Caring for the mildly dramatic calathea Dottie
I’ve written about general calathea care tips in the past, and I’ve tried many times to swear off calatheas Because they are a bit higher maintenance than some other plants. They are beautiful, though. Especially Calathea Dottie with her deep green and hot pink leaves.
According to the U.S. patent database, the creator of this variety is Anne E. Lamb. The patent was first filed in the year 2000, but Anne created the plant in Florida in 1998. She did so using a tissue culture derived from Calathea rosea picta.
Anne leveraged a naturally occurring mutation in the plant to invent the Calathea Dottie. It is a stable variety and has caught on in the last 2 decades as a popular houseplant. So we have Anne to thank for this gorgeous variety!
-CARE OVERVIEW-
- Bright indirect or medium light; direct light can burn leaves & fade color.
- Water when the two couple of inches or soil are dry.
- Soil should be lightweight & well-aerated.
- High humidity is essential.
- Does well in normal household temperatures.
- Repot when the roots grow out of the drainage holes.
Light
Calatheas might be a bit high maintenance in some ways, but one way they are not that high maintenance is with light. They like bright indirect light but can do well with medium light levels, too. So you don’t need to put your Dottie in the sunniest spot in your home.
In fact, too much direct light will burn its delicate leaves. And too much light can also fade the striking colors. A window where the plant gets morning or early afternoon sun is great. You could also choose a south- or west-facing window but put the plant several feet away from the window.
While Dottie that survive medium light levels, it is not a low light plant. It still does need several hours of indirect light per day to grow. If your plant begins unfurling smaller leaves and the growth slows way down but conditions are otherwise optimal, you may need to give it more light.
Water
Dottie likes evenly moist soil; water once the top couple inches of dry out. I have heard many people say that their calatheas do not tolerate tap water well. Instead, they use filtered water. I use tap water for all of my plants (unless I’ve been able to collect some rain water!), but if you notice problems with your calathea, it may be the quality of your water.
Of course water is treated differently all around the country and world, so saying “no tap water” as a blanket statement isn’t necessarily true. Instead of using filtered water, you can also buy concentrated treatments to nuke your tap water—the kind you’d use for beta fish tank water, for example.
Soil
A key piece of ensuring that your Dottie stays relatively moist but not wet is the soil. Use a light, well-aerated soil that retains moisture while also letting all of the excess water flow through the soil and out the pot’s drainage holes.
Choose any soil labeled “indoor” or “houseplant.” You can also add something like coco coir to the mixture, which is a great moisture retention alternative to peat moss. (Learn more about houseplant soil additives in my Houseplant soil 101 article!)
If the soil is too dense, the roots will sit in soil that stays wet for too long. This can lead to root rot, which often shows itself with yellowing, drooping foliage. If you take the plant out of the pot and inspect the roots, mushy, graying roots are a sure sign of root rot.
Humidity
Humidity is where Dottie will get you. And it’s why I keep swearing off calathea plants…only to give in and get another once I see a new one and remember how pretty they are. Dottie likes her humidity, that’s for sure. Higher than average household humidity is best.
You can achieve this by putting your Calathea Dottie in a glass cabinet that retains moist air or by adding a humidifier nearby. Misting the plant will only very temporarily increase moisture levels and probably won’t be enough for lil Dot. My calathea plants do the best when I put them outside in a shaded area for the spring and summer. That’s because it gets incredibly humid where I live.
If your calathea Dottie has crispy brown tips or brown spots, it’s likely due to a lack of humidity, a lack of water, or a combination of the two. You might have it too close to a heat or air conditioning register, too, which can dry it out faster.
Temperature
As for temperatures—warmer is better. Calathea Dottie is not cold hardy and cannot be subject to frost. Most normal household temperatures are fine, but the best temperatures is between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Growth
Dottie isn’t a particularly prolific grower, but it also isn’t super slow. You can help encourage healthy new growth by giving it ideal care conditions: bright, indirect light, high humidity, and moderately moist soil. Give your Calathea Dottie a boost with some fertilizer, too.
I started to use Liqui-Dirt concentrated plant food on my plants and have had great results. I like that stuff because it’s all natural and you just add it to the water. You can’t over-fertilize. It just adds nutrients to your soil. I use it every 2 or 3 times I water.
Propagation
Dottie is best propagated by division. There are actually two different plants in my pot. You can tell by looking closely at where the stems meet the soil line. If I wanted to, I could take the plant out of the soil and gently separate the two stem clusters from one another.
Then I could pot them up separately, and they’d live just fine! I don’t want to do that since this is quite a young plant, though. Maybe one day. 🙂
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Brittany is a seasoned DIY home and garden expert, running a creative brand since 2014 that inspires others with approachable plant care guides, woodworking tutorials, and decor projects. She is a certified project manager and has completed extensive coursework in the art and science of growing your own plants. Her work has been recognized by major publications, and she routinely collaborates with fellow DIY industry leaders—but her favorite thing to do is inspire you! Learn more about her here.
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