Prayer Plant Problems

Prayer Plant
A co-op customer called yesterday who bought a prayer plant from us about a month ago. The plant is curling up and some leaves are getting yellow. It is not in direct light. He waters it once a week and fertilizes it every two weeks with a Miracle Grow fertilizer (30% phosphorus, 15% potassium, 15% nitrogen, and other stuff in minute amounts).

Prayer Plant 2Can you figure out what may be the problem? I looked in some books and on the web but can't quite determine what he might be doing wrong. Some source said that they like to be moist and it works well to keep a pan of water nearby so I told him that. I also suggested that he let chlorinated water sit for a day before watering. A web site suggested that prayer plants can be touchy with chlorine.

I don't know what else to tell him. Any ideas?

Neil's Answer:

I think the answer seems clear that this prayer plant is most likely being overfertilized. Evidence of this can be seen in the curling leaves and the yellowing in the leaf veins. It can be easy to forget when we have "sad" plants that chemical fertilizers do not function the same way as human multi-vitamins.

Also, since this plant does not receive direct light I would also suspect it would benefit from more light and - perhaps - less frequent watering. If ever in doubt, it's best to keep indoor plants on the dry side. Along these lines, I'd also suggest not watering on a strict weekly schedule...but only when the plant actually needs watering. Adding perlite to the potting mix will improve drainage, and allow the roots to dry sooner...which can add overall vigor to the plant.