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Plant guidePrayer plant care: the complete guide
Guidance verified against North Carolina State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox and the ASPCA on 20 September 2026. Sources linked below.
Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) wants low to medium indirect light, soil kept evenly moist through the growing season, humidity above 50 percent, and 18 to 29°C (65 to 85°F). It is non-toxic to cats and dogs, and it is the plant the "prayer plant" nickname actually belongs to: its close relative calathea borrowed the name for sharing the same nightly leaf fold, but prayer plant itself tolerates more care mistakes, lower humidity and cooler rooms than calathea does.
| Attribute | What a prayer plant needs |
|---|---|
| Light | Low to medium indirect light; tolerates shade better than most houseplants but avoid direct sun |
| Water | Evenly moist soil in spring and summer; let it dry out a little more between waterings in autumn and winter |
| Humidity | Above 50%; a pebble tray, grouping or a humidifier all help |
| Soil / pot | Well-draining mix rich in organic matter; poorly drained soil causes root rot |
| Fertiliser | Balanced fertiliser diluted to half strength every 2 to 4 weeks in spring and summer; none in autumn or winter |
| Temperature | 18 to 29°C (65 to 85°F); never below 13°C (55°F) |
| Toxicity | Non-toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA) |
Is a prayer plant the same as a calathea?
No, though they are close relatives that share a family and a nickname. Prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) and calathea (Goeppertia spp., formerly Calathea) both belong to the arrowroot family, Marantaceae, and both fold their leaves upright at night, the movement that gives both plants the "prayer plant" name. But Maranta is the genus the nickname actually names, native to Brazil per North Carolina State Extension, and it is the more forgiving of the two: it tolerates lower humidity, cooler rooms down to around 16°C (60°F) for short spells, and general neglect better than calathea does. The clearest practical difference is propagation, covered below: a prayer plant grows readily from a stem cutting, while calathea can only be divided. The clearest visual difference is habit: prayer plant stays low and spreads or trails, while most calathea species grow upright and bushy.
How much light does a prayer plant need?
Low to medium indirect light suits a prayer plant well, and it tolerates shade better than most common houseplants, but direct sun still scorches the leaves and fades the pattern. Per North Carolina State Extension, Maranta leuconeura is intolerant of direct sunlight, which scorches the leaves and fades the dark, patterned blotches the plant is grown for. A spot a few feet back from an east- or north-facing window suits it, and unlike sun-hungry plants it will not stop growing in a dimmer corner, though growth slows and the pattern contrast softens the less light it gets. The general light guide covers reading a room's light level for other plants.
How often should you water a prayer plant?
Keep the soil evenly moist through spring and summer, watering again once the top starts to feel dry, then ease off and let it dry a little more between waterings over autumn and winter. Per North Carolina State Extension, this seasonal shift matters: continuing to water heavily once growth slows for winter is a common way to tip a prayer plant into root rot. Like calathea, prayer plant is also sensitive to the fluoride and dissolved mineral salts in ordinary tap water, which build up in the leaf tissue and show as brown, crispy tips and edges; distilled water, rainwater, or tap water left standing uncovered overnight all reduce the risk. The general watering guide covers the finger test and how the right interval varies by species.
Does a prayer plant need humidity?
Yes, prayer plant wants humidity above 50 percent, per North Carolina State Extension, which lists it as requiring a humidified room or a pot standing on a tray of wet pebbles. That is a real requirement, but it is a step down from calathea's 50 to 60 percent-or-higher preference, and prayer plant tolerates a short dip below its ideal range far better than calathea does before it starts curling. Grouping plants together, a pebble tray, or a small humidifier nearby all help close the gap in an average home. The general humidity guide covers grouping, trays and misting for other humidity-loving plants.
What soil and pot does a prayer plant need?
Use a well-draining potting mix rich in organic matter, in a pot with drainage holes. Per North Carolina State Extension, poorly drained soil is a direct cause of root rot in this plant, so while the mix needs to hold enough moisture for the evenly-moist watering routine above, it still has to drain freely rather than staying waterlogged. The general soil and pot guide covers mix types and pot sizing for other houseplants; prayer plant sits close to calathea on that spectrum, moisture-retentive but never soggy.
How and when do you fertilise a prayer plant?
Feed with a balanced fertiliser diluted to about half strength every 2 to 4 weeks during spring and summer, and stop feeding in autumn and winter. Prayer plant is a light feeder, and its fine root system shows salt build-up and leaf-tip burn quickly if it is overfed, the same symptom fluoride-heavy tap water causes, so flushing the pot with a heavy watering every month or so helps clear both sources of built-up salts. The general fertilising guide covers dilution rates and spotting salt build-up in the soil.
What temperature does a prayer plant need?
Prayer plant is comfortable between about 18 and 29°C (65 to 85°F); below 13°C (55°F) causes cold damage. That is a wider, slightly cooler-tolerant range than calathea's 18 to 24°C comfort zone: prayer plant handles brief dips to around 16°C (60°F) without the sulking calathea shows at the same temperature, one of the clearest reasons it is considered the easier of the two to keep in a room that is not perfectly climate-controlled. It still cannot tolerate frost or near-freezing conditions. The general temperature guide covers safe ranges, drafts and heating vents for houseplants generally.
How do you propagate a prayer plant?
Per North Carolina State Extension, prayer plant is propagated by dividing the rhizome, ideally at repotting time: remove the plant from its pot, gently separate the root mass into sections, and pot each one into fresh mix. Prayer plant also grows readily from a stem cutting taken just below a node and rooted in water, a widely used shortcut that most calathea species cannot offer, since calathea propagates by division only. That difference is one of the main reasons prayer plant has a reputation as the easier, more shareable plant of the two: a single long stem can become several new plants without disturbing the parent's whole root ball the way a division does. The general propagation guide covers stem cuttings and division for other houseplants.
Why are my prayer plant's leaves curling or turning brown?
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves curling and staying curled, sometimes with crispy edges | Humidity too low | Raise humidity with a pebble tray, grouping or a humidifier |
| Brown, crispy tips and edges that spread over time | Fluoride or mineral build-up from tap water | Switch to distilled water, rainwater or rested tap water |
| Fine speckled leaves, silky webbing between stems | Spider mites, favoured by dry winter air | See the spider mites guide; raising humidity also helps stop them returning |
| Yellow, mushy leaves and a soft stem base | Root rot from soggy soil, often from watering through winter as if it were still summer | Let the soil dry more between waterings in autumn and winter and check for drainage |
Leaves that fold upright each evening and flatten out again by morning are not a symptom at all, see the section below. See the general brown and crispy leaves guide for the wider decision tree behind these symptoms on other houseplants.
Why is my prayer plant not folding its leaves at night?
A prayer plant that stops moving, staying flat or staying folded no matter the time of day, is usually under enough stress that its normal rhythm has broken down. The nightly fold is called nyctinasty, driven by a hinge-like joint called a pulvinus at the base of each leaf, the same mechanism this site's calathea guide explains in full detail, since prayer plant and calathea share it as close relatives in the Marantaceae family. In prayer plant specifically, a stalled rhythm most often traces back to cold, underwatering, or shock after a big change such as repotting or a house move, worth treating as an early warning sign alongside the more visible symptoms in the table above.
Is a prayer plant toxic to cats and dogs?
No. The ASPCA lists prayer plant as non-toxic to cats and dogs, making it a genuinely safe choice for homes with pets. It joins calathea, peperomia and Boston fern on this site's list of common non-toxic houseplants. Non-toxic does not mean unlimited: a pet that eats a large amount of any plant material, safe or not, can still vomit or get an upset stomach from bulk or fibre alone, so keeping any houseplant out of constant chewing range is still good practice.
FAQ
- Is a prayer plant the same as a calathea?
- No, though they are close relatives in the family Marantaceae and share the nightly leaf-fold. Prayer plant is generally more forgiving of low humidity, cooler rooms and care mistakes than calathea.
- How often should you water a prayer plant?
- Keep the soil evenly moist in spring and summer, then let it dry out a little more between waterings over autumn and winter.
- Is a prayer plant toxic to cats and dogs?
- No. The ASPCA lists prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
- How do you propagate a prayer plant?
- By dividing the rhizome, per North Carolina State Extension, or from a stem cutting with a node rooted in water, an easier option than calathea's division-only method.
- Why is my prayer plant not folding its leaves at night?
- A stalled nyctinastic rhythm usually means the plant is under stress from cold, underwatering or a recent big change, the same signal documented on calathea.