Maranta plants, often known as prayer plants, are often picked by indoor gardeners due to their exquisite foliage. These lovely plants come in a variety of unique color and pattern combinations.
Prayer Plants grow well in good indoor environments; therefore, they need to be transferred to a larger container as they grow. When the time comes to repot your Prayer Plant, you will find yourself with an important question: what is the best soil for a prayer plant?Â
To address this question, this article will discuss the soil requirements for prayer plants and also introduce homemade and ready-made potting mixes for maranta plants.
 If you are interested in this topic, you can also read
 <<How To Sterilize Soil? >> and  << Best Soil For Lavender >> articles.
About Prayer Plant
Maranta genus is named for Bartolomeo Maranta, a 16th-century Italian physician and botanist. The prayer plant (Maranta leuconeura) is one of a few dozen low-growing Brazilian native plants that belong to the Maranta genus. Its common name refers to how its leaves alternate between being flat during the day and folding up like praying hands at night.
The common tricolor cultivar has velvety, deep green leaves with yellow spots running down the midrib and arcing red veins extending to the leaf borders. The prayer plant grows slowly but finally reaches a height of up to one foot indoors. They are fairly common as houseplants and can be grown and cared for indoors at any time of the year [1].
Signs Of Using The Wrong Potting Mix For Prayer Plant
An inappropriate environment, a bad watering regimen, or the wrong soil mix can all cause several common problems for prayer plants. The soil composition is an important factor that impacts the health of the prayer plant. The following issues may result from using the wrong soil mix:
Yellowing leaves:Â when your plant’s leaves become yellow, the soil is waterlogged. Overwatering or poorly draining soil may be the blame for this.
Wilting leaves:Â the most frequent cause of wilting leaves is dry soil. There is a significant probability that your soil mixture will not retain enough water even though you are watering your prayer plant correctly.
Stunted plant:Â A stunted plant may indicate that the plant is not absorbing enough nutrients. Even if you apply fertilizer, there is a danger that it water wash away the nutrients before your plant has a chance to absorb it. To prevent such issue, ensure your soil has components that can hold nutrients, including compost, coco coir, or peat moss.
The Importance Of Drainage In Prayer Plant Soil Mix
Proper drainage is crucial to keep Prayer Plants happy and healthy. The delicate roots of prayer-plants can readily get harmed by excessive dampness, which may result in bacterial and fungal diseases that eventually cause root rot.
Ensure your Prayer Plant’s container and potting soil drain effectively to avoid root rot and other diseases. You should also water your plant frequently enough to prevent the soil from drying out but not so often that it becomes waterlogged.
Watering should be done in the morning with water that is at room temperature. Any saucers or containers with standing water should be emptied as well.
Prayer Plant Soil pHÂ
The pH of the soil where prayer plants are planted should be slightly acidic. The optimal soil pH for prayer plants is 5.5 to 6.5. If necessary, you can change the pH of the soil by adding amendments like peat moss (to reduce pH) or limestone powder (to raise pH).
Best Soil For Prayer Plants
As long as the pot has drainage holes and the potting mix is airy and well-draining, regular potting soil typically works fine for maranta plants. Generally, the best soil for prayer plants is slightly acidic, which can retain enough moisture and let the excess water drain.Â
Although a standard potting mix usually works fine, you can create your own soil mix for maranta plants.Â
How To Make The Best Soil For Maranta Plants (DIY Recipes)
Making your own potting soil is straightforward. You can find the required items at any gardening supply store. Once you have every component, you can create an ideal potting mixture for your prayer plant. To make the best soil for prayer plants, you can try the following recipes:
Recipe 1:
- 2 parts peat mossÂ
- 1 part perlite
- 1 part vermicompost or compost
Recipe 1:
- 1 part all-purpose potting mix
- 1 part peat moss
- 1 part perlite or coarse sand
Pre-mixed Soil For Prayer Plant
If you prefer to avoid purchasing and storing many different ingredients, you can buy pre-mixed soil that is ready to use right out of the bag. Remember to choose pre-mixed soil with good drainage. A blend based on peat moss or coco coir is typically a wise choice.
Some of the best soil mixes for maranta plants are as below:Â
- FoxFarm ocean forest potting mix
- Foxfarm happy frog potting mix
- Black gold organic potting mix
- Espoma Organic Potting Mix
- Miracle-Gro Indoor Potting Mix
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I use cactus soil for Prayer Plants?
Prayer plants cannot be grown in cactus soil since cactus soil retains little water. If you wish to utilize cactus soil, mix peat moss, and cactus soil 50/50.
How often should I repot my prayer plant?
Every few years, repot your prayer plant to make sure it receives adequate air and nutrient replenishment. Since the root system of your prayer plant is shallow, choose a wide, shallow pot.
Keep an eye on your plant’s development; if it suddenly slows down, check whether it is rootbound or not. Repotting your plant in the spring or summer will help avoid the cold season shock if it is rootbound.
Do prayer plants like big pots?
No, big pots are not preferred by prayer-plants. Moving a prayer plant into a much larger pot may have the unfavorable result of increasing moisture retention, which can cause root rot.
To guarantee well-draining, moisture-retentive soil, it is advisable to use the next size up from the original pot. The majority of regular pots come in 2′′ increments of diameter, thus if your Prayer Plant is in a 4′′ pot, the next size up is a 6′′ pot.
