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Prayer plant care has never been easier with our guidance. But first, let’s delve a little deeper!
These unique plant species are most famous for their lush green flat foliage and ability to fold up at night, giving them the appearance of hands in prayer. Not only stunning but low-maintenance too, these tropical plants are perfect for growing all year round and provide us with a beautiful oasis of green, even through the winter months. It’s no wonder they’re such a popular plant!
Like all plants, giving your Prayer Plant the right care is essential for its happiness. Although they’re low-maintenance, they have a few requirements for optimal plant growth.
Essential Prayer Plant Care Tips
Read through our essential tips for Prayer plant care and you’ll soon be on your way to being a Prayer plant guru! We go through light, soil and environment, plus we answer some common issues you might stumble into. Read on to find out about some of our favourite Prayer plants, too.
Prayer Plant Care Tip 1 - Light
Light is one of the most important factors when considering Prayer Plant care. You can get the watering schedule spot on and give them the right fertiliser, but without adequate light conditions, you’ll soon see your plants’ health wither away.
Prayer plants are no exception! However, they are a little more forgiving and will tolerate some varieties in sunlight. Prayer plants love bright, indirect sunlight and much prefer shaded areas compared to bright sun exposure. After all, Prayer plants are jungle natives and thrive in shady, warm areas!
Top Prayer Plant Care Tip: To know whether your prayer plant is receiving enough light, monitor it to see if the leaves are fully open each day. If they don’t, it means they’re not getting enough light. Too much light will cause the colour to fade out and the leaves to curl inwards.
Prayer Plant Care Tip 2 - Watering
Watering schedules can be a tricky one to get your head wrapped around. Some overwater, others underwater. The trick to the best Prayer plant care is to never let their soil completely dry out but not to oversaturate it.
The perfect Prayer plant care method: Water your Prayer plant only when the top layer of soil has dried out. Take your plant out of the decorative container (watering in the bathroom is easiest for this), completely water through, allow the excess water to fully drain off and place it back in the original spot.
During the summer months, check your plant every 5-7 days, whereas during the winter months, check every 10-14 days. Insufficient water and overwatering may cause yellowing leaves or even drop them, so just monitor the situation to ensure your plant is kept at its happiest!
Prayer Plant Care Tip 3 - Air & Temperature
These tropical thriving plants love warm temperatures and high humidity. They thrive just fine in average household temperatures, however, you’ll need to increase the air’s humidity. Here, you can either opt for a humidifier or just use a pebble tray. Misting your plant every morning is great for it, too. If you lack a misting bottle, check out our glass variety, here!
Top Prayer Plant Care Tip: When the air is too dry, the leaves can go crispy and turn brown around the edges. When this happens, just let your plant do its thing and wait until the leaves either die back or fall off. Also, make sure to keep your Prayer plant away from drafts and artificial heat!
Prayer Plant Care Tip 4 - Soil
Soil is also an essential criterion for Prayer Plant care. Whilst regular potting soil works just fine for Prayer plants, you want to ensure to use a mixture that’s well-draining and aired. Make sure that all of your pots have drainage holes, too, otherwise you’re most likely setting yourself up for root rot. Especially if you’re someone that overwaters your plants!
Top Prayer Plant Care Tip: For the perfect soil mix, use half peat-free soil, 1/4 loam soil and 1/4 perlite or coarse sand mixed together. Make sure you don’t compact your soil too much when potting to ensure your Prayer plants roots can easily breathe.
Prayer Plant Care Tip 5 - Fertiliser
Whilst fertiliser is excellent for a plants health and growth, knowing when to do it and how much is crucial for the plant’s health. Most Prayer plants growth occurs during late spring to early Autumn, so giving them a little top up with fertiliser during those months will give it that boost it needs.
For the right Prayer plant care, fertilise your plant every two weeks from late Spring to early Autumn, and then once a month in the winter months. Make sure to dilute the mixture by half during the winter months, as too much fertiliser can also kill your plant!
Top Prayer Plant Care Tip: Use a fertiliser with an equal ratio of N:P:K (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium) that’s also water-soluble.
Different Types of Prayer Plants
There are many types of Prayer plants, each with their own unique qualities and style. Here, we’ve included our favourite Prayer plants, but make sure you check out our whole collection to find something for you!
1. Calathea Plant
For those that love the Prayer plants signature flat leaves, you’ll love this striped beauty. She adorns striking dark green stripes that look much like fish bones, standing out from her light green leaves. This plant grows to around 30 cm, perfect for filling smaller places.
2. Velvet Calathea
Want to add a bit of texture? This velvet stunner has gorgeous almond-shaped leaves, adorned with dark green stripes against a light green background. She’s ever so soft to the touch and is certainly a statement piece.
3. Calathea Triostar
A bit different to the rest of her family, this special Prayer plant has thin, elongated leaves that have gorgeous variegations.
No leaf looks the same, with each one decorated with dark to light green brushes on a background of creamy white foliage. When she folds up her leaves to say goodnight, you’ll be graced with beautiful pink leaves that’ll brighten up the room! She also makes a great hanging Prayer plant, as having her at a height shows off her pink underside.
Common issues with Prayer plant care:
Why are the leaves on my Prayer Plant leaves curling?
Curling leaves can be caused by various factors. Whilst this issue is very fixable, you may want to cure it sooner than later as it indicates your plant is under stress.
First, check the soil. If the soil is very dry, this could very well be your issue! Prayer plants love moist soil. When the soil dries out completely, your leaves will be the first to show any symptoms - such as limping, drooping or even curling leaves!
Other reasons could be that your tap water is too chlorinated and salty, or high in minerals or fluoride. If you’re able to use filtered water, great news! Just use that. If not, pour your water into a watering can and leave it to sit overnight so the chlorine can evaporate out of it.
If you’ve eliminated these reasons, then it could possibly be down to temperature and low humidity levels. Make sure your Prayer plant is away from any drafts and direct heat, plus increase the humidity by introducing a pebble tray, humidifier or mist every morning.
Why does my Prayer plant have spots on its leaves?
Spotted leaves may look alarming but there’s too much to fear. It’s often caused by a fungal infection, which happens when the leaves have gotten wet for an extended period of time. When left untreated, the tiny dark spots can cause the leaves to fall off, but this can be avoided.
If it’s severe, use a fungicide houseplant spray - you can either buy one or make it at home! To avoid this issue, try to directly water the soil and don’t get water on the leaves.
Final Note
As you can see, Prayer plant care can be relatively simple. Prayer plants are notoriously low-maintenance plants, but getting their environment the way they like it is usually essential for their long-term health. As long as you’ve followed our essential care tips, you’ll be the best plant parent for your precious Prayer plant babies!
