what's up there youtubers and plant
lovers its Justin coming to you from the
Big Blue Nation once again and today I
was going to talk to you about the
prayer plant or Murata Luke and arrow
now this plant got its common name the
prayer plant because oftentimes at night
or more specifically in the dusk these
plants will respond and start to roll up
their leaves kind of similar to how a
young child would kind of focus hands up
and almost looked like it was praying so
that's what gave the plant its common
name the plant is also really known for
its fantastic foliage I mean they've got
some red stripes and red spots some
darker greenish kind of light splotches
on the leaves two yellow stripes I mean
they really are really beautiful foliage
plants so that's kind of what's really
drawing most people to this specific
plant it's because they really do kind
of put on a beautiful display and once
they kind of spread out now they will
have kind of smaller white or purple
flowers that can be on canes but those
aren't really what they're known for
it's mostly just their foliage now these
plants hail from a kind of tropical
South America more specifically around
Brazil so these plants really do have to
be grown indoors if you're going to grow
them in the United States because I
believe they're really only Hardy to the
US Department
zones 10 11 so if you're not in those
two zones you're kind of gonna have to
grow it inside for the wintertime
especially these plants do not like cold
weather so it really wouldn't survive
outside what I'll do is I'll bring this
guy in
about early fall if I study my site at
all mostly have probably just being
inside year-round but uh he starts to
look a little sick
I can't moving outside and I willing to
do that kind of late spring to about
summer and like I said early fall cuz
they don't like a lot of code
temperatures at all and because these
plants are cared for indoors that's
really why I'm drawn to them
unfortunately caring for these plants
inside your house is relatively easy if
you do prefer to build your own kind of
substrate the one that I would recommend
is one that's two parts peat moss one
part loan or a perlite to about one part
singing if you're gonna use saying make
sure it's builder saying again because
that's really finely washed so little
washout a little bit that silt that
could potentially harm your plants so
that is one that's really good for
drainage and said these plants are from
a bit of a tropical area so they do have
a little bit of humidity and they do
like their water but they don't need to
be standing in a lot of water because
these plants do have kind of fine roots
and they will suffer from root rot
fairly easily now I say that and that's
really one thing that's really kind of a
given anybody a lot of trouble with
these plants is the humidity or the
water with these guys like I said they
do like a bit of water that do like a
lot of humidity I've heard people say
these guys prefer about a hundred
percent humidity at times as well now
I've even heard some of my friends say
that they are really susceptible to
being in terrariums they like a lot of
kind of enclosure one that would kind of
hold in some water and be really really
moist for these guys I've seen people
put them in larger ziplock plastic bags
but like a glass enclosure in a
terrarium maybe with some frogs or
lizards
that would be really good for this
plants other than and I would probably
give it a kind of a terrarium
environment anything that like I said
it's kind of enclosed and maybe has
glass with it because that really will
hold in a lot of water for these now if
you do go that route typically with the
larger ones they don't need as much
humidity you could get away with
spraying them that's what I do with this
guy he does look like he would like a
little bit more water I just wanted him
today but I guess that they do love
their humidity so if they don't get it
their leaf tips will start to kind of
Brown out a little bit so they might
make you work for but this is really the
kind of area that these plants are a bit
of a diva so yeah if they are in an
enclosed environment they don't need as
much water you can probably get away
with maybe two cups in a larger plastic
bag or a terrarium just enough to kind
of really let you kind of see that
humidity because then it'll really
benefit the plant but if you don't have
it enclosed you just kind of have it
hanging basket like I do they will tend
to need more water especially in the
summertime or anytime that's really kind
of hot and humid out these plants will
be even more water so just definitely
pay attention like I said don't cause
them to stand in water all the time but
you do want your soil to be it fairly
wet to the touch not saturated and I
soaked but they do maybe be able to dry
out once or twice in between my woodland
go for long maybe a day of kind of a
drier substrate but after that I would
give them some more water and like I
said if you pay attention you can kind
of see the leaves do get a little
wrinkled or a little droopy or you see a
little bit Brown you need to adjust
accordingly
I sell if you do see a lot of brown I
would watch what kind of water you're
giving these plants it can't be a little
bit sensitive to it so I use a filter
with all my plants but if you have hard
water or softened water or anything
other than
and water outside I would probably use
bottled water just to be on the safer
side now light these guys do prefer
bright and direct candlelight so I would
probably put them in maybe an east or
west facing window if it was going to be
a southern facing window it would be
kind of back a little bit because the
direct light with these darker leaves
can really scorch your leaves so if
you're taking this plant from a store or
a grocery store in an area that does
have windows but these plants weren't
really by the windows you know it's been
a while since they've had some good
light so if you are going to introduce
them into an area that is gonna have
someone of a brighter light maybe for an
hour or two a day you want to kind of
gradually introduce them to that maybe
for about thirty minutes you let them
sit in that kind of light area and then
kind of move them back a little bit
second day go for about an hour or maybe
45 minutes and then the third day use
your better judgment just remember be
patient and the Sun can't hurt so just
be careful because if they do burn these
leaves or do anything kind of similar to
that that will be permanent so it will
be on the we've kind of the rest of the
grow time that you got leaves been
around so just be be courteous now
temperatures don't forget these plants
are from a tropical area so unless you
live in that same kind of area or
climates I really wouldn't have these
guys outside for a to long time
especially in the wintertime or in the
late fall I really wouldn't subjected
them to temperatures lower than about 50
or 55 degrees Fahrenheit so it's any
kind of exposure that can do a lot of
damage to the leaves and the tissues I
know that can probably experience
temperatures of about 50 to below 50 for
a day or two but I really wouldn't tempt
it now obviously in nature there are
going to be periods of town on the road
it's below freezing but if this plan is
to be subjected that it's only going to
be for about a day or two in nature but
then that the plant probably won't make
it I know actually that if it does
experience freezing temperatures this
plate probably will die so just be
careful yeah I know
there are certain circumstances
microclimates and what-have-you
that will actually be okay for this
plant but they do not like cold weather
so they do not like a drafty window or a
cold drafty door hallway and they don't
like to be next to air vents either
whether it's cold or hot because when it
is kind of hot that will dry it out a
lot and like I said they do like their
humidity so if they're coming by window
or air vent or a door that can't affect
them so just keep that in mind as well
now sighs these guys they weren't too
bad I think they can't have a spread on
the move about a foot and I've seen some
that have been kind of bigger depending
on location and why they will thrive and
kind of a brighter indirect light and if
you're feeding them every about two
weeks in the growing season these guys
can't have a nice spread on them so they
will kind of spread out some they don't
get too tall maybe about half a foot or
a foot or so but they they can spread
out so just be aware of that feeding
with fertilizer
I suggest any kind of well balanced
fertilizer that's probably diluted to
about a half on a suffice for this plant
now remember they are foliage plants so
they do prefer a diet that is kind of
hot nitrogen because that will help them
get the kind of nutrition's I need to
get them to focus on their leaves and
their stems and I like that really will
help the foliage plant so it'll bring
more of the nutrients some more towards
the leaves as opposed to kind of giving
them something
in the other direction that might help
with their flowers like I said these
guys don't have a particularly showy
spread of flowers just some kind of
smaller less conspicuous ones so this
head of nutrients for the leaves really
just kind of will benefit it with
nitrogen pest Millie bugs if you see
these white kind of cotton ish powdery
kind of critters kind of walking around
you'll know a buzz when you see them
they are white then you can I believe a
powder
residue these guys a nice organic way to
deal with these it's just a kind of take
some isopropyl alcohol rubbing alcohol
apply it to a washcloth and just kind of
go over any area that you see these
villi bugs egg fits are another one just
because these guys typically like to
have more when it's substrate so you
can't kind of have an issue with fruit
flies or fungus gnats so kind of pay
attention with that if you do have a
problem with any kind of soil pests or
aphids or fungus gnats the best thing I
know what to do with this is get a
product called gnat Nick's it is kind of
what you can see in these plants over
here it is a kind of superheated glass
that has this consistency of sand you
put that over the soil about a half inch
to an inch deep and they'll prevent
anything from actually crossing this
barrier and getting into the soil now
these this particular substance is
really ideal for whenever you're moving
your stuff back in from the wintertime
these plants have set up there on your
porch all spring and summer long
and you don't know what's kind of gotten
down into the soil and then you're gonna
bring these guys back in for around the
fall and winter it's really nice to have
this kind of barrier over top of the
soil does anything that might hatch down
in your soil won't be able to break
through this kind of sand consistency as
super jagged edges and that will
puncture the skeleton of any kind of
pests that may be barble down in there
so you will actually be able to kill
anything without actually having to see
it do you want to say one more thing
about the piste if you see any kind of
other pests that are kind of rampant
another good thing to do would be to
take this guy and set it in your sink or
your bathtub or outside in the
summertime if the temperatures are okay
and it kind of hosed it down in nature
these plants have Mother Nature that
will come along and kind of hose them
down and watch anything that's on them
off but unfortunately indoors we don't
have that so the best thing we can do is
kind of provide that for these plants
and hose them down to make
that's kind of on their gets knocked off
and then your last resort would be to
revert to something that would help give
up a wise fungicide or insecticide I
usually like to use insect soap just
because neem oil is messy and it stinks
to have an insecticide really does kind
of help insecticidal soap without being
too harmful to the environment obviously
you want to be careful whenever you're
using it not to use it outside because
you can't kill any other beneficial bugs
so apply it somewhere that's not gonna
be able to spread anywhere and not hurt
anything else in the environment I like
to do mine in the bathtub and spray it
down after I've wiped it down if I use
any of the insecticide soap at all so
again just be kind of conservative when
you're applying it watch where you use
it sometimes they have to be shaking
really well before you apply it and
other times it has to make comment full
contact with the insect before it
actually works okay nice that's really
all I wanted to say about the prayer
plants this is a beautiful foliage plant
and they can get rather big but not too
big so I do like these guys and I've had
a request for this video
so if you have any more questions just
leave a comment let me know if you've
any kind of success or failures with
this plant and what you think about it
like I said I do like a lot this is the
only prayer plant that I have there are
many different varieties so take a
picture of yours and let me see it you
guys have seen this one and let me know
like I said this will get bigger so
again I will release an update video for
it and show you all once the growing
season hits it has more room to spread
out well don't be shy hit the subscribe
button or the bell next to it that way
you'll know anytime and i've uploaded a
new video
well guys have a good one have a great
life and don't forget always plant
prudently thank you to