Are Some #Calatheas More Sensitive Than Others?
#calatheacrew would love some honest feedback here. I have a thriving Rattlesnake Calathea then, a "I need life support" Jungle Velvet Calathea?
The focus would be on the Jungle Velvet (JV).
❓️Can the JV be brought back?
❓️I'm following the care pattern of my other Calatheas atop of Greg's suggestions. Is there something I'm missing?
❓️Does this plant attract drama? If so, how can I help it seek therapy? 🤔
Things to note:
- No pests
- No fungus or mildew
- Lives near a humidifier
- Has appropriate sun area
Only thing I can think of is water quality?
Thank you in advance! ✨️
📸 comparison for humor 🤣
The focus would be on the Jungle Velvet (JV).
❓️Can the JV be brought back?
❓️I'm following the care pattern of my other Calatheas atop of Greg's suggestions. Is there something I'm missing?
❓️Does this plant attract drama? If so, how can I help it seek therapy? 🤔
Things to note:
- No pests
- No fungus or mildew
- Lives near a humidifier
- Has appropriate sun area
Only thing I can think of is water quality?
Thank you in advance! ✨️
📸 comparison for humor 🤣
4ft to light, indirect
9” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 years ago
19
Best Answer
Based on what I've seen from some planty YouTube types, etc, and my own limited experience, yes, some calatheas are more dramatic than others. More or less tolerant of varying humidity levels or soil moisture levels, etc etc. My rattlesnake calathea has been pretty tolerant as far as standard household humidity and watering with tap water has been concerned, but she gets pissier about her soil not being exactly the right degree of moist for her liking. My illustris is more picky about humidity it seems, and she starting throwing a huge fit when she was barely even rootbound in the growers pot/soil because it was too heavy I think. She's also more sensitive to getting distinct and clear day/night periods otherwise her leaves won't move like they should.
If you haven't checked your JV's roots recently, I'd consider it, and also consider moving it to a chunkier soil mix that will still hold moisture, possibly that will help support it better? The other thing I'd try is giving it more indirect light. Yes, they will tolerate lower light, but in my experience, as long as they aren't getting blasted by any amount of direct light, they don't mind being closer to the windows. Both of mine are within a foot or two of an eastern window with white sheer curtains and they are so much happier than when I had them further away from a window.
If you haven't checked your JV's roots recently, I'd consider it, and also consider moving it to a chunkier soil mix that will still hold moisture, possibly that will help support it better? The other thing I'd try is giving it more indirect light. Yes, they will tolerate lower light, but in my experience, as long as they aren't getting blasted by any amount of direct light, they don't mind being closer to the windows. Both of mine are within a foot or two of an eastern window with white sheer curtains and they are so much happier than when I had them further away from a window.
I think maybe the softer leaved ones are more delicate? I find rattlesnake is pretty tolerant. I haven't got a jungle velvet but I have a zebrina, that's more reactive to everything. I agree with @RelentlessZebra I would check the roots. And also the stems where they exit the soil, sometimes I've found rot there too. Definitely use distilled water or rain water. And definitely don't give up unless you find there aren't any healthy parts of the plant. Good luck 🌿💚
@RelentlessZebra and @LuxuryMint, that's on my list to check tomorrow! Tonight, I pulled all the dead off, cleared the soil, and started checking roots. Will get through it all tomorrow, hopefully weather permitting.
@RJG Tap water left out overnight in the tub, then watering them. The JV has been thriving a whole year previous to this.
I feel like it is the water cause my skin recently has been drying out WAY more than usual from showers.
Yikes 😬
So, I wonder if chemicals in the water have shifted?
Welp, talking it out, we may have just figured it out. 😅
Thank you, everyone. Appreciate you all for being here 🙏
@RJG Tap water left out overnight in the tub, then watering them. The JV has been thriving a whole year previous to this.
I feel like it is the water cause my skin recently has been drying out WAY more than usual from showers.
Yikes 😬
So, I wonder if chemicals in the water have shifted?
Welp, talking it out, we may have just figured it out. 😅
Thank you, everyone. Appreciate you all for being here 🙏
I felt that- calatheas are so finicky. My pinstripe calathea just has decided that it's going to die even though it's in the exact same conditions as the white star calathea that is thriving next to it. There's been no pests, no change in water (purified water), no changes at all, and just decided to die 😅 it's okay thought because it'll eventually come back from the dead (hopefully).
@Tica you can buy at home water testing kits on Amazon if you want to see what's in your water now. Won't help compare necessarily to what was in it before without having tested it previously, but then you at least know what you're dealing with. I can't be assed to use distilled water on mine so I just use filtered and it does fine, if you want to change up your water routine without having to collect rainwater or start buying distilled. I just fill up a clean old gallon jug with water from my filter and keep it stored with my planty stuff out of the light so it doesn't get funky and use it when I water.
@RelentlessZebra I've done that with my albos. Have their own personal jug haha
Guess I'll add the calatheas to that mix 😅
Guess I'll add the calatheas to that mix 😅
@RJG in Texas at least, even spring water has chlorine for purification/treatment purposes, which would make it a poor replacement for tap I think. The things you learn when your stepkidlet is trying to hatch triops😂
@RJG it won't say it on the bottle but it's part of the process of getting it from the spring to the bottling facility and such, and whether or not it's filtered well enough to remove it and any other metals, etc, varies a lot. So like, it won't say it on the bottle, but I don't know that I'd trust it if I was super concerned about avoiding it for my plants or fish. I'd go for distilled or RO instead, or filter my own with an activated carbon filter.
@RJG I've been contemplating setting up something to catch it in my backyard. We don't have enough gutters atm to try to set up something on our one sad little downspout I don't think, but I found a really cool DIY freestanding harvesting system online a few weeks ago.