All Calatheas, also referred to as “prayer plants,” belong to the Maranta genus, which they are closely related to. If you’re unfamiliar with prayer plants and the humidity-loving Calatheas, we’ll go over their history and maintenance requirements.
The Calathea is known as a prayer plant, but why?
A good houseplant is the prayer plant because it’s simple to cultivate, has interesting foliage, and can withstand indoor conditions. A low, spreading plant known as a “prayer plant” that may grow horizontally down a tabletop or other surface and is frequently planted in hanging baskets. Because it grows slowly, you don’t have to worry about the prayer plant spreading beyond its designated area.
The leaves of this tough indoor plant frequently fold together at night, resembling a pair of praying hands, giving rise to its common name. The foliage of most varieties of prayer plants is variegated, which heightens the plant’s visual appeal. Although prayer plant does produce blooms, they are not abundant or particularly attractive. For its leaves, this is a nice houseplant to grow.
Prayer Plant Growing Instructions
Grow the prayer plant in dim, moderate, or strong lighting. In high light, it’s ideal to use a sheer drape or other screen to shield the leaves from direct sunlight.
Just before the soil surface dries, water the prayer plant. This resilient houseplant like to remain largely damp (but not sopping wet all the time). If it dries out too much or too frequently, its leaves may begin to turn brown.
Only once or twice a year, ideally in the spring or summer, is sufficient to maintain the health of a prayer plant. If you’d like, you can fertilize it more frequently. Use any fertilizer designed for indoor plants and adhere to the instructions on the container.
Although prayer plant normally thrives in most houses, it prefers higher-than-average humidity levels. Increasing the humidity around your prayer plant will make it happier if the air in your home is very dry in the winter.
Include these types with your prayer plant:
The combination of banana and the prayer plant results in a stunningly striking, tropical appearance.
Forest Drum Use the prayer plant’s stunning contrast to the intriguing corrugated foliage of the jungle drum.
Purple Excellence The prayer plant’s variegated patterns look magnificent next to the deep purple of Purple Perfection.
Is the prayer plant Calathea beauty star?
Native to South America, the perennial Calathea ‘Beauty Star’ has long, somewhat narrow dark green leaves that are flamboyantly striped in milder green, silver, and white. The bottom is a deep purple color.
This Calathea is a cultivar of Calathea ornata, a sizable group of stripped Calatheas that are incredibly well-liked indoor plants due to their eye-catching leaf patterns. The marantaceae family includes the plant calathea “Beauty Star.
This Calathea, also known as the “prayer plant,” shares the fascinating behavior of raising its leaves in the morning and lowering them at night, much like one would do when praying.
The “Beauty Star Calathea” is a lovely addition to your collection of Calatheas because of its graceful upright growth and moderate density.
What is the name of a prayer plant?
Maranta leuconeura, often known as the prayer plant or praying hands, is a flowering plant in the Marantaceae family that is indigenous to the tropics of the New World. It has spreading leaves that, as darkness draws near, turn upward, maybe in a prayer for evening vespers. In conditions that are suited, the plant can be grown as a ground cover, and in temperate areas, it is a typical houseplant.
The prayer plant is a perennial with modest growth that spreads vegetatively by rhizomes. In contrast to the leaf’s medium green color, juvenile leaves have brown patches on either side of the midrib that turn emerald green as they mature and eventually turn moss green. The underside of the leaf is gray-green or purple-green, and ornamental variants have been created with eye-catching red venation. The newest leaf sheaths, which are arranged in two vertical rows, are where new leaves first appear. As the new leaf emerges from the leaf sheath beneath it, the larger half rolls around the smaller half. Each petiole (leafstalk) and leaf base have a thickened region called a pulvinus, which controls how the leaf moves. The tiny spike-shaped flowers range in color from white to pale purple with purple streaks. Rarely do indoor plants bloom.
Calathea medallion—is it a plant for praying?
One of the most attractive low-light plants is the Calathea Medallion, also known as Calathea veitchiana. They have huge, “medallion-like” leaves with a dazzling green design on top and a deep burgundy underside that are quite popular among plant aficionados. I do not advise beginners or people with hectic schedules to grow this plant, though, as it needs a little additional care to remain happy and healthy. Continue reading to discover easy ways to take care of your Calathea Medallion.
Fun fact: Keep an eye on your Calathea Medallion plant at night since some kinds of this beautiful plant fold back a little to show off their vibrant undersides.
The Calathea Medallion belongs to the family of plants known as prayer plants, albeit they are not actually true prayer plants. The leaves of prayer plants and the Calathea Medallion differ from one another. At the base of the stem, the leaves of prayer plants fold up like the hands of a person in prayer. Check the environment since there may be an issue with the environment where you placed your Calathea Medallion if the leaves of the medallion begin to curl up from the outside edges inward toward the central vein.
Calatheas are tropical plants with a maximum height of 6 inches. This plant prefers greater humidity levels, dim lighting, and average soil wetness.
Calathea Medallion Plant Care Tips
As I’ve previously indicated, calathea medallion needs a little additional care to maintain its distinctive leaves’ radiance. Here is a thorough explanation of how to take care of your Calathea Medallion, including everything from the need for sunlight to typical issues and how to fix them.
Sunlight
Place your Calathea Medallion where it may receive medium- to brilliant indirect light as the first step in taking care of it. It can, however, survive dim indirect light.
The gorgeous leaf hues of your Calathea Medallion are likely disappearing because your plant is receiving too much direct sunlight, which is beginning to scorch the leaves.
Solution: Place your Calathea Medallion in a location with moderate sunlight, such as your bathroom or kitchen, where your plant will receive just the right amount of light to survive.
Water
It is advised to plan a regular watering routine to keep the soil around your Calathea Medallion moist. Avoid, nevertheless, saturating the soil in water. The fact that this is not a drought-tolerant indoor plant should also be kept in mind. It will eventually die if you don’t properly water it, yet it can thrive if you forget to water it occasionally.
Common Issue: Curling leaves indicate dry soil if they are on your Calathea Medallion. If you see that your Calathea Medallion’s leaves droop, turn limp, and potentially even begin to brown and curl, this is a sign that the soil has fully dried out. It is not a drought-tolerant indoor plant, to reiterate.
Maintain a regular watering regimen as a fix. If the top 1 to 2 inches of soil on your Calathea Medallion are dry, water it.
Common Issue: If the edges of your Calathea Medallion’s leaves are becoming brown, the plant is being harmed by the water’s quality.
Solution: As I’ve previously explained, tap water contains salts, chlorine, minerals, and fluoride, which cause the tips of plants’ leaves to burn, curl up, and become brown. Use a water filtration device or overnight storage in an open container to filter the water.
Humidity & Temperature
Placing your Calathea Medallion in an area with high humidity is the next step in caring for it. For instance, in your kitchen or bathroom. Additionally, the ideal temperature range for your Calathea Medallion plant is between 65 and 85 degrees.
Frequently Occurring Issue: If the leaves of your Calathea Medallion begin to brown or curl, the air is too dry.
Regularly mist it with lukewarm water for a solution. It’s advisable to spray this plant every day or to use a pebble tray because it loves wetness. To maintain the health and happiness of your Calathea Medallion, stay away from chilly drafts and abrupt temperature fluctuations.
Food
We also recommend feeding your Calathea Medallion once a month or during the growing season, which is spring and summer, with a basic houseplant fertilizer containing iron (15-15-15). In the winter, fully reduce the fertilizer.
Solution: Refrain from giving your plant too much fertilizer, especially in the winter. Possible root burn on your Calathea Medallion could lead to its demise.
Pests & Other Problems
Pests like mealybugs, spider mites, and aphids are frequently found on Calathea Medallion. Regularly give your plants a bath with a hose to wash the bugs away to get rid of them. Another option is to increase humidity by running your humidifier at maximum setting or misting your plant.
The leaves of the Calathea Medallion plant might also become dusty from time to time, so be sure to wipe them down with a moist cloth occasionally. Never apply any leaf shine products to your plant, either.
The maintenance of your Calathea Medallion is now complete. It’s not as simple to maintain as a Pothos, but it’s worth it because it makes the air you breathe cleaner and adds beautiful decor to your home.
Expand your knowledge of plants. For additional information on various houseplants and advice on how to keep your plants alive and healthy, visit our blog on plant care.
What distinguishes the prayer plant from the calathea?
All Calatheas, also referred to as “prayer plants,” belong to the Maranta genus, which they are closely related to. If you’re unfamiliar with prayer plants and the humidity-loving Calatheas, we’ll go over their history and maintenance requirements.
Why doesn’t my prayer plant pray?
Maranta leuconeura’s leaves open and close in response to variations in the amount of light in its surroundings. In ideal circumstances, healthy prayer plants would typically sway their stems and leaves throughout the day. They don’t need to move, though, in order to be doing well.
Nevertheless, any time the behavior and appearance of your plant alter, it is a good sign that you need to investigate what happened. When your Maranta leuconeura stops moving due to a condition, this is typically not the only sign. If nothing else, Marantas are quite talkative since they express their annoyance when something is wrong immediately away.
The most frequent causes of your Prayer Plant ceasing to move and pray are excessive light or insufficient light, the potting soil becoming too dry, or a reaction to shock. Additionally, it can be a mix of a few of these. Fortunately, it should be easy to figure out what stopped your plant from moving. Once the problem has been located, you can take the appropriate action to restore your Prayer Plant’s regular, healthy motion.
Calathea Beauty Star: Is it unusual?
The Calathea fucata has gorgeous purple undersides and green leaves with dark green stripes.
Direct sunlight should be avoided, however bright indirect sunlight will support the plant’s growth and preserve the patterning on its leaves.
Calathea fucata grows to heights of 2-3 feet and widths of 1-2 feet when fully mature. The flowers are purple, white, and yellow. Keep this plant in a soil that drains well and in direct but bright light.
Calathea orbifolia
A larger type of Calathea that looks fantastic in pots is Calathea orbifolia, often known as South American prayer plant.
The species can reach heights of up to 36 inches and widths of up to 20 inches or more.
They tolerate low light to bright, indirect sunshine and do well in soil that drains well.
They have spherical leaves that are striped with lighter and darker shades of green, and they have a beautiful two-tone green tint.
Calathea ornata
The rarer variety of Calathea is the ornata. Although it’s not too difficult to care for, it can be difficult for you to find one.
If you do, keep it moist and humid and under low to medium indoor light or indirect sunlight.
Calathea ornata has a pretty beautiful appearance; some varieties are slender and some are bushy, but they all have long, green leaves with silvery-white and green stripes on the front and reddish-purple stripes on the back.
Calathea warscewiczii
Another endangered species is the Calathea jungle velvet, or Calathea warscewiczii in botanical terms. The cultivar needs rich, organically rich soil that drains quickly.
Keep it damp, but don’t overwet it or submerge it. Bright light should be used, but never direct sunlight.
The jungle velvet has thick green leaves with violet undersides and white and occasionally silvery lines on the front. This is similar to some of the rarer species of Calathea.
How do I make Calathea content?
Calathea do not like damp soil; they want moisture. Consider using a mixture of 50% potting soil, 20% orchid bark, 20% charcoal, and 10% perlite. They dislike being dried out as well. Check to see if the soil seems dry by putting your finger in it every few days.
Is Calathea suitable for novices?
One of the simplest plants to propagate is the caladenea. Calatheas are propagated via division, same to how hostas are, unlike other plants like succulents and Monsteras. Only work with mother plants that are mature, healthy, and healthy. If the plant is young or acting out, don’t try to propagate it.
Here is a brief step-by-step instruction till I write a blog article on it:
- Step 1: Take the plant out of the pot while protecting it with your hands. Flip it over as if you were re-potting it. If the plant is being overcrowded, simply pry open the pot and let it fall out.
- Step 2: Separate the roots by pulling them apart with your fingertips. Don’t take out roots too forcefully or damage any of them. Simply so you can see what you’re dealing with, this step is being taken.
- Step 3: After splitting the roots a little, choose a piece you can cut off. A cutting needs both roots and leaves to thrive. Make sure the child plant has a pot ready. To help the baby plant adapt more quickly, you must use the same soil mix as the mother plant.
- Step 4 is to cut or tear this piece from the mother and place it into her new pot. Make sure to water properly and let the water drain completely.
- Step 5: Keep the young plant out of direct sunlight and instead place it in a partially shaded area where it will be cooler. Place the plant on stones or in a plastic freezer bag with the top mostly open to maintain high humidity. After a few weeks, you should begin to notice fresh, tiny leaves!
I wish to encourage you to raise contented and wholesome plants by addressing certain (common) Calathea issues. We would especially like to thank Vanessa, aka The Gardening Queen, for her participation and the wonderful images she took of her Calathea collection.