Actually there is a Spathyphylum living in the bath and I have to take it out every time before having a soak
Thanks for the offer of cuttings Michael but I'm stacked out with plants, nothing much seems to survive in the house apart from Sanserveria.
I was going to start a new thread regarding this startling discovery this morning but it makes more sense to put it in this Calathea thread. Hopefully I will have many more entries during my prayer plant journey! Prayer plants (Calatheas, Stromanthes, Ctenenths and Marantas) are something I've only very recently got interested in, and I don't think I could have chosen a more demanding and temperamental plant. It has been a real baptism of fire. Boy, these things have some issues, and if you don't get it spot on they let you know! I have about a dozen and all of them barring one are doing great, I think I'm finally coming to terms with their demanding care requirements, I'm starting to make them happy! Imagine my utter surprise, amazement and joy when I came downstairs this morning and my Calathea 'freddie' had developed flowers!!!!! See pic below. I just had to share with you guys. These plants flower readily in the wild but less so when kept as house plants. I'm just so happy at the minute. I finally feel like I'm making some progress with these plants.
@Esoxlucius Congratulations! I know the feeling as my Bird of Paradise flowered for the first time in December last year after growing it from seed during 4 or 5 years!
I'm right with you, lol. Most plants afford you a bit of leeway. If you get it wrong a bit no harm done, they'll still be ok. But prayer plant care has to be nigh on perfect. Humidity, temperature, placement, soil, light, watering/feeding. Get any of those wrong, just a little bit, and they sulk like a scolded child. But get it right, and wow, they are stunning plants. Don't give up just yet!
I'm glad it flowered for you but I'm sorry you find them such a pain. I have a few different Calatheas/Marantas and they get as much neglect as I can give them, I hardly ever water them and most of them are in warm centrally heated rooms where the atmosphere is quite dry, yet they're thriving.
One thing that sticks out when you research the prayer plant family is that many of them can adapt to less than perfect conditions, if they remain stable that is. Stability is key I think. Your conditions don't sound ideal, though maybe they are consistent. If your "dryness" ie humidity was all over the place I suspect the signs would show in the leaves. All my "vitals" are great in my plant/aquarium room and my prayer plants wholeheartedly agree, but I have a Warszewiczii that just looks constantly very poorly. I haven't a clue what's going on with that one, I'm at the end of my tether with it, lol.
I haven't got that one, although I have seen it for sale in some places. It looks a bit too big for me. There are several sites on the internet which give some guidance on how to care for it but you've probably seen them.
Yes, I've seen loads, literally hundreds. I've gained some good knowledge from them, in particular to stop using tap water, which is exactly what I was doing at first. Tap water, from my area anyway, used to play havoc with the leaves. Since I've started collecting rainwater things have improved immensely. It's just lots and lots of little tweaks with these plants that can make all the difference. I just wish my Warszewiczii would get with the programme!! Lol.
Well, any youtube tutorials you watch on line all have a similar vibe, though @Michael Hewett has thrown a spanner in the care guide book!! Warm central heated low humidity rooms are not exactly paradises for these plants. But they can adjust if the conditions are stable and not too far from their ideal standard, which is what Michaels central heated room must be. Stability is key I believe. High temps, high humidity, brightish indirect light (they live under the canopy in the jungles of central and south America). Keep them quite moist at all times, though never drenched, and not with tap water! They love regular misting and are absolute spider mite magnets, you need to check regularly for the tell tale webs. If you can offer those basics without fluctuations and swings then that's half the battle won in my experience.
