How to Keep Calatheas Alive Without Losing Your Mind: Best of Growing Joy Replay

How to Keep Calatheas Alive Without Losing Your Mind: Best of Growing Joy Replay

Author: Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness May 29, 2026 Duration: 42:21

Calathea is one of the most gorgeous and often most disappointing houseplants a new plant parent can bring home. If you've ever taken a beginner plant shopping, you already know: they walk straight to the calatheas. Can you blame them? These plants look like they were literally hand-painted by Mother Nature.

But calathea care is pretty tricky. The leaves curl. The edges go crispy and brown. The humidity demands feel impossible. Suddenly, your most beautiful plant becomes your most dramatic one.

That's why I brought Mark Hachadourian, Director of Glasshouse Horticulture at the New York Botanical Garden, to cover how to care for calatheas and prayer plants, troubleshoot the most common problems, and actually keep them alive.

In this episode, we learn:

  • What Marc does for the NYBG
  • What plants fall under the Marantaceae Family
  • Prayer Plant, Calathea and Stromanthe- their differences and similarities
  • Why do the leaves fold up and down as in “prayer”
  • Why the bottoms of many Marantaceae are purple
  • Why the tips brown and how we help avoid this
  • Why humidity is so important for the Marantaceae family
  • Marc answers a collection of listener questions

 

Mentioned in our conversation:

 

What do you think is the #1 reason calatheas are so hard to keep alive?

Check out the full show notes and blog for Mark's expert Calathea troubleshooting guide!

 

Follow Marc & NYBG:

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Follow Maria and Growing Joy:

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There’s a quiet, accessible kind of wellness waiting for you on a windowsill or in a patch of soil. Growing Joy with Plants explores that very idea, moving beyond basic tips to examine how our relationship with the natural world directly nurtures our mental and emotional health. Hosted by Maria Failla, a self-proclaimed Happy Plant Lady and author of "Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness," this podcast feels like a warm conversation with a knowledgeable friend. Maria guides you through the practicalities of keeping your houseplants alive and thriving, but the discussion always circles back to the deeper connection-how the simple acts of watering, repotting, or simply observing growth can become anchors of calm in a hectic day. Each episode digs into how gardening and engaging with nature, even in small urban spaces, offer tangible tools to manage feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. This isn't about achieving a perfect indoor jungle; it's about finding moments of peace and genuine happiness through the process of care. The underlying message throughout the podcast is a powerful and gentle reminder: tending to your plants is fundamentally an act of tending to yourself. You’ll come away with not just better plant care knowledge, but a refreshed perspective on cultivating joy in your daily routine, learning that the serenity you might seek on vacation can be rooted right in your own home.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care
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