Houseplant experts Help... Calathea Care...?

Hi... I'm one semi-experienced houseplant keeper and I want to know is this plant (Calathea) able to live indoors or it can only be kept inside greenhouses... I LOVE the markings on the leaves and want to experience the joy of keeping it... Any suggestions?



(I grow african violet, clivia, peperomia, sansevieria, amaryllis, ferns and some other interesting plants in my apartment...)

Houseplant experts Help... Calathea Care...?
Calathea is a beautiful plant but a bit of a challenge to keep indoors. Yes it is possible. Here's what you do.

Step 1:

Provide a calathea with moderate light. Direct sunlight will make the leaf color less attractive and possibly burn the foliage. A window with direct sunlight coming in should be shaded by a transparent curtain. The best place for a calathea is an east or a west window with either a curtain or shade from a tree.



Step 2:

Increase the humidity of your calathea's environment. High humidity is essential to a calathea and unfortunately, most homes have low humidity. Increase the humidity by placing the plant on a tray of pebbles, placing it around other plants and misting it with soft water daily. Running a humidifier near the plant is a drastic but more successful method.



Step 3:

Give a calathea a temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. A somewhat warmer room will be tolerated, however the warmer the room the more humidity the plant needs. Because increasing the humidity sufficiently is challenging, temperatures less than 70 degrees Fahrenheit are best.



Step 4:

Water your calathea frequently enough to keep most of the potting mix moist. When the top of potting mix is dry but there's moisture several inches into the soil (gage by sticking your finger down into the potting mix), it is time to water. The water must be room temperature, so let the water sit in your watering can for 15 minutes before watering.



Step 5:

Check the calathea every spring to see if it needs re-potting. If roots have wrapped around the bottom of the plant, move the plant into the next size pot.