Water your Calathea when the top inch of the potting mix has begun to dry, which is often about once every five to seven days in the growing season. Calathea prefers consistently moist soil and reacts to drought by curling and crisping its leaf edges. This plant is sensitive to mineral buildup, so water your Calathea with filtered, distilled, or rested rainwater rather than hard tap water. Reduce watering for the Calathea in winter to roughly every ten to fourteen days, letting the surface dry slightly more between drinks. Never let the Calathea sit in a saucer of standing water, because soggy roots lead to rot.
Place your Calathea in bright, indirect light, such as a few feet back from an east-facing or north-facing window. Direct midday sun will scorch the Calathea and fade the markings on its patterned leaves. The Calathea also tolerates medium light, though its growth slows and its variegation becomes less pronounced in dim corners. If the leaves of your Calathea look washed out or the stems stretch toward the window, move it to a brighter spot with no direct rays. A sheer curtain that diffuses harsh afternoon sun is an ideal screen for the Calathea.
The cited reference does not list Calathea as toxic to cats or dogs. Households with curious pets often choose the Calathea for this reason, but ingestion of any houseplant can still cause mild stomach upset or vomiting in animals. If your pet eats part of a Calathea and you see concerning symptoms, contact your veterinarian or a poison-control line for guidance. Keep the Calathea out of reach of young children as a general precaution, since the cited reference addresses pets and not every possible reaction.
Pot your Calathea in a light, well-draining mix, such as peat or coir blended with perlite and a little orchid bark. The Calathea likes a container with drainage holes so excess water escapes rather than pooling around the roots. Repot your Calathea every one to two years in spring, moving up just one pot size to refresh the mix and give the roots room. Because the Calathea has fine, shallow roots, handle the root ball gently and avoid packing the soil too tightly. After repotting, water the Calathea thoroughly and keep it out of direct sun while it settles.
Crispy brown leaf edges on a Calathea usually signal low humidity, mineral-heavy water, or letting the soil dry out too far. Raise the humidity around your Calathea to roughly 50 to 60 percent with a pebble tray or a nearby humidifier. Yellowing lower leaves on the Calathea often point to overwatering or a pot that drains poorly, so check that the mix is not staying waterlogged. If the Calathea stops folding its leaves upward at night, it may be receiving too little light or too much stress from inconsistent watering. Spider mites can attack a stressed Calathea, so inspect the undersides of the leaves and rinse them if you spot fine webbing.