Calatheas (now reclassified as goeppertias) gets such bad rep because of how they are grown and sold commercially in my opinion. They are very hardy and I have been successfully growing them (most are rescues) in chunky mixes, moss, even in water with no issues such as crispy tips. I don't follow the usual advice of keeping them moist all the time, I've found in my experience that that's the killer for them. Also, people are scared to touch their roots and I would say that's the first thing you should do when you bring home one cause they are generally in very dense mixes which ultimately cause root rot and the plant dies. As for spidermites, the one thing I have successfully tried that gets rid of them fully is good old baby wipes 😅 And trust me I've tried all spidermites treatments and they would always come back 🤷
Hi Sue! You've made some excellent points about Calathea care. I'm a big believer in trying out different approaches until you find what works best for your plant babies. Baby wipes for spider mites, that's a new one I'll have to try. Thanks for sharing your experiences and keep rocking the plant world! 😊💚🌿
That's an approach! Babywipes. I wonder what ingredient it is that helps. I would say the moisturizer?! *staresatapackofwettoiletpaper* *noIamnotinthebathroom*
@@tanya.quintieri I'm not sure about exact ingredient in it which works, with other methods I was very thorough and generally used a makeup brush for application. The mites kept coming back however. Then I remembered once seeing somebody on TH-cam doing an experiment with SB invigorator (I think but I maybe wrong) and wet paper towel on spider mites. Under the microscope the wet paper towel section had better success. So I applied the same theory with baby wipes. I've also used them to treat aphids with success. Another reason to try them is cause I remember seeing an Indonesian collector use wipes to clean their huge monstera deliciosa mint leaves (not too frequently though). So I was quite sure it's not gonna damage the leaves too much 🤗
Thank you for this video. Calatheas are easily my favorite plants ❤ I have five of them and they bring me so much joy. I listened to your advice in a previous video and regularly buy predatory mites. Never had any issues with pests so far - knock on wood. What I have come to realize is that they need a bit of time when they are babies. The first few months almost nothing happens. After the first year they seem to explode. My orbifolia is getting 6 new leaves right now. They get tap water, late afternoon sun and I water them before fully dry. Humidity is between 40-55% and they do fine.
I have had Calathea Beauty Star for nearly 2 years and can confirm the same. I find her to be the easiest of all my calatheas and would recommended her as a first calathea for beginners. It´s very much fuss free, goes dormant every winter for 3 months, prays much less than the others. I heard it´s an Ornata hybrid, but don´t know for sure. I bought her online for the pretty stripes as a baby, but the stripes were mostly absent :-D But all the new leaves that grow during the high season finally have them, so it´s ok :-) She has much thicker roots and leaves than other calatheas, so maybe that´s why she is hardier. Never had spidermites on her. Last summer, she had thrips and it was very tough to get her rid of it - but she grew fast, kept the leaves and reallly stand strong, so kudos to her. This spring I separated a division of 2 leaves, put it for one month in a glass jar - grew well water roots and new divisions. Now the division lives in Lechuza pon with self-watering and no issues (had the best transition of all calatheas). All in all, a great (pretty & easy-going) plant that doesn´t take much space, so what more to ask for :-)
Hey SparkleInMoonlight! Wow, you've had quite the journey with your Beauty Star. It sounds like she's been a champion plant for you and it's great that she's hardier than other Calatheas. Those stripes really are something, aren't they? 😍 Keep up the amazing work with her and thanks for sharing your experience! 😊💚🌿
Hi Memo. Think it was 3 that I bought when my journey started not so long ago, only have the orbifolia left and she only has 1 very sad leaf left lol. For the past 2 weeks or so she was living in water, she didn’t die and put out 2 new shoots, yesterday I got brave and stuck her in semi-hydro mix 🤞🏽. 😂 Thanks for your help the other day☺️, That particular thing might be a good subject for us in the UK to see exactly how to do it, what is needed etc. just a thought. Love as always 🌱💚
Hey Kathy 👋👋👋 oh yeah of course not a problem at all, I hope it all works out well in the end 💚 Ohhhh brave brave move with the semi hydro, if it does work you must fill me in on what you did, I would love to test them in Semihydro, but I have never had success my way. 😬😅 And yeah good idea for a topic, I will add it to the list
I remember watching your (then) calathea care video. I adopted the super chunky soil, and mine go mostly dry before watering. No problems at all. Thanks for another fine video!
Hey Dave! I'm glad to hear the chunky soil method has worked wonders for you! Your plants must be living their best lives now. Thanks for sticking with me and watching the videos. 😊💚🌿
Let's hope one day I can be just as relaxed while saying "oh, spider mites" XD I know, plants is maybe not the right hobby when you're scared of bugs and all animals with exoskeletton. But I was doing reenactment before, sleeping in a tent on whatever fields with spiders, mosquitoes, wasps, and all kinds of weird insects wasn't really suited. Let's say it's therapy XD I already make deals with my house spiders, promising to keep them if they feast on my fungus gnats :D (and if they do not walk in my direction, in which case I panic and I could smash them with whatever I have around me)
Hi Cécile! Dealing with bugs is definitely a part of plant parenting that we all have to brave through. 😅 I love your spider deal - you've got some pretty solid negotiation skills there! Here's hoping your plants stay happy and pest-free. Keep going with your therapy, we're all in this together. 😊💚🌿
Desde hace muchos años , tengo bastantes Calatheas, me gustan y honestamente les va bien en mi casa , diré una cosa que para mí funcionó con estas plantas , a excepción de pleno verano con tremendo calor que quizás necesiten más riegos, las Calatheas no son unas plantas que necesiten tener su tierra húmeda , más bien todo lo contrario, si si ya se que todos decís lo contrario pero esta es mi experiencia con ellas y más aún en invierno. Un saludo 💌
¡Oh, estoy completamente de acuerdo, María! He encontrado exactamente lo mismo con mis Calatheas. No necesitan humedad constantemente. Al igual que tú, he descubierto que dejar que se sequen un poco las mantiene mucho más felices. 😊💚🌿
That’s a pretty one Mimo an I like that’s it’s not to big. The leaves are beautiful 😍 Love Calathea an have about 7 they dry out all the time an don’t seem ti mind so much as long as they don’t wilt. I think their pretty tough as long as their getting good light. 💚💚💚
Hey Sherry! It's always a joy to read your comments. I'm glad you're loving this one - aren't the leaves just stunning? 😍 Your Calathea clan sounds like it's thriving! You're right, they can be surprisingly resilient little guys with the right light and a bit of care. 💚💚💚🌿
Ugh, I've had so many... I think two are left. A large Orbifolia that looks sad, and very sad Pinstripe that is fairly tall, but sparse. Might be because she's in Leca and never gets any nutrients. LOL.
This plant is on my ✨ wishlist ✨, but until I'm able to get big leaves on my Calathea makyoana, I won't be getting the beauty star 🌟 .Unfortunately I don't see Beauty stars in South Africa, so it will first need to be accessible (silently praying 😂).Any tips to get bigger leaves? My makyoana is growing, but whenever it puts out a new leaf it's always so small- the humidity it recieves is about 40%-67%, and it is doesn't dry out? 🤷♂️
Hey Shmuel Leib 👋👋👋 ohh that is so interesting that it is not that available in SA, to be fair it doesn't come up that often here, but it does comes out from the plant nurseries 2-3 times a year from what I can see. In terms of getting bigger leaves, it might sound obvious, but I have always had success giving them more light than before and then the leaves get bigger, it's kind of a balance to not burn the leaves to much light though 😅😬😬😬💚🌿
HI, I HAVE THEM. I HAVE ABOUT SIX OF THEM. I HAVE A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT HUMIDITY. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HUMIDITY? WE ARE IN AN AREA THAT IS IN WINTER WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW -5C IN OAKEY QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA. I AM A FIRST TIME PLANT PARENT BEGINNER. I PURCHASED PLANTS FROM A ONLINE PLANT STORE NEVER AGAIN. GOD BLESS YOU, ANNETTE QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA.
I inherited 2 calathea after the students moved out for the summer!!! 🤞🏼🥹 anyway she has them in terracotta so I’m going to change that out once they “like” my house conditions. 😅
Hey iddybiddyladybug Leeza! Sounds like you've got some new plant babies to take care of! I'm rooting for you (pun intended 😂). Good idea on waiting for them to adjust to your home before repotting. Take your time and keep us posted on their progress. 😊💚🌿
Calatheas (now reclassified as goeppertias) gets such bad rep because of how they are grown and sold commercially in my opinion. They are very hardy and I have been successfully growing them (most are rescues) in chunky mixes, moss, even in water with no issues such as crispy tips. I don't follow the usual advice of keeping them moist all the time, I've found in my experience that that's the killer for them. Also, people are scared to touch their roots and I would say that's the first thing you should do when you bring home one cause they are generally in very dense mixes which ultimately cause root rot and the plant dies.
As for spidermites, the one thing I have successfully tried that gets rid of them fully is good old baby wipes 😅
And trust me I've tried all spidermites treatments and they would always come back 🤷
Hi Sue! You've made some excellent points about Calathea care. I'm a big believer in trying out different approaches until you find what works best for your plant babies. Baby wipes for spider mites, that's a new one I'll have to try. Thanks for sharing your experiences and keep rocking the plant world! 😊💚🌿
That's an approach! Babywipes. I wonder what ingredient it is that helps. I would say the moisturizer?! *staresatapackofwettoiletpaper* *noIamnotinthebathroom*
@@tanya.quintieri I'm not sure about exact ingredient in it which works, with other methods I was very thorough and generally used a makeup brush for application. The mites kept coming back however. Then I remembered once seeing somebody on TH-cam doing an experiment with SB invigorator (I think but I maybe wrong) and wet paper towel on spider mites. Under the microscope the wet paper towel section had better success. So I applied the same theory with baby wipes. I've also used them to treat aphids with success.
Another reason to try them is cause I remember seeing an Indonesian collector use wipes to clean their huge monstera deliciosa mint leaves (not too frequently though). So I was quite sure it's not gonna damage the leaves too much 🤗
Love all the prayer plants
I love that star plant
Thank you for this video. Calatheas are easily my favorite plants ❤ I have five of them and they bring me so much joy.
I listened to your advice in a previous video and regularly buy predatory mites. Never had any issues with pests so far - knock on wood.
What I have come to realize is that they need a bit of time when they are babies. The first few months almost nothing happens. After the first year they seem to explode. My orbifolia is getting 6 new leaves right now.
They get tap water, late afternoon sun and I water them before fully dry. Humidity is between 40-55% and they do fine.
I have had Calathea Beauty Star for nearly 2 years and can confirm the same. I find her to be the easiest of all my calatheas and would recommended her as a first calathea for beginners. It´s very much fuss free, goes dormant every winter for 3 months, prays much less than the others. I heard it´s an Ornata hybrid, but don´t know for sure. I bought her online for the pretty stripes as a baby, but the stripes were mostly absent :-D But all the new leaves that grow during the high season finally have them, so it´s ok :-)
She has much thicker roots and leaves than other calatheas, so maybe that´s why she is hardier. Never had spidermites on her. Last summer, she had thrips and it was very tough to get her rid of it - but she grew fast, kept the leaves and reallly stand strong, so kudos to her.
This spring I separated a division of 2 leaves, put it for one month in a glass jar - grew well water roots and new divisions. Now the division lives in Lechuza pon with self-watering and no issues (had the best transition of all calatheas).
All in all, a great (pretty & easy-going) plant that doesn´t take much space, so what more to ask for :-)
Hey SparkleInMoonlight! Wow, you've had quite the journey with your Beauty Star. It sounds like she's been a champion plant for you and it's great that she's hardier than other Calatheas. Those stripes really are something, aren't they? 😍 Keep up the amazing work with her and thanks for sharing your experience! 😊💚🌿
Hi Memo. Think it was 3 that I bought when my journey started not so long ago, only have the orbifolia left and she only has 1 very sad leaf left lol. For the past 2 weeks or so she was living in water, she didn’t die and put out 2 new shoots, yesterday I got brave and stuck her in semi-hydro mix 🤞🏽. 😂
Thanks for your help the other day☺️, That particular thing might be a good subject for us in the UK to see exactly how to do it, what is needed etc. just a thought. Love as always 🌱💚
Hey Kathy 👋👋👋 oh yeah of course not a problem at all, I hope it all works out well in the end 💚 Ohhhh brave brave move with the semi hydro, if it does work you must fill me in on what you did, I would love to test them in Semihydro, but I have never had success my way. 😬😅 And yeah good idea for a topic, I will add it to the list
@@Houseplantygoodness will keep you posted on the semi hydro I’m not holding out much hood but you never know 😂
🌱💚
I remember watching your (then) calathea care video. I adopted the super chunky soil, and mine go mostly dry before watering. No problems at all. Thanks for another fine video!
Hey Dave! I'm glad to hear the chunky soil method has worked wonders for you! Your plants must be living their best lives now. Thanks for sticking with me and watching the videos. 😊💚🌿
Let's hope one day I can be just as relaxed while saying "oh, spider mites" XD
I know, plants is maybe not the right hobby when you're scared of bugs and all animals with exoskeletton. But I was doing reenactment before, sleeping in a tent on whatever fields with spiders, mosquitoes, wasps, and all kinds of weird insects wasn't really suited. Let's say it's therapy XD
I already make deals with my house spiders, promising to keep them if they feast on my fungus gnats :D (and if they do not walk in my direction, in which case I panic and I could smash them with whatever I have around me)
Hi Cécile! Dealing with bugs is definitely a part of plant parenting that we all have to brave through. 😅 I love your spider deal - you've got some pretty solid negotiation skills there! Here's hoping your plants stay happy and pest-free. Keep going with your therapy, we're all in this together. 😊💚🌿
Desde hace muchos años , tengo bastantes Calatheas, me gustan y honestamente les va bien en mi casa , diré una cosa que para mí funcionó con estas plantas , a excepción de pleno verano con tremendo calor que quizás necesiten más riegos, las Calatheas no son unas plantas que necesiten tener su tierra húmeda , más bien todo lo contrario, si si ya se que todos decís lo contrario pero esta es mi experiencia con ellas y más aún en invierno. Un saludo 💌
¡Oh, estoy completamente de acuerdo, María! He encontrado exactamente lo mismo con mis Calatheas. No necesitan humedad constantemente. Al igual que tú, he descubierto que dejar que se sequen un poco las mantiene mucho más felices. 😊💚🌿
I’m not a calathea fan, but it looks good. Thanks for sharing Meno!
That’s a pretty one Mimo an I like that’s it’s not to big. The leaves are beautiful 😍 Love Calathea an have about 7 they dry out all the time an don’t seem ti mind so much as long as they don’t wilt. I think their pretty tough as long as their getting good light. 💚💚💚
Hey Sherry! It's always a joy to read your comments. I'm glad you're loving this one - aren't the leaves just stunning? 😍 Your Calathea clan sounds like it's thriving! You're right, they can be surprisingly resilient little guys with the right light and a bit of care. 💚💚💚🌿
@@Houseplantygoodness 💚 Thank you. I often feel more like a pain in the tukas! Lol💚
It's actually Goeppertia now! 😅
I love watching your videos. ❤
Ohhhh damn it I always forget that they have been reclassified 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️😅 awww thanks CeCe, glad you enjoy them 😊💚🌿
Ugh, I've had so many... I think two are left. A large Orbifolia that looks sad, and very sad Pinstripe that is fairly tall, but sparse. Might be because she's in Leca and never gets any nutrients. LOL.
This plant is on my ✨ wishlist ✨, but until I'm able to get big leaves on my Calathea makyoana, I won't be getting the beauty star 🌟 .Unfortunately I don't see Beauty stars in South Africa, so it will first need to be accessible (silently praying 😂).Any tips to get bigger leaves? My makyoana is growing, but whenever it puts out a new leaf it's always so small- the humidity it recieves is about 40%-67%, and it is doesn't dry out? 🤷♂️
Hey Shmuel Leib 👋👋👋 ohh that is so interesting that it is not that available in SA, to be fair it doesn't come up that often here, but it does comes out from the plant nurseries 2-3 times a year from what I can see. In terms of getting bigger leaves, it might sound obvious, but I have always had success giving them more light than before and then the leaves get bigger, it's kind of a balance to not burn the leaves to much light though 😅😬😬😬💚🌿
I have no problems I treat like all my other plants
It's not a Calathea it's a Geoppertia :p
Correct as always 😅 It's just me forgetting the new classification has come in 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
@@Houseplantygoodness no one remember this one but Summer Raynes.
HI, I HAVE THEM. I HAVE ABOUT SIX OF THEM. I HAVE A LOT OF CONFUSION ABOUT HUMIDITY. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME IF I HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT HUMIDITY? WE ARE IN AN AREA THAT IS IN WINTER WITH TEMPERATURES BELOW -5C IN OAKEY QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA. I AM A FIRST TIME PLANT PARENT BEGINNER. I PURCHASED PLANTS FROM A ONLINE PLANT STORE NEVER AGAIN. GOD BLESS YOU, ANNETTE QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA.
I inherited 2 calathea after the students moved out for the summer!!! 🤞🏼🥹 anyway she has them in terracotta so I’m going to change that out once they “like” my house conditions. 😅
Hey iddybiddyladybug Leeza! Sounds like you've got some new plant babies to take care of! I'm rooting for you (pun intended 😂). Good idea on waiting for them to adjust to your home before repotting. Take your time and keep us posted on their progress. 😊💚🌿