Calatheas love frequent watering but hate sitting in water so the question is how often to water calathea?
Finding a perfect watering routine for your Calathea plant will make it happy and thriving, however, messing up the watering regime will bring out the fussy dramatic attitude this plants are often credited with.
How Often to Water Calathea?
A properly watered plant is a happy plant.
Generally, the Calathea should be watered once per week during summer months, and a little less so in colder months. But sadly, it’s not that simple. The plant should not sit in water (make sure the water doesn’t collect at the bottom of your pot). It doesn’t tolerate dry soil either. You can easily over-water and underwater a Calathea.
The frequency and amount of water needed for your Calathea will depend on many things, making the once per week rule something to take with a pinch of salt.
- your location and conditions in your home (you might need to water more if you live in a drier, warmer climate than in areas with high humidity)
- size of plant
- variety of plant (our Calathea Zebrina drinks up water faster than our Calathea Ornata for example)
- soil
How to know when to water Calathea?
The best time to water your Calathea is when the top layer of the soil starts to dry. Check the first inch or so of soil and if it’s moist, you can wait a while more, if it’s dry or only slightly damp it’s time to water your Calathea.
Our Calatheas need to be watered anywhere from 2 times a week to once in every 2 weeks.
Moisture meters are pretty handy for keeping up with watering plants – you can grab digital ones or aquameter sticks. While handy, keep in mind they aren’t always accurate. Checking the soil with your fingers is still best. However, a couple of aquameters can be great reminders if you are the forgetful type.
Aquameters in action
We have a couple of aquameters (a variety of brands) helping us keep track of how often to water Calathea plants.
They are easy to read and will give you a good indication of when it’s time to inspect the soil and water your plants.
They are handy, but can be faulty too. So far we had one that worked well for a few weeks and after that, the color indicator stopped turning blue (blue indicating the plant has enough water and does not need watering).
