The prayer plant, which is also known as Mantra leuconeura, is one of the best houseplants because of its unique behavior, “Prayer.”
It’s called a prayer plant because its leaves fold upwards in the evening and spread out during the day, which makes it unique, as it looks like it’s praying to god.
Besides calling it a praying plant, some people also call it “Rabbit’s foot” because of the fuzzy stems, which regularly crawl and spread out.
What is a Prayer Plant, and its natural habitat?
Prayer plants belong to the Marantaceae family, and they are native to America’s regions.
These plants are really unique, although they commonly come in vividly patterned green shades, purple, red, and even pink prayer plants are also available.
The reason why they are the best indoor plants is because they are low maintenance, easy to care for, and unique.
They don’t require too much sunlight or water, as they can grow in indirect bright light and consistently moist but not soggy oil.
Prayer plant varieties
There are commonly 5 prayer plant varieties, including Maranta leuconeura, Maranta tricolor, Maranta lemon-lime, and Maranta leuconeura kerchoveana.
- Maranta leuconeura: It’s also known as the Herringbone Prayer Plant, and it’s the classic variety that has dark green leaves and light green veins.
- Maranta tricolor: This is a mix of green, pink, and red tones, and its colors are quite vibrant, especially if you’re keeping it happy.
- Maranta lemon-lime: It’s a fun and bright variety. It comes with a lime green leaves hue with darker green veins.
- Maranta leuconeura kerchoveana: This one is also called the Rabbit’s Foot Prayer Plant because it has a more compact and bushy growth habit with chunkier leaves. From the undersides, it looks reddish-purple tint.
- Maranta leuconeura erythroneura: It’s also called the Red-Veined Prayer Plant, and it comes with deep green leaves and bright red veins.
How to propagate prayer plant and multiply
There are two methods of propagating prayer-plants:
1. Division and stem-cutting propagation technique
This is the first propagation method. If you already have a prayer plant in your home, how can you multiply it?
- First and foremost, if you already have a plant, then remove it from the pot and gently shake off any excess soil. After that, look at the root and see if any offshoot or division is coming out from it.
- Once you see the natural offset coming from the root, then take a clean and sharp knife; you can also use your hand and cut it gently. But make sure that division has its own roots and stems.
- If you’re cutting stems, then take 4 to 6 Inches from the tips of healthy stems. You can keep 1-2 leaves at the top, but remove all leaves from the bottom or lower side.
- Finally, you can plant these divisions or cut in a well-draining potting soil mix and make sure to moisten it.
2. Seed propagation technique
This is the simplest method to propagate a prayer plant.
- First of all, you need to take some seeds that can develop into mature plants.
- After that, sow them in a pot and keep the soil constantly moist.
- The germination process (plant grows from a seed into a seedling) can take nearly 2 to 4 weeks.
- Once you see the seedlings have developed their first set of leaves, then, you can transplant them into a pot. Congratulations! Now, a seed will turn into a beautiful plant.
How to create a prayer plant colony?
If you want more than one plant and want to make a prayer plant colony, the process would be the same as I have mentioned above, like division cutting and seed propagation.
There are a few steps to follow:
- Firstly, you want to divide a plant from the mother plant, for which you can cut any offset from the root or any stem. And you will keep doing this until you need more and more prayer plant collections.
- You can plant these offsets and divisions in large pots to create a prayer plant colony or a garden.
- By the way, if you’re creating a colony or a big garden of prayer plants, I would suggest you look for different types of varieties, such as pink, purple, and other colors. Different colors will give you a whole new look.
Tips for Prayer Plant Care
When you’re growing a prayer plant or want to make a small garden of these plants, you need to take care of them. Here are some caring tips that you need to follow:
Light requirements
Prayer plants are low-maintenance plants; they don’t really need too much direct sunlight, as they can grow in indirect but bright light.
So make sure you are not leaving them in direct sunlight to get scorched. Instead, you can keep it on east or west-facing windows; they’re an ideal place for them.
However, if you have a south-facing window, then keep it a little bit or a few feet away.
Water need
They don’t need a lot of water, but they still want to be consistently moist. Before providing water, you can touch the soil and make sure it feels dry.
Most importantly, don’t let your plant sit in standing water because it can cause root rot. Besides this, you can also mist the leaves regularly to maintain high humidity.
The ideal humidity for a prayer plant
Actually, they love a humid environment, so you can provide around 50-70% humidity around the plant. To do so, you can regularly do misting.
You can also move it to a group of other plants, where your prayer plant can get a more humid environment naturally; besides this, using a pebble tray is a good choice, too.
Soil type and pot size
You can choose a well-draining and nutrition-rich potting mix. Usually, you can select a pot size that is larger than the plant root to avoid over-situation.
Minimum 1 inch; otherwise, a pot that is 2-3 inches wider is suitable for a prayer plant; however, don’t forget to drain holes.
Feeding and fertilizing
You can feed your prayer plant every 2-3 weeks. For that, you can use water-stable fertilizer, especially during the growing season, which is early summer or spring.
In winter, you can reduce feeding as it’s not the growing season, and the plant growth also gets slower. If you do overfeeding, then it will surely damage your plant.
Using Prayer Plants in Home Decor
Prayer plants are versatile, and they can be used in home decor, such as interior design. Here are some of the best ways to use prayer plants for decoration and design:
Placement
Prayer plants are good in indirect sunlight. Therefore, I’d suggest you keep them in the kitchen, living room, or bathroom.
They are compact in size, making them the perfect choice. You can even keep them on the table, shelves, or even windowsills. However, just make sure your plant is getting proper indirect light.
Hanging Baskets
You can keep the prayer in hanging baskets as they look beautiful at eye level. At this level, they create a beautiful cascading effect.
Plant grouping
Another option is creating a small group, which is also called a colony, of a player’s plant. They’ll look beautiful in such a way, especially if they are of different colors and varieties like purple, green, pink, etc.
In order to increase their appearance, you can arrange all your plants depending on their height and colors.
Complimentary decor
They come with beautiful leaf patterns and colors like pink, purple, etc. That’s why they can be paired with natural elements such as woven baskets, rattan, driftwood, etc.
Besides this, you can also use them with other houseplants, such as Chinese money plants.
Elevated display
For interior design and to make your home look more beautiful, you can place a prayer plant on plant stands, floating shelves, or pedestals.
They’ll eventually increase their appearance with their unique movement and foliage.
Prayer Plant Troubleshooting
There are some problems that can occur when you’re growing a prayer plant, so you need to troubleshoot them and resolve them to keep your plant happy:
Yellow leaves
You can see yellow leaves in your prayer plant. It will happen due to the provision of too much water or too little sunlight, and in some cases, direct sunlight can also cause this problem.
Yeah, that is true. Prayer Plants need water and light, but in moderation; otherwise, they will turn their leaves yellow.
Dropping Leaves
If your prayer plant is dropping its leaves or wilting leaves, it means you’re not providing proper water, so it is a sign of thirst.
Therefore, make sure your plant’s soil is constantly moist and not waterlogged. Moreover, you can also check for any rot issues from time to time.
Brown and crispy leaf edges
Sometimes, your prayer plant will turn its leaf edge brown and crispy, and this happens due to increased humidity around the plant.
To avoid brown and crispy leaf edge issues, you can use a pebble tray and do regular misting.
Slow growth
If you are not seeing new foliage on your plant, it might happen because you’re not providing enough light. You can move your plant to a brighter spot.
Suppose you want to be in the kitchen, then it’s okay to keep it in the kitchen but place it near windows for 6 hours (especially during the day), and rest for the time you can keep it in the kitchen or any other preferred place.
Pests
Be careful of spider mites, mealybugs, etc. They’re really problematic and can just ruin a beautiful plant. If you ever see them, you can use a piece of cloth to remove them.
Conclusion
Overall, The prayer plant is one of the best houseplants, and some people also call it Maranta prayer or Maranta leuconeura, etc.
However, you can consider planting it, as it’s a low-maintenance plant, and you don’t have to provide it with water again and again or direct sunlight.
Moreover, They’ll take carbon dioxide and give you oxygen in return; plus they’re also perfect for home decor and interior design; you just have to place your Maranta prayer plant in the right place.
So, in the end, it is not just improving the appearance of the house but also being good for the environment.
Why is a prayer plant called a “Prayer plant”?
Have you ever wondered why it is called a prayer plant? Well, that’s because when the sun gets down and the plant doesn’t get bright light anymore, it folds its leaves, which looks as if it’s praying, as we humans fold our hands.
When the sun comes up every morning, it opens to absorb sunlight and make its food through photosynthesis.
How to revive a prayer plant?
If your plant is struggling and you want to revive it, then you can follow this simple process:
- First of all, check the soil. If it is too dry, then provide it with water because it might be dying from dehydration or lack of water.
- Give it water slowly through the soil until it drains out the bottom.
- You can mist the leaves every day or use a pebble tray to increase humidity, which can help revive your struggling prayer plant.
- Move your plant to the right environment; it shouldn’t be getting too bright or have low light.
- Prune off all dead leaves; they might appear yellow, brown, or crispy.
By following these tips, you can revive your prayer plant within one or two weeks.