The leaves started to curl, turn brown & crispy. I googled, & it said it was under-watered. So I cut off the curled edges and watered more (+ put under a grow light since it's in a corner of the room) The leaves are still doing this. I don't know what's wrong, any ideas.

Probably due to intense light . They like indirect . To much will cause the leaves to curl. Mine did the same thing. After moving it from direct light it started to look better in about a week.

This is Calathea vittarifolia. It needs more humidity

It's not getting intense light, just indirect as it's in a corner away from the window. The grow light is on the lowest light level and it's about 12" above the plants. I was wondering about the humidity level, I do run a humidifier so maybe directly misting?

Just put the humidifier as close to the plant as you can. Misting only tires your fingers.

Lol, thanks. Unfortunately the plant is next to all my electronics right now so can't do that. I'll have to re-shuffle them to put it near the humidifier. Thanks for the plant name Gina1960. Just googled and it does show the same issues.

Misting does nothing to increase humidity for plants, neither do pebble or 'humidity' trays. If you can't put the humidifier closer to the plant, it would help if you could enclose the plant in a mist chamber (like a terrarium) and grow it that way. The symptoms your plant is showing from low humidity can't be corrected with more water, so don't be tempted to overwater

Thanks Gina1960. I just pulled out the bigger humidifier so hopefully that helps. I'll link into the terrarium, although I don't have a lot of space, basically just the window sill & 1 corner shelf. Thanks everyone for the help!

Your plant looks like Goeppertia elliptica (synonyms Calathea elliptica and Calathea vittata) and curled leaves can be a sign of pests, a soil moisture issue, or an issue with insufficient humidity. I would wipe down the leaves with clear water to prevent the pores from becoming clogged and either use a humidifier to raise humidity around the plant, or sit the pot atop a tray of moist pebbles. Good air circulation is also extremely important especially in moist humid conditions, so be sure to leave 4 or 5 inches of space between your plants to provide air circulation; running a fan on low speed also helps.

vajmisc said: Thanks Gina1960. I just pulled out the bigger humidifier so hopefully that helps. I'll link into the terrarium, although I don't have a lot of space, basically just the window sill & 1 corner shelf. Thanks everyone for the help!

This is one of mine if it helps, grown in a greenhouse in 70-100% humidity. No other special treatment

Gina very nice. Your plants are always so well maintained.

Well thanks Bea! I am a compulsive groomer. We are having record 80F temps here until the next cold front blows through, so tomorrow is 'trim all the yellow leaves and groom everyone' day.

Do you think this will help?

The thing certainly draws the eye - away from the plant.

lol, it does PotterK, remember I had to trim the leaves to get rid of the curled edges. I'm hoping the plant gets fuller and normal sized leaves, it'll look much better.

There's a good design challenge. Make a humidifier more attractive but still functional. For all us plant people who do not want to look at a pseudo-medical device.

Update: So I've had the humidifier on the plant for 5 days, I had trimmed off all the curled edges, and this morning inspecting it most of the leaves had curled up again and are brown & dying. I don't know what to do??? It's away from the window, in the warmest part of the room, indirect light, humidity. What am I missing??

Does that pretty pot have drainage holes in the bottom? I see what appears to be sphagnum moss atop the soil which may, or may not be an issue. The moss looks nice but prevents you from being able to view the top of the soil. Moss holds moisture but it might also make the soil more acidic.

When I enlarge your photos, the leaves appear to have some type of coating on the surface; could it be dust particles, or mineral deposits from hard water, or pest related? I'd advise washing the leaves down to allow them to breathe and prevent the pores from becoming clogged.

Curling leaves can be attributed to numerous things (over watering, under watering, room temperature, light, inadequate air circulation, pests, etc.) but don't give up trying to narrow it down to figure out what the problem might be because this is a really nice plant.

Hi Lin, since that picture was taken I have wiped down the leaves since it was a bit dusty. I added the sweet moss after the leaves started curling, just before I took the picture so not sure if that would be a factor yet. I do feel below the moss for the dryness level. and yes the pot has a drainage hole. I just got the plant about 2 months ago so it's fresh potting soil (organic). I haven't seen any pests flying around & none of the other plants I have are showing signs of pests so I think it's good there. I read online that this species of plant need distilled or spring water? That tap water causes problems. I just switched to bottled water (as of today) to see if that makes a difference, but that can get expensive. I'm thinking of going back to the place I bought the plant to see if they have any suggestions.

I live in The Villages, FL, Zone 9A changing to 9B. I have 6 different types of calathea and they hated being in the house. I planted them in a very shady spot in front of my porch and they love it! Because they are protected by a very huge (for it) Phoenix roebelenii, they've lived through many frosts and freezes.