How to Grow Lemon Lime Maranta -The Ultimate Guide

The Lemon Lime Maranta is one of the most unique plants in the world. As a prayer plant, it’s moving and shifting throughout the day, so there’s always something interesting going on. They’re usually relaxed and open in the daytime and close up during the evening. 

What makes these plants so great is that they’re easy to grow, are great to keep indoors, are versatile in terms of where you put them, on the floor, or suspended in the air, and since they’re non-toxic, they’re also super safe around pets. 

They’re the quintessential “perfect plant,” but it can be a bit difficult to grow for people that don’t exactly know what they’re doing. 

This post is going to be a complete guide on Lemon Lime Maranta. How to grow it, how to care for it, and how to deal with any possible problems too! 

How to Grow Lemon Lime Maranta

Growing the Lemon Lime Maranta isn’t extremely complicated; granted, you do it using the correct growing method. 

Below are some of the ways that the Lemon Lime Maranta can be grown. 

Growing Lemon Lime Maranta from Seed

While most plants are usually grown from seed, the Lemon Lime Maranta isn’t usually grown this way. That’s because coming by the viable seed of this plant is fairly difficult, and even if it’s found, growing it from seed takes about two years. 

However, those that want to go this route would have to plant their seed in moist soil and keep watering it to keep it slightly moist all the time. The soil should stay between 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit consistently for the seeds to be able to sprout. Most people find this method the hardest one, but there are other methods too.

Growing Lemon Lime Maranta from propagation 

Propagation is one of the best ways to grow the Lemon Lime Maranta. For this, only a plant that’s around a year old is going to be ideal. Take a pair of sharp gardening scissors and cut the plant at a stem that has 2 or 3 leaves on it. 

Take the cutting and either place it in water or moist potting soil. Soil is the best bet here as the plant can easily begin to grow. The only thing to keep in mind here is that the crowns of each plant should be around 3-4 inches beneath the soil. Once the stem has been planted, just mist the soil frequently to keep it moist and make sure it remains in a cool environment. Within a couple of weeks, the plant’s roots should begin to spread, and once the plant is in the earlier stages of growth, it can be moved to the main garden or its forever pot if that wasn’t the case already.

Growing Lemon Lime Maranta from Air layering 

A zero effort way of growing Lemon Lime Maranta is by air layering. This is when a fresh pot of soil is placed next to a Lemon Lime Maranta that’s already growing. That’s easy because this plant can easily keep growing even if it’s on the floor. A stem from the existing plant would be able to take root in the new pot and grow from there. 

Caring for the Lemon Lime Maranta:

Once the Lemon Lime Maranta starts growing, it’s going to require specific conditions to grow properly. 

Soil

The Lemon Lime Maranta doesn’t need super fancy soil. All houseplant potting mixes would work well here because they’re rich in nutrients. The only thing that needs to be taken care of is that the soil is well-draining, so the root doesn’t accidentally end up rotting. 

PH 

Apart from the soil being rich in nutrients and well-draining, it also needs to have a PH of 5.5 to 6.0, about the middle ground in terms of acidity. It’ll allow the plant to grow as fast as possible.

Light

The Lemon Lime Maranta plants like sunlight, but in moderation. They can’t be kept in direct sunlight because their lives are fairly sensitive and can burn. However, they benefit greatly from filtered sunlight or indirect sunlight. So place them at the furthest end of the room, away from the window, or place a curtain or something to make sure it’s not getting too much direct sunlight, and the plant will grow just fine! 

Water

One of the most crucial aspects of this plant’s growth is that it’s never dry. It wants its soil to always stay cool and moist. So it does need frequent watering. If it’s getting a little difficult to figure out when the plant is too dry, get a plant moisture meter to accurately water the plant. This way, it won’t be under or overwatered and will be able to thrive.

Temperature and Humidity 

The ideal temperature for the lemon-lime maranta to grow is the 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit window. Any higher and the plant will scorch, and any lower and its growth will get stunted. As for humidity, this plant loves a lot of it. Maintain humidity of at least 65% around the plant to grow as well as possible.

Fertilizer 

The lemon-lime maranta doesn’t need too much fertilizing, but if the growth is slowing down, start adding fertilizer to it once a month as summer ends until before winter begins. This will give the plant the boost it needs to keep things growing properly. 

Size 

The Lemon Lime Maranta isn’t exactly the tallest of plants. It only grows around one foot in height; after that, it begins to spread outwards. That also makes it a great hanging plant because it’ll just begin to cascade down to the floor. 

Growing Tips for Lemon Lime Maranta

• Use room temperature water to avoid drastically changing the plant’s temperature overall.
• When potting, add layers of materials like rocks, gravel, and sand to create an appropriately draining system. That way, even if the plant is accidentally overwatered, it won’t pool up in one place and affect the roots.
• Mist well, but not too often that it develops fungus or other bacterial infections. 
• If the plant is getting a little dull, bring it over to receive a couple of hours of very light morning sunlight.

Common Problems with the Lemon Lime Maranta and how to treat them 

While Lemon Lime Maranta usually just needs to get strong enough that it starts to grow, there are a couple of problems that the plant might run into that should be dealt with immediately, so the problem doesn’t get worse. 

Leaf Problems

Lead problems are usually the first ones to arise here. If the plant isn’t doing well, its leaves will make it obvious so the problem can be fixed. One of the most obvious warning signs is leaves that are either curling inwards or turning brown. This means that the plant is either getting far too much water, or the water isn’t right. If the tap water it’s being watered with is too high in chlorine or has salt, the plant won’t be able to grow properly. Try switching the water to filtered water instead and see if that improves the condition at all. If it does, install a water filter in your home and use it to water the plant going forward.

Mealybugs

Because of how moist the plant needs to stay to grow properly, paired with the fact that the leaves are also on the stickier side, it creates the perfect breeding grounds for mealybugs. These are the bugs that tend to leave a white, powdery residue behind. This type of bug can easily spread across other plants, too, and take over the entire garden. To avoid that from happening, frequently check all of the plants inside the house to make sure there aren’t any signs of mealybugs anywhere. If there is, get a cotton ball, soak it in alcohol and run it across the plants in the areas that the bugs are in. This will kill them immediately and won’t leave the area a viable place for the bugs to spread further.

Root Rot

Root rot is one of the most common problems that plants that need a lot of water tend to go through. It can be a little difficult to figure out just how much water the plant actually needs and when it’s time to stop. When that happens, people often just overwater the plant drastically or underwater it. Either way, unless the plant is being watered exactly how much it needs to be, the roots will get compromised. Use a moisture meter, or just stick a finger, 1 inch into the soil to see if it’s still moist. If it is, don’t water it any further. If it isn’t, you’ll know that it’s time to give it a little spritz. This way, the roots will have moisture, but they’ll still be able to breathe and grow just fine.  

FAQs

Is Maranta Lemon Lime considered toxic or poisonous to any species?

No, the Lemon Lime Maranta is non-toxic. So it’s completely safe to keep it indoors with people, children, and pets. 

Is Maranta Lemon Lime invasive?

That depends on the living conditions of the plant. In areas that are too hot or humid, the plant can get a bit invasive, so pruning it at appropriate times is the best bet, so the plant does grow, but does it where it’s supposed to be.

Is Maranta Lemon Lime difficult to grow?

For those that are growing the plant from seed, it might be a long strenuous journey because they take years to even sprout. However, growing it through propagation or air layering is fairly easy.

Will Maranta Lemon Lime get flowers?

The Maranta Lemon Lime does have a flower, but it almost never blooms indoors. That’s also why it’s so hard to find its seeds. However, those that are growing outdoors or in the wild,

may have flowers.

Can Maranta Lemon Lime be grown indoors?

Yes, since the Maranta Lemon Lime loves indirect sunlight, so it’s very easy to grow this plant

indoors. However, it does just as well outdoors in the shade as well.

Why has the Maranta Lemon Lime stopped closing its leaves?

Part of why this plant is called a “praying plant” is that it opens and closes its leaves. If it stops doing that, it’s a clear sign that something is wrong. This is usually when the plant isn’t getting adequate sunlight. It’s either getting too much direct sunlight or not enough sunlight altogether. Either way, move the plant around to the point that they want, and it’ll be that much easier for the plant to grow exactly how it needs to! 

All Set to Grow Lemon Lime Maranta

Lemon Lime Maranta might be one of the most beautiful plants out there, but they don’t get there without proper care. But caring for a Lemon Lime Maranta isn’t particularly difficult. They just need their owners to stay a little mindful of what they’re doing, and with it, they’re able to grow and thrive and will stay alive for decades if cared for properly.