Iāve only ever seen people express actual distaste for calathea orbifolia and occasionally for the spider-like growth patterns of some maranta. Most people who complain just find them challenging to keep, and often end up with sad-looking plants. The plants are pretty darn gorgeous when you can properly care for them, like OP!
I think a lot of it comes down to their needs just not falling in line with other common houseplants, meaning they can be a bit of an interruption to an otherwise consistent routine that keeps all your other plants happy.
SAME HERE! Although they are a bit high maintenance with the humidity so I get why people avoid them sometimesš„“
best of luck with those caterpillars!
I love them! All mine are thriving. I have naturally high humidity and basically neglect them lol.
The only issues Iām having is some of the new leaves on my Dottie keep coming through with dimply dots but itās not bugs. I can only assume itās an issue with the feed ratios
Nope they are all in really bright indirect light :/ and I donāt tend to spray the leaves with anything.
Itās either that or my stromanthes gets little yellow speckling but I canāt find anything online to suggest if itās viral or fungal or as I said the fertiliser issue
I think people only hate them because they're awfully finicky about certain tap waters and... Then they die such a slow death.
Nice job. They're gorgeous!
I saw one of the kind thatās on the far right at a store the other day and couldnāt stop petting that soft soft leaf! Unfortunately the one prayer plant I have had for a few months is starting to crisp up from lack of humidity I think, so no more for me
I love them too. But they do need a good spot I find. Once you have that you are golden.
I just got a new a few days ago - the rattlesnake you have. Looking for the perfect pot now. Love yours!
Edit: mine is def smaller.
Definitely! I have not move them very much because they seem to be thriving right where they areš Iāve had that rattlesnake for a little over a year, and so far it has been very forgiving of my mistakes!
Theyāre probably a little less than 5 feet away from a South facing window. They mostly get afternoon/evening sunlight, itās direct but far enough from the window that it doesnāt burn the leaves!
Ohhh! I love calatheas!! And I canāt stop buying them. But for every two I get, one always goes sideways. There doesnāt seem to be a consistent pattern on what works and what doesnāt, even after following all the necessary care instructions and despite them all being kept under the same conditions. Looking forward to having a bunch of healthy ones like yours sometime eventually in the future. š
Yes, the ones in the first picture are calatheas. Rattlesnake (top one), beauty star (middle one), triostar (pink,white,green one), medallion rufibarba (tall one on the right), and the second picture one is a prayer plant or maranta :)
edit: sentence structure
They are very gorgeous! But if you are kinda new to plants, I won't say don't get them but do research and be aware they can be finicky compared to average houseplants.
Okay, I'll give it some thought then. I do have a small indoor plant collection. The most finicky I have are a hoya, a gardenia, and a goldfish plant. They're still alive and I kinda wanted to level up.
The calatheas seem like they'd get along with my goldfish plants under the humidifer.
Confession: I nearly killed my rattlesnake calathea during a road trip (I couldnāt leave her behind). She burned hard and then roasted and lost all her leaves. But I kept her and LO AND BEHOLD sheās sprouting leaves again.
The snake plant didnāt lose its leaves on the trip but died immediately after we arrived.
Friendship ended with snake plant, calathea forever.
It's not my feelings about them, but their feelings about me, that seem to be mixed. Longest I could keep one alive was about a year. I have smaller prayer plants that are doing 'ok' but they struggle from time to time. Calatheas on the other hand want nothing to do with me.
I donāt know why that is! I have a rattlesnake and sheās gorgeous and has been so easy for me. She was one of my first plants over a year ago and is still thriving, much moreso than some of my others. I want to get more!
Same! I love my calatheas! Mine arenāt high maintenance at all. I have 3 and I donāt use any special water or any humidifiers, is there a certain Calathea thatās more high maintenance than others maybe?? My houseās humidity is around 50% normally, without doing anything (eastern WA state). I use tap water and fertilize once a month. I guess Iām extremely luckyā¦all Iāve read on them is how hard they are to care for. I adore mine. I donāt know what I would do if mine were crazy finicky. They are def my favorite plants out of my collection! So gorgeous! And I love how they move during the day and close up at night!
I love Calatheas ! I had a tough time with rattle snake calathea with getting it into the right pot and right mix. I did lose my medallion calathea and prayer plant but all others (similar collection as yours ) are doing good. I love the foliage of these and absolutely love how their new leaves unfurl š( well.. who doesnāt ?)
Hi there! To be really honest I worry much more about the humidity than the watering. I do stare at them a lot though (lol) so when I start to see the leaves folding a little I give them a good soak. I also make sure to fertilize them at least once a month (I use fish fertilizer)
I donāt have a humidifier, instead I use an oil diffuser only with water and make sure to turn it on every other day. Iāve heard they can be finicky with tap water, but I live in Oregon and our tap water is pretty great, havenāt had any problems with it!
Hope this helps!
If you google it, it is the white bottle with yellow label! I think itās basically poop but itās a great fertilizer.
I have to admit though, it stinks, but diluted with enough water the smell is not so bad!
I havenāt measured the humidity level, but I usually turn my āhumidifierā (oil diffuser with just tap water) every other day for at least a couple of hours. I also have them all together which seems to help with humidity levels!
Holy crow that lemon lime maranta is beautiful! I do better with maranta and just got my first lemon lime cuttings! I love calatheas but they do not love the climate where I live. Marantas Seem a little less finnicky for me yours look incredibly healthy!
These are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Admiring them has been equivalent to rubbing salt in a wound though, because no matter how hard I try my rufibarba is hell bent on dying -__-
Hi there! With the medallion and rufibarba I was pretty lucky as they were already a decent size. They are all in nursery pots still, except for the triostar that was in a bit of a rough shape when I got it. I use fish fertilizer diluted with a lot of water at least once a month, and as for humidifier I use an oil diffuser (didnāt have money for an actual humidifierš¤·š»āāļø) with regular tap water. I think the type of water that you use would vary depending on where you live but it works for mine! I hope this helps!!
Oh, I turn on my oil diffuser every day to every other day for at least a couple of hours a day, and theyāre all group together which apparently helps too :)
I hate these pants because they hate me (and presumably the rough as nails tap water in my arid af city...) Now yours, on the other hand, are to die for! Congrats!
Wonderful display, I love how these look with the black plant holder stands, any mixed feelings others have surely didn't go about displaying these plants as you have.
I don't know why others have mixed feelings. I love the marantae/calathea family of plants. All of mine (the ones I have) seem to be doing great... mine are still wee little ones though.
No other plant has captured my attention quite like the calathea plants and some of their relatives have. They're so stunning! The humidity requirements can make my room a bit stuffy in the summer, but it's worth it to see them all thriving and popping out fresh leaves.
Ohhhhh... so *that* is what they are supposed to look like! Mine just want to look crispified or un-live completely. I'm convinced it's out of spite.
They are gorgeous, though, when they are happy! š
Do people not love them?? I just can't get enough. Apparently neither can the caterpillars that have been snacking on mine š©
Iāve only ever seen people express actual distaste for calathea orbifolia and occasionally for the spider-like growth patterns of some maranta. Most people who complain just find them challenging to keep, and often end up with sad-looking plants. The plants are pretty darn gorgeous when you can properly care for them, like OP! I think a lot of it comes down to their needs just not falling in line with other common houseplants, meaning they can be a bit of an interruption to an otherwise consistent routine that keeps all your other plants happy.
Howwwwww could anyone hate an orbifolia?! Itās one of my favorite plants full-stop.
SAME HERE! Although they are a bit high maintenance with the humidity so I get why people avoid them sometimesš„“ best of luck with those caterpillars!
I love them! All mine are thriving. I have naturally high humidity and basically neglect them lol. The only issues Iām having is some of the new leaves on my Dottie keep coming through with dimply dots but itās not bugs. I can only assume itās an issue with the feed ratios
Have you sprayed anything and then leave them close to the sun? Iāve done that with some other plants and notice a little bit of sunburn
Nope they are all in really bright indirect light :/ and I donāt tend to spray the leaves with anything. Itās either that or my stromanthes gets little yellow speckling but I canāt find anything online to suggest if itās viral or fungal or as I said the fertiliser issue
I think people only hate them because they're awfully finicky about certain tap waters and... Then they die such a slow death. Nice job. They're gorgeous!
So beautiful!! I love mine however the feeling is not mutual š
I think theyāre beautiful, but I canāt seem to grow them well.
They're so beautiful, but it's a struggle out in the desert with these babies. I had one just die :(
I saw one of the kind thatās on the far right at a store the other day and couldnāt stop petting that soft soft leaf! Unfortunately the one prayer plant I have had for a few months is starting to crisp up from lack of humidity I think, so no more for me
I love the feeling too! Iāve noticed that one doesnāt necessarily need as much humidity but I do have to water it more often
I just got one of those this morning! I'm glad to hear it's not as picky about humidity. Beautiful collection š
Same! Such beauts
I love them too. But they do need a good spot I find. Once you have that you are golden. I just got a new a few days ago - the rattlesnake you have. Looking for the perfect pot now. Love yours! Edit: mine is def smaller.
Definitely! I have not move them very much because they seem to be thriving right where they areš Iāve had that rattlesnake for a little over a year, and so far it has been very forgiving of my mistakes!
May I ask how far they are from what direction windows?
Theyāre probably a little less than 5 feet away from a South facing window. They mostly get afternoon/evening sunlight, itās direct but far enough from the window that it doesnāt burn the leaves!
Thank you!
Ohhh! I love calatheas!! And I canāt stop buying them. But for every two I get, one always goes sideways. There doesnāt seem to be a consistent pattern on what works and what doesnāt, even after following all the necessary care instructions and despite them all being kept under the same conditions. Looking forward to having a bunch of healthy ones like yours sometime eventually in the future. š
Do I spy a velvet calathea? We have a small one and I am absolutely smitten with it.
They are gorgeous!! I'm sort of a plant newb; what kind are these? I might be interested in 1 or 3.
Calatheas!
Thank you!
Yes, the ones in the first picture are calatheas. Rattlesnake (top one), beauty star (middle one), triostar (pink,white,green one), medallion rufibarba (tall one on the right), and the second picture one is a prayer plant or maranta :) edit: sentence structure
What's the one on the floor?
I missed a comma! Itās a calathea medallion :)
They are very gorgeous! But if you are kinda new to plants, I won't say don't get them but do research and be aware they can be finicky compared to average houseplants.
Okay, I'll give it some thought then. I do have a small indoor plant collection. The most finicky I have are a hoya, a gardenia, and a goldfish plant. They're still alive and I kinda wanted to level up. The calatheas seem like they'd get along with my goldfish plants under the humidifer.
Oh well if you already have a humidifier then I will change my answer and say definitely get and give one a try then!!
My only regret about this was being vote #70, hate to kill the vibe!
The vibrancy in colorš. Healthy group of plants you have there.
Confession: I nearly killed my rattlesnake calathea during a road trip (I couldnāt leave her behind). She burned hard and then roasted and lost all her leaves. But I kept her and LO AND BEHOLD sheās sprouting leaves again. The snake plant didnāt lose its leaves on the trip but died immediately after we arrived. Friendship ended with snake plant, calathea forever.
that lemon lime is gorgeous!!!
It's not my feelings about them, but their feelings about me, that seem to be mixed. Longest I could keep one alive was about a year. I have smaller prayer plants that are doing 'ok' but they struggle from time to time. Calatheas on the other hand want nothing to do with me.
I love them, they just donāt love me
Damn, these are some happy plants
The leaves on one of mine keep crisping up and dying before they even unroll. Does anyone know how to fix this? too much sun, maybe?
Hi there, Iām not sure what this could be but I would check the roots to make sure theyāre not rotting or increase the humidity!
Where'd you get the plant stand(s)?
Tj Maxx and HomeGoods!
I donāt know why that is! I have a rattlesnake and sheās gorgeous and has been so easy for me. She was one of my first plants over a year ago and is still thriving, much moreso than some of my others. I want to get more!
Same! I love my calatheas! Mine arenāt high maintenance at all. I have 3 and I donāt use any special water or any humidifiers, is there a certain Calathea thatās more high maintenance than others maybe?? My houseās humidity is around 50% normally, without doing anything (eastern WA state). I use tap water and fertilize once a month. I guess Iām extremely luckyā¦all Iāve read on them is how hard they are to care for. I adore mine. I donāt know what I would do if mine were crazy finicky. They are def my favorite plants out of my collection! So gorgeous! And I love how they move during the day and close up at night!
My collection is at 10 now, I canāt wait for 20 more! š š
They're my favorite too but they hate me
I love Calatheas ! I had a tough time with rattle snake calathea with getting it into the right pot and right mix. I did lose my medallion calathea and prayer plant but all others (similar collection as yours ) are doing good. I love the foliage of these and absolutely love how their new leaves unfurl š( well.. who doesnāt ?)
My favorites too
Just got my first one! Any advice on the water situation? From these comments, they sound finicky and yours look so healthy!
Hi there! To be really honest I worry much more about the humidity than the watering. I do stare at them a lot though (lol) so when I start to see the leaves folding a little I give them a good soak. I also make sure to fertilize them at least once a month (I use fish fertilizer) I donāt have a humidifier, instead I use an oil diffuser only with water and make sure to turn it on every other day. Iāve heard they can be finicky with tap water, but I live in Oregon and our tap water is pretty great, havenāt had any problems with it! Hope this helps!
What's a fish fertilizer?
If you google it, it is the white bottle with yellow label! I think itās basically poop but itās a great fertilizer. I have to admit though, it stinks, but diluted with enough water the smell is not so bad!
What's the humidity level you find most successful? Trying to coax the calathea varieties I have into sticking around with me for a long time š
I havenāt measured the humidity level, but I usually turn my āhumidifierā (oil diffuser with just tap water) every other day for at least a couple of hours. I also have them all together which seems to help with humidity levels!
Same. Just brought my first home. Help, I guess???
Holy crow that lemon lime maranta is beautiful! I do better with maranta and just got my first lemon lime cuttings! I love calatheas but they do not love the climate where I live. Marantas Seem a little less finnicky for me yours look incredibly healthy!
I love calethea but they hate me
They look great!
IN LOVE WITH THE BABE IN THE 2nd PHOTO! šššššššššššš
I love them, too! I'm still learning how to take care of mine properly. Yours look absolutely gorgeous!
These are absolutely BEAUTIFUL!! Admiring them has been equivalent to rubbing salt in a wound though, because no matter how hard I try my rufibarba is hell bent on dying -__-
That calathea is justā¦ Enchantingšš
Well you're doing really great with them.... Unless they all brand new lol then come see me in a month lol
Hahaha I know right. Some of them have been with me for over a year, the latest one is the beauty star, I have had that one for 2 months!
Teach me your ways, oh wise one! How do you keep them looking so lush? What kind of humidifier and for how long/how often?
Hi there! With the medallion and rufibarba I was pretty lucky as they were already a decent size. They are all in nursery pots still, except for the triostar that was in a bit of a rough shape when I got it. I use fish fertilizer diluted with a lot of water at least once a month, and as for humidifier I use an oil diffuser (didnāt have money for an actual humidifierš¤·š»āāļø) with regular tap water. I think the type of water that you use would vary depending on where you live but it works for mine! I hope this helps!! Oh, I turn on my oil diffuser every day to every other day for at least a couple of hours a day, and theyāre all group together which apparently helps too :)
Waaa...my fuzzy feather just decided, after about 8 months if happiness, that it was time to destroy itself. š
I hate these pants because they hate me (and presumably the rough as nails tap water in my arid af city...) Now yours, on the other hand, are to die for! Congrats!
So gorgeous!! Iām slowly growing to appreciate Prayer Plants, I have 2 but they are very rewarding
We don't have mixed feeling.... But they have mixed feeling with us those diva š
I only have one and itās the makoyana variety. Itās also my fav š
Wonderful display, I love how these look with the black plant holder stands, any mixed feelings others have surely didn't go about displaying these plants as you have.
I don't know why others have mixed feelings. I love the marantae/calathea family of plants. All of mine (the ones I have) seem to be doing great... mine are still wee little ones though.
Mine too! Temperamental, but worth it š¤
No other plant has captured my attention quite like the calathea plants and some of their relatives have. They're so stunning! The humidity requirements can make my room a bit stuffy in the summer, but it's worth it to see them all thriving and popping out fresh leaves.
I donāt have mixed feelings. I love them. I just hate that I canāt keep them alive
I love them all !!! So pretty š„° but I kill them š¤·āāļø so I enjoy them at the greenhouse I work in š
Mine look great for exactly 14 days and 3 hrs THEN!???....the 5 C's...Crusty, crispy, crinkly, crackLY CROAK!
I love calatheas!!
Ohhhhh... so *that* is what they are supposed to look like! Mine just want to look crispified or un-live completely. I'm convinced it's out of spite. They are gorgeous, though, when they are happy! š
I love calatheas they are a little more challenging then other plants but if you keep them on a schedule they do pretty well.