Whats wrong with my Calathea? - Palmers Garden Centre

Hiyas
I have 2 Calathea plants, I believe the Rufibarba type.
They live in my conservatory in Christchurch and aren’t looking great.
Originally I thought they could have some kind of tiny bugs, see the close-up image of the speckled looking leaf. Then I thought perhaps I was over-watering, but then I read into it more and now I’m concerned they’re getting too much light.
I’ve attached a photo of where they live, which shows where the sun goes. When it’s high they would likely get a bit of direct sun on their leaves.
I usually do so well with house plants, but I can’t seem to get it right with these. Does anyone have any advice?
Thank you in advance
Sara

Positioning
Close-up
Calathea 1
Calathea 2

Indoor Plants

Sara asked 3 years ago
last edited 3 years ago

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Answers (1)

Hi Sara, They look like they have a severe attack of mites, so a couple of good sprays with Yates Mavrik. In Christchurch as well as in a conservatory you get extreme temperature changes (Night and Day) which is not ideal for the Calathea family. Being on a tile floor makes this worse and people tend to keep the mixture too wet during autumn/winter/spring. All of the above will create problems for Calathea. Yes direct sunlight and high light level can create problems as well. I would re-pot them into some nice good quality potting mix (not necessarily in a bigger pot) use an organic fertiliser on a regular basis (every second watering) but ensuring they do not get too much water.