Why Are The Leaves On My Prayer Plant Turning Yellow

Although Marantaceae houseplants are moisture-lovers and come from moist tropical regions, they also need good soil drainage.

Your prayer plant won’t benefit from being left in soggy soil. If these circumstances persist, the lack of oxygen at the base of the plant may cause its leaves to turn yellow and perhaps die.

Even if the soil itself is fairly well-draining, watering your plant while its pot is resting on a saucer is a typical reason for wet soil.

The soil won’t drain if water is allowed to stand in the saucer; instead, the soil will absorb more moisture from the saucer. Your houseplant will become wet as a result, which may cause root rot, a potentially fatal ailment.

Remove your plant from its saucer before watering it to ensure that water drains out of the holes on the bottom of the pot in order to avoid this from happening. Once the water has completely drained from the pot, put it back on the saucer.

Your potting material can be the problem in some situations. Your prayer plant may have roots that are frequently flooded and deficient in oxygen if it is put in a very heavy potting mix without drainage materials.

To ensure proper drainage and water retention, Marantaceae family members should be potted in peat or a more environmentally friendly coir-based potting medium. I recommend Soil Mender’s 109 Potting Mix for this use.

Environmental Stress

The wrong care of Maranta prayer plants is the primary cause of issues. Leaf tips and margins may burn under bright illumination or from too much phosphate or fluoride, leaving a strip of yellow tissue between the living and dead tissues. Yellow prayer plant foliage is a symptom of chlorosis, especially on young leaves.

Place your plant somewhere with indirect light, then start watering it with distilled water. If your medium’s pH is around 6.0, a dose of liquid iron fertilizer combined according to the instructions on the package can help treat chlorosis. It could be necessary to repot or conduct a soil test.

Fungal Disease

A fungus called Helminthosporium leaf spot makes tiny, wet spots on the foliage of prayer plants. These dots quickly turned yellow, spread, and ultimately transformed into tan regions with yellow haloes. When plants are routinely over-irrigated and have their leaves repeatedly submerged in standing water, this fungus establishes itself.

To reduce the danger of disease in the future, fix the irrigation issue and water plants just at the base in the morning so that water will quickly evaporate from splashed surfaces. Neem oil or the fungicide chlorothalonil can be used to treat an existing illness, but it’s crucial to prevent further outbreaks.

Cucumber Mosaic Virus

Maranta’s yellowing leaves may be caused by the cucumber mosaic virus, particularly if the yellowing alternates with apparently healthy green tissue. Older leaves have yellow line patterns on their surfaces, while new leaves may emerge tiny and deformed. Plant viruses are unavoidable, but there is little you can do about them. To avoid spreading the virus to other houseplants, it is best to destroy your plant.

Should I trim the prayer plant’s yellow leaves?

Can I Keep My Prayer Plant’s Yellow Leaves? There is no turning back once the leaves turn yellow. Sharpen a pair of scissors and trim off the yellow leaves so that the plant can concentrate its energy on new growth rather than spending it on dead leaves. Saving the entire plant is more crucial than just a few leaves.

How frequently should a prayer plant be watered?

Water once every 12 weeks, letting the soil half-dry in between applications. In brighter light, water more frequently, and in less-bright light, less frequently.

Marantas are susceptible to the effects of hard water. Use filtered water if possible, or let water sit out overnight before using.

Do prayer plants require sunlight?

The prayer plant houseplant may tolerate low light levels to some extent, but it thrives in direct, bright sunlight. For optimum growth, the prayer plant demands well-drained soil and high humidity. Houseplants of the prayer plant should be kept damp but not drenched. From spring to fall, hydrate prayer plant houseplants with warm water and treat them with an all-purpose fertilizer every two weeks.

The soil has to remain drier throughout winter hibernation. However, keep in mind that dry air can also be an issue in the winter. As a result, grouping the prayer plant with other indoor plants and sprinkling it every day with warm water will help to increase the humidity in the air. It also helps to lay the plant’s container on top of a shallow dish of pebbles and water or a bowl of water close by. However, avoid letting the prayer plant submerge itself in water. The prayer plant prefers temperatures between 60 and 80 °F (16-27 C.).

Where should a prayer plant be placed?

Your prayer plant should be hung or placed close to a window so it may get some filtered light. Never place your plant in direct sunlight as this may cause the leaves to burn, develop spots or blotches, or lose color intensity. In general, prayer plants can tolerate locations with less light.

How can an overwatered prayer plant be fixed?

All sorts of indoor plants experience issues most frequently from overwatering. Because of this, whenever we search for an issue, we always start there. Prayer Plants don’t enjoy spending a lot of time in watery areas. Your plant will lose leaves, droop, and become soft as a result of this harm to the root system.

Check the soil’s moisture content very away to see if overwatering is the cause of your Prayer Plant’s demise. Replace the soil with new dry mix if it is heavily wet and clumpy to help the plant begin to recover. Trim the decaying roots and reduce your previous watering frequency.

Your Prayer Plant may require some time to fully recover and develop new, healthy leaves because the root system was hurt. But if you’re patient, your Prayer Plant should start to seem more vibrant in a few weeks.

How much light are required by prayer plants?

For the nooks of your house that seldom receive direct sunshine, prayer plants make fantastic indoor plants. They flourish in full shade or in moderate indirect light. In fact, prayer plant leaves can get big brown spots and eventually fall off if they are exposed to a lot of natural light.

A prayer plant’s leaves will frequently totally wither during their dormant season, which typically occurs throughout the winter, but this does not imply that the plant is dead. The leaves will most likely regenerate in the spring if intense light is provided.

How can my prayer plant be fixed?

A while back, my cousin gave me a Prayer plant. Up until the point when it started to show signs of dying, everything was going very smoothly. It would be disastrous, so I devised a scheme to resurrect it.

It would be unfortunate if this plant perished due to bad environmental conditions and other strange occurrences. Overwatering, bugs, and other issues can bring prayer plants to their knees.

Remove the dead leaves, let the soil to completely dry, spray the plant with pesticide, and raise the humidity as quickly as possible to resuscitate the Prayer plant.

You must correctly pinpoint the signs and reasons for your plant’s decline. It would be simpler to continue the resurrection process in this manner.

The Solution:

Use the same procedures as those outlined above to save a prayer plant that has been overwatered. It’s a good idea to check the roots as well because brown leaves may indicate decay. Repot the plant in a new container with fresh potting soil after pruning any unhealthy roots. Brown, soft leaves should be removed since they could attract bugs.

How do you know when to water a prayer plant?

The newly emerging leaves will seem solid green if there is insufficient light. When the top 25 percent of the soil is dry, water your prayer plant. Pour water into the pot until it begins to drain through the drainage hole at the bottom, then drain any excess water into the saucer. A humid setting is ideal for your prayer plant.

How can one tell if a prayer plant is in good health?

fresh growth During the spring and summer growing seasons, Maranta Leuconeura produces a lot of new growth, and the unfurling of a robust new leaf is a sign that your Maranta is happy.

Strong stems and richly hued leaves. Bold leaves with few brown or yellow marks should be present on this plant. Newly opened leaves will be lighter. The stems ought to be solid, not floppy.

shifting leaves. A Maranta in good health moves around a lot during the day. Try snapping photos of your plant at midday and again in the evening to compare if you’re having trouble determining whether the leaves are moving. The leaf locations between the two need to differ considerably.

Why is the color fading on my prayer plant?

You can cultivate prayer plants in planters or in hanging baskets. They don’t have a preference as to where they are planted, however keep in mind that direct sunlight should be avoided. Although prayer plants prefer a warm environment, too much sun can dry out and burn the leaves. When in doubt, keep in mind that prayer plants can thrive in places of reduced light. Brightbut indirectlight is better.