Beginners Garden

How to Treat Brown Spots on Calathea Leaves

Once you are certain about the real cause of the brown spots on your calathea, it’s time for you to take action.
Here are the simple solutions that we can recommend to help treat brown spots on your calathea:
For Brown Spots Caused by Diseases (Bacterial, Fungal, etc.)
• Remove infected leaves and plant parts. Destroy them to avoid the spread of the disease.
• Isolate the calathea in a dry, warm, and well-ventilated place.
• No overhead watering. Keep the foliage dry as much as possible. A damp condition invites the growth and proliferation of pathogens.
• Apply appropriate chemicals such as fungicides (link to Amazon) depending on the causal agent of the disease.
• Destroy heavily infected plants. If the disease persists even after employing the above-mentioned management practices, it is time to finally let go of your calathea plant.
For Brown Spots Caused by Nutrient Deficiency
1. Identify which exact nutrient is lacking by subjecting the soil to analysis. You can send samples to a laboratory. However, this is a bit expensive especially if you are only concerned about one or two pots of calathea plants.
2. Consult with an ornamental plant expert. If you know a horticulturist, better ask that person to check on your plant. These people are surely more skilled in identifying nutrient deficiencies.
3. Check the soil pH and adjust it accordingly. One reason why nutrients become unavailable for plant use is that the soil’s pH is not at its optimal value. For calathea, the soil pH must be around 6. You can test this using a pH meter.
4. Repot using healthy and more fertile soil. Perhaps the potting medium of your calathea is already depleted. In that case, you need to transfer it to another pot using a fresh set of soil.

Signs of an Overwatered Money Tree

Leaves
Money Trees are characterized by green palmate leaves with lanceolate leaflets. If your plant’s leaves don’t look their natural bright and perky selves, this may be a sign of overwatering.
A Money Tree will definitely drop some hints that you are overwatering. You’ll know it if you observe any of the following:
• Brown Spots on Leaves.
• Leaves Drooping.
• Leaves Curling.
• Leaves Yellowing (chlorosis).
• Leaves Falling off.
• Slow or no Growth.
• Edema (blisters on the underside of the leaves).
Trunk
A Money Tree’s trunk is meant to be firm and robust. If the plant is in a more advanced stage of overwatering, the trunk may appear to be shriveled and even mushy.
Think of it as a paper straw that has been submerged in a drink for too long. Because the structure cannot support itself any longer, nutrition which is transported via water cannot move from the root system to the different parts of the plant.
This explains why the leaf symptoms described above, resemble underwatering. The leaves are basically cut-off from the sustenance that it needs.
Roots
Similar to the trunk, roots that have been submerged for too long will lose their integrity. Certain fungi that thrive in moist soil can overwhelm the root system causing it to collapse.
The roots too can begin to decompose, giving off a foul odor. If your roots don’t look white and crisp, then you’ve uncovered a case of root rot.
With the roots no longer able to accomplish its purpose of absorbing water and nutrients from the soil, the plant can show signs of underwatering and poor nutrition.