Prayer Plant Care

The Maranta genus includes several dozen plants native to Brazil, including the Prayer Plant (Maranta leuconeura), named for Bartolomeo Maranta, an Italian physician and botanist of the sixteenth century. This plant gets its common name from the fact that it keeps its leaves flat during daylight hours and folds them together at night.

One of the most recognizable tropical plants, the Prayer Plant is identifiable by its distinctive leaves that feature deep green, velvety leaves with yellow spots down the center and curving red veins extending to each side. Slow-growing, this plant can eventually grow to be 12 inches tall when given care indoors at any time of year. They are fairly common as indoor plants and may need extra care when it comes to keeping them alive in an already hostile environment; but once you care for these beauties they will thrive like nobody’s business.

How to Grow a Prayer Plant

Although the prayer plant is moderately tolerant of dim light, it thrives best in indirect, bright sunlight. Praying plants prefer well-drained soil and need humid air to grow strong roots. They should be watered when they start to feel dry without getting too wet.

Remember, though, that dry air can also become a problem during this time of year; so it may be necessary to place the prayer plant amongst other house plants to keep humidity levels up. Use a spray bottle to mist the plant daily, or you can set its container in a shallow bowl of pebbles and water. Place a bowl full of water near the plant if you wish to give it an even moist environment. Optimal temperatures for this type of plant is between 60 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit (or 16-27 degrees Celsius).

Prayer Plant Propagation

This will enable you to divide them if desired or take stem cuttings. Cut a few stems at the very bottom of the stems just below the nodes closest to the roots and place them in moist soil mixed with perlite during early summer. Covering the cutting tray with plastic (with some air holes poked) will maintain moisture levels while placing it somewhere warm and out of direct sunlight where it can continue growing until frost arrives.

Put the broken end of a prayer plant into distilled water when a piece of the plant has broken off. Every other day, change the water. Before placing the roots in the soil, wait until they are about an inch long. Keep in mind when propagating prayer-plants – there needs to be at least some of a stem attached to its leaves for the piece to take root. Alternatively, you can simply root them directly in the soil, like with cuttings.

Prayer Plant Pest Problems

Prayer plants can be susceptible to various bugs, including spider mites, mealybugs, and aphids. Before bringing these houseplants inside for the winter season, make sure to inspect them carefully (especially when they are new). Once again, you may need to periodically check your prayer plant houseplant at watering or feeding intervals for any problems that arise. To learn how to grow a prayer plant is easier than expected—and it has many of its own rewards!

Prayer Plant Characteristics

These plants get their name from the behavior of their leaves during daylight hours when they lay flat against the ground; however at night time, the leaves rise and fold inward to give off an appearance that resembles two hands folded together- or praying.

When mature, a prayer plant will grow to heights from six to twelve inches tall and five-inch wide leaves. The leaves themselves vary in appearance depending on the type of plant, but generally feature bold patterns including shades of green, red, and maroon. In its natural environment (native setting), the prayer plant flowers during its growth cycle with tiny white blooms which are never seen in those grown domestically.

Types of Prayer Plants

The family Marantaceae includes prayer plants, also known as arrowroots. Several genera are grown indoors, including Maranta, Ctenanthe, Stromanthe, and Goeppertia (many species of Goeppertia were once classified as Calathea, so they may still be sold under that name).

Prayer plants are native to rainforests of Central and South America, where their foliage is appreciated for its beauty. Prayer plant flowers may appear rarely, but they are small and unimpressive. Gardeners can manually cull these flowers to encourage the plant to focus more on its colorful foliage.

How to Propagate Prayer Plants

You can also take stem cuttings and root them during the warmer months – either during late spring or early summer – using pots filled with moist sand/peat/perlite, depending on what your climate prefers.

Once you’ve made all your cuts close to the node near the bottom of each plant’s stems, put these new offshoots in containers that are half-filled with peat/sand/perlite before covering those pots with plastic to raise their humidity levels while still leaving small holes for fresh air circulation.

You can easily grow new Prayer Plants from those that break off.In a glass of water, just place the broken end every other day and change it. Once inch-long roots begin to appear, place it in a container of soil or seed starter mix. Or just dip the broken end into rooting hormone then plant it in soil or seed starter mix – you’ll soon have even more Prayer Plants!

Prayer Plant Pests

The prayer plant can sometimes be affected by spider mites, aphids, and mealybugs. Keeping your plant moist or in a place with high humidity will help you get rid of them. Use a gentle spray from your kitchen hose to knock off the aphids or spider mites or wipe both sides of the leaves with a damp cloth if pests appear.

Where to grow maranta

Maranta’s flourish in bright, indirect light but can tolerate some shade.  Leaves should not be exposed to direct sunlight or drafts, both of which can burn them. Try to provide a minimum temperature of 15°C or higher if possible, and avoid rooms where there are regular changes in temperature.

Who Should Grow A Prayer Plant?

Prayer plants are beautiful and require minimal maintenance. The luscious green leaves allowed the plant to explore my home and keep me company with sweet scents for days on end. Prayer plants prefer high humidity levels and well-drained soil, despite their preference for the tropical climate.

Despite being tough indoor plants that don’t need frequent repotting, they never seemed to grow past a certain size. Unlike other houseplants, prayer-plants did not produce such gorgeous flowers—but this made them ideal as modest decorating statements at best!

Indoor vs Outdoor Cultivation

This name is a specific reference to the plant’s leaves that bear this pattern. They fold up their leaves at night as they pray during the day, just as they do during the evening hours. The leaves point downwards or straight when there’s no sunlight, and then close vertically when it becomes nighttime – all thanks to changes in sunlight exposure (called nyctinasty).

Types Of Prayer Plants

Maranta leuconeura is the most common variety of prayer plant, with at least forty species. The leaves of this plant usually have dark, irregular spots on them and are variegated in color. The prayer plant variety is usually what people are referring to when they mention prayer plants. This plant is also called Green Prayer Plant.

Maranta leuconeura is commonly known as a prayer plant, so if someone refers to it as such, then that’s probably what they’re talking about—the most traditional variety of this specific species.

Various cultivars of Maranta leuconeura exist, including varieties Kerchoveana (under the name rabbit’s foot) and Erythroneura (under the name herringbone plant). The herringbone plant has light purple markings and deep, blood-red veins.

Lighter green leaves with light green markings rather than white markings are found on this plant. The Mariasela prayer plant is hardy. Another common type of prayer plant is the Black Prayer Plant, which produces leaves that are silver or blue – or both (as well as darker edges and purple spots).

Although these plants are different from one another, calathea plants are members of the Maranta family which also originates from South America but require differing conditions for their cultivation – so make sure you know what kind you’re looking at! 

Best Location For Your Prayer Plant

Prayer plants thrive best in indirect, brightly lit conditions, such as windowsills with curtains covering them during the day. Prayer plants do not require a lot of sun; too much sunlight can burn and dry out their leaves. A window facing the south or west is ideal for these types of plants because there will be enough light coming through without risking over-exposure to direct sunlight. These natural beauties flourish well in offices, classrooms, kitchens—anywhere there is little foot traffic passing by them frequently so they don’t have to spend all day on a shelf waiting to be admired!

Selecting Soil for Prayer Plants

Prayer plants need a well-draining soil because they thrive when watered regularly, but can suffer from root rot if the water soaks for too long. It is best to use a commercial potting mix, though you could also make your own by combining 2 parts sphagnum peat moss with 1 part loamy soil and 1 part coarse sand. Because drainage is so important, it’s smart to choose an inexpensive pot that has plenty of holes for excess water to drain out of. Maranta plants enjoy living in acidic soils with a pH between 5.5 and 6.

The Right Light

Prayer plants are an excellent choice for those seeking indoor plants who don’t receive direct sunlight. Prayer Plants thrive in moderate indirect light or even complete shade. And what’s more, if exposed to strong natural light during their dormant season (over the winter), a Prayer Plant’s leaves may develop brown spots and eventually fall off. The plant is not dead, however! If given enough time and provided with ample amounts of artificial or natural light, Prayer Plant leaves will grow back in the spring.

Watering Prayer Plants

Prayer plant watering schedules are a little tricky to keep up with because these plants need soil that is only very slightly moist to the touch. Prayer plants do not fare well during droughts and will die quickly without someone tending to them, so it’s important you have help if you’re going away for an extended period of time.

It’s best to keep the top layer of soil from drying out during the growing season– which typically takes place in the summertime–and avoid using cold water to water these delicate flowers. Prayer plants prefer room temperature water, but slightly warmer water is also tolerated well enough. It may be a good idea to keep an eye on your prayer plant’s leaves if they start looking yellow: this can indicate either overwatering or underwatering; one might need correcting before it’s too late!

Fertilizing Prayer Plants

Prayer plants require fertilization every two weeks during their growing season and only monthly while dormant. Opt for a water-soluble fertilizer with a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 ratio (or something similar).

Dilute the formula when you are ready to apply it—use half of the recommended amount of fertilizer mixed with full amount of water, then spray this solution all over your plan as needed. Be careful not to overfeed your plant because this can burn its roots, which may ultimately lead to death.

Setting the Temperature and Humidity

Prayer plants originate from hot, wet regions; so even though you might want to grow them inside your own home, they often don’t fare well without sufficient warmth and moisture. With an average lifespan of 3-4 years when grown indoors in cool climates, prayer plants need humid environments that many people find hard to emulate.

Therefore, it’s important not to put these plants near anything cold such as A/C or heaters (even if the temperature outside is nice). To provide the right amount of humidity for your prayer plant – make sure you place it next to a humidifier or fill its pot with water so that it never sits directly on top of the pooling liquid.

Safety Considerations

Prayer plants are excellent choices for houseplants for those who own pets because they’re safe around cats and dogs. They’re also safe around humans, but it’s important to keep them out of reach of children so they don’t fall into the pot.

Potential Pests and Diseases

Prayer plants are susceptible to attracting both spider mites and mealybugs. Mealybugs cause the plant’s leaves to curl, and they can be identified by their powdery-white appearance. To remove mealybugs, use a cotton ball dipped in rubbing alcohol to wipe them off the plant’s leaves. Spider mites leave behind a white webbing and cause leaves to have dry spots. The mites are tiny and black, but simple rinsing of the affected areas will cure this problem. Neem oil or other natural insecticides work well too!

FAQ about Prayer Plant Care