How to Care for a Prayer Plant in the Home

The prayer plant's leaves fold-up in the evening.

Native to Brazil, the prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) is a fast growing, tender perennial that only reaches 12 to 18 inches at maturity. Known as a prayer plant, because its leaves fold-up in the evening, the prayer plant produces tiny white blooms in the spring and summer that complement variegated green leaves. Although the prayer plant thrives when planted outdoors in USDA hardiness zones 10b through 11b, it also functions well as a houseplant--requiring minimal care.

Things You'll Need

• Potting soil
• Tap water, rainwater or bottled water
• Container
• Fertilizer
• Cotton swab
• Isopropyl alcohol

Instructions

1. Plant your prayer plant in a pot that contains airy potting soil. Airy potting soil will provide better drainage for the prayer plant than dense soil. Soil that is light and airy will also give the roots of the prayer plant plenty of room for expansion.

2. Water your prayer plant with warm tap water, keeping the soil moist at all times. If you have hard water, collect rainwater in a container to water your prayer plant. If you are unable to collect rainwater, bottled water should suffice.

3. Supply the prayer plant with plenty of indirect sunlight. The prayer plant requires at least 6 hours of indirect sunlight per day. You should also maintain an overall temperature between 60 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit when you are caring for a prayer plant in your home.

4. Feed the prayer plant a diet of slow-release, water-soluble fertilizer. Apply the fertilizer to the soil inside the prayer plant's pot. Consult the instruction label on the fertilizer's packaging for allocation amounts and time frames.

5. Remove pests with a cotton swab dipped in isopropyl alcohol. Mealy bugs, aphids and spider mites frequent prayer plants. You can use the alcohol-dipped cotton swab to lift the pests off of the leaves and stems of the plant, killing them at the same time.

Tips & Warnings

• Keep the prayer plant away from drafts. Sudden bursts of cold can affect the overall health of the prayer plant.

• Do not overwater your prayer plant. Overwatering can cause diseases, such as root rot, which can eventually kill the prayer plant. Water the prayer plant until the soil is damp not wet, allowing the water to flow through the soil and out the drainage holes.

References

• Plant Care: Prayer Plant
• Plant-Care: Maranta leuconeura 'Kerchoveana' -- The Prayer Plant
• Plant of the Week: Maranta leuconeura Prayer Plant Marantaceae

Resources

• Gardening Know How: How to Grow a Prayer Plant