Prayer Plant (Maranta spp.)


Prayer Plant Plant Features

Prayer plant is a good houseplant: It's easy to grow, has fun foliage, and is a hardy indoor plant, ensuring you can be pretty successful with it! Prayer plant is a low, spreading plant that's often grown in hanging baskets, but will also grow horizontally along a tabletop or other surface. It's a slow grower, so no matter where you have prayer plant, you don't need to worry about it growing out of bounds.

This hardy indoor plant earned its common name from the fact that the leaves tend to fold together at night, like a pair of praying hands. Most types of prayer plant have variegated foliage, adding to the plant's overall interest. Prayer plant does produce flowers, but they're not large or particularly showy. This is a good houseplant to grow for its leaves. 

Prayer Plant Questions?
If you grow prayer plant, or would like to, and have questions about it, just drop us an email! One of our indoor plant experts will get back to you.

Prayer Plant Growing Instructions

Grow prayer plant in low, medium, or bright light. In bright light, it's best to protect the leaves from direct sun by using a sheer curtain or other filter. 

Water prayer plant just before the soil surface dries. This hardy indoor plant is likes to stay relatively moist (but not sopping wet all the time). Its leaves can start to turn brown if it dries out too much or too often.  

Prayer plant doesn't need much fertilizer; just once or twice a year (preferably in spring or summer) is enough to keep it healthy. You can certainly fertilize it more frequently if you wish. Use any fertilizer formulated for indoor plants and follow the directions on the packaging. 

Prayer plant prefers above-average humidity levels, but typically grows well in most homes. If your home's air is especially dry in winter, boosting humidity around your prayer plant will make it happier.

Note: Prayer plant is not intended for human or animal consumption. 
  • Water

    Constantly moist soil

  • Light

    Indoors: High light

    Indoors: Low light

    Indoors: Medium light

  • Colors

    Green

    Variegated

  • Special Features

    Purifies the air


Complement your Prayer Plant

Jungle Drum
Use jungle drum's interesting corrugated foliage as a lovely contrast to prayer plant.

Purple Perfection
Purple perfection's rich color is a stunning complement to prayer plant's variegated spots.

Banana
Banana and prayer plant combine together to create an amazingly bold, tropical look.


Our favorite varieties

Black Prayer Plant

Black Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura var. leuconeura

Black prayer plant is an especially good houseplant that has silvery-blue leaves dotted with purple and edged in olive green.

Green Prayer Plant

Green Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura

Green prayer plant is a classic variety; it may have been grown by your grandmother! The green leaves have purple markings between the veins.

Kim Prayer Plant

Kim Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura 'Kim'

Kim prayer plant is a fun variety that has green leaves, purple spots, and creamy-white streaks.

Marisela Prayer Plant

Marisela Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura 'Marisela'

Marisela prayer plant is a hardy indoor plant with dark green leaves and lighter green markings between the veins.

Red Prayer Plant

Red Prayer Plant

Maranta leuconeura var. erythroneura

Red prayer plant shows off dark green leaves, purple markings, and rich red veins. It's a lovely houseplant.