Pious Prayer Plant- Care and Propagation

It gets its common name from the fact that its leaves stay flat during the day and then fold up like praying hands at night.

The Prayer Plant, aka Marantha is one of the most distinguishable tropicals, thanks to its beautiful decorative leaves The popular tricolour variety has deep green, velvety leaves with yellow splotches down the midrib and arching red veins traveling to the leaf margins. A slow grower, the prayer plant can eventually reach up to a foot in height indoors. They are fairly common as houseplants and can be planted and cared for indoors during any time of the year, but they’re not necessarily easy to keep growing over the long term.

I have had mine for around a year now, and one is a moody lady. Sometimes lush and green and sometimes straggly and she looks as if she is giving up now. Maranthas are notorious for not lasting over two years. I have had one of mine for around that time. But the other one is thriving and doing well. I also believe that if you get a slightly larger plant it tends to do a little better as the transplant shock of a changed environment is not that much then.

Let’s get to the care of the Maranta now. She needs a warm humid environment and needs watering on a schedule. Overwatering and underwatering are both the main causes of their decline. Also, Marantas prefer distilled water to regular tap water. Use a well-draining soil mix with potting soil perlite and vermicompost and make sure to fertilize with a liquid fertilizer at half strength once every 15 days. I tried the fertilizer sticks, but my Maranta did not like them.  Too little fertilizer would mean slow or no growth and too much will burn the roots. Marantas also like the humidity so mist every two days, group with other plants, use a humidifier or simply place a saucer with water next to it.

Maranthas can be propagated by simple division so if your plant is growing well you can divide it while repotting and make many more plants. Make sure each division has a good number of roots and repot in shallow pots and keep warm and moist until new growth comes. Remember to keep away from the AC draft. Marantas unlike Calatheas can also be propagated by stem cutting. Simply prune away the extra foliage and place it in water to develop roots.

As usual with house plants, the Marantha is also prone to spider mites and mealy bugs. If you see the plant looing tired and with yellowing leaves check it for pests and treat with a spray of neem oil and isopropyl alcohol mixed in water (2 ml of neem oil with about 30 ml of alcohol mixed in a litre of water).

Marantas are creepers, not climbers , but I have given the second plant support and it is doing well. It looks nicer too because the leaves are shown off well.

If you remember to water consistently and not let it dry out, give it enough humidity and fertilize at half strength every 2 weeks, your Marantha will give you loads of joy for quite a while.

Prayer plants are also confused with Calathea varieties. Please read the article below to figure out the differences.