Hey guys! It’s my first time posting so I apologize in advance for any mistakes and appreciate any feedback y’all can give me. I went home from NC to GA for a long Christmas. I watered my prayer plant the day I left, and it went about 3 days past its next watering because nobody had a key to get into my apartment. It was flourishing before I left and now it looks like this :( This plant was a 2024 Christmas gift from my dad and I’d be devastated to lose it. Any advice? Thanks!
It's definitely dehydrated, but it should bounce back! The fact that the majority of the leaves are still green/purple and not brown/crispy is a good sign. Give it a thorough watering and some time to drink up the hydration and see how it's looking tomorrow :)
4 LikesThanks for the quick response! Even though I watered it when I got back (just before NYE), should I go ahead and water it again or wait until its next scheduled time?
0 Likes Keep an eye on the soil! I wouldn't water it again if the soil is still fully saturated since overwatering can cause more problems than underwatering—but since these kinds of plants don't like to dry out fully, I'd keep an eye and water again when the top inch of soil is pretty dry but beneath that is just barely damp. Not sure how strictly you may be following Planta's suggested schedule, but I use them as more of a guideline and way to track when my plants were last watered, and will always check the soil before watering and snooze the task if the soil isn't dry yet. It might also be worth trying bottom watering on the next watering so that you can make sure the plant really drinks up everything it needs. Put it in a bowl of water and let it soak for a couple of hours—you'll be able to tell that it's done when the top of the soil is fully hydrated. How often do you water it? Have you repotted it since you got it last Christmas? If it has been in the same soil the whole time, it's possible that the soil has become compacted and hydrophobic, which also makes it harder for the plant to get water because the surface will repel the water and it can drain out of the pot without actually saturating the water and trick you into thinking the plant has been watered even though it hasn't actually absorbed enough. Aerating the soil with a chopstick (just poking some holes) really helps with that though! If you haven't repotted it and you're finding that it's drying out faster than it used to, it's possible that it might be happier in a slightly bigger pot—it's possible that the roots are getting too big for the current pot if you've had it in the same pot for a year, and that can make it "drink" the water faster because there are more roots (and less soil to hold the water).
1 Likeoh my gosh this is SO helpful! I do use Planta as a guideline but was definitely most nervous about this prayer plant when going home for Christmas. All my plant shops are closed till Monday, but a repot might have to happen soon! I do bottom water this plant, but never for as long as hours. I know this plant dislikes tap water, so I’ll get some distilled water today and maybe let it soak for a while
2 Likes
That depends on if the soil is still wet, which I'm thinking it still is, then don't water but if the soil is dry then i would give it a little more to drink.
1 LikeI’m assuming just needs a nice drink of water!
0 Likes