Help Identifying Houseplants….
Hello Judy, My husband brought me this lovely houseplant the other day – and although I have been parent to a pothos for nearly 5 years, I have had very little luck with other things (mostly orchids). I would like to identify this plant so I can learn about it and have a chance to make it happy in our home. I attached photos below. The leaves are dark green with lighter veins – and a lovely purple underneath. Thank you in advance! -Terri
Hi Terri,
Your plant is a type of Calathea plant. Here are some tips to help you take care of your new plant.
A Calathea Plant requires bright indirect light but no direct sun. Direct sun burns the leaves of most houseplants and causes their vibrant colors to fade.
The leaves of Calathea Plants are easily damaged by the quality of the water you use. Hard water or soft water, water with a high chemical content (fluoride, chlorine, or salt), or water of poor quality causes leaf burn on a Calathea Plant. Use distilled water, rain water, or allow your tap water to sit out over night before using it. Calathea Plants like moist but not soggy soil at all times, but never allow a Calathea Plant to sit in water. Allow the top 2-3” of the soil in the pot to dry out before watering.
Fertilize a Calathea Plant monthly in the spring, summer, and fall with a basic houseplant food at ½ the recommended strength. Never feed a Calathea Plant, or any houseplant, if it is not actively growing.
Calathea Plants prefer temperatures between 65-80 degrees, and don’t do well in cold drafts or temperatures below 55-60 degrees. The leaves of a Calathea Plant curl when the temperature is too warm.
Calathea Plants need high humidity. When the air is too dry, a Calathea Plant gets brown leaf edges. Increase the humidity by placing a Calathea Plant on a tray of wet pebbles (be sure the container is on the pebbles and not in the water), setting a humidifier near- by, or by grouping plants together to create a greenhouse effect.