Calathea Care: The 'Prayer Plant' Without Brown Tips

The Calathea has impossibly patterned leaves and, on top of that, it moves them: it folds them upward at dusk (hence "prayer plant"). It's stunning… and a little demanding. If you keep getting brown tips, this is your article: it's almost always the water or the humidity.

Water: its biggest fussiness

The Calathea is very sensitive to minerals and chlorine in tap water, which brown its tips and edges. Use:

Filtered, distilled or rain water.
At the very least, tap water rested for 24 hours (lets chlorine escape).

Humidity: essential

It's a tropical understory plant: it wants high humidity (60%+). With dry air (heating), the tips will dry out for sure. Solutions:

A humidifier nearby (most effective).
Grouping plants or a pebble tray with water.
Avoid over-misting directly on the leaves: it can spot them.

Light

Medium indirect light. No direct sun: it scorches and fades the patterns. Too little light, on the other hand, dulls the colors. A bright spot without direct sun is perfect.

Watering

Keep the soil slightly moist, never soggy or bone dry:

Water when the top inch starts to dry.
In winter, cut back. Neither puddle nor drought: balance is key.

Soil and temperature

Airy soil that holds some moisture (peat/coco coir + perlite). Keep it warm (65-80 °F) and away from cold drafts, which stress it.

Common problems

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Brown tips/edges	Chlorine/lime or dry air	Filtered water + humidity
Curled leaves	Drought or low humidity	Water and raise humidity
Faded colors	Too much or too little light	Bright indirect light
Yellow leaves	Overwatering	Let it dry a bit more