Plant Sitting in Water
Saturday, July 17, 2010I dug up one crown from the pot of Calathea that I have been growing outside, washed the roots and put it into this pot, filled with just water and pebbles.
It's so clean and quite presentable too. Above all, I can now enjoy this beautiful tropical foliage in my kitchen as well ;-)
Meanwhile, I am glad that Bernie from My Dry Tropics Garden (thanks Bernie!) told me to put a plate of water with pebbles below the calathea. It has certainly helped my Calathea to grow well.
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19 comments
I just got a pot of Calathea similar to yours from my neighbour. May I know what is the reason to keep a plate of water with the pebbles under the pot? Is it to ensure that the plant is constantly moist?
ReplyDeleteHi JC, dry air can cause the tips of leaves to brown, so by placing a tray of water below (with pebbles! So that the pot don't sit in the water) is to release some moisture to the air to increase humidity level :-D
ReplyDeleteWater and pebbles are such NATURAL things to go with a plant. That looks extremely pleasurable :)
ReplyDeleteWow ... your Calathea sure is looking great. It's wonderful you've now got a whole new plant ... they sure do love a moist and humid environment. No brown edges on either of them ... hope they continue to give you lots of enjoyment for a long time to come.
ReplyDeleteIt looks neat and tidy. I am sure you will put abate or something to get rid of mosquito larvae. With such a beautifully coloured leaves, who need flowers.. ~bangchik
ReplyDeleteIt is very pretty and neat. Do you change the water some times?
ReplyDeleteeine sehr hübsche Pflanze! Bei uns kann sie nur im Zimmer wachsen, draußen ist es sicher zu kalt, nur in diesem Sommer nicht!
ReplyDeleteSchönes Wochenende wünscht
Dörte
What a healthy looking plant! You have such a green thumb! :)
ReplyDeleteThis calathea has lovely foliage. The white outlines look like it is from an artist's brush.
ReplyDeleteReally nice and hearty looking foliage - and the water/pebbles looks great! A cool look.
ReplyDeletelotusleaf, actually the water dries up quite fast. I have to refill water once a week. I am amazed how 'thirsty' the plant and the environment can be. The other thing is, for a plant that hates wet feet, it can actually sit in water!
ReplyDeleteThat's so pretty! I've never tried it though. The foliage looks healthy! And I love your blog's new look!
ReplyDeleteSteph...thank you for your words on my blog. Much appreciated.
I love Calathea but i haven't really planted them, as i choose plants which can be self supporting even during the dry season. Our Marantha can do that, but i agree Calatheas are prettier. I am about to 2nd Bangchik about mosquitoes, but you said water dries up fast. However, mosquito wrigglers easily become adults too. hehe.
ReplyDeleteI really didn't know that you can do that.
ReplyDeleteI thought too much water will cause root rot especially this one which so often it contains balled shaped roots dangling all over.
I have not seen dangling roots yet. Will take note of this and potential mosquito problem. That's good to know and thanks for all your kind words. Have a great day!
ReplyDeletehi, I'm trying to rescue my crinkled up calathea. Repotting in faster draining soil didn't work so with nothing else to lose, I'm going to try simple hydroponic. Just wondering how your calathea is/was doing. It's been 7 years' hope it's still looking as good.
ReplyDeleteHi Nab-bisco,
DeleteI find this plant will not do well sitting in water after some time. So it would be better to have it planted in soil. The one that is planted in soil is still with me but it crinkled up few months ago. So I repotted it into some fresh rich well draining soil. It is reviving slowly but I am not that hopeful as the condition is still not that great now. Good thing I used a division of the plant to propagate another set when the plant was growing vibrantly earlier. So I still have this beautiful calathea with me :) Will be keeping my fingers crossed for yours!
Thanks for your reply. Thats so sad to hear. I'm going to grab what crinkly plant is left and will plant in soil. Hope it's not too late... but I'm not going to hold my breath. Great to hear about yours still surviving after all these years.
ReplyDeleteHaha... I think my situation is only slightly better than yours. The plant is still looking sad today. Anyway, good luck and happy gardening :)
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