I would definitely agree about the ornata, mine is still dormat 😂 I would say my beauty star and rattlesnake are my easiest and my hardest is the medallion. Over winter it put out new growth and since spring has not been happy 🙃 honorable mention to makoya for being pretty easy too.
Finally a RUclipsr who truly talks about the problems of plants at home, without making it seem like we all have the perfect conditions at home as if they came directly from the grower. Thanks for the explanation, I was super happy to have the same problems here at home.
I have had a few Calatheas turn brown & shrivel. The "rattlesnake" Calathea (now in a different genus) is a show-stopper, so I tried it & it has thrived in my bathroom for about 20 months now.
Calatheas are my absolute faves, I own 20+ varieties of them. I agree that it's easier to acclimatize young specimens - that's what I do with great success - my home doesn't really meet humidity requirements for them & they're just fine. I have had serious problems with roseopictas, though, they're the hardest to care for in my opinion (especially Roseopicta Rosy, this girl is giving me nothing, but she keeps on fighting, dying back and regrowing again, but I cannot stand her whims!). People give up too early on White Fusion once it dies for the first time - it's a big mistake, as she grows back stronger and well acclimatized.
It pains me to think about how many perfectly still alive Calathea get thrown away every year because people assume since they lost all their leaves they must be dead 😞
I’m not really sure how to take this comment…… but just so you know, I have a medical condition called essential tremors that causes me to shake and that’s why all the plants were shaking when I picked them up.
@@AlohaPlantLife Sorry to hear about that, I didn't think that was weird or something. My mother has it too whenever she picks something up and holds it. But I just found it funny to imagine the plants trembling in fear.
My favorite is my calathea musaica! It has thin stems and it has been suprising easy to care for. Forgiving considering I got it on clearance looking nice but in full on sun on a metal rack on a paved patio area. Some leaves fell off, some turned brown so I cut them off. I do only do rain water or distilled. I know they just used the hose at the Walmart. So all things considered it’s been great and is a beautiful plant. I just got a medallion to stick next to it because I’d read elsewhere they like to be grouped so I am annoyed I picked a difficult one. They had Freddie’s but they were 3x the price for the same size plant and they didn’t look in good shape so hopefully I can keep the new one alive though winter 😬
Totally agree with you - esp. on starting off with a small calathea. My experience was that the ones I bought small (5-6 cm pots) survived spidermites and thrips, bounced quickly back and seem to be determined to survive anything (Musaica, Makoyana, Beauty Star, Lancifolia). The big ones I bought (Ornata, Roseopicta Illustris and White Fusion) were lost in a massive spidermites and thrips infestation (I brought them with it from a shop and it took me some time to recognise it before it went really bad). Knowing what I know now, I would at least try to save the rhizome and regrow them back next time... Ornata went dormant in winter and then got awaken by constant 70 % humidity - 4 new leaves came at once, and then the thrips got them :-( I think they are like Phoenix - always come back to life from the rhizome. I wish I knew back then
EXACTLY!! Hopefully eventually enough of us will spread the word that it becomes common knowledge and less people will be so quick to throw away and swear off Calathea.
@@dimcdermitt Thrips can be eradicated, but strong action must be taken: a) chemical route: Forget neem oil and other ecological stuff. Thrips live in plants tissue and soil and the ecological stuff is too weak and can´t reach the eggs in tissues (I tried and failed repeatedly). I repeatedly succeded with this: systemic neonicotinoid - flupyradifuron (central Europe product: Sanium System) OR acetamipirid (Careo Substral) combined with every 2nd treatment pyrethroid (those are non-systemic) - cyhalothrin (e.g. product Karate Zeon). Also neonicotinoid and pyrethroid can be well combined with abamektin (e. g. Vertimec). First you remove as many thrips as possible by showering them away from the plant, they you spray and water with pesticide - careful not to overwater the plant (always combine systemic neonicotinoid + pyrethroid, because they work differently in the plant and this will help you prevent any pesticidal resistence, which thrips easily develop if you used only 1 product the whole time). Repeat the treatment every 5-6 day for min. 6-8 weeks (thrips life cycle is about 30 days hence your treatment must be longer and vigorous to kill the entire population). b) predátory mites (such as Cucumeris, Lace wings or others) - this is much less time consuming, works much slower, more expansive and effecient only if you don´t have big infestation. In case of big infestation, you need about 5 predatory mites to 1 thrips so that it actually works. The predátory mites must be bought again after a month usually to finish the thrips off. Predatory mites usually require certain amount of air humidity (such as 60 % and more - depends on the mites you can get). It´s possible to eradicate thrips but it takes time. Good luck.
New plant mom here.. I saw a Medallion at Walmart and fell in love! Wasn't looking great though, ending up having to repot and trim down to 3 leaves. I questioned everything and had no idea if I used the right pot, soil or lighting. This beautiy is totally loving my grow lights and is popping out 3 new shoots ❤❤❤ I think I got lucky so now I'm watching all these care videos to see what is advised. Not changing a thing though since its so happy 😅 I live in US and don't own any other calathea yet
Doing my research as I got myself my first Calathea and it being the first one on your video made me feel the pressure of taking care of an Ornata. Hope we get along well 😄 This was such a great video to watch and thank you for the insights as it was informative 😊 Can’t help but notice the cute sneak at 14:00 in the corner
Thank you for making this video. I have been wanting a Rattlesnake Calathea for what feels like forever, but the care - especially the humidity levels - have made it feel like it was not possible for me. Despite adding a pan to my stand alone furnace, firing up the teakettle every other day, and misting, I cannot get my indoor humidity levels above 30%. I am reluctant to buy a humidifier because my house is old, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that it will blow breakers. Thanks to this video it feels like a Rattlesnake Calathea is possible, and I thank you for that!
Another thing you can do is bring the plant in the bathroom with you whenever you shower so it can at least get a short burst of humidity. I do that with some of my plants during the coldest weeks of the year 💚
Calatheas are beautiful. I had been wanting one for years and one day at the store while checking out, I turn around and there she was!...On the "return" basket behind the counter. I bought the plant (red maranta) and love it. It's a bit finnicky but I'm learning. Also, I LOVE how they look with less stems in a pot. I actually separated mine out and gave them a support because the simple shape is just beautiful.
Thank you! Yeah that ornata drives me crazy sometimes. Mine just started pumping out 5 new leaves this week though so I guess we are behaving for now lol.
Of course I picked the two most difficult ones as my first foray into Calatheas, jeez! Oddly enough, my Ornata has been pretty chill, its the Rosy that seems to despise my very existence and continues to limp along just to prolong my suffering lol
My Rosy randomly became a new woman over the past year. I think she finally accepted and acclimated to her home in my east facing bedroom window. Which is why I will never be able to move her anywhere else 😂
One of my favorite is Orbifolia, and that's the one the people say it's the hardest, but for me they are going well, I have a big one in the living room, they are more demanding than others, but once you find the correct way, it grows bigger, stronger and beautiful, they don't like direct sunlight, wind, ... humidity and watering is the same for all of them, not too much, but not letting the soil dries completeley, and when it loses all leaves, the best you can do is to change the place, take care normally and wait a little bit and it starts regrowing..
Hi! Nice video and I like the way you identified characteristics that seem to be clues as to the degree of difficulty of species. Very useful. I just want to suggest that you add Goeppertia rufibarba to your list of easy ones. It appears to be one of the easiest, and it has those thin stems and lance-shaped leaves!
I have a separate video on that that you can watch here: Prayer Plant Care | How to successfully care for Calathea, Maranta, Ctenanthe, and Stromanthe ruclips.net/video/xTmi-t61jAQ/видео.html
Fascinating video and comments - what you and some people who have commented consider the hardest Calathea have been my easiest and what I consider easy others think are hard. My hardest Calathea that has taken so much care to get it to anything is my rufibarba and my easiest has been my orbifolia. Having said that all my roseoptica (various types) have also been pretty easy.
Really interesting - my rufibarba is a total monster and wont stop growing. I'm a little confused as I bought it as a larger specimen and it's doing just fine, but then my smaller calathea are doing good especially now it is spring they are growing quick.
I have Rattle snake Calathea, Misto Calathea and the frittata mine are doing great I have mine in my bedroom like you do I have the same plant stand as you do I also buy all my plants as babies 4-6” pots
I had a lot of calatheas and they died on me, but I was so determined to get it right. This summer I bought one again and put it in a self watering pot and wha la its thriving. My orbefolia is in a self watering pot wit leca and also beautiful. However we are now in our winter season - hope they will make it.
Started collecting/growing Calatheas as well. They are beautiful plants. Your video was very informative. Can you give the recipe to your DYI pest solution?
Have had 2-3 varieties and medallion struggled and eventually died (after leaving it unattended for 2 weeks oops). Peacock one was so much easier and did great. Now have a maranta leuconeura that I’m closely watching.
Hi! I just bought my first ever Calathea. I thought it was a beautiful healthy plant so I brought it home .😮 The label on her container only said calathea And I was having a difficult time determining which variety she was until you're video! I know she's going to be a bit of a diva but I hope I can keep her alive and healthy.
It's some type of calathea medallion but not roseopicta Because the underside of the leaves Do not have the reddish coloring. After peeling the label back a bit it says calathea green beauty, However I can find nessing at all online about green beauty. Do you possibly have any ideas on how I can determine exactly what type of calathea she is?
Good morning Drena. I don't have instagram but I do have facebook. Would you like me to post the pictures to Aloha plant life page or in a private message?
How strange, I’m useless with plants but have the first one and it never stops growing. I barely water it, it needs repotting and yet it’s flourishing. I’ve had it 2 years.
Just got the calathea W (have no idea how to spell or pronounce) but I believe the nick name was velvet touch , it's absolutely STUNNING, but it's my first calathea. Iv been terrified to try this type of plant . But man, is it ever hard not to they really are show stoppers. Iv got her on my coffee table which is in frnt of a south facing window but has sheer curtains and obviously a few feet away. Hoping this will be a good spot. I do not have a humidifier as of yet but going to try for the fall n winter if I get her to last , wish me luck. If I do well, I deff wanna try more. The rattlesnake and the big green round leaf one is at my local store calling my name tho 😩
I love my rattlesnake and my orbifolia! Also, you should check out the video I released today 😉 (don’t want to say anything else as not to spoil anything🙃)
I have a Freddie too! I had some crispy leaves during the winter but now with higher humidity it’s doing much better. I just picked up a medallion and I’m kinda scared now with the big stems and leaves. I’m keeping the soil moist and misting the leaves like Freddie and see show it goes. Crossing my fingers.
I now use my DIY pest spray. I have a video on the channel on how to make it that you can check out. If you prefer to use a store bought spray I’d recommend End All.
Thank you so much I really really enjoyed watching you talk about your Calathea’s. I’m a new owner of these plants and I’m really learning. I wonder if you could tell me what your homemade recipe for spider mites is. I’ve learnt that they don’t like tap water unless it’s treated to take out the chloride and other things out. I’ve subscribed and given you a thumbs up too
I had 24 different prayer plants. Had past tense. I made the mistake about a month ago of deciding to bottom water. HUGE MISTAKE!!! Did this after months and months of top watering with no problems. Because of the mixed watering methods I thought maybe I should bottom water? I've only been growing indoor plants for 2 years. It was such a bad mistake. 5 calatheas and they were all the calatheas. Not my marantas or ctenanthes got bad fungul issues. My white fusion which was perfect went bad really really quickly. It got this followed quickly by thrips. It now has 1 leaf and is in the plant sick room. NEVER BOTTOM WATERING AGAIN. I have badly learned from this mistake!! Hopefully my white fusion will come back . But I'm doubting it with only 1 leaf left. Don't bottom water Calatheas unless you want problems. 😢
My Orbifolia is easy, she forgives a lot and my Makoyana is easy too. BUT Marantha Silverband real roller coaster, and it's not pretty, 0 bushy. The queen of drama is my Zebrina she look beautiful but if you miss one thing or not do a thing perfectly she tell you. She can look droppy sad and you think she will die… no you give her water couple hours later she look better than never 🫠🤣 You repotting her because she look like roots for, the first 1-4 hours you think this is the end, but 12 hours later you a the impression you have a other plant and probably a new leaf on the road 🤦♀️🤣
That can happen for any number of reasons and they’re not all bad reasons, so as long as you’re not seeing any other negative signs of anything, I wouldn’t worry about it💚
I am not sure if I missed it, but did you say what spider mite treatment/prevention worked best for you with the White Fusion? I discovered spider mites on my WF, I did one treatment with Captain Jacks, ran out, ordered Safer insecticidal soap and add SNS 209 to the water. Your white fusion looks so perfect!!!
End All (also made by Safer) is what I ended up using that actually seemed to work to get rid of the initial infestation and now I use my homemade pest mix to do monthly preventative treatments on my plants. Here’s a link to a video on how I make that mix: ruclips.net/video/XPX1PdvlH4Y/видео.html
@@AlohaPlantLife Thank you so much. You would be as sad as I am if you could see my WF. If I didn't buy one of those nifty small microscopes, I would not have been sure. Yup, saw the tiny critters. Not cute.
Majority of my Calathea are in east facing windows, including my White Fusion. She definitely has thinner leaves than my other Calathea. I’ve been transitioning all of my Calathea from my basic mix to my forest floor mix as they seem to like it better. Here’s a link to my video on my soil mixes: ruclips.net/video/k9B8jNsYzjw/видео.html
I wish I could show you the 7 foot tall, 8 year old calathea I have here. Super easy to care for but I've never been able to pin down the exact species.
@@AlohaPlantLife thanks. I'll send a snap of me standing next to her but need to wait for a friend to visit. Cats are no good with the camera 😕 😅 I'll get it to you soon.
I’m currently using my Forest Floor mix for my prayer plant family plants but you could use my Basic Mix as well. This video shows how I make all my soil mixes and what plants I recommend using each for: The Perfect Soil by Plant Type | Custom Soil Mix | Houseplant Soil Mix ruclips.net/video/k9B8jNsYzjw/видео.html
What is the plant behind you in front of the tv? Is that a calathea burle-marxii? I have one and it's always pretty unhappy (but surviving - unlike my calathea ornata lol). I seem to have much better luck with marantas.
Heei, do you use any cat repelent on your plants? My cats would love to nibble on my plants and i dont know what to do (besides just hiding my plants from them)
What type of calathea is the one in the white and tan planter that is sitting right in front of your tv? This is the first calathea I bought but my plant is still struggling 😢
That’s actually a Ctenanthe burle marxii. Mine has been super slow growing compared to my other Ctenanthe and I’m not sure why. I recently moved it to a new location in my upstairs living room so I’m waiting to see if maybe that helps. 🤞🏻
Hi! What about the plant on your TV stand? I have the same plant and mine is not happy and not thriving after winter. As I thought its a calathea also? Any tips on how to take care of them? Also what is her propper name? Thank you in advance!
That’s actually a Ctenanthe setosa (it gets mislabeled as a Calathea so often it’s ridiculous). In my experience, Ctenanthe are a bit hardier than Calathea and I rarely have any issues with mine over winter. However, the setosa does give me more crispy leaf tips just in general than my other Ctenanthe which I’ve always attributed to the fact that it’s leaves are a bit thinner than on my other ones. How long have you had yours and where does it live in your house in terms of lighting primarily?
@@AlohaPlantLife Thank you for your response, my windows are facing northeast. They came in my possession when I started renting my place and they looked like a pretty big bush with a lot of leaves, about 12inch stems each. Now one of them is looking dead almost, I did cut off watering in winter probably for too long, and it did got a little bit cold in the room so it melted also I thought it got cold shock. Now when spring is beginning here, my one plant got a little bit better with the sun coming out, leaves still curved in but some leaves are starting to recover but still not full like a bush. The other one got chopped and there is only one leave standing. I can see activity in both of them but they still look poorly. I thought about repotting and taking the dead roots out but not sure if it's a good idea as if I'm not sure that it's not coming back. Thank you in advance if you got any thoughts on this matter.
@@paulina7789 Unless the roots look rotted no need to mess with them. Ctenanthe are also rhizome based plants so the should come back. Definitely keep them as close to those windows as you can for awhile and don’t let them dry all the way out. As long as the roots aren’t rotted you should be ok💚
You can keep it that size by dividing it whenever it becomes root bound in the pot, otherwise you will need to repot it into a bigger pot when it gets root bound.
@@wheres_bears1378 If you slip it out of its pot and all you can see are so many roots that you can barely see any soil, then it’s time to repot. (I really wish RUclips would let us share pictures in the comments on these videos.)
Picked up a Calathea Makoyana by Proven Winners at Home Depot about a week ago. Did have some crispy leaf tips and was severely neglected at the store, the media was bone dry but it’s still alive. I love it, it definitely moves throughout the day, it’s just fascinating. ❤ 🪴
You’re speaking words but I keep hearing “hard to grow”, “more difficult”, “crispy leaves”, “allergic to water”, “spider mite magnet”, “definitely a plant Lela will kill in a month”…
😂I have faith that you can manage it! I actually think they do worse the more people fuss over them. Just don’t underwater, make sure they’ve got decent light, and stay diligent in checking for and treating for any pests.💚
It somehow feels so ironic that I (A notorious plant killer) have a Medallion Calathea that for some reason is THRIVING. To the extent that I kinda have to cut leaves OFF *even tho there's nothing wrong with them* because she's getting so bushy 😅
My first ever Calathea was the Maui Queen and I fell in love! Unfortunately i didn’t have a lot of experience back then and it died after a few pest treatments. I tried with 2 or 3 calatheas over the years but they didn’t stick around for long either. Early this year my boyfriend got his mother a Leopoldina and we ended up keeping it at our place due to her going on a trip right after. It’s still here and somehow I’ve managed to keep it alive. With this one I basically left it alone, didn’t report it and water it very rarely as it sits maybe 3m away from a south facing window. it’s bushier then ever and aside from some crispy tips it seems content enough. So I decided to get a project Calathea White Fusion Babyplant and honestly I can’t complain. It hasn’t given me any issues yet and is happy and healthy. Let’s see how my new Triostar will do in the future :)
Orbifolia has been the hardest for me, rattlesnake and white fusion the easiest. When you mention stem size, I think it means the plant doesn’t need as much watering. My rattlesnake and white fusion need watering more often, because their stems do not hold water. Orbifolia with such thick stems, needs much less watering- in my experience. I just love your videos, so informative! Thank you!
I REALLY appreciate what you said at the end there. I just recently bought a stromanthe triostar, and I LOVE HER TO DEATH, but shes been looking a little curly and rough. She also was pretty huhe when I got her, so I’ve been following your videos on calatheas since then, and shes definitely turned a corner. I love the contrast of the white and green on her leaves, compared with the maroon undersides (honestly they match your hair in this video… lol). In short, thanks for sharing! 😅
My rattlesnake plant did so well during the winter. I checked its soil one day to make sure it wasn't dry and it was moist so I went on my way. I don't know if it was one or two days later the darn thing was nearly dead for some reason. It had collapsed and curled. I just don't understand it! My triocolor is great! Knock on wood. I have had no trouble with it. But, the Rosie has nearly died and I'm bringing it back slowly too. My Freddie is doing great, knock on wood. I love calatheas but they are just too fickled for me. I won't buy anymore.
In my experience, they are EXTREMELY dramatic with the water, so, as soon as the soil is a few hours too dry, the curl up and it really seems they are death. This happens specially with my calathea zebrina. I just leave it for a while in water (immersion watering), and before you can tell, she is looking wonderful again. So, that might have been what happened to yours. Don´t worry, it will be fine. It just needs water. It this happens too often, then, just check out the roots. They might be too tight, or have some rot issues. But, in my experience, it is normally just their dramatism.
@@alejandrapazo3757 Nope, I watered it and it still died completely and is now in the trash. It was weird how fast that happened when it did so well for so long. Oh well, I have too many plants anyway. LOL
The makoyana was my first confirmed kill 😅 I have a second one now that that I got as a seedling size that seems to be growing well and just successfully repotted into a larger pot. The first calathea I bought was a rattlesnake and it's my Lazarus plant. Twice I've thought it was dead but kept watering and it came back with new growth.
Any pest at all I just go straight for the rubbing alcohol and qtips. I tried all the things plant youtube recommended and I lost half of my collection to mealy bugs. Nuke the pests!
My ornata got a few tiny crisps when I put her closer to a lamp 🤣 so she's hanging in a darker spot and pumping out the leaves. My medallion likes the lamp and is a contortionist come late afternoon. My ornata doesn't pray. My medallion reminds me of when I went to Catholic school 🤣
"less mature plants" .... my thinking was the bigger the stronger it would be...and it ended up dying on me.... what you share makes sense and i will take it into consideration next time !! thank you. What is your diy anti pest mix ??? i am a new plant gardener and have heard of those and not needed to take care of them so far.
Rolled usually is indicative of having gotten too dry at some point or that it’s getting too much light. Have you checked the roots to see if they still look healthy?
You’re one of a very small handful of people who doesn’t curse the White Fusion. This is an older video; how is it doing now? Also, do you have a video about fertilizing Calathea? I know they don’t like hard water or harsh chemicals, but mine definitely need some fertilizer and I’m not sure what to use. A lot of people suggest worm castings, but I have the plants in Pon so I’ll probably need a liquid solution. I just don’t want to burn them. 🫣
She’s doing fabulous! My full houseplant tour video I released at the beginning of January is the most recent video she can be seen in. I fertilize her once a month with this liquid fertilizer. I haven’t delved into pon yet though so not certain if it can be used in pon or if it can if amount used would need to be adjusted www.amazon.com/dp/B002LFEQ6G?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzan061ad3-20&creativeASIN=B002LFEQ6G&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.2MJTJE3FMRF0I&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_m_asin
I would definitely agree about the ornata, mine is still dormat 😂
I would say my beauty star and rattlesnake are my easiest and my hardest is the medallion. Over winter it put out new growth and since spring has not been happy 🙃 honorable mention to makoya for being pretty easy too.
Those Rattlesnake Calathea are champs for sure!
Finally a RUclipsr who truly talks about the problems of plants at home, without making it seem like we all have the perfect conditions at home as if they came directly from the grower. Thanks for the explanation, I was super happy to have the same problems here at home.
I totally agree with her statement that younger plants seem to do better than older more established ones. I've had the same experience with calathea.
I have had a few Calatheas turn brown & shrivel. The "rattlesnake" Calathea (now in a different genus) is a show-stopper, so I tried it & it has thrived in my bathroom for about 20 months now.
Calatheas are my absolute faves, I own 20+ varieties of them. I agree that it's easier to acclimatize young specimens - that's what I do with great success - my home doesn't really meet humidity requirements for them & they're just fine. I have had serious problems with roseopictas, though, they're the hardest to care for in my opinion (especially Roseopicta Rosy, this girl is giving me nothing, but she keeps on fighting, dying back and regrowing again, but I cannot stand her whims!). People give up too early on White Fusion once it dies for the first time - it's a big mistake, as she grows back stronger and well acclimatized.
It pains me to think about how many perfectly still alive Calathea get thrown away every year because people assume since they lost all their leaves they must be dead 😞
Good to know. I have three now and want to get a white fusion next. What is the proper procedure when they appear dead?
Notice how the plants all shake with fear when she picks them up. The poor things are terrified!
I’m not really sure how to take this comment…… but just so you know, I have a medical condition called essential tremors that causes me to shake and that’s why all the plants were shaking when I picked them up.
@@AlohaPlantLife Sorry to hear about that, I didn't think that was weird or something. My mother has it too whenever she picks something up and holds it.
But I just found it funny to imagine the plants trembling in fear.
My favorite is my calathea musaica! It has thin stems and it has been suprising easy to care for. Forgiving considering I got it on clearance looking nice but in full on sun on a metal rack on a paved patio area. Some leaves fell off, some turned brown so I cut them off. I do only do rain water or distilled. I know they just used the hose at the Walmart. So all things considered it’s been great and is a beautiful plant. I just got a medallion to stick next to it because I’d read elsewhere they like to be grouped so I am annoyed I picked a difficult one. They had Freddie’s but they were 3x the price for the same size plant and they didn’t look in good shape so hopefully I can keep the new one alive though winter 😬
Totally agree with you - esp. on starting off with a small calathea. My experience was that the ones I bought small (5-6 cm pots) survived spidermites and thrips, bounced quickly back and seem to be determined to survive anything (Musaica, Makoyana, Beauty Star, Lancifolia). The big ones I bought (Ornata, Roseopicta Illustris and White Fusion) were lost in a massive spidermites and thrips infestation (I brought them with it from a shop and it took me some time to recognise it before it went really bad). Knowing what I know now, I would at least try to save the rhizome and regrow them back next time...
Ornata went dormant in winter and then got awaken by constant 70 % humidity - 4 new leaves came at once, and then the thrips got them :-(
I think they are like Phoenix - always come back to life from the rhizome. I wish I knew back then
EXACTLY!! Hopefully eventually enough of us will spread the word that it becomes common knowledge and less people will be so quick to throw away and swear off Calathea.
How do you handle thrips? Having a problem with them as well on some plants.
@@dimcdermitt Thrips can be eradicated, but strong action must be taken:
a) chemical route:
Forget neem oil and other ecological stuff. Thrips live in plants tissue and soil and the ecological stuff is too weak and can´t reach the eggs in tissues (I tried and failed repeatedly).
I repeatedly succeded with this: systemic neonicotinoid - flupyradifuron (central Europe product: Sanium System) OR acetamipirid (Careo Substral) combined with every 2nd treatment pyrethroid (those are non-systemic) - cyhalothrin (e.g. product Karate Zeon). Also neonicotinoid and pyrethroid can be well combined with abamektin (e. g. Vertimec). First you remove as many thrips as possible by showering them away from the plant, they you spray and water with pesticide - careful not to overwater the plant (always combine systemic neonicotinoid + pyrethroid, because they work differently in the plant and this will help you prevent any pesticidal resistence, which thrips easily develop if you used only 1 product the whole time). Repeat the treatment every 5-6 day for min. 6-8 weeks (thrips life cycle is about 30 days hence your treatment must be longer and vigorous to kill the entire population).
b) predátory mites (such as Cucumeris, Lace wings or others) - this is much less time consuming, works much slower, more expansive and effecient only if you don´t have big infestation. In case of big infestation, you need about 5 predatory mites to 1 thrips so that it actually works. The predátory mites must be bought again after a month usually to finish the thrips off. Predatory mites usually require certain amount of air humidity (such as 60 % and more - depends on the mites you can get).
It´s possible to eradicate thrips but it takes time. Good luck.
Not me picking up the most difficult one a few weeks ago. Sigh. I will try my hardest to keep it alive. Love your vids btw. Very informative.
New plant mom here.. I saw a Medallion at Walmart and fell in love! Wasn't looking great though, ending up having to repot and trim down to 3 leaves. I questioned everything and had no idea if I used the right pot, soil or lighting. This beautiy is totally loving my grow lights and is popping out 3 new shoots ❤❤❤ I think I got lucky so now I'm watching all these care videos to see what is advised. Not changing a thing though since its so happy 😅
I live in US and don't own any other calathea yet
That is awesome!
Doing my research as I got myself my first Calathea and it being the first one on your video made me feel the pressure of taking care of an Ornata. Hope we get along well 😄 This was such a great video to watch and thank you for the insights as it was informative 😊
Can’t help but notice the cute sneak at 14:00 in the corner
Same experience here, feeling a little bit of pressure
Thank you for making this video. I have been wanting a Rattlesnake Calathea for what feels like forever, but the care - especially the humidity levels - have made it feel like it was not possible for me. Despite adding a pan to my stand alone furnace, firing up the teakettle every other day, and misting, I cannot get my indoor humidity levels above 30%. I am reluctant to buy a humidifier because my house is old, and I've got a sneaking suspicion that it will blow breakers. Thanks to this video it feels like a Rattlesnake Calathea is possible, and I thank you for that!
Another thing you can do is bring the plant in the bathroom with you whenever you shower so it can at least get a short burst of humidity. I do that with some of my plants during the coldest weeks of the year 💚
Calatheas are beautiful. I had been wanting one for years and one day at the store while checking out, I turn around and there she was!...On the "return" basket behind the counter. I bought the plant (red maranta) and love it. It's a bit finnicky but I'm learning. Also, I LOVE how they look with less stems in a pot. I actually separated mine out and gave them a support because the simple shape is just beautiful.
Omg these are stunning my Calathea Ornata is still a baby but she’s already proving difficult, super appreciate this video x
Thank you! Yeah that ornata drives me crazy sometimes. Mine just started pumping out 5 new leaves this week though so I guess we are behaving for now lol.
Of course I picked the two most difficult ones as my first foray into Calatheas, jeez! Oddly enough, my Ornata has been pretty chill, its the Rosy that seems to despise my very existence and continues to limp along just to prolong my suffering lol
My Rosy randomly became a new woman over the past year. I think she finally accepted and acclimated to her home in my east facing bedroom window. Which is why I will never be able to move her anywhere else 😂
One of my favorite is Orbifolia, and that's the one the people say it's the hardest, but for me they are going well, I have a big one in the living room, they are more demanding than others, but once you find the correct way, it grows bigger, stronger and beautiful, they don't like direct sunlight, wind, ... humidity and watering is the same for all of them, not too much, but not letting the soil dries completeley, and when it loses all leaves, the best you can do is to change the place, take care normally and wait a little bit and it starts regrowing..
Hi! Nice video and I like the way you identified characteristics that seem to be clues as to the degree of difficulty of species. Very useful. I just want to suggest that you add Goeppertia rufibarba to your list of easy ones. It appears to be one of the easiest, and it has those thin stems and lance-shaped leaves!
It would be helpful if you shared the growing conditions of each plant.
I have a separate video on that that you can watch here: Prayer Plant Care | How to successfully care for Calathea, Maranta, Ctenanthe, and Stromanthe
ruclips.net/video/xTmi-t61jAQ/видео.html
Fascinating video and comments - what you and some people who have commented consider the hardest Calathea have been my easiest and what I consider easy others think are hard. My hardest Calathea that has taken so much care to get it to anything is my rufibarba and my easiest has been my orbifolia. Having said that all my roseoptica (various types) have also been pretty easy.
Really interesting - my rufibarba is a total monster and wont stop growing. I'm a little confused as I bought it as a larger specimen and it's doing just fine, but then my smaller calathea are doing good especially now it is spring they are growing quick.
I have Rattle snake Calathea, Misto Calathea and the frittata mine are doing great I have mine in my bedroom like you do I have the same plant stand as you do I also buy all my plants as babies 4-6” pots
My favorite plant stand I own 🙂
Of course the most big beautiful leaves are the most difficult to keep alive. But I also agree that they are dramatic, act dead and then rebound ❤
But at least they do actually rebound, that’s all that matters lol💚
The hardest to grow in my experience is the Helen Kennedy calathea! So beautiful, yet so fussy!!!😱
I had a lot of calatheas and they died on me, but I was so determined to get it right. This summer I bought one again and put it in a self watering pot and wha la its thriving. My orbefolia is in a self watering pot wit leca and also beautiful. However we are now in our winter season - hope they will make it.
Started collecting/growing Calatheas as well. They are beautiful plants. Your video was very informative. Can you give the recipe to your DYI pest solution?
DIY Pest Control Spray: Organic pest control for plants that WORKS!
ruclips.net/video/XPX1PdvlH4Y/видео.html
Have had 2-3 varieties and medallion struggled and eventually died (after leaving it unattended for 2 weeks oops). Peacock one was so much easier and did great. Now have a maranta leuconeura that I’m closely watching.
Hi! I just bought my first ever Calathea. I thought it was a beautiful healthy plant so I brought it home .😮 The label on her container only said calathea And I was having a difficult time determining which variety she was until you're video! I know she's going to be a bit of a diva but I hope I can keep her alive and healthy.
What kind did she turn out to be?
It's some type of calathea medallion but not roseopicta Because the underside of the leaves Do not have the reddish coloring. After peeling the label back a bit it says calathea green beauty, However I can find nessing at all online about green beauty. Do you possibly have any ideas on how I can determine exactly what type of calathea she is?
@@laurathunder4388 Are you on Instagram or Facebook? If so, can you send me a pic @Aloha Plant Life?
Good morning Drena. I don't have instagram but I do have facebook. Would you like me to post the pictures to Aloha plant life page or in a private message?
@@laurathunder4388 You can send them to me in a private message
How strange, I’m useless with plants but have the first one and it never stops growing. I barely water it, it needs repotting and yet it’s flourishing. I’ve had it 2 years.
How far down should i cut off dying leaves? Down to the bottom? Halfway? Just the tip?
BTW my black Maranta is still alive Drea after a few months. So give it a go Drea. She is worth it. 😊
Just got the calathea W (have no idea how to spell or pronounce) but I believe the nick name was velvet touch , it's absolutely STUNNING, but it's my first calathea. Iv been terrified to try this type of plant . But man, is it ever hard not to they really are show stoppers. Iv got her on my coffee table which is in frnt of a south facing window but has sheer curtains and obviously a few feet away. Hoping this will be a good spot. I do not have a humidifier as of yet but going to try for the fall n winter if I get her to last , wish me luck. If I do well, I deff wanna try more. The rattlesnake and the big green round leaf one is at my local store calling my name tho 😩
I love my rattlesnake and my orbifolia! Also, you should check out the video I released today 😉 (don’t want to say anything else as not to spoil anything🙃)
I have a Freddie too! I had some crispy leaves during the winter but now with higher humidity it’s doing much better. I just picked up a medallion and I’m kinda scared now with the big stems and leaves. I’m keeping the soil moist and misting the leaves like Freddie and see show it goes. Crossing my fingers.
Would love to get a white fusion and rattlesnake
I have about 20 varieties.
The easiest to me are Musaica and Rufibarba.
These are all gorgeous!! Just got my first rattlesnake and a zebra. What mix did you use to treat the spider mites if the need oil didn't work?
I now use my DIY pest spray. I have a video on the channel on how to make it that you can check out. If you prefer to use a store bought spray I’d recommend End All.
Thank you so much I really really enjoyed watching you talk about your Calathea’s. I’m a new owner of these plants and I’m really learning. I wonder if you could tell me what your homemade recipe for spider mites is. I’ve learnt that they don’t like tap water unless it’s treated to take out the chloride and other things out. I’ve subscribed and given you a thumbs up too
Here’s the video on my spider mite spray: DIY Pest Control Spray: Organic pest control for plants that WORKS!
ruclips.net/video/XPX1PdvlH4Y/видео.html
I had 24 different prayer plants. Had past tense. I made the mistake about a month ago of deciding to bottom water. HUGE MISTAKE!!! Did this after months and months of top watering with no problems. Because of the mixed watering methods I thought maybe I should bottom water? I've only been growing indoor plants for 2 years. It was such a bad mistake. 5 calatheas and they were all the calatheas. Not my marantas or ctenanthes got bad fungul issues. My white fusion which was perfect went bad really really quickly. It got this followed quickly by thrips. It now has 1 leaf and is in the plant sick room. NEVER BOTTOM WATERING AGAIN. I have badly learned from this mistake!! Hopefully my white fusion will come back . But I'm doubting it with only 1 leaf left. Don't bottom water Calatheas unless you want problems. 😢
My Orbifolia is easy, she forgives a lot and my Makoyana is easy too. BUT Marantha Silverband real roller coaster, and it's not pretty, 0 bushy. The queen of drama is my Zebrina she look beautiful but if you miss one thing or not do a thing perfectly she tell you. She can look droppy sad and you think she will die… no you give her water couple hours later she look better than never 🫠🤣 You repotting her because she look like roots for, the first 1-4 hours you think this is the end, but 12 hours later you a the impression you have a other plant and probably a new leaf on the road 🤦♀️🤣
Does anybody know why my peacock stopped moving? Should I be worried?
That can happen for any number of reasons and they’re not all bad reasons, so as long as you’re not seeing any other negative signs of anything, I wouldn’t worry about it💚
How to caring the white poison calathea
Do you mean the white fusion Calathea? I care for it the same was as I describe in this video
I wipe my prayer plants with diluted cool black coffee every week (knock on wood) so far in the 11months ive had prayers no bugs
My favorite is the red veined prayer plant... The most difficult is the Chinese evergreen (Wishes) .. I don't know if that is a calathia though...??
No that’s an aglaonema 💚
I am not sure if I missed it, but did you say what spider mite treatment/prevention worked best for you with the White Fusion? I discovered spider mites on my WF, I did one treatment with Captain Jacks, ran out, ordered Safer insecticidal soap and add SNS 209 to the water. Your white fusion looks so perfect!!!
End All (also made by Safer) is what I ended up using that actually seemed to work to get rid of the initial infestation and now I use my homemade pest mix to do monthly preventative treatments on my plants. Here’s a link to a video on how I make that mix: ruclips.net/video/XPX1PdvlH4Y/видео.html
@@AlohaPlantLife Thank you so much. You would be as sad as I am if you could see my WF. If I didn't buy one of those nifty small microscopes, I would not have been sure. Yup, saw the tiny critters. Not cute.
@@vickiandKi 🤢So not cute especially under a microscope
After I switched water, mine started to go downhill. From over 30 leaves, to 2 crispy leaves. Soo hard and she was one of the easiest on the list.😢
Switched water how? What were you using before and what did you switch to?
@@AlohaPlantLife I was buying spring water than I switched brands one day because it was on sale and it went south pretty fast.
what about calathea whitestar/majestica? its my favorite and its so gorgeous
It’s a relatively easy one too in my opinion!
Mine is def. the white fusion! What light do you have them in? Mine has thinner leaves and seems more delicate than what you have. And soil?
Majority of my Calathea are in east facing windows, including my White Fusion. She definitely has thinner leaves than my other Calathea. I’ve been transitioning all of my Calathea from my basic mix to my forest floor mix as they seem to like it better. Here’s a link to my video on my soil mixes: ruclips.net/video/k9B8jNsYzjw/видео.html
I currently have only 1 leaf left on my ornata 🙈
😢
Orbifolia - the bane of my existence, 🤦♀️🔨
Your monstera is thriving back there 🪴
The Purple Dottie is giving me a headache 😮
She can be a tricky one for sure💚
I wish I could show you the 7 foot tall, 8 year old calathea I have here. Super easy to care for but I've never been able to pin down the exact species.
Wow! I would love to see that! Could you message me a pic on Facebook or Instagram @alohaplantlife?
@@AlohaPlantLife I don't do Facebook or Instagram. Email? She's hooooge ❤
@@workinprogress77 contact@alohaplantlife.com
@@AlohaPlantLife thanks. I'll send a snap of me standing next to her but need to wait for a friend to visit. Cats are no good with the camera 😕 😅
I'll get it to you soon.
What is your DIY mix??
I’m currently using my Forest Floor mix for my prayer plant family plants but you could use my Basic Mix as well. This video shows how I make all my soil mixes and what plants I recommend using each for: The Perfect Soil by Plant Type | Custom Soil Mix | Houseplant Soil Mix
ruclips.net/video/k9B8jNsYzjw/видео.html
I refuse to have another dying plant
The pin strips keeps losing it leaves
Is it still putting out new ones at the same time?
Hey! What’s the DIY pest control you made?
You can watch the video on it here: DIY Pest Control Spray: Organic pest control for plants that WORKS!
ruclips.net/video/XPX1PdvlH4Y/видео.html
What is the plant behind you in front of the tv? Is that a calathea burle-marxii? I have one and it's always pretty unhappy (but surviving - unlike my calathea ornata lol). I seem to have much better luck with marantas.
It’s a ctenanthe burle marxii and it is definitely the slowest growing ctenanthe I own, lol. My marantas all do wonderfully for me💚
@@AlohaPlantLife Ah that makes sense why it's not in the video! I always thought it was a calathea.
Heei, do you use any cat repelent on your plants? My cats would love to nibble on my plants and i dont know what to do (besides just hiding my plants from them)
I do not, and I’m not certain of it would harm the plants or not
What type of calathea is the one in the white and tan planter that is sitting right in front of your tv? This is the first calathea I bought but my plant is still struggling 😢
That’s actually a Ctenanthe burle marxii. Mine has been super slow growing compared to my other Ctenanthe and I’m not sure why. I recently moved it to a new location in my upstairs living room so I’m waiting to see if maybe that helps. 🤞🏻
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you so much!!!
Hi! What about the plant on your TV stand? I have the same plant and mine is not happy and not thriving after winter. As I thought its a calathea also? Any tips on how to take care of them? Also what is her propper name? Thank you in advance!
That’s actually a Ctenanthe setosa (it gets mislabeled as a Calathea so often it’s ridiculous). In my experience, Ctenanthe are a bit hardier than Calathea and I rarely have any issues with mine over winter. However, the setosa does give me more crispy leaf tips just in general than my other Ctenanthe which I’ve always attributed to the fact that it’s leaves are a bit thinner than on my other ones. How long have you had yours and where does it live in your house in terms of lighting primarily?
@@AlohaPlantLife Thank you for your response, my windows are facing northeast. They came in my possession when I started renting my place and they looked like a pretty big bush with a lot of leaves, about 12inch stems each. Now one of them is looking dead almost, I did cut off watering in winter probably for too long, and it did got a little bit cold in the room so it melted also I thought it got cold shock. Now when spring is beginning here, my one plant got a little bit better with the sun coming out, leaves still curved in but some leaves are starting to recover but still not full like a bush. The other one got chopped and there is only one leave standing. I can see activity in both of them but they still look poorly. I thought about repotting and taking the dead roots out but not sure if it's a good idea as if I'm not sure that it's not coming back. Thank you in advance if you got any thoughts on this matter.
@@paulina7789 Unless the roots look rotted no need to mess with them. Ctenanthe are also rhizome based plants so the should come back. Definitely keep them as close to those windows as you can for awhile and don’t let them dry all the way out. As long as the roots aren’t rotted you should be ok💚
Huh😃 kitty!!
I bought mine but it’s mini, can it stay in the small pot and remain that size?
You can keep it that size by dividing it whenever it becomes root bound in the pot, otherwise you will need to repot it into a bigger pot when it gets root bound.
@@AlohaPlantLife thanks 😊, how do you know that it’s root bound?
@@wheres_bears1378 If you slip it out of its pot and all you can see are so many roots that you can barely see any soil, then it’s time to repot. (I really wish RUclips would let us share pictures in the comments on these videos.)
@@AlohaPlantLife that’s great thank you so much, your explanation was perfectly clear 😊
Picked up a Calathea Makoyana by Proven Winners at Home Depot about a week ago. Did have some crispy leaf tips and was severely neglected at the store, the media was bone dry but it’s still alive. I love it, it definitely moves throughout the day, it’s just fascinating. ❤ 🪴
You’re speaking words but I keep hearing “hard to grow”, “more difficult”, “crispy leaves”, “allergic to water”, “spider mite magnet”, “definitely a plant Lela will kill in a month”…
😂I have faith that you can manage it! I actually think they do worse the more people fuss over them. Just don’t underwater, make sure they’ve got decent light, and stay diligent in checking for and treating for any pests.💚
All are dying up, curled 😭
😢 Check and see if the roots still look healthy. If they do, they should be able to make a comeback.💚
@@AlohaPlantLife thank you for replying. Roots are fine.
omg i cant kill orbofolia with a stick and keep killing freddie just by lookin at them
Prepare for pests, otherwise skip these.
Or just get better at pest prevention💚
I only have the Rattlesnake left. 🫣
😬Well it’s one of the easiest in my experience so fingers crossed it does well for you🤞🏻
It somehow feels so ironic that I (A notorious plant killer) have a Medallion Calathea that for some reason is THRIVING.
To the extent that I kinda have to cut leaves OFF *even tho there's nothing wrong with them* because she's getting so bushy 😅
My first ever Calathea was the Maui Queen and I fell in love! Unfortunately i didn’t have a lot of experience back then and it died after a few pest treatments. I tried with 2 or 3 calatheas over the years but they didn’t stick around for long either.
Early this year my boyfriend got his mother a Leopoldina and we ended up keeping it at our place due to her going on a trip right after. It’s still here and somehow I’ve managed to keep it alive. With this one I basically left it alone, didn’t report it and water it very rarely as it sits maybe 3m away from a south facing window. it’s bushier then ever and aside from some crispy tips it seems content enough. So I decided to get a project Calathea White Fusion Babyplant and honestly I can’t complain. It hasn’t given me any issues yet and is happy and healthy. Let’s see how my new Triostar will do in the future :)
Wow, that white fusion is amazing. I must try again!
Orbifolia has been the hardest for me, rattlesnake and white fusion the easiest. When you mention stem size, I think it means the plant doesn’t need as much watering. My rattlesnake and white fusion need watering more often, because their stems do not hold water. Orbifolia with such thick stems, needs much less watering- in my experience. I just love your videos, so informative! Thank you!
I REALLY appreciate what you said at the end there. I just recently bought a stromanthe triostar, and I LOVE HER TO DEATH, but shes been looking a little curly and rough. She also was pretty huhe when I got her, so I’ve been following your videos on calatheas since then, and shes definitely turned a corner. I love the contrast of the white and green on her leaves, compared with the maroon undersides (honestly they match your hair in this video… lol).
In short, thanks for sharing! 😅
Happy I could help!💚
OMG the Monstera was so juvenile
Right?!
My rattlesnake plant did so well during the winter. I checked its soil one day to make sure it wasn't dry and it was moist so I went on my way. I don't know if it was one or two days later the darn thing was nearly dead for some reason. It had collapsed and curled. I just don't understand it! My triocolor is great! Knock on wood. I have had no trouble with it. But, the Rosie has nearly died and I'm bringing it back slowly too. My Freddie is doing great, knock on wood. I love calatheas but they are just too fickled for me. I won't buy anymore.
In my experience, they are EXTREMELY dramatic with the water, so, as soon as the soil is a few hours too dry, the curl up and it really seems they are death. This happens specially with my calathea zebrina. I just leave it for a while in water (immersion watering), and before you can tell, she is looking wonderful again. So, that might have been what happened to yours. Don´t worry, it will be fine. It just needs water. It this happens too often, then, just check out the roots. They might be too tight, or have some rot issues. But, in my experience, it is normally just their dramatism.
@@alejandrapazo3757 Nope, I watered it and it still died completely and is now in the trash. It was weird how fast that happened when it did so well for so long. Oh well, I have too many plants anyway. LOL
@@bedtimebiblechat7152 Yeah! That's weird indeed! I hope it does not happen to mines :___S
So far the Roseopicta has been the most difficult for me, and the easiest have been the Anulque and the Rufibarba.
Your bushy orange cat is …. Sooooo cute!!!!!!!! Aaauughhhh 😂❤
Wow, Calatheas are so beautiful! I definitely need to collect a few of these.
They are gorgeous!
The makoyana was my first confirmed kill 😅 I have a second one now that that I got as a seedling size that seems to be growing well and just successfully repotted into a larger pot.
The first calathea I bought was a rattlesnake and it's my Lazarus plant. Twice I've thought it was dead but kept watering and it came back with new growth.
My ornata is hard too! But my medallion is easy 😂
Any pest at all I just go straight for the rubbing alcohol and qtips. I tried all the things plant youtube recommended and I lost half of my collection to mealy bugs. Nuke the pests!
Rubbing alcohol and qtips is 100% my go to first for mealy bugs
My ornata got a few tiny crisps when I put her closer to a lamp 🤣 so she's hanging in a darker spot and pumping out the leaves. My medallion likes the lamp and is a contortionist come late afternoon. My ornata doesn't pray. My medallion reminds me of when I went to Catholic school 🤣
LOL!!!
"less mature plants" .... my thinking was the bigger the stronger it would be...and it ended up dying on me.... what you share makes sense and i will take it into consideration next time !! thank you. What is your diy anti pest mix ??? i am a new plant gardener and have heard of those and not needed to take care of them so far.
Here’s a link to the video on my pest spray: ruclips.net/video/XPX1PdvlH4Y/видео.html
My Freddie has died back so much and idk what to do and the leaves are rolled and crispy
Rolled usually is indicative of having gotten too dry at some point or that it’s getting too much light. Have you checked the roots to see if they still look healthy?
Ugh I just bought the second hardest 😂
I will try my best to keep her alive
You got this!💚
You’re one of a very small handful of people who doesn’t curse the White Fusion. This is an older video; how is it doing now? Also, do you have a video about fertilizing Calathea? I know they don’t like hard water or harsh chemicals, but mine definitely need some fertilizer and I’m not sure what to use. A lot of people suggest worm castings, but I have the plants in Pon so I’ll probably need a liquid solution. I just don’t want to burn them. 🫣
She’s doing fabulous! My full houseplant tour video I released at the beginning of January is the most recent video she can be seen in. I fertilize her once a month with this liquid fertilizer. I haven’t delved into pon yet though so not certain if it can be used in pon or if it can if amount used would need to be adjusted www.amazon.com/dp/B002LFEQ6G?linkCode=ssc&tag=onamzan061ad3-20&creativeASIN=B002LFEQ6G&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.2MJTJE3FMRF0I&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ons_mixed_m_asin