Plant Care Rattlesnake Plant

Rattlesnake Plant

4.5 out of 5 (58 experiences)

Rattlesnake Plant has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily
Rattlesnake Plant has a Survivor plant personality Survivor

About Rattlesnake Plant

Many of the houseplants we used to know as Calatheas now belong to the genus Goeppertia (say that three times fast). These plants have delightfully patterned leaves that come in all sorts of colors and shapes! Commonly known as prayer plants, the leaves of some species fold up at night through a process called nyctinasty meaning night movement! 😴

Taxonomy

Goeppertia lancifolia
Goeppertia
Marantaceae
Zingiberales

Also known as

Calathea lancifolia and Calathea insignis

How to care for Rattlesnake Plant

Water

How often to water your Rattlesnake Plant

Water needs for Rattlesnake Plant
0.5 cups
every 9

Rattlesnake Plant needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Rattlesnake Plant

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
Light

Check the growing potential in your area

A plant's growing potential is determined from its location, the time of year, and current local weather.

Select a city to check sunlight intensity

Finding light for Rattlesnake Plant in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Rattlesnake Plant: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Rattlesnake Plant may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Rattlesnake Plant in your home 🏡.

Nutrients

How to fertilize Rattlesnake Plant

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Rattlesnake Plant: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Rattlesnake Plant after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

FAQs
Difficulty Level

Rattlesnake Plant can be challenging to care for, according to some plant parents. Check out the reviews down below to learn from their experiences!


Water Needs
Sunlight Needs
Toxicity
Humidity
Soil
Fertilizer
Native Region
Flowers
Growth Pattern
Growing Outdoors
Propagation
Yellow Leaves

Care Summary for Rattlesnake Plant

Rattlesnake Plant

Rattlesnake Plant


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 3ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Rattlesnake Plant has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 25
Rattlesnake Plant has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 21
Rattlesnake Plant has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 18
Rattlesnake Plant has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 15
Rattlesnake Plant has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 2
Rattlesnake Plant has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 1
Rattlesnake Plant has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 1
@TaylorMdeBloomz avatar
@@TaylorMdeBloomz
leaf-1 42 Plants
xp 4,202 XP
03/06/2022

My plant has been a pretty slow grower but from my experience it doesn’t brown easily. I love how the leaves go upward at night.

Survivor Survivor
@MeganO avatar
@@MeganO
leaf-1 46 Plants
xp 20,450 XP
globe Washington, DC
12/27/2021

It’s a calathea so of course it’s going to be annoying about humidity and browning leaves and a magnet for pests. Not as big of a pest magnet as other calathea I have had though.

Browns easily Browns easily
Pest magnet Pest magnet
@teamstarburger avatar
@@teamstarburger
leaf-1 16 Plants
xp 905 XP
11/05/2021

Browns easily but bounces back quickly with use of distilled water for misting and watering.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Browns easily Browns easily
Jan avatar
@Jan
leaf-1 41 Plants
xp 648 XP
10/02/2021

Easy to grow

@bigshe64 avatar
@@bigshe64
leaf-1 46 Plants
xp 3,386 XP
globe Ephrata, PA
09/29/2021

Easiest of all Calathea to grow. Fussy with water.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Wagnonanna avatar
@@Wagnonanna
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 393 XP
09/15/2021

Super durable, went into depression and didn’t water plants for months. Killed almost everything but this guy came back strong

@KikiGoldblatt avatar
@@KikiGoldblatt
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 121,071 XP
globe Oliver Springs, TN
08/25/2021

Love the way the leaves move with the lighting.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@JMplantlover avatar
@@JMplantlover
leaf-1 13 Plants
xp 304 XP
08/17/2021

Managed to survive abuse by cat tho very fussy about placement

Survivor Survivor
@Caylasjungle avatar
@@Caylasjungle
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 107 XP
08/08/2021

This is such a gorgeous plant!! I overwatered it pretty easily lol but it recovered easily!

Survivor Survivor
@e282611 avatar
@@e282611
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 279 XP
07/06/2021

You may think that it doesn’t need sun at all but it dose I made that mistake because it was droopy but I put it outside not in the direct sun it rose up again.

Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
@StringPlayer avatar
@@StringPlayer
leaf-1 80 Plants
xp 8,889 XP
globe Placerville, CA
06/29/2021

Of the calatheas, this is one of the easiest to take care of. Likes some additional humidity, but seems okay at 40-50% relative humidity.

Survivor Survivor
@RJG avatar
@@RJG
leaf-1 137 Plants
xp 155,297 XP
globe Austin, TX
06/05/2021

the easiest calathea imo. good one to get your feet wet on!

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@martin avatar
@@martin
leaf-1 27 Plants
xp 7,815 XP
globe New York
05/30/2021

Mine just sprouted new growth, first time since bringing it home. Fun watching the leaves open and close 🕺🏻. Mindful watering + 3ft from a south facing window 👌

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@plantsareawesome avatar
@@plantsareawesome
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 1,019 XP
05/28/2021

it closes at night!

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@peggyplant avatar
@@peggyplant
leaf-1 31 Plants
xp 2,095 XP
globe Brentwood, CA
05/23/2021

I love that it dances! Don’t be worried by the foliage moving because it’s supposed to. So cute and endearing!

@turner217kayla avatar
@@turner217kayla
leaf-1 15 Plants
xp 314 XP
05/16/2021

Beautiful foliage and pet friendly! Seems more low maintenance than my other calatheas.

Browns easily Browns easily
Fast grower Fast grower
@Nataleaf avatar
@@Nataleaf
leaf-1 74 Plants
xp 4,614 XP
globe New Orleans, LA
04/27/2021

One of my lower maintenance marantaceae! Thrives in a north window - avoid direct sun, but give bright indirect light. Water only with rainwater or distilled water and fertilize sparingly. Keep soil moist, but not soggy. In a north window this means watering every 1-2 weeks or so, depending on your substrate. Mine has tons of new shoots coming up! If I forget to water it for too long, it starts to brown & crisp up the edges of a few leaves. Don’t be surprised when it moves its leaves to collect more light and “prays” at night. So much personality in this plant family.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Browns easily Browns easily
@brooke avatar
@@brooke
leaf-1 26 Plants
xp 1,741 XP
globe Denton, TX
04/10/2021

I’m new to owning a rattlesnake plant, but I really love them so far! I’ve noticed the new growth has trouble unfurling without humidity, so I keep mine next to a humidifier. Tons of new leaves shooting out. :)

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@juropel avatar
@@juropel
leaf-1 11 Plants
xp 92 XP
globe Denver, CO
04/05/2021

My favorite thing about the Rattlesnake Plant is that it keeps time. During the day, the leaves stretch outward, and during the night, they stand tall.

Care tip: Unlink other prayer plants, this one does prefer the soil to be nearly dry before watering.

Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@teeth4us avatar
@@teeth4us
leaf-1 17 Plants
xp 1,068 XP
04/02/2021

Hey sad super easily and will attempt to kill it’s self if it doesn’t have humidity in the room 24/7

Browns easily Browns easily

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