Prayer plant – Indoor House Plants

Prayer plant (Calathea orbifolia) is an ornamental houseplant. It has large, pale silver-green, rounded oval-shaped leaves are lined with both thick and thin light-green striping with the undersides of the leaves being pale green. In time, their leaves can reach about 15 – 35 cm wide and the plant itself can achieve a few feet tall but typically grows slower and smaller indoors. Calathea orbifolia is non-poisonous plants and safe for humans, dogs, and cats.

Scientific Name: Calathea orbifolia
Common Name: Prayer plant

 

 

 

 

 

How to grow and maintain Prayer plant:

Light:
It prefers to grow well in medium to low light. It thrives best without direct sunlight. Direct sun will make the leaves lose their markings. However, you should not put your Calathea in a dark spot, either. Good places for your Calathea may include a north-facing window or another place with enough light but without much direct sunlight. It is important to provide your Calathea with some shielding from the sunlight.

Soil:
It thrives best in well-drained but moist, rich organic mix. Remember try to stay away from wet, mucky or dry, sandy soils. The soil pH should be weak acidic (5.0 – 6.0).

Temperature:
It prefers ideal temperature between 60°F to 70°F / 15°C to 21°C and does not like cold drafts. Never keep your Calathea orbifolia in a room that has a temperature lower than 50 degrees F / 10 degrees Celsius. Hot temperatures cause the leaves of a Calathea Plant to curl.

Water:
Regular water and good drainage will help keep your Calathea Orbifolia looking great. Never enable the soil to dry out completely, particularly during the growing season. Like most plants, water more regularly in Spring and Summer and less in Winter. Simply watch out for the soil, if it feels dry past the first inch then give it a drink. Since they prefer humid conditions, they may suffer from leaf curl if humidity levels become too low. To cure this, you can place the plant and pot on a tray of pebbles with water to increase the ambient humidity around the plant.

Fertilizer:
Calathea orbifolia (Prayer plant) needs regular feeding. Fertilize with a general houseplant fertilizer with iron every 4 weeks, make sure to feed your plant only during the growing season from April – October. No fertilizer necessary in the winter months. The heavy salts in cheaper fertilizers will harm the roots and possibly kill the plant.

Propagation:
Calathea orbifolia (Prayer plant) can be easily propagated by division. In early spring, divide the plant by half and pot each new section into its own pot. Then keep the divisions shady, warm and moist by covering the pots with plastic. When you can see new growth beginning expel the plastic and grow as normal.

Pruning:
Calathea orbifolia (Prayer plant) does not need pruning. But cut off brown or crispy Calathea leaves as soon as they appear.

Pests and Diseases:
No serious pest or disease problems. watch for houseplant pests such as spider mite, Aphids, mealybug, and scale can be an issue. It requires high humidity and this supports bacterial and fungal diseases which show up as leaf lesions.