Your Peace lily leaves turning brown could be due to numerous reasons such as too much or too little irrigation, improper watering and humidity conditions, over or under-fertilizing or improper lighting.

Peace Lily Plant in Terra CottaIf you are unsure of why your peace lilies are turning brown, our experts are here to help you with everything! Read on to know the causes and solutions to treat the problem as we will help you deal with the issue once and for all.

Peaceful Lily Flowers Turn Brown

Some common reasons which indicate why your flowers have become brown or black are poor soil conditions, lack of humidity, improper watering schedule and exposure to cold or hot drafts. Sometimes, sudden changes in the plant’s location, watering or repotting at the wrong time also cause the problem. 

Why Is the Peace Lily Flower Turning Brown?

The Peace lily is a gorgeous plant and its white flowers are an absolute beauty. Before getting into the details of the underlying causes behind the peace lily browning, let us first understand the Peace lily flower stages. 

– Over and Under Watering

Too much or too little water in the soil can cause the browning of tips. When you give the plant too little water, the leaf edges start to turn yellow and eventually turn brown. Underwatering once or twice would not cause a lot of difficulty for the plant but if you often tend to underwater the plant, it will suffer.

Similar to underwatering, overwatering can also cause peace lily’s flowers and leaves to become brown. Initially, you will notice the leaves becoming yellow but eventually, you will notice brown flowers and leaves. 

– Lack of Humidity

Peace lilies need high humidity conditions to grow well. In low humidity, you might see some yellow leaves with the tips slowly browning. If you grow the plant indoors in spaces near air conditioners and heaters, the cold or hot air from the vents can cause browning. Over time, however, the brown leaves will die and eventually fall off the plant. 

If you suddenly notice the Peace lily turning yellow, brown or black, it could be due to low humidity conditions. Humidity levels below 50 percent make it difficult for the plant leaves to be healthy and green. 

– Poor Soil Mix

Sometimes, brown tips of peace lilies indicate poor drainage in the soil. Using compact soil with little to no drainage makes it difficult for the plant’s roots to breathe. By using clay and loamy type of soil that will have little to no sand and perlite mixed in make the soil unbreathable for the plant. 

Letting the pot or container go unchecked is another cause of poor plant health and browning. The pot must have adequate drainage holes from where the excess water can drain out easily.

– Hard Water

If the tap water has high amounts of fluoride and chlorine in it, the result could be brown or blackened leaves and flowers. You may have to use RO water to water your plant if the tap water is hard in your area. Nonetheless, using distilled water also helps solve the problem of browning, since distilled water is less polluted by chemicals. 

Although in most areas, watering the plant with tap water is fine. But letting tap water sit for long periods leads to deposits of fluoride and other chemicals harmful to the plant.

– Transplant Shock

Plants need repotting when the roots outgrow and start coming out of the bottom drainage holes. Sometimes, the plant needs to be planted in a fresh soil mix when the old soil mix decomposes. While repotting is essential regularly, there are some mistakes that people often make. 

If you transplant your plant into a bigger pot, it might go into shock due to sudden changes in its growing conditions. If you repot the plant in winters, there is a very high risk of not just the leaves and flowers browning but the plant dying too. 

How To Fix the Peace Lily that Is Facing the Browning Problem?

Peace lilies are easy to care for if you keep their basic growth needs in mind. Provide them with appropriate water, lighting, temperature and humidity to avoid browning. Let us take a look at the solutions in detail. 

– Proper Light Conditions

Peace lily loves indirect light and cannot tolerate direct sunlight. A north or east-facing window works well for its growth. If you place it near a window or on a balcony that receives too much light, browning and yellowing of foliage will follow. Choose your plant’s location wisely. 

– Trimming

If the flowers of your Peace Lily have turned brown, trim them so that the plant can focus its energy on the rest of the healthier parts. Furthermore, trimming would help encourage the plant to bloom more frequently. The color of the flower helps determine whether the flower is ready for deadheading. 

Once the blooms have faded after blooming for 10 to 14 days, the plant enters into a period of non-blooming where it does not produce new flowers for several months in a year. This period of dormancy begins in fall after the plant is done producing flowers from spring to summer. 

– Proper Watering Schedule Following the Right Technique

If your plant is overwatered and there seems to be a problem of too much standing water in the soil, fix your watering schedule. To prevent underwatering, do not wait until the plant wilts deeply but water only when about one-third soil has dried out. 

The best way to avoid both overwatering and underwatering is by checking the soil each time before watering. Either use a soil moisture meter or check the soil by inserting one of the fingers. If the soil feels sticky and moist, do not water the plant and check back again after a day or two.

Checking the soil every time before watering is the most accurate way of preventing watering-related problems. It helps minimize the chances of browning and dying. It is essential to water the plant correctly. Make sure you water it thoroughly such that excess water drains out of the drainage holes.

– High Humidity

Peace lily thrives in warm and humid environments. The humidity levels should not go below 50 percent for the plant to grow healthily. Increase the humidity around your plant by keeping a humidifier or a humidity tray full of pebbles and water.

If the area you live in a dry and hot region with low humidity levels, invest in a humidifier or mist the plant daily to increase the moisture in the air. 

If you are growing your plant indoors, make sure you keep it away from cold and hot drafty windows. Avoid placing it near air conditioner vents and heaters as the dry air causes brown flowers and leaves. 

– Soil Mix and Pot

Peace lilies grow well in a well-draining soil mix with excellent drainage. Add a good amount of sand and perlite to your potting mix to make it well-draining. Perlite does a great job of making the soil loose and airy. 

Don’t worry, if you are a beginner and not sure of how much to water and end up overwatering your plant each time, we recommend not using plastic pots. Instead, go for terracotta or clay pots as they are better at absorbing the excess moisture from the soil. Terracotta pots will assure to keep the moisture of the soil.

– Overfertilizing

Too much fertilizer in the soil is one common cause of yellowing and browning in this plant. Overfeeding makes the leaf and flower tips brown. Minerals and chemicals present in fertilizers lead to salt build-up in the soil. The high salt content in the soil makes the leaf tips brown and also leads to root burn. You can add coffee grounds to your Peace Lily to help with fertilization and avoid using other products.

– Repotting

Repottted Peace LilyIf you are planning to shift the plant to a bigger pot or replace its soil mix, remember to do it at the right time. The ideal time to shift the plant is in early spring when it is about to grow new leaves. Avoid doing it in winters as the plant goes dormant and hardly shows any new growth. 

If water runs through the drainage holes as soon as you water the plant, it means that your plant is pot-bound and needs to be repotted. If you do not repot the plant on time and leave it as it is, you would notice the Peace lily flowers turning brown before opening and the leaves becoming yellow. 

– Moist Soil

Peace lily is a tropical plant that prefers moist, well-draining soil most of the time. Grow your plant in a soil mix that is chunky, rich in organic matter and has excellent drainage. Make sure that the soil that you are using is well-draining as the plant hates wet feet. 

– Warm Temperatures

Peace lily thrives in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Warm temperatures help the plant produce more blooms. It cannot tolerate cold and frosty weather conditions which is why it becomes dormant and stops producing flowers. 

Keep the plant away from drafty windows and spaces such as near air conditioner vents and heaters. Dry air causes browning and yellowing of foliage. Warm temperatures coupled with high humidity conditions are the key to keeping this plant happy. 

– Low To Moderate Light Conditions

Peace lily needs low to moderate, indirect light to grow well. It cannot stand direct sunlight, especially at noon. Direct sunlight in the morning and evening is fine, but avoid placing your plant in scorching sunlight as it causes browning and prolonged exposure to direct sunlight might even kill the plant.

Low to moderate indirect light does not mean that you keep your plant in a dark spot away from bright light. Lack of light causes the plant to stretch out and become leggy. It would not produce flowers in low-light conditions. 

– Fertilizer

Peace Lily Spathiphyllum Houseplant

Use a well-balanced fertilizer to feed your Peace lily. Usually, fertilizers that are rich in phosphorus help keep the plant healthy. Feed the plant once every two months during the active growing period from spring to summer. 

Do not fertilize Peace lily in winters as it becomes dormant and does not produce new leaves and flowers. Overfeeding and feeding the plant in winters causes a salt build-up in the soil which further causes root burn. 

Final note:

To keep your gorgeous plant healthy and happy, follow all tips from our Peace lily plant care guide and you will be good to go. 

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