Table of Content
Peace lilies are evergreen, tropical plants, native to the tropical rainforests of Columbia and Venezuela, and are a popular houseplant that needs little maintenance and care. They live best in forest conditions where there is consistent moisture, humidity, and dappled sunlight.
The plant starts blooming flowers in the early summer and continues to blossom all year. These plants are adored for their dark green leaves and white to off-white flowers that brighten up both indoor and outdoor spaces.
Peace lilies are known as dramatic plants that will let you know when it is not happy. It is important they get the right care and growing conditions to thrive. Although this might sound difficult, it’s easier than you think.
This article looks at common problems that peace lily faces while growing and easy solutions to fix them so that your peace lilies look happy and continue to bloom.
Common Peace Lily Problems
Even though peace lily is a plant that is easy to care for, they still face some problems while growing. The most common problems that affect peace lilies might be that the plant is not flowering, has developed drooping, yellow or brown foliage, has brown tips on the leaves, or struggling with pest problems.
It is important to provide the right solution to these problems immediately or the plant will suffer. Let’s look at 6 main peace lily problems and the effective solutions that are available to help you can make sure everything is alright for your plant.
Flowering Problems
Your peace lily may not bloom flowers no matter how much you care for it. This is quite a common problem and can be frustrating if you don’t know what to do. Let’s see what causes your peace lily not to flower and the solution to this problem.
| Problems | Solutions |
| · Lack of adequate sunlight Peace lilies can grow in low-light conditions, but flowers rarely bloom in low light. If your lily is growing in a place where it doesn’t receive ample bright, indirect sunlight, then it may stop flowering. | · Move the plant to a location where it receives bright indirect sunlight to encourage blooming. |
| · Lack of fertilizer Another reason for peace lilies to stop producing flowers is when they lack fertilizer. This usually happens after a period of time if there has been no fertilizer during growth periods. | · During the growing season, give your peace lily half or one-quarter-strength balanced liquid fertilizer with an interval of 3-5 weeks. |
Drooping Plant
Your peace lily can droop or wilt which is commonly seen. Wilting is one of the most dangerous problems with peace lily, and not treating it properly and on time can seriously affect its growth.
The good news is that you can recover your plant really fast and easily. First, try to identify why your peace lily is wilting. Here are some things to look for when trying to identify the problem.
- How wet the soil is? Overwatering can result in soggy and damp soil, while underwatering causes the soil to become totally dry
- Are there any yellow leaves under the plant? Yellowing foliage is caused by overwatering the plant
- How good is the root health? Lift the plant and check the roots. Rotting, mushy, brown, smelly, and fragile roots result from overwatering
- Are the leaf tips becoming brown? Severe overwatering and mild underwatering can result in brown tips and edges
- Is the pot size right for the plant? Overwatering can result from growing the plant in a pot much bigger than the plant, as a lot of soil needs a lot of time to dry out
- Is the pot properly drained? Overwatering can result from the absence of drainage holes in the pot
Let’s take a look at the problems and solutions to help your plant if it is drooping or showing signs of wilting.
| Problems | Solutions |
| · Under watering If not watered adequately, peace lily starts to wilt. Under watering can also result in the edges and tips of leaves becoming brown. | · In the case of underwatering, water the plant so that the soil becomes wet. You may need to let stand a few inches of water for the dry soil to start absorbing water and the water to start flowing out of the drainage holes. |
| · Over watering Watering the plant too much can even kill the plant. The roots of the plant can rot if the soil stays soggy and there is poor drainage in the pot, even though the plant likes to grow in slightly moist soil. | In case of overwatering, first inspect the roots of the plant. If there are rotting roots, then cut the affected areas and repot the plant in a well-drained pot. If the roots are alright, then simply stop watering the plant till the top half of the soil dries out. · Moving the plant to a place that receives bright, indirect light with proper ventilation will help to dry out the excess water. |
Yellow Leaves
One of the reasons behind the peace lily’s leaves becoming yellow is overwatering. On the other hand, if you have changed the location of the plant or there has been changes to the temperature where the plant is placed, this can also result in yellow leaves.
Peace lily doesn’t grow well in cold temperatures below 4 C (40 F) and this can cause the foliage to turn yellow. Let’s take a look at what the solutions to peace lily yellow leaves could be.
| Problems | Solutions |
| · Yellow leaves due to overwatering | · Stop watering the plant, keep proper drainage in the pot and let the topsoil dry out |
| · Yellow leaves due to too hot or too cold temperatures | · Place the peace lily plant in places that are neither too hot nor too cold, but with temperatures between 18 and 27 C (65-80 F). · Never place the plant in front of air conditioners or heaters or in non-insulated windows or doors where it could get cold shafts during the winter. |
Brown Leaves
If the leaves of your peace lily are losing their green color and becoming brown, then there may be some underlying causes, including the plant not getting enough direct sunlight, over-fertilization, underwatering, and insufficient humidity.
| Problems | Solutions |
| · Brown leaves due to insufficient humidity | · Place it alongside other plants that would increase the humidity, use a humidity tray, or a humidifier. |
| · Brown leaves due to over fertilizing | · If the Peace Lily is over-fertilized, then wash the soil using clean water. Apply a balanced fertilizer in the spring and summer months after every 3-5 weeks. |
| · Brown leaves due to underwatering | · If the topsoil becomes dry, then water the plant regularly and never let the soil become completely dry. |
| · Brown leaves due to insufficient sunlight | · Peace Lily originally grows in habitats with humid environments and dappled soil. Place your plant in medium to bright indirect light. |
Pest Problems
Usually, strong peace lily plants are not affected by pests, but aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites can affect your peace lilies if they are weak and susceptible.
| Problems | Solutions |
| · Pest problems with aphids, mealybugs, and spider mites | · Look closely for pests, pick them by hand or spray the plant strongly with a water jet · Wipe the leaves and their undersides from time to time to keep the plant safe from nasty pests · You could use neem oil or insecticidal soap solution to get rid of the pests |
Brown Tips
There may be many reasons that can cause peace lily leaves to have brown tips and brown edges. Over-fertilizing can cause brown tips of the leaves.
Giving the plant water with an excess mineral content or hard water can also cause the leaves to have brown tips. If you water the plant on time, but still the leaf tips are becoming brown, then too much fluorine or chlorine in the water can be the reason.
| · Brown tips due to excess mineral content or hard water | · Water the plant with lesser mineral content. You can boil water, cool it down, and then water the Peace lily with this water. · Flush the soil with fresh water from time to time to prevent minerals from depositing in the soil · If chlorine is the cause of brown tips, then keep water standing in the pot overnight. |
| · Brown tips due to over-fertilizing | · Apply fertilizers carefully, to prevent over-fertilization or inadequate fertilization |
Wrapping Up
Peace lily is a common houseplant that blooms white flowers all year round in suitable conditions. Now that you are aware of some of the common problems that a peace lily can face and the solutions available for you, you should be able to provide the right care to keep your peace lily thriving happily.
