Prayer plants are often used in the home or office for their aesthetic qualities. They’re also popular because they’ve been known to relieve stress and anxiety, but do prayer plants like sun? In this blog post, we will discuss the care of prayer plants so that you know how to keep yours healthy!
Do Prayer Plants Like Sun?
Yes! Due to their tropical origins, prayer plants like the sun. A lot of people find it difficult to grow these beautiful plants because they need more sunlight than most other indoor plants.
Although they appreciate the sun, prayer plants should not be exposed to direct light. Too much sun can cause the leaves of the plant to burn. Indirect light is best! Just make sure they receive some sunlight every day.
If the leaves start turning yellow, it can mean that there is not enough light and they need to be placed in a brighter area.
How to Give Prayer Plant More Light?
Although prayer plants can survive without light for a short amount of time, it won’t work in the long term. As such, you may need to take immediate action to make your prayer plant happy.
I use LED grow lights for most of house plants during the winter. Here’s a quick link to my favorite grow lights on Amazon, but there’s loads you can give a go. I place the lights around my plants for 4-6 hours every day… or whenever I don’t forget – oops!
Your prayer plant won’t have the same amount of energy when kept in conditions of low light. As such, following the standard prayer plant care rules are crucial. It’s extra important that your prayer plant receives enough water and humidity when it hasn’t received enough light.
Prayer plants love humidity too, so I use a hygrometer (Amazon link) to make sure the humidity levels are above 50% at all times. This will give my prayer the best chance of surviving, despite the low light levels.
Keeping your prayer plant healthy to resist pest attack can be difficult, but staying vigilant will help you avoid unwanted guests. It won’t be able to fight infection as easily when it isn’t getting enough light.
What Else Should You Know?
Prayer plants also appreciate humidity and will benefit from having their leaves misted with water on occasion.
Water prayer plants only when the soil feels dry to the touch (about half as much as you would for houseplants). Allow the pot to drain through completely before watering again. Make sure never to overwater this tropical beauty!
Prune stems back occasionally so that new growth can come in. Cut the stem at a 45 degree angle just below an outward-facing leaf. Do this in early spring to encourage new growth, or when new stems start growing inside the pot and crowding out other leaves.
Use fertilizers monthly during spring and summer months at one quarter strength dilution. Use diluted fertilizer less often during fall and winter months only if needed to maintain.
Conclusion
The maranta leuconeura is a beautiful prayer plant that is native to the tropical rainforest. Prayer plants can grow up to six feet tall and are often found in the wild growing on tree trunks or stumps, as well as occasionally at the edge of a stream. They have white stripes running down their stem which makes them easy to identify!
But to thrive to their maximum potential, prayer plants need to be given enough sunlight. You don’t need to keep it facing the sun all day, but keeping a prayer plant in a well-lit room is advised.
I hope you have enjoyed reading this article on the light requirements for prayer plants!
