I used to mist my prayer plant, and stopped because it was not helping at all. The leaves got a little flimsy and almost looked like a fungus was developing.

Are you misting the plant while also having the pebbles with water under the pot? Wondering if that is it. Otherwise, you've managed to have a prayer plant without brown tips on the leaves which is hard to do!

When I first brought it inside I was misting it every now and then so that it would have some humidity. Is misting it bad? Everything I read said to do it at least once a day. I would also bring it into the bathroom while I showered like once a week because I read online that would help with the humidity issue. But, I just bought that tray with the rocks a day or so ago so that I wouldn't be getting the leaves wet all the time.

Is it really dry air where you're located? It's not where I am. If it is dry air where you are, then the pebble tray is ok. But I think skip the misting for a while and see how it does.

I wouldn't worry too much about your plant. Sometimes overthinking it can make you stressed and the plant doesn't do as well. I had to learn that by trial and error. I also learned that my prayer plant does best when ignored except for watering. No moving around, just leaving it where it is.

So here is a photo of mine for comparison. I keep it in a 6" pot and medium light, and water it each time with a low dose liquid fertilizer. I never let it dry out completely- I let it go until the pot feels lighter, then I water. Plastic pots are best for these plants, with good drainage. It really should be hung from the ceiling now, but it does ok draping over this little hamper. At night, the leaves move so they are vertical, like yours in the first photo. That is why its called a prayer plant, like hands together praying.

Also, weirdly, this plant likes to grow during our winter. I know that's strange, but it really does.

Eventually your plant will grow large enough so that if there is a leaf with brown edges, you can just cut it off. I wouldn't do any trimming right now to yours though, because it's much smaller and needs the leaves to photosynthesize.

Sometimes, if it's really quiet towards night and you set something next to the plant, sit and wait, you can hear and see the leaves moving because it gets caught on whatever is sitting next to it. Pretty neat.

Here's one problem. That plastic pot has a saucer attached. So a pebble tray under the plant, can't help the plant w/ that plastic pot's attached saucer in the way. You've got to pull that saucer off the pot. It's in the way of the water absorption from pebble tray to pot (which is the purpose of using a pebble tray).

It MAY be a self-watering pot (I can't tell unless you show the other side of the pot). If it is & you wish to use a pebble tray, you'll need to switch to another pot, or yank off that pot's saucer if you can.

These are tropical plants, they're from tropical rain forests, so wetting the leaves is not a problem. Their botanical name is Maranta, native to Central & South America (I looked it up).

I don't have the saucer there to water the plant. Its only there to increase the humidity around the plant since its more dry around here and it needs like 70-80% humidity or something. I have it on a watering schedule since it likes to be wet but not soaked. I was spraying the leaves a couple times a day but I read that that might lead to spots on the leaves so I decided it would be nice to keep that plant on the saucer instead like some other people did. I also saw some people who had it in a large terrarium.

Misting the leaves becomes a problem if you're not able to mimic the rain forest environment in your house. I never mist any leaves anymore, on any plants. A terrarium would be more consistent if you're trying to create a perfect environment, it's whatever suits your interest. Prayer plants also propagate easily, place the cutting in water then place gently into soil once roots are about 1/2" long.

I hear you, but if you remove the saucer from the blue pot, you may no longer need a terrarium as the mix will be able to benefit from the pebble tray INSTEAD.

It's an effective way to increases ambient humidity; longer lasting than misting, I've done both. I've found this works better, especially for tropicals.

Interesting. I don't know how I would feel about not having the saucer off the pot. I picked that pot specifically because I was told not to have the put sitting directly in the water or anything. I was told it was really just there to make a sort of wall of humidity around the plant.

Hey Kyle,

i think Karen is saying that you can put it in a tray of pebbles, which increases the humidity around the plant. That way, you won't need to mist.

If you sit it on a tray of pebbles with water in the tray, the plant will not be sitting in water. It will be sitting on top of pebbles. But it will still take in the water in the tray as humidity.

that is more effective to create a humid environment for the plant:).

p.s. Your plant looks pretty darn good to me, far better than any of those I have killed in the past ever looked!

To clarify, the pot won't be in the water, rather on the pebbles it will be ON TOP OF the pebbles & water, which is a big difference. But again, in order for this to work one needs to rip the saucer off the blue pot.

Thanks Lauren for trying to help explain the concept of pebble tray.