Maranta
Like the Calathea and Stromanthe, Marantas are part of the Marantaceae family. The leaves that fold up at night in a “prayer”, thus famously dubbed Prayer Plants. In reality these plants have movement throughout the days, where it increases in the evening and sometimes you’ll even be able to hear it. The most famous in this cultivar is without a doubt Maranta leuconeura Fascinator. With red veins tracking through the leaf, light green patterns and jade green base, this Brazilian tropical forest plant spreads its leaves sideways.
Marantas are easy foliage plants to care for and ideal for a tropical look to your home. They will have little flowers but these are insignificant and don’t really take any attention away from the plant itself.
Care
As they grow sideways and hardly more than 8 inches tall, Marantas are great in a hanging display. The best condition for Maranta is to keep her in a warm room with gentle airflow and her soil kept slightly moist. It is also important to mist your plant frequently. During the summer months it is important to fertilize as they thrive with some extra nutrition. Fluctuating conditions like irregular watering and drastic drop in temperatures will show visibly on the plant leaves. This is often due to fungal infection that is caused by root rot and will inevitably kill the plant. Marantas that are exposed to too much sun during the day will have colour fade and/or brown spots that grow on their leaves.
They do prefer rainwater where tap water can have high content of salt, minerals and fluoride. Leave tap water out overnight before watering most tropical plants.
Problems
Brown tips and curling leaves - low humidity
Mushy stems, droopy and yellowing leaves - root rot caused by overwatering
Pale leaves, fading colours with big brown blotches - too much sun
Slow growth - root bound, needs repotting. Use a rich, but well-draining soil, preferably in Spring.
