Peace lily wilting is an aesthetic problem that deprives this beautiful plant of its noticeable beauty. This happens due to watering or lighting issues, wrong temperature or humidity levels, growing the plant in inappropriate soil, pests, or having a root-bound plant that has been neglected for so long.
Luckily, this problem will be fixed once you follow the advice of our gardening team, so read on.
Contents
What Are The Reasons for Having Peace Lily Wilting?
The reasons for having peace lily wilting is because of watering issues it is facing, inadequate lighting conditions, and wrong temperature and humidity conditions. In addition, it can also be due to bad soil conditions, pests, and diseases, and lastly, it may be a root-bound plant.
– Watering Issues
Most people grow their peace lily as an indoor plant, and knowing when to water your houseplants can be challenging. What happens in this case is that you will see wilting foliage, and the peace lily flowers will start drooping if you’re not watering this plant adequately. Seeing peace lily leaves bending is usually a sign of a lack of moisture, and this comes when the humidity in need is not as sufficient as it should be.
In addition to this, when you would be seeing your peace lily drooping leaves might tempt you to water it to overcome a dehydration problem. Yet, this might happen because of other reasons, and you no longer have to think or worry about why is my peace lily dying. This is due to the watering issue it would face, and the issue can be more worrying in the longer run when neglected.
Your Spathiphyllum can indeed have droopy or wilting leaves if you don’t water it often. Nevertheless, this can also happen if you water your plant too often, which isi why keep in midn that the peace lily thrives in humid and moist conditions, and if the potting soil is too dry or too wet, your plant might have droopy foliage.
– Inadequate Light Conditions
Peace lilies need access to bright but filtered sunlight to maintain their luscious look. Exposure to direct sunlight that is bright as well for extended periods causes peace lily drooping, wilting, and yellowing.
When the plant doesn’t receive enough light, it won’t be able to perform photosynthesis. As a result, the whole foliage will weaken, turn yellow, and droop. They don’t have the right balance to start growing in a healthy way, and sunlight is one of the essentials for lilies, just like other plants, to develop and keep on growing.
On the other hand, keeping your plant in too much direct sunlight will scorch the green leaves. As a result, the leaves become dry and limp and eventually fall off the plant, and so in the beginning phase, you will see the plant starting to wilt, and in the longer run, it will be even more hazardous.
– Wrong Temperature or Humidity Level
Peace lilies are tropical plants native that thrive in the rainforests of Venezuela and Colombia, and you should keep in mind that because it grows in such an environment, it also needs this type of surrounding to grow in a healthy way. Exposing the plant to the wrong temperature or humidity levels can cause peace lily drooping and wilting.
Peace lilies are healthiest when the temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, with an optimal temperature around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. It will tolerate the weather when temperatures drop by 10 degrees at night, but your plant will be too stressed if you live in a hotter climate.
Hot temperatures make the foliage too dry, and they can also cause wilting leaves. When it is not adequate, just as how it would like to grow, you will see the plant losing its beautiful color and becoming more dull and weak looking.
In dry conditions, the foliage of peace lilies droops and wilts. This happens when the plant is outside in hotter climates. It can also occur if you place it next to a cold or hot draft, as the air will decrease the moisture levels in the plant.
– Bad Soil Conditions
Your peace lily plant prefers moist but well-draining soil or potting mix. So, unless the soil provides good air circulation around the roots, your plant will suffer from root rot, which suffocates the roots and prevents them from absorbing essential nutrients.
The plant is too sensitive to very wet or marshy soil conditions, and this is why you will see the peace lily leaves drooping and turning yellow before wilting and finally falling off the plant. Keep in mind that the waterlogged potting soil is also the culprit behind many fungal and bacterial diseases because it makes your plant unhealthy.
On the other hand, dry soil can also cause the leaves to droop. Peace lily plants are healthiest when the water is constantly moist, however, when it faces any wrong watering conditions, this situation can also cause yellow or brown leaves.
– Pests and Diseases
Having a drooping peace lily plant might indicate that your plant is attacked by pests or a disease. Although these plants are pretty hardy, they can still suffer from various diseases and infestations.
You should look for other signs to find out what is causing the wilting. For example, seeing scale formations on your plant indicates that scale insects are sucking the sap of your peace lily and making your plant unhealthy.
You might see small black insects flying around your plant. This is a sign that fungus gnats are attacking your plant. The larvae of these insects can cause real damage, especially in young plants, causing wilting leaves and stunted growth.
– Root-Bound Plant
Peace lily is a moderate grower, so it might need to be repotted every one to two years. When you ignore repotting, you’ll end up with a root-bound plant because they won’t have healthy growing roots, so they are now sending a sign that they are growing, but not in the best conditions.
Root-bound plants suffer because their roots are unable to absorb nutrients. Examining the roots will tell you if you need to repot your plant. If they protrude from the holes at the bottom of the plant’s pot, then it’s time to divide your plant or move it into a bigger pot.
How To Fix Wilting Peace Lily Foliage?
To fix wilting peace lily foliage, you should start by adjusting your watering schedule or lighting conditions. You might also need to increase humidity around your plant or treat it for pest infestations, but you should aim to free it from the disease and repot the plant.
When you see your peace lily leaves turning yellow, drooping, and wilting, this doesn’t mean that your plant is dead. You can still save your Spathiphyllum, and it will be able to recover, but you should give it the right time and conditions to revive again.
– Adjust Watering
Under and overwatering your peace lily is one of the common reasons why the leaves wilt. It can also cause yellow leaves or brown leaf tips. So, if you see peace lily leaves drooping after watering, you might be providing your plant with too much or too little water.
Following a watering schedule is the biggest mistake newbies make when growing plants. How much water you give your plant depends on the temperature, soil, and humidity. It’s best to check the soil by sticking your finger in it. If the soil sticks to your finger, your Spathiphyllum is adequately watered.
However, if it’s too dry, the soil won’t stick to your finger, meaning you should water your peace lily more often. This is why, if you see drooping lily flowers and the potting mix is too wet, let it dry out each time that you are watering the plant.
Ensure that there are enough draining holes at the bottom of the plant’s pot to allow the excess water to pass through and help the overwatered peace lily recover in the right conditions. Finally, it’s best to replace the weakened soil with some fresh new soil, as the waterlogged soil will cause root rot that eventually kills your plant.
– Adjust Lighting Conditions
Peace lily is an excellent choice for indoor spaces because it can survive in conditions other plants find too challenging. This is an understory plant, so it thrives when it receives at least 6 to 8 hours of filtered sunlight.
Too much light will scorch the leaves, making them droop before they wilt and fall off. But, at the same time, too little light will stunt your peace lily’s growth; hence, you should find a balance with the lighting, and try to check the right location where it will have indirect light.
Variegated types of peace lily usually have droopy leaves when exposed to too much light. If this is true for your outdoor plants, you should grow your peace lilies next to taller bushes or trees that provide some shade. Other structures in your garden, like trellises, can protect your plant from getting burned.
For an indoor plant, you should place it near an east-facing window. However, you should keep your plant a few feet away from the window to ensure it’s not exposed to too much light. Indirect, bright, filtered light is the best light for your Spathiphyllum.
– Fixing Temperature and Humidity
Before growing peace lily outside, you should ensure you live in an appropriate climate. This plant thrives in USDA 10 to 12, where the temperature is typically around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. On the other hand, this plant can tolerate temperatures as low as 65 degrees Fahrenheit or as high as 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
As a matter of fact, Spathiphyllum plants can tolerate some dry spells when the temperature increases significantly. Yet, you should water your plant more often. Misting can also work.
This shouldn’t be a problem if you grow your peace lily inside an office or house. Most indoor temperatures are suitable for peace lilies if you keep your gorgeous plant away from cold and hot drafts.
This plant thrives when humidity is around 60 percent, which can be slightly higher than typical household levels. In winter, the weather can become too dry for your plant. In this case, using a humidifier will help restore the drooping leaves, or you can place a pebble tray.
Placing multiple plants close to each other is another good solution. The moisture from transpiration will benefit the plant. Misting the plant or placing pebbles in a saucer under the pot to increase humidity will also help.
– Use Suitable Soil
Using clay or poor draining potting mix can be the reason why the leaves are drooping and wilting. Too much water will suffocate the roots, causing root rot and other diseases that slowly kill the plant. In this case, you should rinse the root ball, replace the soil and water your plant adequately.
Your plant can also suffer if the soil drains too quickly, as this plant grows best when the soil holds some moisture. Adding compost will retain some moisture and keep the plant healthy. So now you know how if you fix the ground of the plant, that the right way to how do you revive a droopy peace lily, and in such an adequate time, you will have a healthy peace lily.
– Deal With Pests and Diseases
Peace lilies are easier to keep alive than other indoor plants because they’re pretty hardy. Yet, these plants can be attacked by various pests and diseases. You can use sticky strips to catch fungus gnats before they cause more damage to your plant. Neem oil and insecticidal soap will help get rid of other pests.
Treating other diseases like leaf blight involves removing the infected leaves before the infection spreads to the rest of the plant. After that, you can use a suitable fungicide to treat the disease, to free it from the issue and have new shoots growing.
– Repot Your Plant
Repotting your peace lily should be part of the plant’s regular maintenance routine to keep it in the best shape and health. In general, these plants should be repotted once every year or two, depending on how crowded the plant is in its current pot.
You might have to repot your plant more often if it looks too big for its pot. So, you can either move the whole plant to a new bigger pot or divide the plant into several pots. Peace lilies usually recover from transplant shocks quickly.
Conclusion
Seeing wilting and drooping leaves on your peace lily shouldn’t be that alarming. According to the plant care guide, many reasons cause this issue, but they can also be fixed easily with some minor changes:
- Adjusting the watering schedule is the best way to protect your plant’s leaves from wilting.
- Choosing the right soil type and keeping the plant where it receives bright filtered light can prevent wilting.
- Peace lily will have healthy leaves when you keep it in warm and humid conditions.
- Wilting because of pests can be treated using neem oil and insecticidal soap.
You can’t undo wilting leaves, but you can change a few things in your peace lily’s maintenance routine, and the plant will recover and stay healthy.
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