Why the Leaves of Your Prayer Plant are Curling
Prayer plants are one of the most beautiful tropical plants that one can grow at home so it can be a bit concerning when the leaves start to curl up. Here are the most common causes that may get the leaves of the prayer plant to curl and things you can do to stop the curling.
As a tropical plant, prayer plants thrive in humid conditions. The conditions inside the house may have started to become dry due to a number of reasons. For example, with the cool weather kicking in, you may have turned on central heating, which is known to blast a lot of dry air inside the house. Get a reading of the humidity level inside the house and raise it if it’s too low. Ideally, you are looking for a humidity level of 50% or more. Of course, you also wouldn’t want the humidity level inside your house to be too high as that may encourage the development of mold.
To get to an appropriate humidity level, we suggest placing a pebble tray filled with water next to the prayer plant or misting the leaves on a regular basis. A humidifier may be necessary if you feel the room is getting too dry throughout the day.
The leaves of the prayer plant may also start to curl up due to the watering schedule. If the prayer plant doesn’t get enough water then the leaves will start to wilt. You want to keep the soil moist but too moist. Our suggestion is to water the plant as soon as the topsoil starts to feel dry. Over-watering will also introduce a number of unwanted problems for your prayer plant so it’s important to not add too much water in one go.
Last but not least, we also ask that you check the quality of the water that’s given to the prayer plant. Some people, for example, live in places that get hard tap water. If the tap water contains a high concentration of mineral then this could eventually lead to curled leaves. The minerals in the tap water will build up in the soil and cause the leaves to wilt and burn in the worst case scenario. If you don’t already have one, a tap water filtration system may be necessary to keep the prayer plant in top condition.
I brought home a prayer plant recently. It’s a rescue and hasn’t been responding well since I brought it home. I tried controlling the watering but it hasn’t helped with the curled leaves. What else should I try?
Be careful where you place your prayer plant!! Mine started to curl as the weather got cooler. I didn’t realize until later but the prayer plant was right in front of a spot where it was getting a lot of hot and dry draft.
Could my prayer plant be getting too much sunlight? It’s positioned next to a south-facing window so gets at least six hours of bright sunlight everyday.