---
title: "I went out of town for a week in January and came back to my plant…"
description: "I went out of town for a week in January and came back to my plant looking like this. It was dry so I watered it and it hasn’t gotten better. It was under a…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ/M7hd8KwpNn6OMlv2Up3lK4"
community: "Pests, diseases and problems"
author: "JazzyBel"
published: "2026-02-01T21:55:53.979647Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/ryWjue6Pm4j90oo6b1AxtDEXEDx2oUoO2ud_TFLyEF8/wLPGgPEqRgqJhw-uI0HKOw.webp?size=large"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Pests, diseases and problems](https://getplanta.com/community/lKxUkhzRR_aIJD7o1QvtwQ.md)

# I went out of town for a week in January and came back to my plant…

_Posted by JazzyBel on 2026-02-01_

I went out of town for a week in January and came back to my plant looking like this. It was dry so I watered it and it hasn’t gotten better. It was under a mild plant light but I moved it to the window. I don’t know how to help it. The soil isn’t wet anymore just like 5% damp. I checked the roots and they look good. What should I do? Any help appreciated.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/ryWjue6Pm4j90oo6b1AxtDEXEDx2oUoO2ud_TFLyEF8/wLPGgPEqRgqJhw-uI0HKOw.webp?size=large)

## 8 comments

### MC commented on 2026-02-01

How long has it been since you watered? Those plants can get fussy if they are dried too long as they rely on the water to move around towards light sources. They will fold up to help retain water and go into a “sleep cycle”

I had something similar, watered it, and a week later it was fully back to normal!

#### JazzyBel replied on 2026-02-02

It’s been a couple of weeks. Do you think I should water it if the soil is still damp?

#### MC replied on 2026-02-02

I woudl let it dry out between waters so it doesn’t get root rot. These plants tend to be a little dramatic so the best thing to do is wait and give it lots of humidity and light

#### JazzyBel replied on 2026-02-02

Thank you!

### Mindy commented on 2026-02-02

Looks to be a type of prayer plant, if so they’re very sensitive to the cold. If you’re in a chilly climate I would make sure it’s away from any drafts and they love humidity

#### JazzyBel replied on 2026-02-02

I just set her up with a humidifier, I hope that helps. Thank you!

### Hayley commented on 2026-02-02

I have several prayer plants, but one of them is a DIVA. I was unable to water them in mid-December (I was maybe 7-9 days later than I should've been) and she just last week started to unfold her leaves.  
The new leaves she's growing are opening and functioning fine. The other two prayer plants on similar water schedules recovered fully within two weeks.

#### JazzyBel replied on 2026-02-02

This gives me hope!

---

_Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_