[Niamho]

Hi there,

I am having a few issues with what I believe is a prayer plant. It used to be a large, vibrant, perky plant that would let me know when it need watering. However, soemthing changed and try as I might I think I'm just killing it slowly.

Most of the large leaves have died and the few remaining are small and browning. They don't curl up (I've read they can) but just start browning at the tips which then spreads over the whole leaf. This has been going on for about a year and a half. There has been new growth since then (the smaller leaves) but it's always droopy. I did change the pot at one stage after it had started going downhill, because it did seem to be too large for the pot, but so much has died now it looks far too small for its pot. I can't remember what potting soil I used but it could have been something fairly basic.

It is currently sitting near a veiled west facing window and I allow it to dry out a little before I water and I mist it a few times a day.

Any help would be appreciated.
N

[Geranimojess]

All Prayer Plants are very tender and hate Draughts and cold,they usually curl up and die if kept anywhere below 50 degrees Fahernheit they need a lot of light but not direct Sunlight,Filtered light being ideal.
They should be kept fairly humid and misted several times a Day.The Pot will need good drainage as they do not like being waterlogged,liquid feed once a Month and in Winter keep in a warm Room.
Dry Brown Leaf Tips and Leaves falling off means that the Air is too dry for the Plant,remove dead Foliage and mist the Plant often,stand the Pot in a Dish of moist Pebbles to improve humidity,if the Plant becomes very loose and limp near the Base then the Stem is rotting due to the Compost being too wet or the Air too dry,once the Root begins to rot it's very hard to save,however if it's only rotting in one area cut it out at once and either mist it or leave it to dry.
Hope that helps in some small way.
Dave.

[littlesparrows]

Niamho and Geranimojess, I have grown most of the so-called prayer plants at one time or another, and I must confess, usually unsuccessfully. They look very handsome in a well-kept houseplant section of a store, but their appearance belies the difficulty of growing them.

The ordinary, small maranta, usually known as 'the prayer plant', and its coloured cousin known as the herringbone maranta are much easier, indeed, the green maranta survived a winter on my son's bedroom window on the window side of the curtain for months until I discovered its plight and brought it into the kitchen, where it sprang to life and has prospered since. Also, Ctenanthe lubbersiana, which is every bit as handsome as the stromanthes and calatheas such as in the picture, is quite an easy plant; I believe it will even do fine in an unheated hall in winter, although I haven't tried this myself. As I say, however, various others of the prayer plant clan which came to live with me are now a distant memory. The temperatures and humidity which would make them happy would be most uncomfortable for any human. You could grow them in some kind of custom-built glass case, of course, but if you want them to stand on the floor of some living-room it might be better to find an easier plant substitute for the one you have.