Maranta Bicolor (two-colour prayer plant) care

Light

Maranta Bicolor wants the spot a few feet back from a sunny window — bright enough to read a paperback at noon, but the sun never falls directly on the leaves. Bright, indirect light maintains the leaf contrast; it copes with moderate shade. Keep clear of direct sun, which scorches and bleaches the soft foliage. A faint hand shadow at midday is the right amount; a sharp dark shadow means it's getting direct sun and probably too much.

Watering

Water maranta bicolor when the top 2-3 cm of soil is just dry, roughly every 5-7 days in growth. The actual day count varies with pot size, light, and season — the finger test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) is more reliable than a fixed calendar. Empty any drainage saucer afterwards so the pot isn't sitting in water. Keep evenly moist, neither soggy nor fully dry. Use room-temperature rainwater or filtered water to prevent leaf-edge browning from hard tap water, and reduce watering in winter.

Soil and pot

Maranta Bicolor grows best in light, moisture-retentive peat-free mix. Coir or fine bark with perlite and a little compost holds moisture while staying open. Slightly acidic, pH 5.5-6.5; use a draining pot to protect the shallow rhizomatous roots. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Maranta Bicolor sits happiest at around 50-60% humidity and 18-27°C (65-80°F). Likes moderate to high humidity. A pebble tray, plant grouping or humidifier keeps the edges from crisping; persistently dry air below 40% browns the margins. More forgiving than the fussier calatheas. If you keep the room above 18 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed maranta bicolor sparingly. Feed every 2-4 weeks in spring and summer with a balanced liquid houseplant feed at half strength. Flush the soil periodically to clear salts, and stop feeding over autumn and winter when growth slows. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on maranta bicolor in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

• Brown leaf tips and edges — From hard or fluoridated water and dry air. Use soft water and lift humidity slightly.
• Curling leaves — Indicates underwatering or low humidity. Keep the soil evenly moist and move away from drafts and heat sources.
• Yellowing leaves — Commonly overwatering and poor drainage, sometimes natural leaf ageing. Let the surface dry between waterings and ensure the pot drains.
• Fading leaf markings — Too much direct light bleaches the pattern; deep shade dulls it. Give bright, filtered light for the best contrast.

Propagation

Propagate by division in spring at repotting, keeping roots and leaves on each section, or by stem cuttings rooted in water or moist mix. Keep new plants warm and humid until established. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Maranta Bicolor is pet-safe. ASPCA-listed as non-toxic to cats and dogs. The genus Maranta is classified non-toxic by the ASPCA, with no calcium oxalates or toxic compounds. As with any houseplant, a pet that eats a large amount of foliage may have mild, transient digestive upset. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Maranta Bicolor deep-dive guides

Every aspect of maranta bicolor care, each with its own calibrated guide:

• Maranta Bicolor watering schedule
• Maranta Bicolor light requirements
• Best soil mix for maranta bicolor
• Maranta Bicolor fertilizing guide
• When to repot maranta bicolor
• How to propagate maranta bicolor
• Maranta Bicolor growth rate & size
• Maranta Bicolor cold hardiness
• Maranta Bicolor temperature & humidity
• Is maranta bicolor toxic to cats & dogs?
• Is maranta bicolor toxic to cats?
• Is maranta bicolor toxic to dogs?

Featured in these plant shortlists

Maranta Bicolor qualifies for 12 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

• Best pet-safe houseplants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — every one verified against the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant list.
• Best low-light houseplants — Houseplants that need no direct sun and cope with a north-facing room or a spot well back from a window.
• Best plants for a north-facing window — Houseplants for a north-facing window: bright, even, indirect light and no scorching direct sun. Each pick verified against its documented light needs.
• Best pet-safe low-light plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs AND happy with no direct sun — the two hardest constraints to satisfy at once.
• Best trailing & climbing houseplants — Vining and trailing houseplants for shelves, hanging pots, and moss poles — selected by growth habit.
• Best humidity-loving houseplants — Houseplants that thrive in a bathroom, kitchen, or by a humidifier — selected by documented humidity preference.
• Best bathroom plants — Humidity-loving houseplants that also cope with lower light — suited to the steamy, often-dim conditions of a typical bathroom.
• Best pet-safe trailing & hanging plants — Trailing and climbing plants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats and dogs — safe for shelves and hanging pots in a pet home.
• Best pet-safe bathroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in the humid, lower-light conditions of a bathroom — safe greenery for the smallest room.
• Best pet-safe bedroom plants — Non-toxic to cats and dogs and happy in lower light — calming greenery for a bedroom where a pet often sleeps too.
• Best cat-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to cats (and dogs) — safe greenery for a home with a curious cat.
• Best dog-safe plants — Houseplants the ASPCA lists as non-toxic to dogs (and cats) — safe greenery for a home with a curious dog.
• Browse all 29 plant shortlists — pet-safe, low-light, drought-tolerant and more

Related guides

Maranta Bicolor is also commonly called two-colour prayer plant or bicolor prayer plant.

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