How to care for your Prayer Plant
While all plants in the Prayer Plant family have roughly the same needs and care requirements, there are some unique things you should know about each individual species. These will help you better understand your plant and build a relationship with it.
Red Prayer Plant
Place your Red Prayer Plant in bright, indoor light. Avoid putting it in direct sun—too much sun will fade the leaf colors and burn the foliage.
Keep the soil consistently moist when your Prayer Plant is actively growing in spring and summer, but reduce water from fall through late winter. Your Red Prayer Plant does not like its soil to be too wet, nor too dry. When watering, use lukewarm water and make sure to water the soil, not the leaves. Water sitting on the leaves can cause leaf spot bacteria.
The Red Prayer Plant appreciates humidity, so lightly mist it every couple of days.
Your plant will grow well in temperatures between 68–85 degrees during the day and above 55 degrees at night. Keep it away from drafts, especially during the winter months.
During the growing season (spring through fall), feed your Red Prayer Plant every month. Use a high-quality water-soluble houseplant food applied at half strength. Make sure your soil is damp before feeding your plants.
You can prune your Prayer Plant to encourage fuller, more vigorous growth. Use a sterilized pair of sharp scissors and clip the stems right above a leaf node. The plant will grow new shoots directly below the cut area making for a bushier appearance.
The Red Prayer Plant is non-toxic to cats, dogs, and humans.
Fishbone Prayer Plant
A Fishbone Prayer Plant will do best in medium to bright indirect light. Never allow this plant to stand in the direct sunlight–the leaves will fade and become scorched. If there is too little light, the new leaves will appear solid green.
For best results, keep your Fishbone Prayer Plant moist, but not wet or saturated. When watering, use lukewarm water they do not like to dry out and do not like cold or hard water.
Like many tropical indoor plants, your Fishbone Prayer Plant prefers a spot with ample humidity. If leaf edges begin to curl or brown up, mist them with lukewarm water on a regular basis, or use a pebble tray. The Fishbone Prayer Plant will thrive if given frequent, lukewarm showers either in the actual shower or from the spray attachment near your sink. Your bathroom or kitchen are perfect spots for this plant because these areas tend to be more humid.
Your Fishbone Prayer Plant enjoys the warmth–preferably between 65-85 degrees, so maintain indoor temperatures above 60 degrees. Avoid cold drafts and sudden temperature changes.
Fertilize monthly in the spring and summer, diluting the plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Never feed a Fishbone immediately after repotting, wait at least 4 weeks.
Fishbone Prayer Plants are non-toxic and are safe for humans, cats, and dogs.
If you notice a tip or edge burn, often with a yellowish hue at the edge, it could be due to your tap water. To solve this, allow your tap water to stand overnight before watering so the chlorine and fluoride can evaporate. Alternative water choices are distilled or rainwater. Remove any yellow leaves to keep your plant strong and growing. If only a portion of the leaf is brown or yellow, go ahead and carefully trim off that portion of the leaf with a sharp pair of scissors or pruning shears. Do not use any shine products on the leaves, instead, clean leaves occasionally with a damp cloth.
