Calathea
Calathea makoyana
Leaves patterned like prints, purple underneath. They fold up at night like closing hands.
- LightLow light
- Waterevery 4 days
- CareNeeds attention
- Max height60 cm
- PetsSafe
- HumidityLoves humidity
- Air purifyingYes
How to care
No direct sun, high humidity. Use water left out overnight — it is sensitive to chlorine.
from₫340.000
Design this potDesign with this plant
Three glazes on the pot shape picked for this species. One tap opens the studio with that setup — change anything from there.
What it is, and who it suits
A calathea carries leaves patterned as if printed, purple underneath, with a rare trait: they fold up at night like closing hands and open again the next morning. It is a demanding species — sharing the highest care level in the catalogue with the fern and the fiddle-leaf fig — and has a very specific requirement about water quality. It suits anyone who enjoys watching a plant's slow day-night movement, and who is willing to prepare its water properly rather than pour straight from the tap.
Where to put it, and how much room to leave
Avoid direct sun entirely — the thin, boldly patterned leaves will fade and can even scorch under strong light. Gentle indirect light, or a corner well back from a window, is the right spot. Because it likes high humidity (level 3, in the same bracket as the fern and the peace lily), a bathroom with a window or a bedroom with a humidifier are good options; a room with constant air conditioning is its worst. The plant reaches about sixty centimetres, so leave roughly sixty centimetres of clearance so the leaves can spread without being pressed against a wall or furniture.
The year-round rhythm
Every four days, keeping the soil evenly moist but never waterlogged. The most important and distinctive point with this species: use water left out overnight at room temperature, or filtered water — it is highly sensitive to the chlorine and minerals in tap water, showing up as dry, crisped leaf margins even when the soil is adequately moist. Mist the air around the plant (rather than soaking the leaves directly) to raise ambient humidity, especially in dry weather. The soil should be loose and moisture-retentive, with some coconut coir mixed in if possible. Feed weak fertiliser monthly in the growing season, cutting back sharply in the cool season. Repot annually, choosing a humid day so the plant is less shocked by the process.
Which pot suits it
Size M for a typical plant. Glazed ceramic suits it better than terracotta since it holds moisture longer, easing the pressure of a four-day rhythm and the plant's high humidity needs. Since the leaves already carry complex patterning and rich colour (green, silver, purple), the pot should stay plain and neutral so it does not visually compete with the leaf itself — this is one of the few species where a true 'background pot' matters more than an 'accent pot'. Terracotta should only be used if you are prepared to water more often to compensate for its faster drainage.
Three things that go wrong
Dry brown crisping along leaf edges despite moist soil: the plant's signature symptom — chlorinated or mineral-heavy water, or air that is too dry. Switch immediately to water left out overnight and raise the humidity around the plant. Leaves staying folded all day, not reopening in the morning: could be soil that is too dry or too wet, or the plant is in temperature shock from a nearby cold draught — check all three. Round brown spots spreading across the leaves: usually fungal, from low air humidity combined with too much direct water on the foliage — switch to misting the air and watering the soil instead. This species is pet-safe.
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