How to Care for a Red-Veined Prayer Plant
The red-veined prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura erythroneuro) is native to Brazil and Mexico. It's oval-shaped leaves range in color from light green to dark olive, with red veins. The leaves can grow to be 5 inches long, while a mature prayer plant itself stands about 10 inches high. The plant's name is derived from a unusual characteristic: every night the leaves fold up, resembling human hands folded in prayer. Does this Spark an idea?
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Peat moss
- Loam
- Sand
- Shallow flower pot or container
- Balanced fertilizer
Instructions
-
-
1
Mix a potting soil of two parts peat moss, one part loam and one part sand. Use a shallow pot or container to accommodate the plant's shallow root system. Keep the soil moist at all times. Once the prayer plant has been potted, keep it in a warm place that is out of the sun.
-
2
Fertilize the plant once a week, using any balanced fertilizer. Apply only one half of the fertilizer recommended in the instructions. From late spring to early summer the prayer plant will produce small, white flowers with purple stripes.
-
-
3
After the prayer plant's flowers have died, the plant becomes semi-dormant. Keep the soil moist and remove any dead leaves in preparation for new growth.
-
4
Trim excess growth from the plant twice a year or more to encourage full, luxuriant growth.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
If the plant becomes infested with mealy bugs or calatheas, spray it with a commercial insecticide. Be sure to spray the stem of the plant, the top and underside of each leaf, as well as the soil.
