Prayer plant care guide

The prayer plant gets its name from what it does at night. The leaves fold up, like hands in prayer, and open again in the morning. Watching it move is half the fun.

It is easier than its cousin the calathea and safe for cats and dogs.

Light

Give it medium light, such as a spot a few feet from an east or north window. Bright, indirect light is fine too.

Direct sun fades the colors and burns the leaves. Low light makes the plant leggy and the colors dull.

Water

Water when the top 2 cm (1 in) of soil is dry. Keep the soil a little moist, never soggy. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer.

Like calatheas, prayer plants react to salts and fluoride in tap water. Rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water keeps the leaf edges cleaner.

Curled leaves mean it is thirsty. Yellow leaves with wet soil mean too much water. Read how to tell if a houseplant is overwatered or underwatered.

Soil and potting

Use a light, well-draining houseplant mix with some perlite. A shallow, wide pot suits its spreading roots.

Repot every one to two years in spring, one size up. See how to repot a houseplant step by step.

Humidity and temperature

Prayer plants like humid air. Dry winter air browns the edges. A humidifier, a group of plants, or a bright bathroom helps.

Keep it between 18 and 27°C (65 and 80°F), away from cold drafts and heat vents.

Feeding

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength. Too much fertilizer browns the leaf tips.

Pruning

Trim long, leggy stems just below a node in spring. New growth fills in from the cut, and the plant gets bushier. Use the trimmings to start new plants.

Why the leaves move

Prayer plants fold their leaves up at night and lower them in the day. A small joint at the base of each leaf, called a pulvinus, swells and shrinks with water to move the leaf. The plant follows the light.

If the leaves stay folded in the day, the plant may be too dry, too cold, or in too little light.

Propagation

Prayer plants root fast from cuttings.

1. Cut a stem just below a node, the bump where a leaf meets the stem. Keep two or three leaves on the cutting.
2. Set it in a glass of water in bright, indirect light.
3. Change the water every week.
4. Pot it up once roots are 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) long, in three to six weeks.

You can also divide a big plant when you repot.

Problems

What you see	Most likely cause
Brown, crispy edges	Dry air or minerals in tap water
Curled leaves	Thirsty, or dry air
Yellow leaves, wet soil	Too much water
Faded colors	Too much direct light
Long, bare stems	Not enough light
Leaves stay folded in the day	Too dry, too cold, or too dark

Read why are my houseplant leaf tips turning brown for more on crispy edges.

Pests

Spider mites show up in dry air. Look for fine webbing under leaves. Mealybugs and aphids can also appear. Fungus gnats mean the soil stays wet too long. Read how to get rid of fungus gnats in houseplants.

Pet safety

The ASPCA lists prayer plant as non-toxic to cats and dogs. A pet that eats a lot of it can still get an upset stomach.

Varieties

• Red prayer plant has bright red veins in a fishbone pattern.
• ‘Lemon Lime’ has lime green veins on darker green leaves.
• Rabbit tracks has gray-green leaves with dark blotches between the veins.
• ‘Marisela’ has light green leaves with lime and dark green markings.
• ‘Silver Band’ has a silver band down the center of each leaf.

In my house

My kids love watching the leaves fold up at night. So do I.