Prayer plants are popular houseplants because of their vividly colored leaves. Like most tropical plants, it's uncommon for prayer plants to bloom when kept as houseplants. However, given the right conditions, you might still notice the pleasant surprise of flowers on your prayer plant. Here is a basic guide to what you should know about prayer plant blooms:
How to Recognize Prayer Plant Flowers
Prayer plant blooms are small and can be easy to miss due to the plant's growth pattern. You can recognize early signs of blooming by long, slender stalks resembling stems rather than unwrapped leaves. The flowers are usually white or pale purple and similar in shape to sweat peas or snapdragons. Though it's very faint, the flowers have a sweet scent.
Why Is My Prayer Plant Blooming?
Prayer plants grown indoors tend to bloom in spring and summer. Even if you keep your home's climate and light conditions regular throughout the year, plants will still follow the changing of seasons for growth and dormancy. Like most plants, prayer plants tend to go dormant in the winter and produce new growth in the warmer months.
However, every plant's behavior is unique. Some prayer plants bloom well into the fall and continue to push out new growth through the winter. If your prayer plant blooms, it's a sign of a healthy plant in ideal conditions.
Should I Prune Prayer Plant Flowers?
When plants bloom, they focus their energy into the flowers rather than creating new foliage. If your prayer plant produces flowers, you'll likely notice a decrease or complete lack of new leaf growth. A shift in behavior like this is normal, but if you want to prioritize new leaves and overall plant growth, you can prune the flowers. Pruning is as simple as snipping or pinching off the flower stalks as they appear.
While more common than many houseplants, prayer plant blooms are still a rarity. If your plant blooms, you know it's happy in your care.
About the Author
Kyung Kim
Hi, I'm Kyung Kim. I immigrated from South Korea to the United States in 1968 when I was 7 years old. I have seen my mom struggle with the English language and work hard to raise her four kids by herself. Still to this day, I don't know how she pulled it off, but she bought her first home in 1979 for $70,000 and because of that decision, she was able to live without worrying about her financial future. I want that for everyone, to feel the pride of home ownership and to build their financial wealth using real estate as part of their financial portfolio. I feel so blessed to play a small role in helping others reach this goal.
I live in Beaverton with my husband, Richard. My mom, who lived with us for several years, passed away in our home in February 2022. Her first home purchase in 1979 made it possible for her to live to the very end, without worrying about her finances. As of August 2022 with a little downpayment assistance, our four children own their own homes. Being in real estate, I quickly realized that if they didn't buy now, they may be priced out of the market in the future. Whether that would have been the case, we will never know, but what we do know is that they are all realizing some good, healthy appreciation in their home values.
As passionate as I am about people owning their homes, I'm also passionate about giving back to our community. I support Compassion First, a non-profit organization that provides aftercare for sex trafficked girls in Indonesia. My husband and I also feel called to financially support social injustice organizations.
I'd love to assist you. Whether you're in the research phase at the beginning of your real estate search or you know exactly what you're looking for, you'll benefit from having a real estate professional by your side. I'd be honored to put my real estate experience to work for you.
