Where To Place Calathea Plant? (Factors To Consider+Ideal Placement)

Calathea is known for its demanding nature, and people have reported that they have killed many Calatheas before finally learning how to keep them alive. If you don’t want to go through that hassle, you need to know where to place your Calathea where it gets everything it needs.

So, what will be the ideal spot for calatheas? Where to place the calathea plant? Let’s find out.

Calathes can be kept in any room near the west or east-facing window covered with sheer curtains. Add a humidifier to your room to maintain the ideal humidity and make sure the plant is not exposed to cold drafts or direct sun. Also, keep the plant away from furnace and Aircon as it can harm them.

Calathea requires medium bright indirect light, which is the most crucial point you need to look at while placing the plant.

You can keep your Calathea near a window of your drawing room, dining room, or bedroom but not exposed to direct sunlight.

Pick a spot where it gets sufficient indirect light, high humidity, and warm temperatures. Without correct placement, your Calathea will develop various issues and not do well.

If you have brought a new Calathea and want to find out its ideal spot, keep reading this article as I have discussed all the factors you need to remember while deciding where to place the calathea plant.

Factors determining the placement of Calathea

The three factors that you need to remember while deciding the placement of your Calathea are:

• Light
• Temperature
• Humidity

These will differ from one place to another, so you must find a spot that provides everything as per the needs of your Calathea.

Now, let’s discuss each of these in detail.

Light

The ideal spot of the Calathea plant should get indirect bright sunlight. 

Calathea belongs to the tropical forests where it grows on the forest floor covered by canopies. So, these plants receive dappled sunlight and thrive best in it.

You must provide indirect light to your Calathea and keep it away from direct sunlight, even as houseplants. If you choose a spot where your Calathea gets direct sunlight, you’ll notice:

• Brown spots on leaves
• Dry foliage
• Dry and compact soil
• Dehydrated plant

Therefore, find a bright room for your Calathea where it will receive indirect light.

Placing your Calathea near a window will help it get enough indirect sunlight. But if you notice direct sunlight coming from the window, you can use curtains or keep the plant a few feet away from the window.

Calathea can survive low light, but it is not the best condition for its growth. If you want to witness growth in your Calathea, you must find a bright spot and not a dark one.

Also read:

• How Much Light Do Calathea Plants Need? (Calathea Plant Light Requirements)
• Is My Calathea Getting Too Much Sun? (Sunburnt Calathea)

Temperature

Calathea receives a warm climate with high temperatures in the tropical forests, but providing as high temperatures will not be possible inside the house.

Temperatures between 65-80°F will be suitable for your Calathea. You can maintain this by finding the right spot for the plant inside your house.

Calathea will have adverse effects if the temperatures are too high or too low. Even fluctuations can harm the plant.

Here are some places you should avoid, as these spots will not provide the ideal temperatures for your Calathea plant.

A window with direct sunlight: Placing the Calathea near a window that gets direct sunlight will not only scorch the leaves but also increase the temperatures more than your Calathea needs.

A heating source: Places near a fireplace, furnace, radiators, or any other heating source will produce more heat and, therefore, higher temperatures making the Calathea uncomfortable.

Opposite of an AC: Exposing the Calathea plant to the cold air coming from the AC will put unnecessary stress on the plant, affecting its health.

Frosty windows: During winters, the temperatures can fall extremely low, and placing the Calathea near frosty windows can shock the plant.

Windows and doors opened and closed frequently: If you place your Calathea near any door or window that is opened and closed frequently, the plant will experience fluctuating temperatures, and you wouldn’t want that.

Make sure that your Calathea is living in a comfortable spot, especially during the winter season. 

The temperatures fall during this time, due to which the plant goes dormant. Don’t place it in an unfavorable spot where it can get shocked due to the low temperatures.

Also read: What Temperature Can Calathea Tolerate? (Ideal Temperature Range)

Humidity

Without enough humidity, you won’t notice enough growth in your Calathea. Your Calathea will thank you with aggressive growth if you can provide a humidity level of 70%.

However, it’s not easy to attain such high humidity indoors, but it would need a minimum of 50% humidity level to remain healthy. So, you need to place your Calathea in a spot where it will not receive humidity below 50%.

To take care of the humidity:

• You can place your Calathea near an aquarium if you have one in the house.
• You can also place your Calathea in the bathroom or kitchen if it gets enough light and the correct temperatures as these rooms usually have more humidity than the other rooms.
• You can place the Calathea near a humidifier.
• Consider placing your Calathea with other houseplants as their transpiration will increase the humidity levels.

Now, let’s look at the places you should avoid as these tend to reduce the humidity levels, which is not suitable for your Calathea.

Opposite of an Air Conditioner: The air coming out from the AC is extremely dry, reducing the humidity of the Calathea plant to a great extent if you place it in a spot where it receives the direct air of the AC.

Under ceiling fans: Keeping the Calathea under the ceiling fan can also reduce the plant’s humidity.

Drafty windows or doors: Cold drafts that come inside your house through open windows and doors can reduce the humidity levels for your Calathea, so keep it away from these spots.

If you think your Calathea plant is not receiving sufficient humidity, you can increase it without even changing its spot. You can create a pebble tray.

To create a pebble tray, you need:

• Pebbles
• A tray
• Water

Place some pebbles on a tray and pour water over it. Now place your Calathea on top of the pebbles. When water evaporates from the tray, it provides humidity to your Calathea.

You can also consider misting the plant by spraying it with water. This, however, is not a long-term solution to providing humidity to your Calathea.

You need to be extra careful during the winter season as this is when the humidity levels can drop lower than your Calathea’s preference.

Also read: Should I Mist My Calathea Plant? (Calathea Humidity Requirements)

Can you put Calathea in the bedroom?

Calatheas are an excellent choice for the bedroom as they increase the visual appeal along with purifying the air.

Calatheas move their leaves throughout the day. 

The leaves of Calathea close at night and open during the day. This gesture has fetched them the name of prayer-plants.

Having a prayer plant in the bedroom will make you feel peaceful. You’ll wake up to fresh air due to its air-purifying abilities, and the plant might also add some humidity to the room.

However, remember that the bedroom should have enough indirect light and warm conditions suitable for Calathea. Also, avoid exposing the plant to the direct sir coming out of the AC.

Can you put Calathea in the bathroom?

Placing plants in the bathroom is something you notice in many houses. It not only makes the bathroom more pleasant but also keeps the plants happy.

Most houseplants are tropical plants that require high humidity, and a bathroom is an ideal spot for the plants that don’t receive enough humidity elsewhere.

If you place your Calathea in the bathroom, don’t forget the other factors you need to take care of, such as the light and temperatures.

Also, note that you don’t splash too much water on the plant, leading to overwatering or fungal infections.

Can you put Calathea in the kitchen?

Many people prefer keeping their Calatheas in the kitchen as they spend a lot of time there. If your kitchen has the ideal growing conditions for your Calathea, you can place the plant there.

However, you must be careful about the following things:

• Don’t place your Calathea near the gas oven as the heat will damage the plant.
• Avoid placing your Calathea near any device that gives out heat.
• Keep your Calathea away from exhaust fans, if any.

Can you put Calathea near a window?

A window is the best place for a Calathea in terms of light. But before you place it before a window, check the light that comes from it.

A window that provides bright indirect sunlight for 8-10 hours will be ideal for your Calathea.

An east-facing window will only provide light during the early hours of the day, whereas a west-facing window will get the intense rays later in the day.

A north-facing window will neither get enough intensity nor enough duration of sunlight. Therefore, a south-facing window will be the best window for your Calathea, as per my opinion.

However, if you notice that the south-facing window gets direct sunlight, you can filter that light using curtains or blinds.

Where to place the Calathea in winter?

Don’t place your Calathea near a window that gets cold drafts or frost in the winter season. If the Calathea is placed near the window, you can close it.

Or, you can relocate your Calathea to a different spot during the winter season.

Calathea becomes dormant during the winter season, so you must not do anything that can cause stress. 

• If you think your Calathea is not getting enough light, you can use artificial lights.
• You can use a fireplace or furnace to provide warmth to your Calathea but keep a lot of distance between them so that the leaves will not get scorched.
• Don’t place your Calathea outside, as the low temperatures and cold drafts can cause severe damages.

Final words

You can place your Calathea at any spot in your house where it gets the ideal growing conditions. High humidity, bright indirect light, and warm temperatures will allow the plant to thrive.

Don’t place your Calathea in spots with drafts, too much heat or cold, and dry air. If you keep these in mind while selecting the spot for your plant, you are unlikely to make a mistake. 

However, if you don’t consider these factors, you might end up damaging your Calathea. So it is better to take some time to look at all the factors we have mentioned in this article than to be sorry later.

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Source: NCBI, University of Florida, Wikipedia,  Growing Indoor Plants with Success, Agriculture, and Natural Resources, University of California, Missouri Botanical Garden.