As of: February 6, 2024, 8:00 a.m
By: Ines Alms
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Keeping houseplants in hydroculture is a bit unconventional, but easy to care for.
The Calathea is well suited for this method.
A simple guide.
If the houseplant is happy, so is its owner.
The special feature of the basket marante or calathea is its particularly beautifully pronounced, extravagant leaf patterns - sometimes white and green stripes, sometimes in different shades of green.
If not cared for properly, the plant quickly forms brown, curled leaf edges or drooping leaves.
Here it would be worth trying to free the Calathea from the soil and keep it in hydroculture.
Cultivating Calathea in water – this is how it works
Basket martens (Calathea) look particularly beautiful thanks to their multi-colored leaf markings.
© Panthermedia/Imago
Calatheas are picky when it comes to watering, so this is also the most important aspect of care.
If they don't get enough, the leaves quickly form dry spots; if they are kept too moist, they are prone to root rot and are easily attacked by pests such as fungus gnats.
If you remove the soil completely and grow the basket marant in water, it will develop special water roots and simply absorb the water when it needs it.
You should also make sure to only use low-lime water.
With a little fertilizer, the plant gets the nutrients it needs to grow.
On her Instagram channel
Channygrayhome
, a hobby gardener explains how she converts her Calathea to water culture and gives it new life.
She proceeds as follows:
Remove the Calathea from the pot and use your hands to remove the soil around the root ball.
Rinse off the remaining soil thoroughly outdoors with a water hose or in a bucket of water.
Soil may contain harmful bacteria or pests.
Toss the entire plant back and forth several times in a tub of soapy water.
In this way, all the last pests that may still be on the leaves or in the roots are put to rest.
Pour some water into a large, sturdy glass, add a few drops of liquid fertilizer and place the calathea in it.
It should have its roots completely submerged in water.
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Regular water replacement necessary
Since the remaining roots tend to become rotten with this method, the water must be kept very clean.
That's why Chantal Gray recommends on her channel to change the water if it looks cloudy.
Typically every few days until new roots have formed.
You should always add a few drops of hydroponic fertilizer to the glass of water, advises the website
Plants-understanding.de.
Incidentally, water culture is also particularly popular with orchids such as the genus Phalaenopsis, which form aerial roots.