The Healthy Houseplant
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • HOUSEPLANTS
    • ANTHURIUMS
    • BIRD OF PARADISE
    • CALATHEAS
    • CROTONS
    • DRACAENAS
    • DUMB CANES
    • FIDDLE LEAF FIG
    • MONEY TREES
    • MONSTERA ADANSONII
    • MONSTERA DELICIOSA
    • PEACE LILIES
    • PILEA PEPEROMIOIDES
    • POTHOS
    • PRAYER PLANTS
    • RUBBER TREES
    • SNAKE PLANTS
    • ZZ PLANTS
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • HUMIDIFIERS
    • GROW LIGHTS
    • LECA
    • GIFT IDEAS
  • eBooks
    • MONSTERA DELICIOSA
    • PILEA PEPEROMIOIDES
    • ZZ PLANTS
  • Why Your Monstera Deliciosa Is Crying, Sweating and Dripping Water
  • Monsteras & Aerial Roots: What Are They & What Should You Do With Them?
  • Training Monstera Deliciosa: How to Make Them Climb
  • Why, When & How to Prune Your Monstera Deliciosa
  • How to Save a ZZ Plant From Root Rot: A Step By Step Guide
Subscribe
The Healthy Houseplant
The Healthy Houseplant
  • House Plants
    • ANTHURIUMS
      • ANTHURIUM CARE
      • ANTHURIUM HELP
      • ANTHURIUM PROPAGATION
      • ANTHURIUM TIPS
    • BIRD OF PARADISE
      • BOP CARE
      • BOP HELP
      • BOP PROPAGATION
      • BOP TIPS
    • CALATHEAS
      • CALATHEA CARE
      • CALATHEA HELP
      • CALATHEA PROPAGATION
      • CALATHEA TIPS
    • CROTONS
      • CROTON CARE
      • CROTON HELP
      • CROTON PROPAGATION
      • CROTON TIPS
    • DRACAENAS
      • DRACAENA CARE
      • DRACAENA HELP
      • DRACAENA PROPAGATION
      • DRACAENA TIPS
    • DUMB CANES
      • DUMB CANE CARE
      • DUMB CANE HELP
      • DUMB CANE PROPAGATION
      • DUMB CANE TIPS
    • FIDDLE LEAF FIG
      • FLF CARE
      • FLF HELP
      • FLF PROPAGATION
      • FLF TIPS
    • MONEY TREES
      • MONEY TREE CARE
      • MONEY TREE HELP
      • MONEY TREE PROPAGATION
      • MONEY TREE TIPS
    • MONSTERA ADANSONII
      • MONSTERA ADANSONII CARE
      • MONSTERA ADANSONII HELP
      • MONSTERA ADANSONII PROPAGATION
      • MONSTERA ADANSONII TIPS
    • MONSTERA DELICIOSA
      • MONSTERA DELICIOSA CARE
      • MONSTERA DELICIOSA HELP
      • MONSTERA DELICIOSA PROPAGATION
      • MONSTERA DELICIOSA TIPS
    • PEACE LILIES
      • PEACE LILY CARE
      • PEACE LILY HELP
      • PEACE LILY PROPAGATION
      • PEACE LILY TIPS
    • PILEA PEPEROMIOIDES
      • PILEA CARE
      • PILEA HELP
      • PILEA PROPAGATION
      • PILEA TIPS
    • POTHOS
      • POTHOS CARE
      • POTHOS HELP
      • POTHOS PROPAGATION
      • POTHOS TIPS
    • PRAYER PLANTS
      • PRAYER PLANT CARE
      • PRAYER PLANT HELP
      • PRAYER PLANT PROPAGATION
      • PRAYER PLANT TIPS
    • RUBBER TREES
      • RUBBER TREE CARE
      • RUBBER TREE HELP
      • RUBBER TREE PROPAGATION
      • RUBBER TREE TIPS
    • SNAKE PLANTS
      • SNAKE PLANT CARE
      • SNAKE PLANT HELP
      • SNAKE PLANT PROPAGATION
      • SNAKE PLANT TIPS
    • ZZ PLANTS
      • ZZ CARE
      • ZZ HELP
      • ZZ PROPAGATION
      • ZZ TIPS
  • About
  • RECOMMENDATIONS
    • GIFT IDEAS
    • GROW LIGHTS
    • LECA
    • HUMIDIFIERS
    • TERRARIUMS
    • LIVE PLANTS
  • eBooks
    • MONSTERA DELICIOSA
    • PILEA PEPEROMIOIDES
    • ZZ PLANTS
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT DIAGNOSE & TREATMENT
  • PRAYER PLANTS

What To Do When Your Prayer Plant Loses Its Bright Color and Turns Pale

  • Emily Lawton
  • 6 minute read
Total
3
Shares
0
0
3

Maranta leuconeura, aka Prayer Plant, is an attractive tropical plant that has distinctive patterned leaves. Although it can produce flowers, the real appeal of the Prayer Plant is in its unmistakable foliage. There are a few different types of Prayer Plant readily available to purchase, but a shared trait across species is their bold, deeply-colored leaves. So what should you do if that beautiful color starts to fade?

Prayer Plants lose their bright color and turn pale with improper watering, too much or too little light, or nutrient deficiencies. Loss of color in the leaves is a typical indicator that there’s an issue with the plants. Marantas will soon put out new leaves once you have provided the correct care and conditions. 

The best way to keep this plant bold and deeply colored is to provide the conditions that allow it to grow strong and healthy. Pale or yellowing leaves is the plant’s way of telling you something is wrong, so avoid them by giving it the best possible care you can. If your Prayer Plant leaves are losing color, keep reading-I can help! 


Why Prayer Plants Lose Their Color

The loss of color in plant leaves is the result of a lack of chlorophyll, causing a condition called chlorosis. It may develop in just one or two leaves, or affect the entire plant. There are many reasons that Prayer Plants can develop chlorosis, but it is generally reversible if you catch the issue in time. 

The most common cause of pale leaves in a Maranta leuconeura is something related to the root function. Waterlogged potting mix leads to roots that are unable to absorb nutrients as they should. This can create a nutrient deficiency in the plant overall, which causes yellowing leaves. 

In serious cases of overwatering, the roots can develop a fungal or bacterial infection. Since this all happens beneath the surface of the soil, many plant owners don’t realize what is happening to the root system until it is too late. If you see unexpected changes to the color of your Prayer Plant, check the roots as soon as possible to diagnose any root issues. 

Even if the roots are white, crisp and healthy, if the potting medium is depleted of nutrients (perhaps because it is old, or low quality), there will be nothing for the Prayer Plant to absorb through those roots. You may want to repot and/or fertilize the plant if this seems to be why the plant is losing color. 

Too much light and too little sunlight, confusingly, can both result in pale leaves on a Maranta. A Prayer Plant that has too much sun may also show brown, crisp spots on the leaves indicating sunburn. If there’s not enough light, the pale leaves will be accompanied by the plant getting leggy as it stretches toward the light source. 


What To Expect from a Healthy Prayer Plant

Some variation from one leaf to another can be expected in a healthy Maranta. New leaves will be a lighter color, almost yellow in some cases, and then darken as the leaf opens and matures. If your new leaf looks lighter, just give it a couple of weeks to monitor its progress. If you see it get more pale over time, that’s cause for concern. In a healthy plant, it will be the lightest color when it opens and then gradually darken.

Older leaves will also sometimes lose color and die off as part of the natural growth of this plant. You would most likely see the lowest leaves (closest to the soil) start to die off as new leaves open above them and block the light reaching them. As long as you are seeing healthy new growth at the same time, you do not need to worry about a few of the older leaves falling off. 


Can I Save a Pale Prayer Plant Leaf?

Once your Prayer Plant’s leaf loses its color or turns yellow, unfortunately you will not be able to nurse that leaf back to health. Keeping dying leaves around diverts resources away from the rest of the plant, so the best option is to trim off any discolored leaves with a sharp, sterilized pair of scissors. This allows the plant to focus its energy on new growth. 

It can be discouraging to cut pale leaves off your Maranta, especially if there are a lot of them that have to be pruned. Luckily, though, this plant usually puts out new leaves quickly. As you’re pruning, it’s best to never cut back more than ⅓ of the total leaves at any one time, even if many are pale – so keep this in mind as you start to cut.


Keeping Prayer Plant Leaves Dark

Maranta leaves will keep their dark color when the plant is healthy. Pale leaves can be a sign of one or more problems with the care or conditions provided to your Prayer Plant, so keep in mind these tips to keep your plant in the best condition.

Proper Watering. Allowing a Prayer Plant to get too dry or too wet can cause pale or yellowing leaves. Although Marantas prefer more moisture than many other popular plants, they are sensitive to overwatering. Aside from leaf color, signs of overwatering include droopy stems, musty smells or a moldy film developing along the top of the soil.

To avoid overwatering, be sure that the container has drainage holes, and that the potting soil isn’t too dense. Provide enough water that it runs through the container and out the drainage hole, but do not let the pot sit in the water after it has drained out. 

Watering frequency varies depending on the season and the conditions in your home (temperature, humidity, light). Some types of potting soil also dry out much more quickly than others, so the best way to judge when to water your Maranta leuconeura is to check the moisture level with your finger. Since they naturally grow in rainforests with consistently moist soil, Prayer Plants dislike drying out too much. A good rule of thumb is to let the top 1-2 inches of potting mix dry out between waterings.

If you don’t like the thought of sticking your finger down into your houseplant’s dirt, you can always opt to purchase a moisture meter. When these devices are inserted into your Maranta’s soil, it will display the moisture level within and will give you a good idea of when it is time to water again.

Sufficient Light. Prayer Plants don’t need a lot of bright light, but that doesn’t mean they can survive in a dark room. These are not “low-light” plants, although they are often marketed that way. They need sunlight to photosynthesize, so a lack of color in the leaves can be a symptom of insufficient light exposure.  

Too much sunlight can also cause Maranta leaves to lose color. Instead of turning yellow, you may see a bleached-out look to the leaves when this plant is exposed to too much sun. A north- or east-facing windowsill will suit this plant best.

Proper nutrients. If the whole Prayer Plant is losing color, it could indicate a nutrient deficiency. This usually happens when the plant has been in the same pot for a long time, leading to a rootbound plant or potting mix that has been depleted of nutrients. Repotting the plant and/or providing a balanced fertilizer can help correct the deficiency.

Both repotting and fertilizing are best done during the growing season, in the spring or summer. Although Prayer Plants slow their growth considerably during colder months. Introducing a lot of nutrients during this time (either in new potting soil or fertilizer) is unnecessary and could result in fertilizer burn. 


Final Thoughts 

Prayer Plants are a beautiful addition to any houseplant collection, but they are not the easiest to care for. One of the first and most obvious ways they show their reactions is by losing color in their usually darkly colored leaves. Since it’s not possible to reduce color loss once it has started, the best way to keep the leaves attractive is to try to prevent them from getting pale in the first place.

Proper care will ensure that Prayer Plant leaves stay bright and colorful, but it may take a little experimentation and a few mistakes before you figure out how to keep this one content in your home. Remember they are coming from nurseries with controlled temperature, light, and humidity before they end up in your house, so an adjustment period is normal. Don’t feel bad if your plant has a few pale leaves – your house is different from a rainforest! Just do your best and your Prayer Plant will likely adapt over time. 

Total
3
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 3
Emily Lawton

You May Also Like
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT DIAGNOSE & TREATMENT
  • PRAYER PLANTS

Why Prayer Plants Grow Sideways and Fall Over and What To Do About It

  • Emily Lawton
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT PROPAGATION
  • PRAYER PLANTS

Everything You Need to Know About Your Prayer Plant’s Blooms

  • Christina Boren
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT DIAGNOSE & TREATMENT
  • PRAYER PLANT TIPS
  • PRAYER PLANTS

5 Reasons Why Your Prayer Plant May Not Be Praying

  • Emily Lawton
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT DIAGNOSE & TREATMENT
  • PRAYER PLANTS

What To Do When Your Prayer Plant Leaves Start Curling

  • Emily Lawton
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANTS

Can You Hang or Vine a Prayer Plant? Tips for Displaying Your Maranta

  • Christina Boren
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT DIAGNOSE & TREATMENT
  • PRAYER PLANTS

The Most Common Causes of Droopy Prayer Plants and Steps to Recovery

  • Christina Boren
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANT DIAGNOSE & TREATMENT
  • PRAYER PLANTS

Diagnosing Your Prayer Plant’s Leaf and Health Issues Plus Steps to Recovery

  • Emily Lawton
View Post
  • PRAYER PLANT CARE
  • PRAYER PLANTS

When, Why, and How Do Prayer Plants Move and “Pray”?

  • Emily Lawton
Recent Posts
  • 4 Signs That Your Pothos Needs Water Right Now
  • Common Reasons Why Croton Leaves Turn Yellow, Brown, and White
  • How and When to Repot Your Croton Plus What Soils and Pots Are Best

The Sill creative banners

The Healthy Houseplant is reader-supported. We are a member of several affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to external sites. When you make purchases through links on our site, we earn a small commission.

  • What Should You Name Your Monstera Deliciosa? 50+ Names to Get You Started

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Input your search keywords and press Enter.