Hi Tmac,
When you had your other Maranta, did you keep it constantly wet/moist?
I grow several Marantas/calatheas, etc, and though I don't profess to be an expert by any means, I do not agree Marantas should stay overly wet or in too large a pot..the larger the pot, the more water soil holds, hence, rot.
On the contrary, I allow soil to dry a bit between waterings..
Pebble trays help out a lot, too.
One of my Cals (related to Marantas) were getting brown and yellow edges, I'm positive brown was due to excess heat..I repotted to a smaller pot, using a semi-well-draining soil w/additional potting soil for nutrients..then placed in an open north window. Removed brown and yellow leaves..It's put out a lot of new growth since..Another problem was because of the large container, soil was staying wet..
I also discovered the best time to water Marantas is during the day before leaves close at night/cloudy days.

I can't comment on the pots since I don't use them..Perhaps someone who does can advise you. Good luck, and don't be afraid buying another..sometimes it takes a few tries before getting it down pat, and Marantas are NOT the easiest plants to grow..Toni

Hopefulauthor -- I don't believe I did much of anything to keep my other Maranta consistently moist. I didn't know much of anything about houseplants as I was just starting out. I received it as a gift. I had mild success with African Violets though, and they are what started my interest again years later. I have just gotten back into my African Violets and now (much thanks to DH,) have nearly 50 different varieties. I did a ton of research and a lot of fine tuning, but all are blooming their little heads off and are growing faster than I can keep up! I have about 5 that have been in bloom since I got them which was over a year ago! I've propogated over a dozen of them with 95% success. :-) Now that I know more of what I'm doing, I want to try some of those other plants again and thought I'd try that beautiful Maranta. I read that they like consistely moist soil which my AVs also love. I thought, if my AVs LOVE their Oyama pots, maybe my Maranta would too. I decided to repot it into the Oyama, but I only sized up a tiny bit -- from a 3" to a 3.5". I hope it likes it! Thanks for the tip regarding the pebble tray. I'll give it a try! While we're talking Maranta care, any other tips you can offer? TIA!

Tmac, you really have a good amount of AV's..they sound lovely, and the one blooming over a yr!!!
Do you have a variety of AV's like trailing, standards, mini's, etc?
Do you have any true blue flowered types? Or the one I love has all white leaves..Did you ever come across one? My dh had the white leaf a few yrs back, but eventually killed it..I should have taken a cutting..since then I've never seen another..
Do you keep your AV's rootbound? What type of fertilizer? and how often?

I agree, most of my plant books states to keep Marantas and their cousins (cals/stromanthe, etc) on the moist side, but I don't agree..LOL..I soak thoroughly, but allow soil to dry somewhat..
I also believe a small pots work best..All my marantas, etc are several feet from a west window and close to north. They are misted daily, and some kept on humidity trays..
My son bought me an indoor fountain a few yrs back, so each winter, (as soon as heat's turned on) I fill the fountain w/water and get it running..The fountain is in back of Marantas. I also run a humidifer in winter, otherwise I wouldn't be able to grow half the plants I do.
Marantas are kept on the cool side in winter, (meaning nowhere near a heating vent.)
The conservatory's we visit keep their Marantas/Cals in a cool room, semi-shade. Some are even in the cactus room hanging, and it's really cold in that area..but they look fantastic. No brown/yellow edges, many in bloom..
Anyway, that's how I care for mine, but everyone has their own ways..Place in a spot you think favorable. See how it does..If it starts to droop or discolor, you can always move around..But give it time since it'll need adapting..Good luck, Toni

Thanks so much for the tips Toni! I can't wait to see how my Maranta does.

Well, as far as my AVs, I have mostly standards and semi-minis. I have no true blue flowering types and really, have yet to see one. The ones that I do have that are supposed to be blue, are really more of a lavendar or dark purple. I have a lot of green leaved and variagated leaved AVs but not an all white -- have never seen that either! I keep all of my AVs in the Oyama pots. They really like them and it makes it easier for me to meet their watering needs. The thing to remember though is that if you are using a self-watering planter is to keep the soil mix light. In fact, I use a soilless mix as stated above. I try to keep my AVs in a pot that is about 1/3 the diameter of the plant. It sounds small, but they seem to like that and perform best that way. I fertilize with every watering but do so at a weaker level. I use Miracle Gro Liquid AV Plant Food. The directions are 7-10 drops per quart of water. I just put in 4-5. The Miracle Gro has Urea in it which isn't great for AVs, but I change the soil every 6-9 months, so it doesn't build up. My plants aren't complaining about it either. Like I said, I have at least five that have been in bloom since almost a year ago. They have grown like crazy too. Most of them only had 2-3 leaves when I bought them. Now many of my standards are over 12 inches across! Their growth is nice and symmetrical and the flowers have vivid colors. Woo hoo! I hope my success with AVs can translate to other plants!

Thanks again for your advice! :-)