Prayer plant (Maranta) care guide

Prayer plant care is about steady conditions: medium to bright indirect light, soil kept lightly moist (water when the top inch is dry), humidity of 50% or more, and soft water. Maranta leuconeura is not hard to keep alive, but it shows every mistake on its leaves, usually as brown, crispy tips.

The upside is that it is one of the few patterned houseplants that is safe around pets, and its leaves move: flat by day, folded upright like praying hands by night.

What a prayer plant is

Maranta leuconeura is a low, spreading perennial from the floor of the Brazilian rainforest, where humidity is high and light is filtered through the canopy. Indoors it grows 8–12 inches tall and spreads or trails to 12–18 inches, with oval leaves 3–5 inches long.

The plant most US stores sell as "prayer plant" is the red-veined form, often labeled 'Erythroneura' or 'Fascinator'. Prayer plant is often confused with calathea; they belong to the same family. Maranta is smaller, has jointed stems that trail, and is generally a bit more forgiving. See calathea care for the comparison.

Varieties

Why prayer plant leaves move

Each leaf has a small swollen joint where the blade meets the stalk, called a pulvinus. Cells in it take up and release water in a daily rhythm, which lifts the leaves upright in the evening and lowers them by morning. This is called nyctinasty. A plant whose leaves fold at night is healthy. If leaves stay flat and limp at night, or curl during the day, the plant is stressed: check water and temperature.

Light

Prayer plants want medium to bright indirect light and no direct sun. In the forest understory they never see the full sun, and leaves fade and scorch in it.

Prayer plants also do well under a grow light 12–18 inches above the leaves, 10–12 hours a day. For window orientation basics, see our light guide.

Water: how often, and which water

Keep the soil lightly moist, like a wrung-out sponge. Water when the top inch is dry. Unlike pothos or rubber plants, Maranta has shallow roots and suffers if the pot dries out completely; it also rots if it sits in wet soil.

Water quality matters more for Maranta than for most plants. Its leaves are sensitive to dissolved salts and fluoride in municipal water, which accumulate at the leaf tips and kill tissue there.

Clemson Extension specifically warns against softened water because it adds sodium and chloride to the soil. Water thoroughly so excess drains out the bottom; that flushes accumulated salts. See our watering guide.

Humidity: what works and what does not

Prayer plants want 50–65% humidity and suffer below about 40%. US homes with forced-air heat often drop to 20–30% in winter. The New York Botanical Garden's plant information service notes that marantas need extra humidity in winter and recommends a pebble tray or humidifier.

• Works: a cool-mist humidifier near the plant set to 50–60%; grouping several plants together; a terrarium-style cabinet.
• Helps a little: a pebble tray with the pot sitting above the water line.
• Barely works: misting. It raises humidity for minutes and wet leaves in cool rooms are prone to spots.

Keep the plant away from heat registers and radiators, which blast dry air. A small hygrometer ($10–15) takes the guesswork out. More in our humidity guide.

Temperature

NYBG gives 65–70°F as ideal; anything from 65 to 80°F is comfortable. Keep it above 60°F and away from cold windows at night and from air-conditioning drafts. A prayer plant can summer outdoors in deep shade, but only when nights stay above 60°F; bring it in well before fall in most of the US.

Soil and repotting

Use an airy, slightly acidic mix that holds moisture without staying soggy: a peat- or coir-based potting mix with 20–30% perlite and some fine orchid bark. Marantas have shallow roots, so a wide, shallow pot (NYBG calls these "half pots") suits them better than a deep one.

Repot every 1–2 years in spring, going up only 1 inch in pot size. Spring repotting is also the time to divide a large clump. See repotting and soil.

Feeding

Feed lightly from spring through summer: a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer at half strength every 2–4 weeks. Stop in fall and winter. Over-feeding adds to the salt buildup that browns leaf tips, so less is better. Flush the pot with plain distilled or rainwater every 2–3 months. See fertilizer.

Why prayer plant leaves turn brown at the tips

Brown tips are the single most common prayer plant complaint. Go through the causes in order:

1. Dry air. If humidity is under 40%, especially in winter, this is the most likely cause.
2. Tap water. Minerals and fluoride build up at leaf tips. Switch to distilled, RO or rainwater.
3. Fertilizer salts. White crust on the soil or pot rim; flush the pot thoroughly.
4. Uneven watering. Soil drying out completely between waterings.

Browned tips will not turn green again. Trim them with clean scissors following the leaf's natural shape and judge success by new leaves. Our brown tips guide covers the problem across all houseplants. Curling leaves, yellow leaves on wet soil, and collapse at the soil line point to water problems; see yellow leaves and root rot.

Propagation

Stem cuttings. Cut a stem just below a node (the swollen joint on the stem), keeping 1–2 leaves. Stand it in a glass of water in bright indirect light. Roots appear in 2–4 weeks; pot when they are 1 inch long.

Division. At spring repotting, gently pull the root ball into 2–3 sections, each with several stems and roots. Pot each in a small pot and keep humidity high for a few weeks.

More in our propagation guide.

Pests

Spider mites are the main pest, and they love dry heated air. Illinois Extension notes they commonly attack houseplants in winter and recommends forceful water sprays, insecticidal soap or horticultural oil with good coverage on both leaf surfaces, and quarantining new plants. Mealybugs and fungus gnats also occur; for gnats, our sister site has a guide on fungus gnats.

Is prayer plant safe for pets?

Yes. The ASPCA lists prayer plant as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (the ASPCA files its prayer plant entry under the family Marantaceae with the scientific name Calathea insignis, listing Maranta as a common name). Any plant can cause mild stomach upset if a pet eats a lot of it; if you are worried, call your vet or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435.

That makes Maranta one of the best choices for a patterned plant in a home with cats. See more in our pet-safe plants collection and low-light plants.

Bringing a prayer plant home

Store plants often arrive pot-bound and grown in high greenhouse humidity, so a few brown tips in the first month are normal. Put the plant in its permanent spot, out of direct sun, and water with soft water when the top inch dries. Do not repot or fertilize for 4–6 weeks; let it adjust first. If the drop in humidity hits hard, a clear plastic dome or a spot in a bright bathroom for a few weeks helps it acclimate. Check the undersides of leaves for mites before it joins other plants.

Quick decision rules

• Brown tips: humidity first, water quality second.
• Faded leaves: less light, not more water.
• Leaves fold at night: healthy. Leaves curl by day: check water.
• New plant from a store: keep it out of direct sun, use soft water, and hold off fertilizing for six weeks.