Maranta, the fascinating plant of prayer

Buy your Maranta now

Maranta is a truly beautiful plant.

Its leaves are a bit reminiscent of what could be admired in a kaleidoscope: shapes and colors that touch and exchange, come together and stand out, dividing themselves into many shades, all organized in a geometric and bewitching way.

It is a plant that has remained in the shadow of the spotlight for a long time but has recently reached center stage, thanks to its incredibly decorative leaves.

It is also known as the «Prayer Plant», do you want to know why?

Of course, come and find out in the rest of the article!

MARANTA

Maranta brings us a bit of national pride, in fact it takes its name from Bartolomeo Maranta, an Italian doctor and botanist of the 16th century, discoverer of the Maranta genus, which includes a few dozen small-sized plants originating from the American tropics.

While the common name «prayer plant» derives from a particular behavior that the leaves display in response to light conditions: during the evening and night hours the plants remain flat, while when the light begins to increase due to the arrival of morning, they bend inwards, recalling the hands of a person intent on praying.

The Maranta leuconeura species, an evergreen perennial, it has one of the most beautiful and decorative foliages of the entire plant kingdomits leaves are intense green, velvety, with yellow spots along the central part and red veins in relief that run along the blade.

The Maranta has a very limited growth which makes it suitable for any apartment, in fact it usually does not exceed 20/25cm. We had already talked about it in the article on plants suitable for partial shade areas, remember?

The Maranta plant is a houseplant that belongs to the Marantaceae family.

TAKING CARE OF YOUR MARANTH

The prayer plant is quite simple to grow but has specific needs to take into account. Read on so you don’t get caught unprepared!

EXPOSURE

Similar to the Begonia maculata that we met last week, the Maranta loves bright areas, but not direct sunlight. The plant is generally tolerant of low light situations, but it is advisable not to keep it in excessively dark rooms. Therefore positions of shielded light or partial shade are preferable.

TEMPERATURE

The ideal temperatures for Maranta range from 15 to 27°C. Lower temperatures could seriously damage the leaves.

WATERING

During the seasons where the Maranta is active it is necessary water regularly, preventing the soil from drying out. They are plants very sensitive to drought, so it is important to pay attention to this aspect.

It must also be remembered that its leaves are rather delicate and subject to fungal attacks, so it is advisable to avoid wetting the leaf blade but to water the soil directly. This will discourage the formation of fungi on the leaves. Furthermore, it would be better to use water at room temperature or slightly warm. Occasional vaporizations are also recommended, as Maranta is a plant that requires good levels of humidity. To avoid running into the problems mentioned above, make sure that the water does not remain on the foil for too long, therefore ensure the plant is in a well-ventilated position that allows it to dry quickly.

In the winter months watering can be reduced.

LAND

Prefers acidic soil. A solution could be to combine peat, sphagnum moss, clayey soil and, given that it must be well draining, also perlite, expanded clay or coarse sand.

However, it is also possible to use a universal soil for houseplants, in particular we recommend the Florenpot.

FERTILIZATION

Maranta requires regular fertilization from spring to autumn. A universal fertilizer will do just fine.

MULTIPLICATION

Propagation can be done mainly either by division or by cuttings.

PROBLEMS

Plants exposed to too much light may develop brown spots on the foil and take on faded hues.

THE MARANTAS OF THE GEORGICHE NURSERY

Here at Vivai le Gorgiche we have two varieties of Maranta which, despite being part of the same genus, present themselves in a very different way. Find your favorite or fall in love with both!

1. Maranta leuconeura “Kerchoveana”
   It has short stems and beautiful oval leaves, intense green in color, with irregular brownish spots. The leaves can reach 15cm in length, while the plant usually does not exceed 30cm in height.
2. Maranta leuconeura “Fascinator”
   The “Fascinator” variety offers more marked contrasts thanks to the red veins that run through the green blade and also thanks to the yellow spots. The leaves reach about 15cm in length. The plant usually does not exceed 50cm in height.

After meeting her, how can we not want to welcome her into our homes? Small and colourful, it will give that extra touch everywhere!