Prayer plant is an air-purifier and a stunning indoor plant that adds beauty to the space as well as eliminates toxins from the air. Add greenery to your home with this striking beautiful foliage. It thrives in indirect sunlight and comes in a variety of colors and patterns.

This is a good indoor as well as an outdoor plant. Place it in an area of low lighting. It is also known as Marantha. The most common variety comes in round leaves with red veins.

Why Is It Called A Prayer Plant?

This beautiful house plant has a special feature. As the dusk covers the blanket of the sky, the leaves fold in the form of a hand like making a prayer. The leaves do this to retain their moisture. This is the reason they need less sunlight and can survive in dim-lit areas.

Decorate Your Window Sills And Shelves With Prayer Plant

They come in a variety of eye-catching foliage. This is a tropical plant native to the Brazil rain forest. They love humidity and open up when there is sunlight in the morning. It is amusing to watch them fold their leaves in the dusk and brighten up their day with the rays of early morning sunlight. They come in small to medium size and brighten up any space with good air flow.

Types Of Prayer Plants

Atleast 20 species of prayer plants are available. All of them have beautiful streaks of different colors that complement the base green color of the leaf. Prayer plant varieties have stunning patterns that add beauty to any decor. These are the most popular prayer plant varieties mentioned here.

Kim aka Cream Prayer Plant

A stunning prayer plant variety with cream streaks on the green palette of the leaves. The stunning hues enhance the beauty of any place. An offbeat color combination found in this variety of leaves. This is the house plant that comes with the most striking color palette enhancing the aesthetic quality of any space.

Erythroneura aka Red Prayer Plant

The leaves are round with red veins making a beautiful pattern on the dark green leaves. A few variety are also dotted in cream color making it look like a mosaic artwork. A bountiful house plant with stunning beauty that needs low maintenance. It can be grown in a well-drained moist soil, in partial or full shade. Flowers in botched purple or lavender shade bloom in the early spring.

Kerchoviana aka Rabbits Foot Prayer Plant

A small sized prayer plant botched with dark green spots on the oval lovely green shade of the leaves. Easy to grow and care for. It needs to be re-potted once in two years. Avoid placing it in cooler temperatures as it is a tropical plant that needs high humidity. This is a slow growing plant that reaches a height of 18 inches. The flowers are a beautiful white with purple spots and bloom in summer.

Calathea Ornata aka Pinstripe Prayer Plant

The pinstripe prayer plant is dressed in ornate pink shades of streaks. Like a bella from the fantasy world, the oblong leaves weaved in these streaks give a striking appearance. They unveil their grandeur in purplish delight when the sun rays fall upon them. It grows up to three feet and makes for a good decor piece in the living room. This is the prima donna prayer plant fussy about lighting, so keep it indoors, especially, in cold weather.

The Right Soil, Light, And Water For Prayer Plant

Moisture is needed for the prayer plant to have a healthy growth. Use perlite as it drains the water well and helps in retaining the moisture. Peat moss and sand is the best potting amendment you can use to balance the pH and acid levels in the soil. A prayer plant needs acidic soil and this decompose mixture works best to get a healthy and attractive growth of the plant.

A glass, plastic, or a ceramic pot has a better drainage than the earthen pot. Use a pot that is shallow in shape and keep a tray below it. If you feel that the leaves of the plant are not opening properly, keep it in a place where there is sufficient indirect sunlight.

Normal water is sufficient for healthy growth. Never put too much water as it can cause fungal infections. Never let the soil dry out completely as well. Water the pot when you find the soil is drying out. It is essential to fertilize the soil every month with a feed to keep it moist.

Grooming The Prayer Plant

It is essential to prune the prayer plant at least twice a year so it boosts the growth. Choose summer and spring to prune the prayer plant to enhance its growth. Doing this gives a nice and a fuller foliage that looks bright and healthy. Re-pot the plant if you find its growth to be slower.

Prayer Plant Common Problems

Fungus or white webs is a common problem you can eliminate by keeping the potted plant in high humidity. It is easy to do away with the white web formations with a damp cloth or water spray.

Keep it in sunlight if the leaves look dull or turn brown in color. Ensure that you not keep it in direct sunlight as it can fade the color of the vibrant leaves. Maintenance is easy and only needs garden tools such as a shovel, watering can, feed, and garden scissors.

Conclusion

Prayer plants in their bright and vibrant leaves grace your space and add vigor. Easy to care for and is a nice-looking indoor plant that comes in wide varieties to choose from. The colors palette of leaves is enchanting. It enlivens any place in a jiffy with its bright and exuberant foliage.

With a behavior that displays gratitude of hands folded as the dusk alights, prayer plants are symbolic to peace, harmony, and humility. The lovely oval shape makes the foliage look fuller and creates a zen-like aura in any space. The best indoor plant that purifies the air and enhances the beauty is any variety of a prayer plant.