Calathea and Prayer Plant Care
Prayer plants reward attentive growers with dramatic foliage and mesmerising leaf movement, but their fussiness around water quality, humidity and light catches many keepers out. Here is how to keep Calathea, Maranta and Goeppertia genuinely thriving.
Few houseplants are as theatrical as the prayer plants. Their patterned foliage rises and falls with the daily rhythm of light, and their leaves can look like brushstrokes of paint. They also have a reputation for being temperamental — but most of that fussiness comes down to a handful of specific needs around water quality, humidity and stable conditions. Get those right and they are surprisingly rewarding.
Meet the family: Calathea, Maranta and Goeppertia
The plants commonly sold as Calathea have largely been reclassified into the genus Goeppertia, though garden centres still label them as Calathea. Maranta (the classic herringbone or rabbit's foot plant) is a close relative with similar care needs but a slightly more forgiving constitution. Stromanthe and Ctenanthe belong to the same family (Marantaceae) and follow the same playbook.
All of them share a key behaviour called nyctinasty: the leaves fold upwards at night and relax open during the day. The movement is driven by changes in water pressure within a small joint at the base of each leaf, called the pulvinus. A plant that prays vigorously in the evening is a plant that is happy.
Light: bright but indirect, always
In the wild these plants grow on the shaded forest floor under a canopy. Indoors that translates to bright, indirect light. A spot a metre or two back from an east or north-facing window is ideal, or behind a sheer curtain on a brighter aspect.
- Direct sun will scorch and bleach the patterns out of the leaves, often within a single afternoon.
- Too little light causes weak, leggy growth and reduced leaf movement.
- Rotate the pot a quarter turn every week or two so growth stays even.
If leaf colours look washed out or faded, suspect too much light before anything else.
Water and water quality
This is where most prayer plants are lost. They are genuinely sensitive to the minerals, chlorine, chloramine and fluoride present in many tap water supplies. Hard water and softened water both tend to cause brown, crispy leaf edges and tips over time.
What to use
- Rainwater collected from a clean butt is ideal.
- Filtered water from a decent carbon filter is a good second choice.
- Distilled or reverse-osmosis water works but lacks minerals, so alternate with rainwater if you can.
- If you must use tap water, leave it standing uncovered overnight to off-gas chlorine — though this does nothing for chloramine or fluoride.
How to water
Keep the compost lightly and evenly moist, never sodden and never bone dry. Check by pressing a finger into the top couple of centimetres: water when it feels just starting to dry but the lower compost is still slightly damp. Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom, then empty the saucer — these plants hate sitting in water just as much as they hate going dry.
In winter, growth slows and watering frequency should drop accordingly. Tepid water is kinder than cold straight from the tap.
Humidity: high, and consistent
Prayer plants want humid air. In a dry centrally heated room, the symptoms appear quickly: crispy brown edges, curling leaves and stalled growth.
- Aim for noticeably humid air — bathrooms and kitchens often work well if light is adequate.
- A pebble tray under the pot helps a little, but its effect is local and modest.
- A small room humidifier running near the plant is by far the most effective fix.
- Grouping plants together raises local humidity through their combined transpiration.
- Misting can lift humidity briefly, but lingering water on the leaves can encourage fungal spotting, so use it sparingly.
Soil, potting and feeding
Use a light, free-draining but moisture-retentive mix. A blend of peat-free houseplant compost with a generous handful of perlite and a little fine orchid bark works well. The roots are relatively fine and shallow, so a wide, shallow pot suits them better than a deep one.
Repot every two years or so, in spring, going up just one pot size. These plants do not enjoy being disturbed, so handle the rootball gently and water in with tepid filtered water.
Feed monthly during spring and summer with a balanced liquid houseplant fertiliser at half the recommended strength. Skip feeding in autumn and winter. Prayer plants are easily scorched by fertiliser salts, which contribute to brown leaf edges, so flush the compost with clean water every couple of months to wash any build-up through.
Troubleshooting crispy edges and other complaints
Brown, crispy leaf edges
The classic prayer plant complaint. Causes, in rough order of likelihood:
- Mineral or chemical content in tap water — switch to rain or filtered water.
- Low humidity — raise it, ideally with a humidifier.
- Fertiliser build-up — flush the compost.
- Inconsistent watering, with periods of bone-dry compost.
Curling, rolled leaves
Usually a sign of thirst or very low humidity. Leaves that stay tightly furled into the day, rather than opening, suggest the plant is under stress.
Yellowing leaves
Most often overwatering or compacted, waterlogged compost. Check that the pot drains freely and let the top of the compost dry slightly more between waterings.
Pests
Spider mites love the dry air that already stresses these plants — fine webbing and stippled leaves are giveaways. Raise humidity, wipe leaves and treat with insecticidal soap or neem. Watch also for thrips and fungus gnats.
Reading the prayer
Once your plant settles, you can read its mood from its leaves. Strong upward folding at dusk and a relaxed open posture by mid-morning is the picture of contentment. Leaves that stay flat all night, or refuse to open by day, are telling you something is off — usually light, water quality or humidity. Treat prayer plants as communicative rather than fussy, and they become some of the most satisfying foliage plants you can grow.
Tools and supplies for this
Products we'd actually buy for this job. Linking to Amazon — if you buy through these links we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
- Weston Mill Pottery Terracotta plant pots, 175mm (pack of 10)
Mid-size workhorse terracotta — perfect step-up for plants outgrowing their nursery pots.
- Weston Mill Pottery Terracotta plant pots, 20cm (pack of 5)
Heavyweight 20cm clay for established plants — the porous walls help prevent the soggy roots aroids hate.
- Whitefurze G04012 7.5cm Garden Pot - Terracotta (Set of 10)
Cheap, cheerful plastic propagation pots — what we actually use for cuttings and small offsets.
- Whitefurze G04013 10cm Garden Pot - Terracotta (Set of 7)
Reliable mid-size nursery pots with proper drainage holes — the boring essential every plant parent runs out of.
BotanicBuddy Editorial Team
Plant Care Team
Passionate about helping plant parents succeed with expert tips and proven techniques.
Comments(11)
I'd gently push back on framing these as inherently fussy—I've found the real trick is matching them to your actual climate rather than fighting it. I'm in an arid zone and struggled with Calathea orbifolia until I stopped chasing tropical humidity and instead grew Goeppertia (formerly Calathea) lancifolia, which tolerates drier air far better while keeping that leaf movement appeal. Water quality definitely matters, but filtered rainwater makes a bigger practical difference than people realize.
I've found prayer plants thrive when you stop fighting their nature instead of forcing them into standard care routines. The humidity piece especially—I used to struggle until I realized my arid climate meant I needed to get creative with pebble trays and grouping rather than spraying. Do you find distilled water makes as much difference as the humidity aspect, or does it depend on how finicky the particular species is?
I appreciate you spelling out the genus names—Goeppertia especially gets lumped under Calathea so often that I had to look it up myself. I've had better luck with Maranta leuconeura than the true Calatheas in my cold climate, honestly. The humidity demands here near the Canadian border are relentless, and even my most attentive watering couldn't save a couple of finicky specimens. Do you find that cold-climate growers need to adjust expectations, or have you seen people make these thrive despite heating season dryness?
I've had my share of prayer plant casualties before I finally accepted that my tap water was the villain—once I switched to filtered water, my Goeppertia suddenly stopped sulking and those leaf movements became genuinely theatrical again. The humidity piece still trips me up though; I'm at 13 plants now and somehow my orchids laugh at my efforts while my Calathea gives me the side-eye from across the room. Did you find that a pebble tray or humidifier made more practical difference in your experience?
I've killed two Calatheas before I figured out that my tap water was the real problem—switched to filtered water and suddenly the brown leaf edges stopped. Humidity is non-negotiable in my experience, so I keep mine grouped together on a pebble tray, which honestly makes a bigger difference than anything else I've tried. Would love to see your setup if you have photos of how you're managing the conditions.
The tap water revelation is such a game-changer—I'm glad you cracked that code. Your pebble tray setup sounds ideal, and grouping them together is smart since it creates that microclimate they crave in tropical conditions. I've found that consistent moisture (not wet, just never fully dry) paired with that humidity really does most of the heavy lifting. Are you finding that the grouped setup also helps with pest management, or hasn't that been an issue for you?
I've got to say, I really appreciate seeing someone address the water quality thing—that's where most people trip up. I switched to collecting rainwater for my Maranta a couple years back and the difference was honestly noticeable. My question is whether you've found filtered water works just as well in a Mediterranean climate, or if the mineral content still tends to be an issue? I'm curious because my tap water is pretty hard here and I'd love a backup plan that doesn't require me to obsessively collect rain.
I've been wanting to try a prayer plant for ages, but I'm honestly intimidated by the humidity thing—my apartment is pretty dry, especially in winter. I currently have 4 plants all doing okay, but they're mostly hardy types. Are there any of these genera that are actually more forgiving than the others, or do they all demand similar conditions?
I've learned the hard way that prayer plants really do need that humidity—I killed my first Maranta by just misting it like I do my herbs! Now I group mine together on a pebble tray with water underneath, and they're so much happier. The leaf movement is honestly addictive to watch, especially in my cold climate where they get so crispy from the dry indoor air. What water quality issue have you found trips people up the most?
I've been growing prayer plants for years now and honestly the water quality thing is what finally clicked for me—I switched to distilled water after my Goeppertia kept getting those crispy brown edges, and it made such a difference. Do you have recommendations for humidity solutions that don't feel like babying the plants? I've got my Maranta on a pebble tray, but I'm curious if you've found anything that works better in a temperate climate like mine without needing a full humidifier setup.
I'd love to see more on water quality specifically—I've had decent luck with my Goeppertia orbifolia using filtered water, but I'm curious whether you've found distilled water makes a noticeable difference versus just letting tap water sit overnight? The humidity side I've got down (I basically keep it misted constantly in my temperate climate), but the watering part still feels like I'm walking a tightrope between crispy and root rot.