How to care for a Prayer Plant

This Brazilian native's superpower is that its leaves fold in the evening and reopen in the morning, thus giving it the name "Prayer plant". And that's not even the most interesting part: depending on the variety of your plant, the broad leaves can have different colors, ranging from dark green to white, with even more tones on the underside. Pretty cool, huh?

As a rainforest inhabitant, the Maranta leuconeura is good at air purifying.

The Maranta is non-toxic. Pawsome!

The Maranta likes its soil moisture balanced; that is, neither too dry nor too wet. Water it whenever the surface is dry, allowing for the pot holes to drain the excess moisture. Also, use water at least at room temperature, if not slightly warm.

Never expose your Maranta to direct sunlight lest it hurts the leaves (blotches and faded colors may occur). Place it somewhere where the sunlight is indirect.

Fertilize once a month during spring and summer with an all purpose liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted to ½ strength.

Only repot it if it becomes pot-bound or if you notice a slow growth. Best time to repot is in spring, pre-growing season. Use a pot up to two inches wider, with fresh potting soil.

Pruning it regularly is not needed, but you definitely can trim the withered leaves. Just one thing before you start: wipe your pruners with a solution of 70 to 100 percent ethanol or isopropyl alcohol.

Spider mites and mealybugs can appear and be easily removed with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol (option to spray the plant with inseticidal soap). If you noticed fungal root rot, it's one of two things: overwatering or a potting mix that doesn't drain well.