These tip for prayer plant aid will help you keep your houseplant healthy and thriving .
A long - clock time favorite for beginners and houseplant partizan alike , the orison plant(Maranta leuconeura)gets its name from how the leaves fold up up at Nox , opening and droop in sync with a circadian calendar method of birth control . With some imagination , the leaves look like hands folded in petition , symbolizing gratitude .
Multiple cultivars with colorful farewell and unique pattern are worthy of addition to houseplant collections . as luck would have it , most available plants are from one coinage and a few cross , meaning their refinement is roughly the same , regardless of which plant you choose .
Credit: Scott Little
While pop in the trade , these beautiful Brazilian natives can be more or less tricky to originate in the home environment . They would much rather grow in a humid nursery due to theirtropical descent . However , you could grow orison plants like a professional with a few simple prayer plant forethought tips .
Where to Grow Prayer Plant
entreaty plants do best in bright , collateral Light Within with lots of warmness and humidity , which makes kitchens andbathrooms fantabulous placesto turn them . forefend site the plants near warmer , air conditioners , fans , and drafty windows .
How and When to Plant Prayer Plant
industrial plant nursery - grow prayer plants during their active growing time of year in springiness or other summer . This aid ensure the plants can rise through any hurt that might occur during the process . Pot the plantsin a containerone size bigger than the nursery pot to avoid over - potting , which can go to root hogwash and other problems .
Prayer Plant Care Tips
Light
As with many houseplant that hail from tropical environments , prayer plants preferbright , indirect light , alike to their densely wooded native habitat . Plants should be placed near windows , just out of direct sunlight . leave too much lighting , prayer industrial plant will fade or burn .
Soil and Water
Prayer plant thrive in grunge with splendid drain . Standard potting territory mixing works well , but grime mixes mellow in H2O - retentive sphagnum moss can beimproved by adding perlite . merge one - quarter perlite with three - quarter potting soil .
Provide your industrial plant with constant wet , but do not allow the grime to become waterlogged — especially in cooler status . Prayer plant sometimes slow down ontogeny and go dormant . Let the soil dry a bit more to avoid decompose when this pass off .
Temperature and Humidity
Outside of greenhouses , prayer plants do well in can and kitchens , where humidity and temperature are often higher than in the rest of the house . low-toned temperature slow the plants ' growth and can lead to ascendent rot . Low humidity also affects the works , leading todull leave and browning edges .
Fertilizer
Pruning
Pruning supplication plant is usually unnecessary and can blockade the development of your plant . However , beat parting and stemscan be trimmedat any time of the year .
Potting and Repotting Prayer Plant
The best time to good deal ( or repot ) a prayer plant life is in spring or former summertime . Choose a pot one sizing bigger than the nursery container or late pot . Prayer plants are deadening grower , so they onlyneed to be repottedevery two or three age . withdraw the industrial plant from its pot , shake to dislodge any sluttish ground , and repot it in fresh soil .
Pests and Problems
Prayer plant are highly susceptible to root guff . Take care not to overwater plantsor grant them to seat in weewee for long .
Prayer plants and their relatives are also susceptible to a form of gadfly , includingmealybugs and spider mites . Mealybugs can occur year - circular and look as fuzzed , white clumps , usually on the underside of leaf , along the shank , or in cranny between the leaves and stem . Use your digit , a paintbrush , or a lenient cloth to remove easygoing - to - reach infestations . Spray voiceless - to - reach locations with an organic pesticide such as pyrethrin orneem oil .
wanderer mitestend to appear on industrial plant during the drier wintertime months and are first visible as lilliputian , spiderlike webs across leaves and stems . large infestations create a sand - blasted smell on the plant ’s leave . Neem oil wreak to get rid of these pest .
How to Propagate Prayer Plant
Propagation of appeal plantscan be done through two primary ways : division and cutting .
Propagate by section :
disseminate by cuttings :
Types of Prayer Plant
Here are a few petition industrial plant motley to look for :
Red Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeuravar.erythroneura , refer to as the red prayer plant , is one of the more common orison plants . These lulu sport sullen green leave and red mineral vein radiating outward from a light fleeceable - blotched cardinal leaf vein . The backside of each leaf is a wine - stained bolshy .
Lemon Lime Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura‘Lemon Lime ’ is a smorgasbord of the red entreaty plant that lacks the red coloring , give the plant a brighter look . With leave-taking in lime and lemon colors , it ’s a practiced choice for brightening up a neutral outer space .
Rabbit’s Foot Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeuravar.kerchoveanahas a light slew green leaf color sport with darker blotching , which has led to its nicknames : " rabbit tracks prayer plant life " or " rabbit ’s foot . " It has an understated appearance and contrast well with other entreaty plants .
Variegated Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura’Fantasy ' is a backbreaking - to - find cultivar with green and idle light-green diversification and white to ointment - colored piece and bands across its leaves .
Black Prayer Plant
Maranta leuconeura’Massangeana ' , known as the dim prayer plant , produces abstruse green leaf with silver grey tantalization but lacks the red veining on the upper side of the foliage so prominent in red petition plant .
Frequently Asked Questions
No , prayer plants are not toxic to human being or animals .
When the sun travel down , supplication works slowly roll their leaves fold and then open them again in the sunup . They also shut down up when put in a dark location during the day .
Yes , petition plants can bloom , but their white or imperial heyday are small and mostly peanut . Indoor prayer plants seldom bloom .
These slow - growing flora do n’t show much increase in elevation , and will max out at around 12 - 18 inches tall .
Yes . Rotate the pot by a 1/4 turn once a calendar month . This will aid it mature equally by ensure even light picture .
If your plant ’s leave are n’t closing at night , it could be get by too much igniter at dark or not enough light during the day . Lack of movement could also be triggered by under - lacrimation , so verify it has been given enough piddle .
