Plant Hospital #1 - The Office Calathea

Audience: Plant Parents

Fungi Warning This plant has a fungal infection so if that contributes to feelings of squeamishness, you have been warned.

Basic Information

Here’s the stats for this plant:

• Scientific Name: Calathea
• Usual Home: The PhD office. Until recently, it was on the windowsill that got the most sunlight in the office. Dry air. Warm during the summer.
• Last Known Healthy State: Apparently the plant took a turn for the worse over the summer and was responding poorly to watering (?overwatering).

Current Condition

Symptoms:

• Yellow base leaves
• Curling leaves
• Brown leaf edges
• Brown stem bases
• White/grey fungal infection of the soil.

There are a couple of new leaves that appear healthy in the centre of the plant.

Care Guide

I’ve never dealt with a calathea before so I had to do some research regarding their care. This is what I found:

Light: Bright indirect sunlight

Water: Keep soil moist without overwatering. Check if the top few centimeters of soil are dry. Use rain water if possible.

Humidity: Calatheas prefer high humidity. Mist their leaves or place in a tray of moist pebbles.

Temperature: Keep away from heaters. Calatheas can’t tolerate temperatures lower than 13°C.

• Ideally keep between: 15.5°C - 26.7°C.

Treatment

18/10/2024 - As an initial intervention, I have:

• Removed the soil affected by the fungal infection.
• Repotted the plant in fresh top soil.
• Sprinkled cinnamon as a preventative.
• Disinfected the pot with a anti-bacterial wipes and cinnamon.
• Pruned dead leaves.
• Watered with rain water
• Misted with filtered water