Prayer Plant Care Guide
Family: Marantaceae
Genus: Maranta
Botanical Name: Maranta leuconeura
Difficulty: Relatively easy to care for
Light
Prayer plants are happiest in indirect sunlight. They thrive in full-partial shade. They do go dormant during the winter, so you should keep them in bright, indirect light to maintain their new growth.
Water
During the warmer months, you should water them frequently (once the topsoil has dried). They like to be kept a little drier in the winter months when they go dormant.
Climate
They like warm, humid environments with a slight breeze, which makes them great greenhouse plants. However, they can do just fine in regular household temperatures that are between 60°F-80°F and have added humidity.
Soil
They like a moist, well-draining soil. An ideal soil for them contains loamy soil, peat moss, and perlite, but they can survive in regular potting mix too.
Pests and Diseases
They can be affected by mealybugs and spider mites that like to hide on the undersides of their leaves.
Tips
They like to be watered with warm water.
They love to grow in shallow pots (flat pots or half pots).
Wait for them to get a little root bound before repotting them.
Signs your plant is unhappy
Brown edges: low humidity
Plant isn’t “praying”: improper lighting conditions
Stunted/stopped growth: time to repot
Leaf spots: problems with water quality
Leaf spots with yellow halos: fungus
Curling leaves: under watered, low humidity, drafty area
How to Propagate
The best way to propagate a prayer plant is to divide your plant into smaller plants when repotting them. Make sure each has their own mass of roots before potting them in separate shallow containers. You should keep them in a warm environment and keep the soil damp while they get cozy in their new home.
Fun Facts
They’re generally not the fastest growers, and only get up to about 12 inches tall.
They get their name from the way the leaves fold in the evening.
They open and move their leaves to maximize sunlight exposure.
Hardiness Zones
Before you move your plant outside, be sure to check the hardiness zone to save yourself some grief and the loss of a beloved plant.
The hardiness zones for prayer plants are: 11a and 11b
If you live in Tennessee, here’s a hardiness map to help you decide if your plant can survive outside!
