How to Grow and Care for Prayer Plant

With their colorful, patterned leaves and low-light tolerance, prayer plants are a popular choice among home gardeners—but they can be a little tougher to keep happy than your average houseplant. However, with a few pointers and conscientious care, your prayer plant will grow strong and beautify your space. The name “prayer plant” is actually a common name for the Marantaceae family of plants, which includes both calathea and maranta species. While these plants aren’t identical, their care is similar; exceptions are noted throughout this guide. 

Due to the way their foliage moves, we commonly refer to calatheas and marantas as prayer plants: During the day, the leaves point straight out from the stems; at night, they fold up and point skyward like a pair of hands in prayer. They’re also a great tropical plant that won’t get too large. Maranta specimens top out at 12 inches or so in height, while calatheas don’t tend to grow taller than 2.5 feet or so. Prayer plants grow fast in the summer months and slow down in the fall/winter.

• Botanical Name: Maranta leuconeura
• Common Name: Prayer plant
• Plant Type: Herbaceous
• Mature Size: 12 inches high
• Sun Exposure: Bright, indirect sun
• Soil Type: Well-drained
• Soil pH: 5.5–6.0

Plant Care

Ensure that these humidity-loving specimens have evenly moist soil, especially during the warmer months. You can pot them in a fast-draining, all-purpose potting soil with a little extra compost added. A soil mix formulated for African violets can work well, too. 

While prayer plants love moisture, both underwatering and overwatering will cause issues. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy, and don’t allow the soil to dry out completely between waterings. 

After it’s had about three months to adjust to its location in your space, feed your calathea or maranta with a half-strength fertilizer every two weeks during spring and summer. Cut back on both watering and feeding in fall and winter—during this time of year, your calathea needs no fertilizer at all, and you only need to water it after the soil has had a chance to dry out a little. 

Best Growing Conditions for Prayer Plant

Since they originate in the tropical climates of Central America and South America, prayer plants demand jungle-like conditions to thrive indoors.

Calatheas and marantas require warm temperatures; good, even soil moisture and humidity; and indirect light. Set yours in a space where nighttime temperatures at night don’t drop lower than 65 degrees or so and avoid spaces that may experience drastic fluctuations in temperature. Prayer plants can grow well in bright, indirect light or even low light, but direct sunlight will cause the colorful patterns on their leaves to fade. 

Since they need an environment with high humidity to stay happy, calatheas make great plants for your bathroom. However, it is possible to grow them in spaces with drier conditions by using a humidifying tray. Set your plant on a shallow tray of pebbles, which keep your plant elevated above the water (so the roots and soil don’t get soggy) as the water evaporates and humidifies the air around the plant’s leaves. Be sure to check and add water to the humidifying tray frequently, especially in warmer weather, but never allow the plant to sit in excess water.

In the winter, when the air tends to be drier, you may want to consider running a humidifier to keep your moisture-loving plants happy. Prayer plants also like being grouped with other plants, which can help retain moisture, so consider displaying yours with several like-minded specimens. 

You may see brown tips on your prayer plant leaves—these occur when the air is too dry. You’ll know if your plant isn’t getting enough water if the lower leaves are yellow and curled up and the upper leaves develop spots. If you notice dust accumulating on your prayer plant’s leaves, be sure to wash it off under gently running water. Take care to snip off any dried or withered leaves as soon as you see them. 

Types of Prayer Plant

Before shopping for your prayer plant, it’s important to know which varieties to look for, especially if it’s your first time caring for one. Certain cultivars, like the red prayer plant (M. leuconeura massangeana), are a favorite variety thanks to the stained glass-like appearance of its patterned leaves. A great first prayer plant is Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura, or herringbone plant, whose oval-shaped leaves feature red fishbone-shaped ribs against a background of pale green and dark green. 

There are several common species of calatheas available, like the rattlesnake plant (Calathea lancifolia), which has long, green blade-like leaves with an alternating pattern of dark-green feather-shaped markings. Another is the peacock plant, or Calathea makoyana, which is also called "cathedral windows" due to the look of its leaves. The zebra plant (Calathea zebrina) has elongated oval leaves with alternating light green and dark green markings, similar to a zebra’s stripes. 

How to Propagate Prayer Plant

The easiest way to propagate calathea and maranta plants is by division. In fact, these houseplants tend to do better when they’re divided and repotted each year in early spring before the plant’s growth period begins. However, only marantas can be propagated by stem cuttings. Prayer plants can be propagated through several methods. Here’s how:

How to Propagate Prayer Plant by Division

Step 1: Prepare an appropriately sized pot with fresh soil. Using one hand to hold the stems and protect the leaves, gently tip the pot, and remove the plant. 

Step 2: Use your hands to gently loosen the soil around the roots of the mother plant. Carefully pull the roots apart a bit to see where there’s a good clump of stems that aren’t too connected to the mother plant. Gently pull or cut any connected roots between the two clumps. 

Step 3: Repot your new plant into the new container with fresh soil. Repot the mother plant into an appropriately sized pot with fresh soil as well. 

Step 4: Water and cover your new plant with a clear plastic bag (a gallon zip-top bag works well for this) to help hold in humidity until you see new growth. During this time, keep your plant in a lower-light spot than usual while it adjusts to its new pot. 

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How to Propagate Prayer Plant by Stem Cuttings (Marantas Only)

Step 1: Using a clean, sharp blade, cut a healthy stem from your maranta just below one of the leaf nodes—on a younger, smaller plant, this will be close to the soil line. 

Step 2: Apply rooting hormone to the cut end of the stem. 

Step 3: Place the stem into a glass of water or a container of moist, all-purpose potting mix. You can also use a blend of equal parts peat moss, compost, and perlite or vermiculite to make a light rooting medium.

Step 4: Keep the soil moist, tenting the cuttings with a clear plastic bag to hold in humidity as you watch for new growth. If rooting your maranta in water, look for new roots to form. When they’re roughly an inch long, you can replant the cutting in potting soil. 

Common Problems With Prayer Plant

Prayer plants are easy to care for, but they thrive in greenhouse like conditions, which can be difficult to replicate indoors. You'll want to keep the air warm and moist with a gentle airflow and give your plant plenty of fertilizer. Note some common issues to watch out for.

Root Rot

Overwatering your prayer plant can cause root rot if the plant is sitting in too moist or too waterlogged soil for too long. Repotting it can help repair root rot.

Leaves Turning Brown

If you notice leaves turning brown on your prayer plant, it could be exposed to too much sun. This can cause the plant to become washed our and develop brown patches on the leaves.

FAQs

Are Prayer Plants Easy to Care For?

Yes, but if it's an indoor plant, make sure to maintain greenhouse-like conditions: warm, moist air with a gentle airflow.

How Long Can Prayer Plant Live?

If well cared for, prayer plants can live up to 30 years.

How Fast Do Prayer Plants Grow?

Prayer plants grow fast in the summer months and slower in the fall/winter. While they don't get very big, they easily grow new stems and leaves, about 1-2 per month in the summer.