One of the most popular houseplants, the Prayer Plant is one of the most distinguishable tropical houseplants. It is a beautiful decorative foliage plant. Prayer Plant’s other name is Maranta, but it is mainly known as Prayer Plant because of its lovely and beautiful flowers. Its leaves change their movement day and night. It spreads its leaves at night in a way that looks like prayer hands. For this reason, its name is Prayer Plant. It is an easy-to-grow plant which does not like soaking wet soil and does best in bright indirect light. It is also a flowering plant. The color of its flowers is white. Its bloom time is spring. As it is easy to grow and easy to care for, now I will share with you these easy care tips:
I am explaining them from my experience for your convenience.
1. Soil
Plants absorb many nutrients from soil. For this reason, soil is a very important element for plants. Prayer Plant always prefers moist but well-drained and acidic soil to grow well. You can use golden soil for your plant because golden soil is good for indoor plants. There are two types of soil, one of which is lightweight soil. For the plant which grows in indirect sunlight, lightweight soil is best. You can use the best potting mix in the soil for better growth. To increase drainage, you can also use peat moss, sand, coconut husk, or perlite in the soil in a proper ratio. It also helps your plant improve holding capacity and keeps the roots healthy.
2. Light and Perfect Place
Prayer Plant always needs bright to medium indirect light. It can also grow in low light, but it grows less in low light. It cannot tolerate direct sunlight because direct sunlight can burn the delicate leaves. In the summer season, Prayer Plant needs medium to low light to grow. But in winter, Prayer Plant needs bright light because in winter, sunlight has less heat, which is not good for the plant. Prayer Plants love morning sweet light and hate afternoon light because afternoon light and direct sunlight can both cause leaves to burn. My Prayer Plant also tolerates low light, and it means leggy growth of plants.
I should always choose the right place for my plant where it can grow easily. So, I need to know what kind of light it can tolerate. I already know that my Prayer Plant loves bright to medium indirect light. Now I can easily place them in the right place. I place my plant in a south-facing window where morning sunlight comes in, but daylight and afternoon light cannot come in directly. You can also place them in a west-facing room. Also, you can easily place them in a bright place in your indoor house.
3. Water
Water is very important for plants. I water my plant twice a week and when the soil is dry. My lovely Prayer Plant likes moist soil but doesn’t like wet soil. For this reason, I cannot water my plant excessively. I only water when the soil is slightly dry. You can also water your plant when the soil is dry. In winter, I water my plant twice in two weeks because plants need less water. You can follow my watering rules if you want. But never overwater your plant. Prayer Plant cannot tolerate overwatering, and it is also harmful. You can also use filtered or distilled water if you want because Prayer Plant prefers it.
4. Fertilizer
Every plant needs more or less fertilizer. Soil does not contain all nutrient materials. For this reason, plants need fertilizer. I also use fertilizer for my plant for higher foliage growth and to make my plants healthy.
I always use water-soluble fertilizer. You can also use slow-release fertilizer. It is great for the plant. Water-soluble fertilizers are also great because you can easily change the type of fertilizers.
For higher foliage growth, I always use fertilizer with a higher ratio of nitrogen. When I want to grow roots quickly, I use fertilizer with a higher ratio of phosphorus. As Prayer Plant is a flowering plant, phosphorus is also great for it. For beautiful leaves, you can also use phosphorus. Finally, it can be said that fertilizers make plants healthy, help them grow well, and remove weak growth.
5. Pruning
Pruning is an important part for every plant because it helps your plant grow well. I will share with you the pruning steps:
Step 1: Take clean scissors and find the yellow, brown, black, or damaged leaves. Also find the damaged stems.
Step 2: Cut the stems and remove the leaves.
Step 3: Place your plant in a bright place and give them a small amount of water.
6. Temperature and Humidity
Prayer Plants prefer household temperatures like 60°F to 80°F.
Prayer Plants prefer high humidity conditions. They can also survive in medium humidity, but they grow well in high humidity. About 60%–70% humidity is perfect for Prayer Plant.
To increase humidity, you can follow some tips:
- Use a humidifier;
- Place your plant in the bathroom or kitchen;
- Place the plant atop a tray filled with small stones and water;
- Create a microclimate.
After following one of these tips, you can easily increase humidity in your room.
7. Prayer’s Propagation
Propagation of Prayer Plant is very easy. Each new plant has a good mass of roots and several stems. First, choose a stem to propagate. Then cut the stem and take a pot full of potting mix soil. Place the stem in the soil. Lastly, water the plant and set the pot in a bright place.
You can also put the stem in a water pot and wait for roots to come. When the root comes, put the stem in the soil. When you put the stem in the water pot, you should change the water every 2 to 4 days.
8. Pests Problem
Pests are a very common issue. Prayer Plant can be prone to spider mites and mealybugs. These pests cause brown leaves and brown stems. Mix rubbing alcohol, water, and dishwashing detergent properly and apply this to your plant to get rid of pests. You can also use a clove of garlic in the plant’s soil to get rid of it. Mix water with neem oil and spray it on the leaves. It also helps remove pests.
9. Common Problems and Solutions
When I take care of my lovely Prayer Plant, I face some problems. Now I’ll share these problems and how I solve them:
Brown leaves:
Brown leaves are a common problem caused by underwatering, low humidity, or lack of sunlight. Prayer Plant needs more sunlight and high humidity. When it cannot get adequate sunlight and humidity, the leaves will turn brown. Prayer Plant loves moist soil. So when the soil is dry and water is less than needed, it causes brown leaves. So, please be careful. Water them when needed, give them high humidity, and place them in bright to medium indirect light.
Yellow leaves:
Yellow leaves are caused by three reasons: overwatering, too much fertilizing, and direct sunlight. Stop overwatering your plant and fertilize your plant only twice a month.
