What kind of soil for my prayer plants??? Need help!!!

[Green Mantis]

What kind of soil do I use when I transplant my Prayer plants???? Any cactus mix in there?? Need some help on this. Thank You.

[Kisal]

I just use standard potting mix. The plants like to be evenly moist, so don't require the kind of rapid drainage a cactus or succulent does.

[Green Mantis]

Kisal, is a plastic pot OK? Or would I be better to get a red clay pot? Thanks for the info on the soil. I keep hoping to find a prayer plant the same colour as your's, it's so pretty. But you don't find them often. How big can they actually get anyway???

[Kisal]

I don't have a prayer plant, per se. What I have is Calathea roseo-picta, which is in the same family. I have it in a plastic pot, because that helps keep the soil moist. These plants do not like to get dry, but they don't want to be soggy, either. I water it by submersion. I determine the need for water by touching the soil with my fingers. If it's cool to the touch, it doesn't need water. When it feels dry or scratchy to my fingertips, I water it. I probably water it once every 7 to 10 days, depending on the warmth and humidity of the air. [img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/dunno.gif[/img]

It resides on my kitchen counter, back underneath the cabinets. There is a large window across the front of my kitchen, so the plant gets some light from that, but filtered through a curtain. They don't like bright light.

These plants can be sensitive to chlorine and fluorine in the water, but I haven't had a problem with my plant. I use warm tap water to fill the tub in which I submerge the plant pots. That water has been in my water heater for awhile, so the chlorine isn't so strong. I have to add a little cold water from the tap, so the water isn't too hot for the roots, but I haven't noted any browning of the leaf edges. You may prefer to let your water sit out in an open container overnight, just to be extra-safe not to cause a problem for your plant.

I don't think my plant is rare. I bought it at the grocery store ... the Albertson's up the street from my house.

[Green Mantis]

Kisal, Your plant might not be hard to find there, but really hard to find here, unless everybody is getting to them before I do??? Really pretty though.

[Green Mantis]

Kisal, I am Sooooo Happy, I found a prayer plant ( as I call them) almost identical to your's yesterday! I was so excited I actually gasped out loud! Lol!!!!! It's not quite as pink as your's but so pretty. Now I have 4 different varieties. There was only 4 plants there, I was sure excited to get one. If that's all that comes in once in awhile, then no wonder I am missing them. They seem very popular.

[Kisal]

The color fades if they're in too bright of light. Mine was paler when I bought it, too. I keep it on the kitchen counter, back under the cabinets.

[Green Mantis]

Kisal....... One more question, how big do the plastic pots need to be for a full grown plant?------------Should I get lower, wide pots, or big deep ones? When I say lower wide one, I mean like for an azalea???? Thanks.

[Kisal]

Mine is currently in a 6" plastic azalea pot. It's been in that pot for about a year. I don't know how big they get when mature, so I'm not sure if I'll need to move it into larger pots as time goes by. [img]https://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh27/Kisal_photos/dunno.gif[/img]

[Green Mantis]

Kisal.......Finally got all 5 of my 'PRAYER' plants re-potted this evening, managed to make such a mess of myself, I had to go have a shower after Also re-potted a fall coloured croton plant. The leaves are so pretty. They really do remind me of fall colours, guess that's why I bought it, last winter. Only one, got that really wide azalea type plant pot. The co-op has the other ones in the warehouse. So I think the ones that didn't get the wide pots will get re-potted next year. I will just keep the pots for them. So this should be interesting, to see how that one does in the really wide plastic, terra cotta coloured pot. Bit of an experiment I guess. Sure hope they all do well, they are so hard to find here. I really like them.

[Will Creed]

I realize this is too late, but information is always beneficial.

Although it is counter-intuitive, pots that are shallow relative to their width (Azalea and bulb pots) retain water longer than standard pots that are generally the same height as width. So plants that want to stay moist are generally best kept in shallow pots whereas those that need to dry out sooner are best kept in standard pots.

Not sure which pot shape to use? Stick with the nursery pot shape that it was grown in. Nurseries know what is best for the species that they grow.

As for size, a cardinal rule is to always up-pot by one size only and no more. Over-potting is the single most common cause of potted plant failure because excess soil takes too long too dry out properly between waterings and the result is root rot.

When to repot? Not before the soil is taking 3 days or less to dry out between waterings. Most folks repot prematurely and get into trouble down the road as a result. Keep your plants moderately potbound and they will grow faster, bloom better and be more resistant to root rot.

[Green Mantis]

Will Creed...............4 of the five didn't go in pots that were much wider, just deeper. The one that went into the wide pot is going to be an experiment, as the garden centre only had one in, and the rest are getting ordered from the warehouse. I want to see how the one in the lower wider pot does, compared to the exact same type of prayer plant in the taller deeper pot. The other ones were in a taller pot when I got them, so it should be interesting. I do appreciatte your advice, and hopefully they will all do well. Whether they are supposed to or not. I don't want anything to happen to them. I was looking at the pots again, and I think they will be able to stay in those pots for quite awhile. So the experiment has begun, but if anybody looks really un-happy, they will get transplanted into something smaller. Because these are my babies