Prayer Plant problems & how to fix them
Maranta leuconeura
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Prayer Plant problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Crispy tips (low humidity)
Fluoride and mineral-rich tap water plus dry air brown the leaf tips. Brown, dry leaf tips caused by air that is too dry for the plant, common in heated or air-conditioned rooms. Existing crispy tips never turn green again, but with higher humidity new growth should come in clean within a few weeks.
Spider mites
A frequent winter visitor on the thin trailing foliage. Tiny sap-sucking mites that thrive in warm, dry air and leave fine webbing and speckled leaves. Caught early they are very treatable; most plants recover fully within 3-4 weeks of consistent treatment.
a two-spotted spider mite among its silk threads
Photo: Gilles San Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Root rot
Its shallow roots rot if the pot stays saturated. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.
Phytophthora root rot on a dug-up root ball
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Fungal leaf spot
Cold water splashed on leaves in low airflow can cause spotting. A fungal infection that creates dark spots inside leaf tissue, often with yellow halos, and spreads through water splash on wet leaves. Existing spots will not heal, but with pruning and drier foliage the spread usually stops within two to three weeks.
Cercospora leaf spots with dark rims on a spinach leaf
Photo: Plant pests and diseases · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Soggy soil in a cold room over winter.
- Direct summer sun through glass.
- Bone-dry air paired with missed waterings.
Not sure what’s wrong?
Ploomily’s rescue tool walks you through the symptoms, gives an honest diagnosis, and schedules a day-by-day recovery plan. The founding price in force today is shown in full before you confirm, and locked for as long as you stay subscribed — with 30 days to change your mind.
Rescue my plant