Peace lilies are gorgeous and graceful indoor plants that look amazing in any room at home. Thriving in indirect light and shade, peace lilies are among beautiful indoor plants that are so easy to care for. However, don’t worry if your peace lily is dying, there are still ways to save it. You are going to see the causes of a dying peace lily and how to revive a dying peace lily below. Hopefully, your peace lily is coming back to life again.
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Causes Of A Dying Peace Lily & How To Save A Peace Lily
Before we talk about how to revive a peace lily, we should know what causes it to die first. There could be many reasons that make a peace lily becomes droopy or unhealthy, and we will go through them all. Below are some of the most common problems that may affect your gorgeous peace lily and how to fix them.
Disease
Symptoms: Reddish-Brown Lesions, Root Damage, Yellowed & Wilting Lower Leaves
Plants have diseases too, and a few of those come from different types of stress. Along with that, there are also certain pathogens that can spread to your peace lilies through the water. These are the important aspects that you should pay attention to when your peace lilies start to show signs of dying.
One of the most common pathogens that affect peace lilies is Cylindrocladium Spathiphylli, and it is a root infection. The first symptom is yellowed and wilting lower leaves that you can easily spot. Then they will develop into reddish-brown lesions that can lead to total root collapse and rot. This disease is common in warm weather, and you will have to discard the plants with advanced symptoms. You cannot rescue them, and keeping them around will only infect nearby plants. Change the water if you must so that the same problem will not occur again to your peace lilies.
Another pathogen is Phytophthora Parasitica, and the disease that it causes leads to root damage. The pathogen infects the soil then begins to spread through the mix before affecting the entire plant. When this disease occurs, the symptoms are root damage along with yellowed and wilting foliage. Similar to the previous disease, you will also need to discard the plants that are severely infected.
Improper Lighting
Symptoms: Brown / Yellow Leaves, Slow Growth, Smaller Leaves
Things are a little bit tricky with peace lilies when it comes to lighting, and here’s why. First of all, peace lilies are among the best houseplants that grow under low light so growing one is easy. However, these places will not survive in virtual darkness because they will suffer if the light conditions are inappropriate. Simply put, peace lilies can stagnate under extremely low light and you can tell right away. Without sufficient light, the leaves of the plants will show obvious symptoms for you to see.
How To Fix:
When there is not enough light, fix them by providing this beautiful indoor houseplant with the amount of light they need. A peace lily needs light shade which is what they get and grow in nature. Once you notice the signs, move your peace lily to a brighter spot where it can absorb more lights. The best position for them is by a north-facing window, and they will surely grow beautifully for you. Another alternative is to put them under fluorescent lighting in case your room is a little dark. Your peace lilies will still flourish, and they will look absolutely pretty.
On a side note, avoid putting them in bright indirect light although they can handle that. Leaving them exposed to bright indirect light for too long can scorch their leaves and you don’t want that. You may let them absorb some gentle sunlight in the morning, but don’t leave them out for too long. This can lead to brown spots so make sure to avoid that.
High / Low Temperatures
Symptoms: Blackened Leaves, Yellow Leaves
Many people don’t really think of this cause when it comes to a dying peace lily. When the temperatures are not favorable, the plants will not grow healthily either. In the case of peace lilies, they thrive at normal temperatures at home which is between 68 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Too cold and the plant will be stressed, too hot and the plant will freeze to death. Once the temperatures fall below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, your peace lily will start to show signs of dying.
The position of the plant can also lead to the effects of the temperatures as well. Putting it too close to the windowsills, the plant can get cold and even die overnight. Placing the plant too close to the heater can cause them to overheat and die. Peace lilies are quite fragile when it comes to temperatures, so watch out for that.
How To Fix:
When seasons change, you will also need to rotate the location of your peace lily plant as well. This is the only way to save a peace lily because a different spot means a better temperature condition. When the weather gets cold, change its position if you place its pot next to the window. As for hot temperatures, move your peace lily to a better spot that is breezy or cool. Avoid direct sunlight, and avoid keeping it next to an area with heat.
And remember that keeping your peace lily near a heater does not warm it up, it’ll kill them. When the air is very hot or cold, it leads to another potential threat called “drafts” that can kill peace lilies.
Pests
Symptoms: Dying & Unhealthy-Looking Leaves
Generally, peace lilies are very durable against pests so the infestation is a very rare case. So if you spot an infestation, that means there are other issues that cause your plants to lose their defenses. Just like most indoor plants, the most common pests that attack peace lilies are aphids, mealybugs, scale, and spider mites. Because they are super tiny, spotting one at first is not easy. Normally, peace lily owners only notice the pests when the infestation begins which is already quite late.
This is also one of the reasons why you should inspect your plants regularly. In case there are bugs, you can take care of the issue on time before it spreads and become serious. To spot those tiny bugs, check under the leaves and stems. You can also clean them regularly by using cotton swabs to remove bugs in case there are any.
How To Fix:
If your peace lily still looks alive because the infestation is not serious, there are ways. Many people actually know how to revive a peace lily using two options as follows. You can either use an insecticidal soap or rubbing alcohol to remove those unwanted pests. Dip a cotton bud into any of the substances and gently dab it on the bugs. With thorough cleaning, you will be able to get rid of them in no time.
Another way is by giving your plant a quick shower to remove those pests. Douse your peace lily with a soapy solution by soaking it underneath the crevices and leaves. The bugs will die the moment the solution touches them, and it is a very fast way to eliminate them. You can repeat the process every 4 days or a week until you trust that there are no more bugs hiding.
Overwatering
Symptoms: Brown Foliage, Yellowing Leaves
Overwatering has always been one of the most common problems for many indoor plants. There are enthusiastic plant owners out there who can’t wait for their houseplants to grow. Thinking watering the plants more often can lead to faster growth, but things don’t work that way. With a peace lily, overwatering is among the main causes of their death. They will simply drown in a heavy and sodden mix, and this is why overwatering is the main reason.
How To Fix
The best solution for a drowning plant is to pause watering your peace lily for a while first. Wait until the soil dries before beginning to water them again. When you do water them again, make sure to let the soil dry out a bit between each watering session. This is to prevent the same overwatering mistake from happening again. Make sure to allow the top few inches of the soil to dry before you water it again.
Another important part is to make sure that your pot has proper drainage holes. This is to ensure that the excess water can escape so that the soil will not be too soggy for the roots. If not so, the water will accumulate and that can lead to diseases and damage to your peace lily. Proper drainage helps quite a lot, and you should have this part in mind.
Underwatering
Symptoms: Wilting, Yellowing Leaves
Overwatering is bad enough, but underwatering your peace lily is just as bad. The first thing to remember is that your peace lily will need more water when the temperature is getting hot. This is because the water will dry fast, and dry soil can lead to wilting leaves on the peace lily. You can tell that your peace lilies need water when they dramatically wilt. Leaving them in this condition too long will lead to dying peace lilies in no time.
How To Fix
When it comes to how to save a peace lily that is underwatered, things are easier than you think. Mainly because all you need to do is add water that the plant needs, simple as that. When you water your plants, make sure to let them drink in accordance with the light levels and the temperatures. Slowly and thoroughly water the plants until the topsoil is wet, and watch your peace lily come back to life.
The drawback in this case is that a drought-dying plant does not fully recover; especially if you neglect it again. What can’t be fixed are the yellowing leaves that will not turn back to green. To avoid the same problem from occurring, make sure to regularly water your peace lily. If you let the same issue happen a few times, knowing how to bring a peace lily back to life can’t help either.
Peace Lily Caring Tips
It is good to know how to save a peace lily, but you should also know how to take care of it. This is to prevent some potential problems from happening so that this pretty indoor plant can flourish beautifully. There are a few simple tips that you can follow to take care of them, so take a look.
Fertilizer
Not different from other indoor plants, peace lilies are not heavy eaters so plenty of fertilizer is not necessary. You can feed them some during their growing seasons which are during spring and summer. That is the time when they start to grow so you may fertilize them every 6 weeks or so. This is to supplement them with additional nutrients so that they can grow healthily. The ideal fertilizer for them is a balanced houseplant fertilizer. As for fall and winter, fertilization is not important so you won’t have to feed them anything. Let the plants go to their dormant state because fertilization may attract pests, so avoid that.
Humidity
One of the things that peace lilies love is humidity, and misting is the perfect thing to provide for them. You can mist their laves once a week or place the pot on a gravel tray for better humidity. Doing so is good for their growth and health, and their appearance will remain gorgeous for weeks or months.
Light
Peace lilies thrive under indirect light, so place their pot where you think is right for them. Avoid bright direct sunlight, especially the one in hot afternoons. Just keep them in a spot that is bright, and they will do fine. This type of indoor plant appreciates light shade, and an east-facing or a north-facing window is perfect for them. Bright morning sunlight for an hour or two is good but do not leave them out for too long. You wouldn’t want the sun to scorch those pretty green leaves.
Watering
Both overwatering and underwatering are bad, so you should always maintain the watering consistency. Keep the soil moist but do not let the plant drink more than they need or should. Peace lilies can tolerate dry soil for a short period of time, so you won’t have to overwater them. However, don’t let them scream for water too long to the point that their leaves turn brown. This will put stress and lead to their demise if you neglect them.
Note
Peace lilies are sensitive to chemicals in tap water like fluoride, and that is why they are prone to diseases. When that happens, you will notice a common sign like brown leaf tips. To avoid or prevent this problem, it is highly recommended to use filtered water to water them. Another key to take note of is to water your indoor plants with room-temperature water. This is also to prevent them from having stress because it is also a common issue.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to bring a peace lily back to life is good because you can tackle the issue on time. While peace lilies are hardy indoor plants, things that can affect their growth and health still happen sometimes. When you know how to save a peace lily, the problem won’t be much of a big deal anymore. I include both the causes and solutions along with symptoms that you can notice, and I hope that they are useful. Should you have any more questions, feel free to shoot them.