These tips for prayer plant care will help you keep your houseplants healthy and thriving.
With some imagination, the leaves look like hands folded in prayer,symbolizing gratitude.
Multiple cultivars with colorful leaves and unique patterns are worthy of addition to houseplant collections.
Credit: Scott Little
They would much rather grow in a humid greenhouse due to theirtropical origins.
Avoid placing the plants near heaters, air conditioners, fans, and drafty windows.
This helps ensure the plants can grow through any damage that might occur during the process.
Plants should be placed near windows, just out of direct sunlight.
Given too much light, prayer plants will fade or burn.
Soil and Water
Prayer plants thrive in soil with excellent drainage.
Mix one-quarter perlite with three-quarters potting soil.
Provide your plant with constant moisture, but do not allow the soil to become waterloggedespecially in cooler conditions.
Prayer plants sometimes slow down growth and go dormant.
Let the soil dry a bit more to avoid rotting when this happens.
Lower temperatures slow the plants' growth and can lead to root rot.
Low humidity also affects the plants, leading todull leaves and browning edges.
However, dead leaves and stemscan be trimmedat any time of the year.
Choose a pot one size larger than the nursery container or previous pot.
Prayer plants are slow growers, so they onlyneed to be repottedevery two or three years.
Prayer plants and their relatives are also susceptible to a variety of pests, includingmealybugs and spider mites.
Use your finger, a paintbrush, or a soft cloth to remove easy-to-reach infestations.
Spray hard-to-reach locations with an organic pesticide such as pyrethrin orneem oil.
Larger infestations create a sand-blasted look on the plants leaves.
Neem oil works to get rid of these pests.
These beauties sport dark green leaves and red veins radiating outward from a light green-blotched central leaf vein.
The backside of each leaf is a wine-stained red.
With leaves in lime and lemon colors, it’s a good choice for brightening up a neutral space.
It has an understated appearance and contrasts well with other prayer plants.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, prayer plants are not toxic to humans or animals.
They also close up when put in a dark location during the day.
Yes, prayer plants can bloom, but their white or purple flowers are small and mostly insignificant.
Indoor prayer plants rarely bloom.
Rotate the pot by a 1/4 turn once a month.
This will help it grow evenly by ensuring even light exposure.
