Calathea Soil & Plant Care Guide

Calathea houseplants are beautiful plants with colorful, sometimes variegated leaves.

This tropical plant genus includes many gorgeous calathea varieties, like:

Calathea ornata (Pinstripe calathea or Pinstripe plant)

Calathea orbifolia (Prayer plant or Maranta)

Calathea rufibarba (Furry feather calathea or Velvet calathea)

Calathea lancifolia (Rattlesnake calathea or Rattlesnake plant)

Calathea roseopicta (Rose painted calathea or Calathea dottie)

Calathea makoyana (Peacock plant)

Calathea zebrina (Zebra plant)

Calathea lietzei (Calathea white fusion)

Calathea veitchiana (Calathea medallion)

The kicker?

Calatheas have specific requirements growers must meet, like moist soil, distilled water, high humidity, and indirect sunlight.

Here are some calathea care tips for growing this fussy houseplant:

1. Choosing the Best Soil for Calatheas

Calathea soil should have:

• Plenty of aeration, so the root system has space to develop. 
• Good drainage to prevent root rot and wilting. However, there should be sufficient moisture retention to keep the soil moist and provide enough water for the plant.
• High nutrient content to encourage new growth.

Moreover, choosing a calathea soil mix with sustainable amendments (biochar, worm castings, orchid bark, etc.) is best. Avoid mixes with unsustainable additives like perlite, peat moss, coconut coir, and vermiculite.

We recommend: 

A well-draining soil mix like Rosy’s calathea soil. It has everything your calathea plant needs, and it’s eco-friendly.

2. Providing the Perfect Lighting for Calatheas

Keep your calathea houseplants in a spot with low to bright indirect light — they prefer low-light conditions and do poorly in direct sunlight. 

How do you know if your calathea needs low or bright indirect light?

Check the color of the calathea leaves:

• Calathea varieties with darker leaves prefer minimal indirect light or deep shade.
• Brighter green, rosy, or purple calathea leaves can thrive with medium to bright indirect sunlight (but not direct sunlight).

3. Watering Calathea

Follow our handy tips when watering calatheas:

• Calathea plants enjoy moist soil, so water them when the top 1-2 inches feel dry. This will help you avoid underwatering and overwatering your calathea.
• Use a pot with drainage holes so the excess water can flow out. 
• Tap water could cause brown leaf tips on your calathea indoor plant. To resolve this, dechlorinate your tap water by letting it sit overnight. Alternatively, use distilled water. 

Did you know the plant’s pot affects moisture retention?

An unglazed terracotta pot can wick away water, causing moist soil to dry faster — this can help if you tend to overwater. But if you want to keep the soil moist, use a different type of pot.

4. Creating a Humid Environment for Calathea

Since it’s a tropical plant, calathea plant care requires warmth and humidity. It may develop brown leaf edges when kept in low humidity.

How can you improve humidity?

Use a humidifier or terrarium to create high humidity levels for your calathea.