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Calathea Leaves Are Droopy or Dying (Turning Yellow, Black, Brown, Transparent)

Calathea Leaves Are Droopy or Dying (Turning Yellow, Black, Brown, Transparent)

Whether you’re new to growing plants or not, nothing’s worse than seeing a plant droop or die. But growing an indoor plant, like Calathea, can be tricky. If you notice your Calathea’s leaves are droopy or dying, you should know what to do.

Why would Calathea leaves droop or die? Calathea leaves can droop or die for a few reasons, such as either underwatering or overwatering. Dry air and cool air can also cause problems for Calathea leaves. So make sure to keep the plant in a warm area with some humidity, and water it regularly.

Calathea is an excellent indoor plant, but it requires maintenance. If you notice that your plant isn’t doing well, you should check on the status of the leaves. Then, you can determine how to get your plant back to its healthy self.

Should You Worry About Droopy or Dying Leaves?

Should You Worry About Droopy or Dying Leaves?

Almost every plant owner will probably encounter droopy or dying leaves at some point. When it comes to the Calathea plant, you may or may not have to worry about drooping leaves. During the day, the Calathea may droop more at some times than others.

If you only see your plant at the same time each day, it may be a time where it naturally droops. After you notice the leaves are droopy, make sure you check them at different times of the day. It could be that they’re drooping within a cycle, or they might be drooping due to other problems.

If you notice your leaves are dying, that is more of a cause for concern. The leaves might turn brown or black, and the color may appear on the entire leaf or just the tips. In most cases, you can trip or clip the discolored leaves, but you’ll need to make sure to care for the remaining leaves to keep the other leaves from dying.

While you may not need to worry about the weather with an indoor plant like Calathea, you should take care of it. Regular watering and maintenance can go a long way in extending your plant’s lifespan. If you’re ever super concerned by the state of your plant, you can ask a professional for their opinion and recommendation, but you should also know the basics.

Basics of Calathea Droopy Leaves

Basics of Calathea Droopy Leaves

For a lot of plants, droopy leaves are a massive issue. But for Calathea plants, drooping leaves can be normal. At certain points of the day, the leaves may droop more or less than at other times of the day. Still, a few things can cause your Calathea leaves to droop at other times.

  • If you just got your Calathea, it may still be adjusting to your home. Every home can have a unique temperature and humidity level, and Calathea plants need to get used to the environment.
  • After your plant has adjusted, the problem could be due to overwatering. While Calatheas like a lot of water, you don’t want to drown the leaves.
  • Also, the water the plant needs can vary at different times of the year. If it’s the winter, your plant may not need as much water, so it could droop if you’re not careful.

While droopy leaves aren’t always something to worry about, they can cause issues. If you find that you water your plant too much or that something else is stressing the plant, you may need to adjust your care routine. Consider what you’re doing now to care for your plant so that you can treat the droopy leaves appropriately.

How to Treat Droopy Calathea Leaves

How to Treat Droopy Calathea Leaves

Once you determine the cause of the droopy leaves on your Calathea, you can treat it. Different problems will require different treatments, and the right care routine should be able to treat and prevent any problems related to drooping leaves.

If you find you’re not watering your plant in the right intervals, you should adjust your watering schedule. But you may also need to make changes with the seasons. You’ll also need to determine when you should add fertilizer to feed your Calathea plant.

And even though the plant thrives inside, you need to give it the right amount and type of light. Whether your Calathea leaves are drooping a little or a lot, these things can help revive your plant. Then, you can continue with these steps to keep your plant healthy in the future.

Water Well

In general, you should water your Calathea plant about once a week during the summer. But the drier, colder climate of the winter may mean that you only need to water your plant a couple of times each month.

You may need to experiment with different watering schedules based on where you live. For example, if you live in a more humid climate, you may not need to water as much. But if you live somewhere on the drier side, you might need to water your Calathea more often.

You’ll also want to consider misting the leaves of your plant occasionally. Calatheas do best in more humid environments, so you can recreate that humidity by spraying water. Then, you can make sure the leaves don’t get too dry. You don’t have to spray a ton of water on the leaves, but you can add a bit to increase the humidity on and around the plant.

Also, you may want to consider the soil that you use with the Calathea. It should be able to hold water for a bit, but the water should drain. Then, you will be able to tell when you need more soil and water.

Feeding Schedule

Another essential part of growing a healthy Calathea is feeding it fertilizer. The plant typically grows during the spring and summer, so you should feed it more during those seasons. Make sure to feed your plant at least once a month as it grows.

However, you don’t need to feed the plant during the colder months. The Calathea won’t do as much growth if any. But you should still maintain the watering schedule so that your plant doesn’t get dry. And if it gets really dry during the winter, you may want to increase the water slowly so that your plant will stay healthy.

If your plant is new and small, you may need to feed it more often as it grows. Then, you can make sure that it gets enough nutrients to grow and be healthy. But if your plant isn’t growing too much, you don’t have to worry about using fertilizer.

Right Light

When growing your Calathea, you should place it in the best environment possible. You may need to rearrange your home to find the best place for your plant. But there are a few ideal conditions to aim for when setting up or moving your Calathea plant.

  • You should keep the plant out of direct sunlight, which can be too bright and harsh for the Calathea. It can stress the leaves and thus cause drooping and other issues.
  • Light shade is a good option if you can’t completely avoid the sun.
  • You can also place your plant somewhere with dappled light. Dappled light is a partial shade with some sunlight broken up between trees or something similar.

The right lighting can make a huge difference whether you have droopy or discolored Calathea leaves. If you can place your plant away from direct sun, but close to some light, you should be good. But if you find problems with your plant and it’s not in the right lighting, you can know to move it.

Calathea Leaves Are Turning Colors

Calathea Leaves Are Turning Colors

Even if you don’t have any droopy Calathea leaves, you may have other problems with your plant. Another common issue can happen when the leaves change different colors, and it can happen for a few reasons. Like droopy Calathea leaves, discolored ones can be due to things like improper watering or stress.

If you place your plant in direct sunlight, that can cause the leaves to turn yellow or translucent. You may also notice that the leaves turn different colors if you use hard water, which is water with minerals in it.

Calathea leaves can also turn different colors, and that can depend on the specific problem with the plant. Common colors to look out for are yellow, black, brown, and translucent. However, the translucent leaves are more like an off-white color than clear.

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 27, 2020.

Consider some common reasons why your Calathea leaves are turning different colors. Then, you can determine how to remove the dead and discolored leaves.

Reasons

The temperature and humidity of your home could affect how your Calathea plant does. Factors like sunlight can also have an impact on the color of the leaves. But at times, the plant can be difficult to maintain, and that can cause it to turn different colors.

  • If you don’t water the plant enough or you water it too much, that could cause the leaves to turn colors.
  • But even if you water it the right amount, tap water can contain minerals and other elements that can irritate the Calathea.
  • And since Calathea plants thrive in humid environments, the leaves may change colors if your home is too dry.
  • Adding too much fertilizer during the growing season can also stress out the plant and make it change colors.

Many things can cause your Calathea to turn different colors, like yellow or brown. Like with droopy leaves, try to think of how you’re caring for your plant. Then, you can readjust your watering routine and care schedule to hopefully improve the state of your Calathea.

Basics of Dying Calathea Leaves

Basics of Dying Calathea Leaves

Calathea plants can seem both surprisingly easy but also intimidating. They’re amazing for people who can’t have outdoor gardens, but they also require special care. If you don’t have the perfect environment, it can be all too easy to kill your Calathea plant.

The leaves changing colors can be a sign of dead leaves, but droopy leaves are also an issue. If you find that both are happening, odds are your plant isn’t doing too well. Even if it’s the winter and you don’t need to water the plant often, you should still keep an eye on it.

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 27, 2020.

Then, you can make sure to catch problems early, so they can be easier to fix. When you do notice some dead or dying leaves, that doesn’t mean the entire plant is dead. And while you should keep your plant away from direct sun, you should keep it somewhere that you’ll see every day.

If you find that one or more leaves are dying, you can clip the leaves. And if part of the leaf is still healthy, you can get rid of the dead tissue. But be careful when you trip or clip the leaves so that you don’t aggravate the plant unnecessarily.

How to Clip Dead Leaves

If you notice that an entire leaf is discolored and dead, you should clip it off the plant. You don’t have to worry about sacrificing your whole Calathea if a leaf or two changes colors. Instead, you can take it as a learning experience to help maintain your plant in the future.

But for now, you need to know how to clip the dead leaves off. You can start by pulling at the dead leaves to see if they fall off naturally. However, if they don’t, you can use a pair of scissors to cut the leaves.

Make sure you wash the scissors well so that you can keep from spreading any plant diseases. You can also use household disinfectant to clean the scissors. Either way, try to clean the scissors between leaves or at least between plants to minimize the spread of bacteria.

Then, you can make sure the rest of the plant stays healthy. If you have a larger part of the plant that has died, you can use the same technique of using scissors, but keep them clean.

How to Trim the Edges

Perhaps you don’t have full leaves that are changing colors or dying. In that case, you can save most of the plant and leaves. If the ends of one or more leaves have turned brown or another color, you can trim off those parts.

You should use a pair of sharp scissors so that you can cut the leaves more easily. Again, make sure the blades are clean so that you don’t transfer any bacteria to the healthy part of the leaf. As you trim, follow the curve of the leaf, which can help make the trimming easier.

Don’t be afraid to take it slow, but also don’t worry if you cut too much off. The leaf will grow back, and it’s better to make sure it’s healthy than to risk leaving dead parts on. Either way, make sure you trim the leaves as soon as you notice the problem so that you can keep it from getting bigger.

Can You Save the Other Calathea Leaves?

Can You Save the Other Calathea Leaves?

Luckily, you can save the healthy leaves if you have some that are dying or droopy. As long as you can catch the problem early on, you can fix it. However, you can’t fix the problem and not make any other changes.

If you save the leaves but maintain the same watering schedule or keep the plant in the same place, you might have the same thing happen. While changing those things won’t always prevent future drooping or dying, it can help. The right environment can go a long way to saving your Calathea and giving it the chance to thrive.

How to Care for Your Calathea Going Forward

If you’ve had problems with your Calathea, solving them is the first step. But after that, you need to determine how to care for the plant in your home. Before you do anything else, find the best spot in your home for the plant.

Make sure that it can get some light, but keep it away from direct sunlight. If you can use dappled light, such as a tree outside, that would be great. But some form of shade is essential for keeping the remaining parts of your plant alive.

Depending on the time of year, set a watering schedule of about once a week. If you find that’s too much, you can lengthen the time between watering your plant. And if your home is dry, you can mist the leaves or use a humidifier in the room with your Calathea.

If you do find that your plant develops issues in the future, you can follow the same steps as you would now. Then, you can keep your plant healthy for years to come.

ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 27, 2020.

Final Thoughts

Calathea plants are perfect indoor plants, but they require a lot of special care. If you don’t have the right environment, the leaves can easily droop or change colors. But if you know what to look for, you can use scissors to cut off the problem leaves. Then, you can change your care routine to maintain the healthy parts of the plant.