Overwatering
Wet soil plus yellowing lower leaves points squarely at overwatering — the easiest way to lose a prayer plant.
Diagnosis
Overwatering
What's happening
Maranta likes its soil evenly moist but never waterlogged. When the fine roots sit in soggy mix they can't take up oxygen, so they suffocate and begin to rot. The plant responds by surrendering its oldest, lowest leaves first, which yellow softly and uniformly before they wilt and drop.
How to fix it
Stop watering and let the top of the soil dry out. Slip the plant from its pot and inspect the roots — healthy ones are firm and pale, so trim any brown, mushy roots with clean scissors and repot into a fresh, peat-rich but airy mix in a pot with drainage holes. Going forward, water when the top inch is just barely dry; Maranta wants steady moisture, not a swamp, and bottom watering helps keep it even.
What fixes it
- Pots with drainage holes — Repotting into a pot with real drainage stops water pooling and re-rotting the shallow roots.
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