Lemon Lime Maranta

To keep those bright leaf patterns looking their best, put this plant somewhere with medium to bright indirect light. It's also great for low-light spots, so it works well in rooms with small windows or shady corners.

Avoid direct sun, it'll bleach the neon colors and burn the leaves. In dim light, it'll just grow slower, but it holds up better than most variegated plants. A spot a few feet from an east or north-facing window, with the light diffused, works well.

Keeping the soil evenly damp is the main thing with this plant. Check it often and water as soon as the top layer starts to dry out.

Use distilled or rainwater, since this plant is sensitive to the chlorine, fluoride, and minerals in tap water, which can cause crispy edges. Pour room-temperature water evenly until it drains from the bottom, and empty the saucer within about fifteen minutes so the roots aren't sitting in water.

This plant wants humidity, ideally 60% or higher. A humidifier nearby, a wet pebble tray, or grouping it with other tropical plants will help keep the leaf edges looking clean.

Keep the room between 65°F and 80°F year-round. Keep it away from AC units, cold winter drafts, and heating vents, sudden changes in temperature or dry air will stress the leaves fast.

Use a peat-rich mix built to hold moisture without getting compacted. Peat moss or coco coir with a good amount of perlite mixed in works well, letting water drain and the roots breathe.

Feed it monthly through summer with a standard liquid fertilizer, diluted to half strength. Stop feeding completely in fall and winter, while the plant rests.

Propagate with stem cuttings in spring or summer. Pick a healthy stem with at least two or three leaves and cut cleanly below a leaf node.

Put the cutting straight into a jar of room-temperature distilled water, keeping the leaves out of the water. Keep the jar somewhere warm with bright indirect light, changing the water weekly. Once the roots are about an inch long, pot it up in fresh, damp, peat-rich soil.

This plant has shallow, spreading roots, so it does best in a wide, shallow pot rather than a deep one. Repot every 12 to 18 months in spring to refresh the soil.

Move up to a pot just 1 to 2 inches wider, with drainage holes. Loosen the outer edges of the root ball before centering it in fresh soil. Don't go too big on the pot, extra soil holds too much water and can cause root problems.

This plant is completely pet friendly and non-toxic. There's nothing harmful in it, so it won't cause any harm if a cat or dog nibbles a leaf.

That said, since the trailing stems are delicate, it's still worth keeping it on a shelf, stand, or hanging basket out of your pet's usual path.

This plant's roots trace back to the rainforest floors of Central and South America, mostly in the shaded jungles of Brazil. Living under a thick forest canopy gives it steady warmth, shelter, and filtered light, away from harsher conditions.

Matching that humid, sheltered setup at home is the key to keeping its neon colors bright.

The daily movement of this plant comes from a small joint at the base of each leaf called a pulvinus. It works like a tiny pump, shifting fluid pressure in response to light.

This lets the plant lift its leaves up at night to catch falling moisture, then lower them flat during the day to soak up as much light as possible on the jungle floor.