Dying plant or transplant shock? #NewPlantMom
Hello,
My calathea has been giving me a run for my money and I don’t know what else to do. I got this 6” plant two weeks ago, and it was full and beautiful. Now it thinning because I don’t know what it wants.
Here’s my timeline:
1. I wanted to give it fresh soil, treated it with neem oil , and gave it a good drink when I brought it home.
2. When I removed the plant from the pot, i saw that it was root bound, and needed a larger pot. I had an 8” on hand , but I was still waiting on my Enrich, slow release fertilizer to arrive from We the Wild. I gave it the fresh soil and put it back in the 6” pot.
3. Maybe 4 or 5 days later, the leaves were curled and yellowing. I removed those leaves and gave it another good long drink.
4. When my fertilizer arrived, I repotted into the 8” and added the fertilizer. I didn’t water it right away. I was afraid of overwatering.
5. 24 hours later,leaves were curling again, so I broke down and gave it another drink.
6. Two days later, leaves are yellowing again.
Here I am… stumped and can’t find any new information on the Internet.
Any guidance?
My calathea has been giving me a run for my money and I don’t know what else to do. I got this 6” plant two weeks ago, and it was full and beautiful. Now it thinning because I don’t know what it wants.
Here’s my timeline:
1. I wanted to give it fresh soil, treated it with neem oil , and gave it a good drink when I brought it home.
2. When I removed the plant from the pot, i saw that it was root bound, and needed a larger pot. I had an 8” on hand , but I was still waiting on my Enrich, slow release fertilizer to arrive from We the Wild. I gave it the fresh soil and put it back in the 6” pot.
3. Maybe 4 or 5 days later, the leaves were curled and yellowing. I removed those leaves and gave it another good long drink.
4. When my fertilizer arrived, I repotted into the 8” and added the fertilizer. I didn’t water it right away. I was afraid of overwatering.
5. 24 hours later,leaves were curling again, so I broke down and gave it another drink.
6. Two days later, leaves are yellowing again.
Here I am… stumped and can’t find any new information on the Internet.
Any guidance?
5
Hi Jessica! I think it’s just stress. Did you treat it because of pests? You’ve done a bunch of things to it- neem, soil repot then repot to larger pot. When I got my first Calathes it looked so sick so I did what I thought it needed- and I almost killed it. One huge thing to remember with these guys is tap water will kill them because of the chlorine and other chems in it. Use either distilled/filtered water- or put water in a jug (I use 1gal milk jug), leave cap off and let it sit out for 24 hours before watering. They like well draining soil in a pot with drainage, but they also love high humidity- I use a pebble tray. Mine is looking great and it’s constantly putting out new leaves!
Thank you @SillyPlantGirl ! Me and this plant are stressed out! 😫 I’m so paranoid about bringing home critters, all of my plants get treated and fresh soil as soon as I walk in the door from the nursery. As far as Cali goes, I didn’t see any evidence of pests on her at the nursery. I have watered using distilled water and sat her next to a humidifier for a bit as well. I guess the only thing that I can do at this point is leave her alone and see what happens. I appreciate your advice. 💛
@SillyPlantGirl By the way, is your pebble tray inside your pot? I had a pebble tray inside my pot at first, but I was afraid that enough air wouldn’t circulate under the plant and maybe trap too much moisture inside.
I put my pebble tray under the pot and I make sure it has fresh water every day. I had a humidifier but our house is so big that it didn’t do a thing to help any of my plants. I know how you feel- I get stressed when my plants are and I try to help and it’s usually too much lol. My hubby works at HDepot and he’s always asking the plant people questions for me! 😂 yeah I would just rest a bit, let everything you’ve done work its magic.
@SillyPlantGirl You’re a gem. Thank you!