soil needs to stay moist: it's drooping from lack of water. it's a rather large plant, so when you water allow the water to run thru and then water it again after an hour or so to allow it to absorb more water.

after repot a lot of plants will droop like that: run a warm shower, turn off the water and put the plant in the shower overnight: the high humidity will help it to perk up.

you should never allow the mix to dry up more then a couple inches on top.

Whikxolf the roots look healthy, but pot bound. Spring is coming, not sure your climate but I would remove all the old soil (use a woodwood/bamboo skewer or chopstick to get in between roots) & once all soil is removed, I would prune off those circling girdling o any j-hooked roots, then repot into

Either thethethepeat/perlite soil you previous made or (better, IMO) Al's 511 mix. Sorry, website causing me to have probs typing comments.

it was repotted already with half perlite. no need to do it again.

by the way on that pic with roots I can see the soil: it's not peat. it's coir dust (ground coconut shell), they call it coir peat sometimes, but it's not peat.

it allows air in to the roots even when wet. it does not compact as much as peat and rewets easily. most nurseries are now growing tropical plants in it.

it could've been left in that mix.

Thanks for the comments guys! Sounds like I've been so concerned about over watering, that I've actually under watered the poor thing. I will give it a thorough watering now, making sure the water runs out through the bottom and see how it does. I will try the warm shower thing as well tonight to help it as best I can.

Petrushka thank you for the extra info on the soil - I had no idea! I'll know for next time. I hope the extra perlite wont cause an issue.

whikxolf,

i purchased one of these a couple of months back... and i think what you're seeing is nothing to worry about. the plant is merely adapting to its new environment. in the nursery, the light was probably brighter and came from overhead - a greenhouse roof or overhead lighting. in a home, most light comes from the side... from windows.

as long as you are watering properly, the roots look good, etc., i wouldn't worry. my plant started the droopy leaf thing when i brought it home. i was initially bummed/concerned but it has since added a new leaf, and even better... it looks like two new shoots are coming up out of the soil.

so, keep an eye on things, but you're probably good to go.

cheers,

nancy

Looks fine. Needs a larger pot. Always will as it clumps..but then you divide it up before the pots gets way too large for you.

Also remember that calathea don't like fluoride- is your water fluoridated? That will cause browing leaf tips, whereas low humidity will cause brown edges, in general.

Depending on how you did it, the alcohol might have caused some

browning as well.

So, quick update; I watered it thoroughly, let it drain and the next day it was looking much better, less wilted, the leaves were starting to pick up and sit more how I expect them to. Great! I was very happy!

The day after that it was looking sad again, just as droopy as before. I checked to make sure it wasn't standing in water, which it wasn't. Still looking just as bad the next day I tried watering it again, thinking it might need extra water after such a dry period. Unfortunately this did nothing to help and it still looks very wilted and droopy. Should I continue watering and hope it picks up over time?

One of the small low down leaves has gone very yellow also, but I'm not sure if thats a related issue or just it getting old as no other leaves show signs of yellowing. Its growing a new leaf at the top which I've just noticed today. No signs of pests.

I'm only using filtered water so fluoride shouldn't be a factor I don't think. I haven't fertilised it at all yet as I've read it doesn't like too much fertiliser.

I've had it over a month now, should it take that long to get used to its new home?

Any ideas on what to try next?

the optimal temp for this plant is at 75F-85F with humidity at 85%. they grow it in south FL inground, with torrential rains every day in rainy season (summer) with humidity approaching 100% and temps on the 90s... Just keep it in mind.

it's hard to provide that type of conditions indoors of course.

your temp of 68F is closer to winter borderline temp of 65F - when it's cooler and much drier, maybe rains once a month..but being inground it has access to water as aquifers are very high in FL less then 1 foot ..so it's not really dry, but it normally looses some leaves and might get ratty looking.

I've seen it inside conservatory in Fairchild tropical gardens: where the above mentioned conditions are maintained year round: it is close to 90F there with 90% humidity ALWAYS..that's when it's happy!

with lower temps water absorption slows down considerably: but the plant is rather large, the leaves drooping is a sign of inadequate water, and you can give it water to run-thru daily provided you can keep it in mid 70s. otherwise there is a chance of root rot. it most definitely can take part sun , dappled or thru sheers indoors, the more north you are the more sun it can take. warmer western window would be best with 4-6 hours of sun.

it's not what you might call an easy plant to keep. it a good candidate for self-watering container that is kept at 72f-77F range :).

I see that you have green grass outdoors in the pic: where are you located ?

what are your conditions outdoors now and in summer? and how soon can you warm it up?

Thanks for the detailed info! I live in the UK so it rarely gets warmer outside than it is inside and even if it does get hotter, theres no guarantee it wont be throwing down hail in freezing temperatures the next day! We are lucky to get a few weeks of true summer and thats it unfortunately.

I'll have to think about the best way to increase the temperature and humidity inside for it, I dont want to be heating the entire house to the temperatures you suggested (maybe when Im rich!). Even If I kept it in the shower room where it does hit the required levels, the temperature and humidity in there fluctuate a lot so that wouldnt be good for it either. Maybe I can heat just one room for the plant. As I say I'll have to come up with a solution - more heat, more humidity, more water! Thanks! xx

Maybe you could put it in a terrarium and heat it.

Despite thinking they are beautiful, this is why I've never accquired a Calathea.

whikxolf,

um, my plant is in a house that's 70 degrees F during the day, and 60 over night. i don't think that you need to heat your house up to the conditions of a steamy greenhouse to grow this plant.

here's a suggestion... you need to figure out if the plant is drooping because it is wilting, or if the plant is "drooping" because it has decided to place its leaves in that position. plants in the maranta and calathea families are famous for their ability to move and place their leaves.

so, if the plant is wilting, the leaves will be soft, abnormally flexible, and you should be able to easily move a leaf around in most any direction. on the other hand, if a leaf feels sturdy and kind of snaps back in place if you try to move it (ie it is turgid), then this is just how the plant wants its leaves. if that's the case, you are simply going to have to get used to the look, or get a different plant. but, more watering will only risk root rot.

now, having said that, the "drooping" may be the plant's way to conserve moisture during periods of low humidity. i got my plant months ago, but the heat was already on. mine is "drooping" even a bit more than yours, but it also has three or four new growths... so i know it is happy. it will be interesting to me to see if the leaves have a more upright look once the humidity rises a bit. portland doesn't tend to have high humidity, even during the summer, but it will be higher than during the winter heating season.

good luck

ps pebble trays and humidifiers seem like something to try as long as you don't overdo it and start to grow mold.

that will have to be a giant terrarium :)))!

bathroom prolly is the best choice at least for a month or so until it gets brighter and warmer. so long as it does not have cold drafts it will get more humid and warmer for a little while. plants are used to temp drop at night. so some variance is OK.

Wow that would have to be a pretty big terrarium! Haha!

Very interesting Nancy that your plant is doing the same. Id be interested to see if yours improves with the humidity increase. I would say the leaves on mine are pretty stiff, wanting to to be in the position they sit. I can move them around but they do snap back into place as you say. Its not visually unhappy in any other way, there is every possibility it is just choosing to be like that. Its so hard to know what it wants. Ironically my other calathea is perfectly happy and thriving in the same room!

Guess I'll just continue trying things, (avoiding root rot) and see if it changes for better or worse. But if this is how it wants to be then thats fine too, I just want to do my best for my plants :)

yes, my other calatheas seem to move their leaves around, but remain much more upright. this one just seems to be marching to the beat of its own drum.

i love the feel of the leaves... they're so soft.

now i want a zebrina - LOL - and an orbifolia!

Hey, this is probably been to long ago.. but these plants let their leafs hanging down during the day with daylight, and during night they lift them up!

„Marantaceae, named so for the tendency of plants in this family to droop, or ‘pray’ at night. The daily movements of the plants leaves is known as nyctinasty. Various plants in this family move their leaves up at nighttime, and lower them in the daytime in accordance to a circadian rhythm. They move their leaves by changing the water pressure in their pulvini, the swollen nodes at the base of the leaf, along the leaf stalk (petiole). It is believed that these movements are meant to follow the sun’s movement in the sky in order to maximize light absorption.“

hope your plant is still alive ❤️

Hello, I just found this discussion. Not long ago I got a nice looking plant which doesn't keen on direct sunlight since my room doesn't have any (windows are on the North side) so I found my beautiful in IKEA. I was looking for info how to take good care of them, si thank you for all this information. I may have a dry room for them and just when I was thinking of spraying some water on the leaves I read Petrushka's comment not to do it. Thanks.