Could Monstera spray fertiliser be used on my Red Prayer ...
I was gifted this lovely red prayer plant for my birthday a few days ago. I've called him "Prego". I have dozens of plants but I've never owned a prayer plant before. I believe I found a good location for light, but I'm curious about plant food. I do use very nice granule nutrients in the water for my plants about once or twice a month (not in winter) but I have also been using GardenNova spray fertilisers every month during growing season. They make plant-specific sprays, and they've really been good for my other plants. However, they don't make on specifically for prayer plants. Do you think monstera plants have similar nutritional needs to prayer plants? (The company makes a spray for monstera plants).
3ft to light, direct
6” pot with drainage
Last watered 3 days ago
9
Hi @LegitimateMum14 👋 I wouldn’t spray the leaves with fertilizer. Calatheas and marantas are tricky plants and spraying their leaves could lead to fungal and bacterial issues if left damp for too long. Outdoors they would have constant good air circulation to help dry off the leaf surfaces. Unless you leave a fan running that doesn’t happen inside our homes. So opt for fertilizing through the soil. Looking at your profile for Prego it says direct sun in a southern window near a heater. Prego may not be too happy with those conditions. Prayer plants want gentle indirect light, more like from an east window. Nothing hot and harsh ☀️. They’re also humidity loving plants and heaters dry out the air. Best to not have him near a heater, radiator or heating vent blowing in his direction. You can increase humidity with a table top humidifier. Some people find pebble trays useful although how well they work is debatable. Grouping plants helps with humidity because they release moisture into the air, increasing humidity in the immediate area. Prayer plants take a bit of learning and are less forgiving than most common houseplants. Water quality is a common issue with these plants. With all the things that are in tap water that prayer plants don’t get in nature rainwater is best. If that’s not possible then some people use distilled water or filter their tap water somehow. I use filtered tap water through our refrigerator. Let it come to room temperature. Chlorine and fluoride may affect the leaves. Not all water districts in the US add these to the water. Mine doesn’t add any fluoride. And they don’t use chlorine gas it’s chloramine instead which is not a gas and won’t dissipate out when left to sit out. I’d have to use something similar to fish tank dechlorinators. Hope this helps. Prayer plants are gorgeous! They just have a steeper learning curve than most plants 🪴!
Oh Greg is so frustrating sometimes. I wrote two replies but they don't seem to have posted! First: @MariansOasis - thanks so much for your detailed reply. I live in England where the tap water is horribly hard, so I only ever use distilled water. Also, the radiator does not blow air, it just heats up, and it's about a metre away from Prego. There are about 12 other thriving plants in the same area. I live in a flat, and all my windows are south facing. Loads of natural light.
Hi @stephonicle. This particular brand is specifically for leaves and stems. They make different "recipes" for different species of plants. I have had great success with their spray fertilisers for spider plants, snake plants, aloe vera, peace lily and succulents. They don't, however, make one for prayer plants (but they have one for monstera, hence my query).
@VipSeraphina based on what you and @MariansOasis have said, I will probably not risk the spray on Prego.
@LegitimateMum14 probably for the best to not spray leaves. Your oasis is beautiful. Most of them are much hardier plants with stronger leaves and more adaptable to being houseplants. Prayer plants struggle more, as you can imagine, as our homes 🏠 are very different than tropical rainforests 😆 😝 😂. I get that your other plants do well near the heater but I still think 3 feet from a heat source might dry her out too fast. Keep an eye on her soil and leaves. Adding in a small table top humidifier might help. I use these types which btw shows it’s available in UK haha 😆
If you lived in soggy Britain, @MariansOasis , you would understand how all of us are constantly battling to LOWER the humidity in our damp-prone homes! 🤣🤣
@LegitimateMum14 omg 😆 I bet that’s true 😆 😝 😂!! We just got back from Ireland 🇮🇪. Sooo lovely and humid. My skin felt amazing. No wonder there are so many English and Irish women with gorgeous complexions!! 😊