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Peace Lily Droopy, Turning Yellow, Black or Brown? Is It Dying or Dead?

Peace lilies are tropical, evergreen plants. If you want them to bloom and stay healthy in your home, they need consistent moisture and intermittent sunlight. When the conditions are right, peace lilies produce white or off-white flowers at the start of the summer and continue to bloom for the rest of the year.

Is your peace lily droopy, turning yellow, black or brown? If so, is it dying or dead? 

  • If your peace lily is droopy, it may be underwatered and dying. 
  • If your peace lily is turning yellow, black or brown, it might be getting too much sunlight, too much or too little water, too much fertilizer, or the temperature might not be right. 

The rest of this article will look at the peace lily problems in more detail. Watch out for how you can restore the plants in each situation.

Peace Lily Droopy: Is It Dying or Dead?

Peace lilies become droopy for a wide range of reasons. However, it is often an early sign of inadequate watering. Sometimes, they can get droopy as a result of inadequate care or taking the wrong approach to caring for them. This doesn’t always mean that the plant is dead, but it could get there if you don’t do anything to improve its condition.

Can It Be Saved?

Yes, your droopy peace lily can be saved, depending on the cause of the condition. Also, it depends on how long it’s been droopy. If you notice the drooping in the nick of time, there is a higher probability of saving the plant.

Potential Causes 

As mentioned above, there are several reasons for a droopy peace lily. Some of them include:

  • Problem with watering
  • Temperature changes
  • Post-transplant shock
  • Potting soil draining slowly
  • Pest problems

Solution and Prevention

Here’s what you should do for each of the peace lily problems listed above:

Problem with Watering

Drooping is an early sign that your plant has a water-related problem. This is especially true if the plant was looking fresh just a few hours before. If you find your peace lily with its leaves suddenly droopy, you should water it immediately.

As aroid plants, peace lilies love tropical environments with high humidity. Once the water isn’t available, however, the leaves will get droopy as a sign that they lack moisture. If this is the cause of the problem, watering the plant will get it looking fresh again in a few hours.

Although peace lilies love moisture, however, they can get droopy if they are overwatered. If you water the plant regularly and still find it droopy, it could be that you are giving it too much water. Before watering the plant, use your finger to test the uppermost inch. It should be dry before watering the plant. During the watering process, stop watering as soon as you find water pouring out of the drainage holes in the pot.

Are you growing the peace lily in a pot that has no drainage holes? This could cause overwatering. You need to move it into another pot with drainage holes as quickly as possible. To do this, take out the plant from the old pot and allow it air dry for an hour outdoors. Inspect its roots to ensure it is still healthy, and then transfer it to the new pot.

Insufficient watering for your peace lily will affect the leaves, but if the water is too much, the roots will get waterlogged. If your peace lily is droopy because of the latter, it will be harder to revive it when compared to the former. This is especially true if the roots have already taken serious damage.

To prevent inadequate watering or overwatering, only water the plant after you’ve tested the soil with your finger. You don’t need to maintain a specific routine with the process, either. Pour water into the soil until it is drenched and leaking water out of the pot’s drainage hole, then wait until the top of the soil is dry again before your next watering session.

Temperature Changes

The ideal temperature for a peace lily is 60-70°F/15-21°C. If the weather gets hotter than this range, the plant will absorb a lot more water. This increases the chances of drooping as a result of insufficient water. If the weather gets too cold, on the other hand, it increases the risk of excess watering.

The solution to this possible cause of drooping in lilies is to keep the plant watered in line with the current temperature. The finger test for the topsoil will help you keep tabs on the plant’s water needs. If the weather starts dropping to freezing levels, you may need to make provisions to keep your plant a bit warmer.

Post-Transplant Shock

After you repot your peace lily, it will need time to adapt to the new soil. During this stage, the plant may suffer post-transplant shock, causing it to start dropping. If you are repotting your peace lily, it is best to do it in dry soil, and then water it thoroughly after you’ve added the new soil.

If it is taking too long to recover from the post-transplant shock, consider adding a pinch of edible sugar in the water before watering the plant after transplanting. A bit of sugar can give it the jolt it needs to adapt to the new environment. This approach doesn’t always work, but there’s no harm in trying it.

Potting Soil Draining Slowly

Peace lilies love moisture, but they can’t cope with standing water. This is why you need to use well-draining potting soil. The ideal medium for growing this plant is a peat potting mix with perlite and compost bark. However, you should change the soil every two years at the latest because it can still accumulate salt and chemicals from fertilizers.

Pest Problems

Peace lilies grown as houseplants are rarely attacked by insects, especially if you are regularly wiping down the leaves. However, spider mites, mealybugs, and aphids can still attack the plant. Mealybugs are more likely to be the problem as they love the sap on the peace lily leaves. If you find whitish residue and holes on parts of your drooping peace lily leaves, it is likely that mealybugs are present on the plant.

To solve the problem, rub some alcohol on the plant. This will kill the bugs without affecting your plant. Don’t forget to rub the alcohol all over the plant. Mealybugs come in colonies, so rubbing the alcohol on the leaves with the whitish residue is not enough.

Peace Lily Turning Yellow, Black or Brown: Is It Dying or Dead?

The leaves on your peace lily plant changing color from green to yellow, black, or brown are good cause for concern. It definitely shows that something is wrong. In most cases, however, it doesn’t mean that the plant is dead or dying.

Can It Be Saved?

If you can find out the reason for the color change, you are on your way to reversing the situation.

Potential Causes

Some of the main causes of peace lily leaves changing color include the following:

  • Excessive sunlight
  • Over or under watering
  • Feeding the plant chlorinated water
  • Using excessively strong fertilizer or fertilizing too often
  • Cold or hot temperatures

Solution and Prevention

Is your peace lily color change as a result of any of the reasons above? Here’s what you need to know about each of them.

Excessive Sunlight

Since peace lily plants thrive under medium or indirect sunlight, the leaves will turn yellow if they are getting too much or too little light. If the leaves are developing brown spots or streaks, it suggests that the sun is hitting the plants directly.

To prevent this, keep the peace lily a few feet away from the window. This will ensure that the light levels are consistent. If the plant isn’t getting any light at all, consider repositioning it or growing it under fluorescent lights. 

Over or Under Watering

As we’ve seen above, peace lilies don’t do well with very little moisture or excessive water. Under any of these conditions, the leaves will turn yellow or brown and become droopy. Using the finger test approach to only add water when necessary, and using a pot that has drainage holes are two solutions to this problem.

If you are worried about the water leaking out from the pot, put a container under the pot. However, don’t forget to drain it regularly, or it will defeat the purpose of growing your plant in a pot that allows drainage.

Feeding the Plant Chlorinated Water

Peace lilies are sensitive to chlorine. If you use heavily chlorinated water when watering the plants, you will notice a color change after a while. To avoid this problem, pour the water you intend to use in a container and leave it open overnight to reduce the chlorine content and get it safe enough to feed your plant. If you have other water sources outside of the chlorinated option, consider using them.

Using Excessively Strong Fertilizer or Fertilizing Too Often

If you apply fertilizer to your peace lily plant too frequently, you can cause a buildup of excess salt in the growing medium—triggering brown edges on the leaves. The same applies if you use a fertilizer concentration that is too strong.

To use fertilizers in a way that won’t damage your plants, you should use only one-quarter of the recommended strength of general house plant fertilizers. In the summer or growing seasons, apply the fertilizer once a month. Once winter rolls around, stop applying it, as the plant won’t grow much during this time.

After applying the fertilizer, start watering the plant until water comes out of the drainage holes in the pot. This will ensure excess salt doesn’t pile up.

Cold or Hot Temperatures

If the temperature is above 32°C (90°F), you will notice leaf curling as well as browning. Drafts and temperatures below 4°C (40°F) will also have the same effect. To prevent this, keep the plant away from windows and doors that are not insulated during the winter. In hotter temperatures, ensure the plant isn’t directly under sunlight, and check the moisture level in the pot more frequently. 

Peace Lily Leaves Falling: Is It Dying or Dead?

Peace lily leaves falling off is not enough reason to declare that it is dying or dead. Most of the time, it is an indicator of poor growing conditions or inadequate care for the plant.

Can It Be Saved?

As is the case with other peace lily problems, finding the cause of the dropping leaves and nipping it in the bud is usually enough to reverse any damages.

Potential Causes

Some of the potential causes of your peace lily leaves falling include:

Copyright protected content owner: ReadyToDIY.com and was initially posted on May 29, 2020.

  • Excess or little watering
  • Lack of nutrients
  • Outgrowing the size of the pot
  • Pest Infestation

Solution and Prevention

Here’s a look at the solutions to some of the problems causing your peace lily leaves to fall.

Excess or Little Watering

A running theme on this page is that you need to ensure you are feeding your plant the right amount of water at every interval. Soaking it in water because a leaf fell off isn’t a great idea either. You will only worsen the situation if overwatering was the main problem originally. A good tip to avoid the leaves falling off is to feed the plant lukewarm water in the winter. Chilled water can damage the roots and cause the leaves to fall. In worst-case scenarios, it will kill the plant.

Lack of Nutrients

If the lack of nutrients is the cause of the leaf falling off, it won’t happen overnight. It will start with the color changing to yellow gradually. It’s at this point that you should seek to correct the damage before the leaf changes to yellow completely and falls off. The best solution is to apply some houseplant fertilizer. Remember, don’t use too much of it, or you will create a new problem.

Outgrowing the Size of the Pot

If there’s not enough room in the pot to support the root of your plant, the older leaves will fall. Since the space in the pot is inadequate, the plant may not be able to absorb enough nutrients and water. If you see that your plant has outgrown the current pot, you should consider getting something bigger. Some options you should consider include this Classic Home and Garden pot, the Mkono 6.5 Inch Plastic set, and the Fasmov Round Ceramic.

Pests and Diseases

Insects can cause your peace lily leaves to fall, but it is not as common as some of the other reasons we have seen above. If you suspect a pest is damaging your plant, just take a closer look at the plant to see if you will find insects like spider mites or mealybugs. 

Copyright article owner is ReadyToDiy.com for this article. This post was first published on May 29, 2020.

As stated earlier, you can use some alcohol to rub-down the entire plant. Alternatively, you can use water with some mild soap in it for the same purpose. To prevent a repeat, wipe down the plant from time to time.

Peace Lily Not Droopy nor Leaves Falling but Dying

Your peace lily may not be droopy or have falling leaves, but may still look like it is dying. In this scenario, you could be looking at the early onset of drooping, discolored leaves, or even root decay. All the potential causes discussed above can be at fault. This includes the following:

  • Under or overwatering
  • Lack of nutrients
  • Pot size too small
  • Pest Infestation
  • Excessive sunlight
  • Watering with chlorinated water
  • Using excessively strong fertilizer or fertilizing too often
  • Temperature changes
  • Post-transplant shock
  • Potting soil draining slowly

Go over the solutions for these problems as discussed above and use the relevant options to bring your peace lily back to life. Start with your watering process, as it is usually the biggest problem most of the time.

Some people make the mistake of watering peace lilies every day or every week at a specific time without minding the condition of the plant. Depending on the season and the quantity of water used, this could trigger damage for the root of the plant. As the root grows weaker, it will slowly start to show on the visible parts, especially the leaves.

Peace Lily Not Droopy nor Leaves Falling but Dead 

If your peace lily died without the leaves falling or becoming droopy, you need to go over your growing conditions and your care plan for the plant. If you neglected some of the potential causes of a dead peace lily plant as listed above, you need to try and avoid a repeat when you start growing a new plant.

ReadyToDIY is the owner of this article. This post was published on May 29, 2020.

Final Thoughts

Peace lily plants are wonderful houseplant options. They are generally resilient but require you to take basic care of them. By taking note of the potential causes of droopiness, discoloration, and falling leaves discussed above, you can ensure your plant will survive in diverse weather conditions while adding presence to your home.