Not enough light for leaf movement
A prayer plant that stops folding its leaves up at night is usually telling you it isn't getting enough light.
Diagnosis
Not enough light for leaf movement
What's happening
Maranta gets its name from the nightly prayer movement — leaves rising and folding together at dusk, then opening flat by day, driven by its internal clock and light cues. In too-dim conditions the plant loses the rhythm and the leaves stay limp and flat around the clock, often along with smaller, paler new growth and faded red veining.
How to fix it
Move the plant to a spot with more bright, indirect light — a few feet back from an east or north window, or filtered south/west light, never harsh direct sun. If your room is genuinely dim, a full-spectrum grow light on a consistent day/night cycle restores the light cue the plant needs, and within a week or two you should see the leaves resume their nightly folding and the red pattern deepen.
What fixes it
- A full-spectrum LED grow light — A full-spectrum grow light on a steady on/off cycle gives the light cue a Maranta needs to fold its leaves again.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Red Prayer Plant care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this