Corona Prayer Plant

Botanical Name: Calathea sp. 'Corona'

Corona Prayer Plant deserves its place among the showy plants of the Maranta (Marantaceae) family.

Its broad, silvery-green leaves taper to a point and are edged with a wide band of dark green. New leaves are curled as they emerge, showing their purplish red undersides. And like its family members, this tropical foliage plant folds its leaves at night as hands in prayer.

The secret to keeping it happy is to provide high humidity. Do anything you can to keep the relative humidity above 60%. Place it on a humidity tray or use a room humidifier. Calatheas also love to be misted with rainwater. Raising the humidity will keep away the spider mites that are attracted to this plant.

Origin: Central America and Brazil

Height: Up to 18 in (45 cm)

Light: Moderate to bright light. No direct sun.

Water: Keep soil evenly moist. Do not allow the soil to get soggy. Use distilled water or rainwater because this plant is sensitive to fluoride and salts in tap water.

Humidity: Moderate to high humidity

Temperature: Average to warm 65-85°F, 18-29°C

Soil: Any good potting mix that drains well.

Fertilizer: Feed every 2 weeks spring and summer with a 10-10-5 liquid fertilizer diluted by half. In fall and winter, feed monthly.

Propagation: Division. Divide rhizomes of mature plants in spring or early summer.