A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Peace Lily

I have a Peace lily that came from my 23 yr old sons funeral. It has done great until my new boss starting spitting chewing tobacco into it. I watered it on the bottom on Fridays before I leave. One Monday, 2 1/2 months ago, I found my plant stinking and had cloudy water in the bottom. I immediately drained the excess water off my plant and let it dry out for several days. It just has not recovered from that instance. I have moved it to another location in the building, but now think that it may be a little chilly. It has no new growth and black leaves are showing up now. Please HELP!

Try this link

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/peacelily.htm

Mary E...I do hope you got the answers you need from the link above!! You have to save that plant!!! I have a peace lily from my 19 y/o son's funeral. I had a little trouble with it at first...found out I had some spider mites and once I solved that problem it has thrived beautifully! In the past 5 years...I have seperated this plant out and have been able to give all my son's friends and each family member a part of this plant...it is a treasure to me. I now have about 3 sections of it in my house..2 that are enormous. So...if you don't figure out what is going on...zip back here and let us know so we can help you fix it...


~V~

A stinking plant could be an indicator of root rot - or perhaps your boss's chewing tobacco.

Bottom watering makes it difficult to accurately determine soil moisture. It could be that the top of rootball is drying out but the bottom roots are always wet which could lead to root rot. Better to water peace lilies from the top, thoroughly and evenly covering the entire soil surface until a little water begins to emerge through the pot's drainage holes. Then let the soil dry about 1/4 down before watering again. The optimum time to water a peace lily is just BEFORE the leaves begin to wilt which does take a little practice to get the hang of it. Wilted peace lilies will perk up again within an hour or two of thorough watering but wilting is stressful to the plant so better to avoid letting it wilt as much as possible. Through careful observation you will soon gain confidence in knowing when to water, especially if you are the only person caring for the plant at the office.

You didn't mention it but if the plant was recently repotted, that could also be a cause of root rot. Peace lilies prefer to be potbound which will also help them bloom more prolifically.

I would be concerned about the root conditions so my suggestion is to remove the plant from its pot to inspect the roots. Healthy roots appear firm, plump and white. Roots that are brown, yellow, mushy, or shrivelled are dead or dying and should be trimmed off.

This isn't the clearest image (I'll see if I can come up with a better photo soon) but it gives you an idea of what healthy peace lily roots look like:



After trimming any dead and dying roots from the rootball, repot the plant into the smallest pot the rootball will fit into and, if possible, place the plant in a window that receives bright indirect light or, if your office only has florescent lighting, in a bright part of the office away from drafts.

Of course, it goes without saying that nobody, including your boss, should be introducing any foreign substances to the soil!

Discolored leaves occur for a number of reasons. If the confined only the older leaves and the plant is quickly replacing them with new growht, nothing to worry about. If would be helpful if you can post a photo of your peace lily.

Cricket

Mary E
I have 4 Peace Lilies from my sons funeral almost 3 1/2 years ago. During the summer I put them on the front porch which gets early morning sun. The rest of the year they are in my front hall which is pretty dim. I soak them when they begin to wilt. In the summer that is every few days and every week or two the rest of the year. I don't think they are thriving exactly but they are certainly holding their own and it would break my heart to lose them.

I'm curious about bottom watering - do the ones grown in clear glass vases with no soil at all get root rot?

NOW YOU GOT ME THINKING........
IS THE SPATHIPHYLLUM ......HYBRID THE PEACE plant YOUR TALKING ABOUT?
I WILL TAKE A PHOTO COME DAY TIME..........I HAVE ONE BUT NONE BLOOMING FOR A WHILE.. FOILAGE IS NICE BUT NOT LIKE IT USED TO BE...
LET ME KNOW......
THEN I HAVE A SMALL TYPE ONE , SOMEONE SAYS IS THE PEACE plant????? BEATS ME.


DODGE

Hi Dodge,

Spathiphyllum is the botanical name for plants commonly known as peace lily which range in size from very large to small. Some varieties are genetically better bloomers than others. Though peace lilies will survive in lower lights, they bloom more prolifically in bright indirect light (direct sunlight can easily burn tender leaves). Peace lilies don't age particularly well - it is a challenge to keep older plants looking their best.

Cricket

I am currently struggling with a peace Lilly at my job. It was in a big pot so I split it into 2 smaller pots, 1 pot is showing some new growth even though the old leaves are gone and some of the stems have brown tips, the other pot looks terrible the leaves are turning brown and te new leaves that started to blossom are drooping regardless of the moist soil. I have both pots sitting on plastic lids that are in a tray keeping it above the water I put in the tray to create humidity. I also have both plants on a table near a window that gets morning sun. I do not know what to do with this plant.

I can grow nearly everything and make them look except the following: PEACE lily, gardenia, and the huge palm trees.

I've gone through at least 5 peace lilies, all huge and blooming, yet they died. After a few weeks at most the leaves got pale, floppy, and then the whole plant would start deteriorating. Don't know why. I give the same conditions for many other foliage houseplants and they grow well...except peace lilies.

Well, I do not think I will bring a peace Lilly home yet. I will test my thumb with it at work and if I can get these 2 plants to look better than they do now I will happy.