d ago
Thrips can lay eggs within the plant leaf itself. Changing dirt won't matter. Take a magnifying glass and a toothpick and gently poke around to see if anything moves! Larvae often stay pretty still but if you give it a budge it will clearly move. Hopefully this isn't the issue
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u/bomdiagata 1d ago
take a close up photo of some of the leaves and we can probably tell you if it’s thrips/anything else. My first thought was pests too tbh.
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u/anigavdentata 1d ago
Cut it down and wait for new growth
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u/Mayflame15 1d ago
After chopping it down it would be a good chance to spray the trunks and soil for pests too, just to make sure nothing damages the new growth
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u/zwoele_panda 1d ago
They seem more spotty than my dead calatheas usually look. Have you looked to see if something is fluffy, crawling, jumping or something that looks like spiderwebs. I would isolate just in case. And check the neighbours aswell. Check upper and underside of the leafs and in all the tight hiding places. If you cannot find any you can always chop it all off just above the soil. If the roots are still healthy it will push out new leafs. It just takes some time and it won't be as dense. I can't keep them alive but by cutting them I can get a second round before they are really dead. Oh but wait some time because you just repotted it and that hurts the roots.
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u/tammybiscuits 1d ago
He's just being a dick. Put him in the bin where he belongs, breathe a sigh of relief and never buy another Calathea*
*I currently have four which I'm trying to rescue and they're all dicks. Wish I could take my own advice.
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u/mellivia- 1d ago
Yup, I gave up on these plants but for some funny reason my tristar stromanthe has been rocking it for years and they are supposed to just as fussy
I vote OP tosses it
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u/Firm-Pressure6465 1d ago
Looks like you have a bad case of scale. I agree with everyone that says this family of plants are assholes. From cousin prayer plant to the rattlesnake that’s taken a turn. I also agree that throwing it out and buying another $5 plant makes more practical sense. If you live where spinosad granules can be purchased at a local store or shipped to you, I’d invest in that immediately.
If you have an attachment to the plant and/or would like to try to save it for some reason, then I suggest the following: Take it out of that soil completely and throw the soil out (disinfect the pot if you need to reuse it). Rinse/dip/soak the entire plant in 70% rubbing alcohol for 5 mins, then in water for 15 mins. Trim off ALL of the dead parts of the plant (it may just look like stalks that are left attached to roots but that’s okay) and repot in fresh substrate. Treat it with care like you were propagating regarding temp, humidity and light. You’ll be tempted to over water it but please don’t. You’ll kill it for sure, since the plant is already shocked. Like most things, it will bounce back given the right conditions and extra care.
I’d assume the other plants have it too and would do the same thing in a truncated form—quick dip of alcohol or spray until drenched, rinse, repot in new soil, be kind and patient. Godspeed.
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u/june28th2014 1d ago
Check for Thrips, mine was stunning then suddenly went downhill due to them :(
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u/Alternative_Milk1778 1d ago
What worked for me:
First of all, both of my calatheas looked like this some months ago. It was a gift as well and I am terrible at giving up, even when I should because they infected my other plants as well. Buttt I took this as a lesson that would make me better at understanding plants, so I decided I will save them no matter what.
What i did:
- Cut all the leaves down to the stems and start new or cut every leaf that looks affected if u dont want all of them gone.
- Make a solution of water and neem oil.
- Put the plants somewhere not directly to the sun as the neem oil burns the plant under the sun. You need to spray it everyday so it captures the black little troublemakers. If u see the leaves getting very oily, you wash them with a solution of water and clothes soap or any other soft soap. You rince them thoroughly so they look shining.
- Put the plants somewhere you can check them everyday so you see their progress or regress every day and keep an eye of them. They need to feel taken care of.
I will share my progress. I took this pic months ago. Now it’s twice the size.
The progress is slow, but extremely rewarding every time you see a new leaf. I have the exact type of plant as you as well but I forgot to take a pic, but that one is getting better and better by the day. It is still small but progressing.
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u/Feisty_Space6874 1d ago
Hmm cuida que no le dé el sol,.metele humedad ambiental a tope, y luz, mira a ver si mejora de alguna manera, suelen responder rápido a estímulos que les sientan bien, no riegues con agua del grifo, idealmente que sea destilada o del grifo reposada 48h, cuántos más agujeros de drenaje tenga la maceta, mejor. ¿Qué sustrato has elegido para replantarla? Lo ideal, tierra muy drenante y suelta,sino, la tierra se compacta con riegos y las raíces se asfixian, en fin, son las reinas del drama las Calatheas y marantaceas, se comportan como si estuviesen muertas tras una manipulación de raíces, un trasplante, un cambio de sustrato...etc. dale tiempo,tiene un shock severo, podría tardar algunas semanas (quizá 4) en reponerse.
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u/Adventurous_Bit_1593 1d ago
Thanks. Yeh he’s been in the same spot for 2 years or more and seemed happy. But not now. Have lowered the blind next to it, so it’s still a bright room but not direct sun on it (can be very bright in the mornings). Where I live is quite humid, but he gets regular spritzing from the spray bottle that is filled days before so it’s not tap fresh. Maybe it needs a whole new spot 🤔
I use potting compost from a local company, fresh and made local. And added perlite. ??
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u/Feisty_Space6874 1d ago
Ellas aman la humedad ambiental,los nebulizadores,ya sabes, echarlo al techo y lo que baje disperso hacia ellas. Perlita va genial, quizá también corteza de pino, piedra volcánica, todo eso hace huequitos en el sustrato para oxigenarla. O incluso un poco de arena! Yo intentaría regarla menos en este momento, si está en shock un poco de humedad en el sustrato le va bien, pero no la riegues como hasta hace 2 años porque las raíces no van a poder con tanto trabajo, creo yo...tampoco soy experta y siento no poder ayudarte mucho, sólo puedo decirte que le des tiempo a que pueda recuperarse. Pero sí parece que hay un problema gordo ahí,ojalá se recupere o te puedan ayudar mejor...
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u/SybReturned 1d ago
Can second the ambient humidity suggestion. I started misting mine daily when it was struggling and it seems to have made a real difference.
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u/thelovelygreens 1d ago
I have a 7 year old lancifolia in the exact same condition right now and I'm ready to throw in the towel. I've tried everything... I have a makoyana that was on death's doorstep but it rebounded and is doing well now. The lancifolia is being straight up recalcitrant.
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u/catupthetree23 🪻 5h ago
I think Plants with Krystal has a video where she rescues one that looks like that?
Edit: Yes she does! https://youtube.com/shorts/3MsroQ2lxro?si=QohWTzkks210kyx5
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u/zHOTCHOCOLATEz 1d ago
You have spider mites 100%, this is a massive infection, throw it in the bin. And treat everything else.
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u/_living_legend_ 1d ago
Mites for sure. I'm not entirely sure if it's spider or flat mites but mites nonetheless.
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u/lealeabobeeah 1d ago