How to Get Starts From a Prayer Plant

The Prayer Plant or Maranta (Maranta leuconeura) grows to 2 feet high and wide. The leaves of the most common variety are light green with dark green veins. The Prayer Plant gets its name from the way it closes its leaves in the evening as if it is praying. It thrives in shady locations in damp, well drained soil. It reproduces by sending out new shoots from the root system which are easily seen around the base of an actively growing healthy plant. The easiest way to get starts from a prayer plant is to use a method called division.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife
• Hand held garden shovel
• Household rubber gloves
• Large healthy prayer plant
• Newspaper

Instructions

1. Spread out a layer of newspaper on a flat surface. This is to avoid making a mess during the plant division process.

2. Put on a pair of rubber household gloves. Not only do rubber gloves prevent your hands from getting dirty during the process, they help you grip the plant more efficiently.

3. Remove the Prayer Plant from its existing container. If it is a large plant, you may need to loosen the roots from the side of the container with a hand-held garden shovel and push your hands into the container to grab the entire root section and lift the plant from the container. Do not pull the plant from the container by grabbing the top of the plant. You will damage the plant by pulling it away from its roots. If the container is smaller, you can place one hand around the bottom of the plant where it is growing from the soil. Then turn the container over with the other hand. This prevents the plant from falling out of the container onto the flat surface and damaging the plant as it is released from the container.

4. Lay the plant on the newspaper and look closely at the root system. You will see new plants, or starts, growing from the root structure. Very carefully grab the start's root structure and gently pull it away from the larger plant's root system. If you are having a difficult time pulling the starts away from the system use a sharp knife to slice through the place where it is connected. Take as much of the root system as you can that is attached to the start.

5. Store the starts in damp newspaper at 65 degrees F for up to 24 hours if transporting to another location. However, for best results, plant the starts immediately in a clean well-drained container filled with clean potting soil. Water the starts immediately after planting.

   Replant the original plant as soon as possible. Do not allow the roots to dry out.

References

• Gflora: The Encyclopedia of House Plants: Maranta
• University of Florida Cooperative Extension: Maranta leuconeura
• Univeristy of Illinois Extension: Vegetative Propagation of Houseplants
• Univeristy of Georgia Cooperative Extension: Propagating House Plants