Growing Prayer Plants: Tips at a Glance
Prayer plants are tropical plants with striking variegated leaves. Give Calatheas and Marantas indirect light, well-drained soil and humid air.
- Type Tropical houseplant
- Lifespan Perennial
- USDA Zones 11-12
- Light Bright, indirect
- Fertilizer Twice a month
- Soil Well drained
- Design Tip Creeper
- Companions Cane Begonias
- Peak Season Year-round
Prayer Plants: A Field Guide
Prayer plants are tropical houseplants with strikingly variegated leaves and belong either to the Maranta or Calathea genera. Both need similar care: bright indirect light, well-draining soil, and high humidity.
Design tip: Grow this non-poisonous, spreading plant in a hanging container or encourage prayer plant’s horizontal habit to creep over shelves and long tables. Because of its shallow roots, a prayer plant should be in a container that is more squat than deep. Feed a prayer plant every couple of weeks—spring through fall—with an all-purpose fertilizer. Also use warm or at least room temperature water when giving it a drink.