Calathea Care: 7 Fast Fixes for a Finished-Looking Space

Calatheas stay healthy and look good when they get bright, indirect light, evenly moist soil, clean water and extra humidity, and when the pot and placement suit the room. Get those right and the plant stops looking like a fussy guest and starts looking like part of the design.

They are also a popular pick among the best indoor plants that are pet safe, which is a big part of their appeal in a home with a dog or cat. Here are seven fixes, from the plant's needs to how it sits in your space.

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Where should you put a calathea for the right light?

Aim for bright, indirect light. Iowa State's extension notes that most houseplants look their best in it. Too little light causes faded leaves and stunted growth, while too much can burn leaves and wash out their color, according to Wisconsin Horticulture.

Distance from the window matters more than most people expect. Light drops off quickly, and spots more than a few feet from even a bright window are often too dim. An east window works well, and with a south window, pull the plant back from the glass so the sun doesn't scorch it.

A simple test: hold your hand over the leaves in the afternoon. A soft, blurry shadow is what you want. A sharp, dark one means too much direct sun.

What kind of pot looks right and works?

The plastic nursery pot is practical and not much to look at. Keep the plant in it, with drainage holes, and set it inside a decorative cachepot. You can lift it out to water and let it drain before it goes back.

For the outer pot, glazed ceramic or sealed stone is a good choice. Unglazed terracotta pulls moisture out of the soil quickly, which a thirsty plant like this won't enjoy.

As for scale, a pot that reads as roughly the bottom third of the whole plant-and-pot height looks balanced. A tiny pot under a big plant looks top-heavy. If the plant is small, put it on a stand or a stack of books so the foliage sits closer to eye level.

How do you raise humidity without an ugly humidifier?

Calatheas come from humid forest floors, and most heated or air-conditioned homes are drier than they like. Crispy brown edges are the usual complaint.

A pebble tray is a quiet fix. Use a wide, shallow tray in brass, copper or smoked glass, fill it with river stones, add water to just below the top of the stones, and stand the pot on the stones so its base stays out of the water. The evaporation helps a little right around the leaves. If your air is very dry, a small humidifier will do more, so tuck it behind a piece of furniture.

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Why group plants together?

A single calathea can look lonely in a big room. A group of three at different heights reads as one deliberate feature, and plants clustered together tend to hold a bit more humidity between them.

Try one tall calathea at the back, a bushier one in the middle and something trailing in front, like a pothos. Raise the back plants on a hidden riser or books. The triangle shape draws the eye up and keeps the corner from looking cluttered.

Are calatheas safe around cats and dogs?

Calatheas are widely listed among houseplants safe for cats and dogs, which makes them a better choice than a lot of popular plants. Check any specific plant against the ASPCA's toxic and non-toxic lists, and ask your vet if your pet has chewed something you're unsure about.

Non-toxic doesn't mean chew-proof. Cats like the crinkly leaves, and a shredded plant ruins the look of a room. As an architect, I'd use vertical space for them: a wall shelf or a plant stand out of jumping range. For dogs, a heavy ceramic or stone pot is the main protection against tipping.

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How do you tie a calathea into your room's colors?

Calathea foliage is rarely plain green, and that helps you. Look at the leaf and pick out one color: the pink stripe on a pinstripe calathea, or the purple underside of a rattlesnake plant. Repeat it once somewhere nearby, in a pillow, a vase or a print on the adjacent wall.

One echo is enough. The plant then looks chosen for the room, not just parked in it.

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What water and routine keep the leaves looking good?

Watering is where most plants go wrong. Wisconsin Horticulture calls improper watering a primary cause of plant death. When you water, soak the soil until water runs out of the drainage holes, as West Virginia University Extension advises, then empty the cachepot so the roots don't sit in water.

Calatheas are often said to react to the minerals, chlorine and fluoride in tap water, with browning at the leaf tips. Distilled or rainwater is a reasonable thing to try if your tips keep browning. Letting tap water sit out overnight lets chlorine escape but won't remove fluoride.

Once a week, wipe the leaves with a damp microfiber cloth. Dust dulls the patterns, and clean leaves make the plant look better.

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Quick checklist

• Soft, blurry shadow under the leaves, no direct afternoon sun.
• Away from vents, radiators and drafty doors.
• Nursery pot with drainage inside a cachepot, emptied after watering.
• Pebble tray or humidifier nearby.
• Small plants raised on a stand.
• One color in the room that echoes the leaves.
• Out of reach of cats and heavy-pot stable for dogs.

For more detail on a specific plant, see our general calathea care page or the guide to Calathea insignis.

Frequently asked questions