Necrotic tips & margins are usually an indication there isn't enough water making its way to these more distal plant parts, so the tissue is dying. Usually, the primary cause is poor root health and impaired root function due to a lack of oxygen in the root zone. Another cause might be a high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution, which increases in likelihood as a problem if you water in small sips instead of flushing the soil when you water, or allow the plant to sit in the effluent that collects in a saucer beneath the plant. There are secondary contributors (like low humidity, but these are the two conditions that have the most impact on dead leaf tips/margins. Getting the plant in an appropriate soil (one you can water to beyond saturation w/o the need to worry about extended periods of sogginess wrecking root health and limiting root function) goes a LONG way toward curing a number of ills associated with poor rootage. Al

Tapla & others i understand both sides of the debate for my PL. I repotted the PL in 5:1:1 (used 5 Reptibark, 1 Sp peat, & 1+Med perlite (prob 1.25) & trimmed off the brown & left many leaves on. It looked droopy the next day & figured it would have some transplant shock. I had to go out of town for work, but had my watering help in order. She texted me a pic of the wood stick so I could tell her when it was ready to water. She watered it once when I was gone for 9 days. My help however, didn't tell me that the whole plant collapsed! (Arguing I couldn't do anything for the plant out of town). moving on, Mother Nature decided the next step. Last night when I got home, I cut all the leaves back. The mix is dry on top but moist a bit down-- maybe a bit too moist, but not wet, not soggy for sure. This mix is better than it was in before, but this PL never wilted between waterings before. When I felt down, I pulled up one of the small loose & single shoot & the roots were brown & didn't Li like it was the same PL I left 9 days ago! Should I dig it up to evaluate the other roots? I can't believe the roots would have started to rot so fast, but im not sure what to do. I used distilled water. And I planned on starting to fertilize with 9-3-6 when I came home. Your last comment indicated to make sure the "Roots only " plant wasn't too moist & just damp. Would putting the PL near my grow light be beneficial? I do think the PL needed more light than it received before- it had enough to survive, but not thrive. My husband has a light meter... What FC/lux would be best at this point? When I repotted my big PL (pics shown), I replanted the other 2 I had. The medium PL took a hit to the older leaves (which I've now removed) but small newer ones ok & plant still green. The smallest PL is still green & doing ok I think. I know things don't happen fast with plants, but I want to make sure I'm giving the best environment it needs. Your help is always appreciated as I learn! Thanks! ~Betina

If you're watering the plant "when the top soil feels a bit dry", you're over-watering. Try monitoring soil moisture levels like this: Over-watering saps vitality and is one of the most common plant assassins, so learning to avoid it is worth the small effort. Plants make and store their own energy source – photosynthate - (sugar/glucose). Functioning roots need energy to drive their metabolic processes, and in order to get it, they use oxygen to burn (oxidize) their food. From this, we can see that terrestrial plants need air (oxygen) in the soil to drive root function. Many off-the-shelf soils hold too much water and not enough air to support good root health, which is a prerequisite to a healthy plant. Watering in small sips leads to a build-up of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil, which limits a plant's ability to absorb water – so watering in sips simply moves us to the other horn of a dilemma. It creates another problem that requires resolution. Better, would be to simply adopt a soil that drains well enough to allow watering to beyond the saturation point, so we're flushing the soil of accumulating dissolved solids whenever we water; this, w/o the plant being forced to pay a tax in the form of reduced vitality, due to prolong periods of soil saturation. Sometimes, though, that's not a course we can immediately steer, which makes controlling how often we water a very important factor. In many cases, we can judge whether or not a planting needs watering by hefting the pot. This is especially true if the pot is made from light material, like plastic, but doesn't work (as) well when the pot is made from heavier material, like clay, or when the size/weight of the pot precludes grabbing it with one hand to judge its weight and gauge the need for water. Fingers stuck an inch or two into the soil work ok for shallow pots, but not for deep pots. Deep pots might have 3 or more inches of soil that feels totally dry, while the lower several inches of the soil is 100% saturated. Obviously, the lack of oxygen in the root zone situation can wreak havoc with root health and cause the loss of a very notable measure of your plant's potential. Inexpensive watering meters don't even measure moisture levels, they measure electrical conductivity. Clean the tip and insert it into a cup of distilled water and witness the fact it reads 'DRY'. One of the most reliable methods of checking a planting's need for water is using a 'tell'. You can use a bamboo skewer in a pinch, but a wooden dowel rod of about 5/16” (75-85mm) would work better. They usually come 48” (120cm) long and can usually be cut in half and serve as a pair. Sharpen all 4 ends in a pencil sharpener and slightly blunt the tip so it's about the diameter of the head on a straight pin. Push the wooden tell deep into the soil. Don't worry, it won't harm the root system. If the plant is quite root-bound, you might need to try several places until you find one where you can push it all the way to the pot's bottom. Leave it a few seconds, then withdraw it and inspect the tip for moisture. For most plantings, withhold water until the tell comes out dry or nearly so. If you see signs of wilting, adjust the interval between waterings so drought stress isn't a recurring issue. Al

In their native habitat these plants grow close to fresh water, so they're definitely no strangers to it. With that being said, they don't like sitting in water that can quickly go stagnant. They love water, but they still need good drainage. I was browsing my local garden center one day and one of the employees pointed out to me a bunch of plants that they were giving away for free. Most of them were Boston ferns and Majesty palms, but hidden away amongst them was one of these large Peace Lilies. The foliage was limp, but aside from that, the plant was healthy and still in good condition. I quickly snatched it up and loaded it up in my car. When I got home, I placed the whole pot within a bucket and filled it up with water, so both the soil and the plant could get rehydrated again and perk back up. I've been busy repotting other plants and haven't gotten to it just yet. I have it sitting outside in very bright indirect sunlight. Where I live in the South, it's very humid and we get tons of rain. (It's currently thundering and raining as I type) In between thunderstorms, when I do have to water it, I just stick it back in that bucket and fill it back up again. After half an hour or so, I remove it and let the excess water drain away. Since yours is growing indoors, it wouldn't require as many frequent waterings. However, when you do water it, always thoroughly flush out the whole pot and let the excess water drain away before moving it back to the spot you keep it in. Never give it measured out water. Take it to a sink or tub and flush the whole pot out with more than enough water. If you don't flush the soil out on a regular basis, then minerals from the water you are giving it can quickly begin to accumulate in the soil and cause problems for your plant.