Calathea Orbifolia Care

Medium to low light levels are best for a Calathea Orbifolia. Make sure you don’t place it in any direct sunlight as it will scorch and burn the leaves which is unfortunately permanent. You can use a light meter to help you measure the sunlight levels in your home to make sure you’re placing your Calathea Orbifolia in the best place.

We recommend taking a little but often approach to watering your Calathea Orbifolia. They like moist, but not waterlogged soil so it is important to check the soil before watering. We often use our moisture meter to help know when our Calathea plants need a water which helps to prevent over or underwatering. You can pick up a really affordable moisture meter from Amazon here. 

We recommend growing your Calathea Orbifolia in a bathroom or kitchen if the light levels are right in there as the natural lift in humidity caused by steam from the shower/cooking is perfect. You can also use a humidifier to keep a nice constant level near your Calathea.

Try to avoid putting your Calathea Orbifolia near a drafty window or AC vent as the cold temperatures can harm your plant’s health. Using a digital thermometer, we recommend checking the temperatures throughout the day/night as well as throughout the year to spot any extreme temperatures.

As with the majority of your other houseplants, only fertilize your Calathea Orbifolia in spring and summer. We recommend feeding once a month using a regular houseplant fertiliser. We tend to use this one from Miracle Gro.

A great thing about Calathea Orbifolia is that they are not toxic for your cats, dogs and children which means you don’t need to keep them out of reach or worry about them getting a little nibble.

The most successful way of propagating a Calathea Orbifolia is by dividing the mother plant into smaller, separate plants. As they will each have part of the main root system attached, you can plant directly into soil and don’t have to place in water first.