The week my monstera gave me 4 new leaves and my calathea died in the same 7 days

Rowan Lee · 2026-09-23T21:40:03.929029+00:00

Last week was the strangest plant week I've had in 3 years of keeping houseplants. My monstera put out 4 new leaves in 6 days, which never happens, and I was walking around my apartment in Austin feeling like some kind of plant god. Then my calathea, the one I babied for 8 months with distilled water and a humidifier, just gave up. Crispy edges, yellow spots, then dead in about 72 hours. Same shelf, same watering schedule, same everything. I checked the roots and they were mush, so I know I overwatered it, but the monstera sitting right next to it was thriving on the exact same routine. I keep reading that calatheas are just dramatic and that's normal, but I'm not buying it. I think the real problem is that people treat all tropicals the same and that's a lie we keep telling new plant owners. So what actually works for you, do you water your calatheas less than your monsteras or am I just cursed with this one plant type?

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The week my monstera gave me 4 new leaves and my calathea died in the same 7 days | Botany Lovers - Thought Shares