peace lily help for a chronic plant killer

14 years ago

Hi all,

I've spent a fair amount of time searching for advice on my newly obtained peace lily, but still feel the need to ask for some advice.

I've had several in the past, and killed them practically instantly. *brown thumb!*

Tonight my neighbors left a 3' high by 3' wide (admitted by them) frostbitten peace lily on my porch, and i'm feeling compelled to give it another try. Apparently they think my window of carnivorous plants means I'm willing to take in whatever special case they may have :)

This plant is root bound in an approximately 12" pot. I need to get it a new one, but am unsure of a good potting medium. I've chopped back all the dead or dying leaves, which has left me with a 12" wide healthy looking root ball and about 10 leaves/sprouts of new/healthy looking growth with the biggest measuring about 12" tall. I have it in my south facing window (indirect sunlight) but close to a 23w compact florescent that i'm supplementing my CP's light requirements with due to a lower fall/winter photoperiod. I have a very heavily shaded lot, so i'm not too worried about too much sun...just not enough!

I've learned they need to be well drenched but to air out some between waterings, and will droop/get a bit limp when thirsty in a well drained pot. This is not what it's in now, but it will be following my next shopping trip. I did take it out of its original pot and loosen the roots (it was WELL packed in) and added what i had on hand for the time being (literally, this thing was all root with maybe a cup or 2 of soil that i was able to remove while loosening the roots) - a bit of miracle grow potting soil, peat moss and a good helping of perlite, but had no choice but to place it back in the original pot. Maybe 4 cups of the mix was more than enough to fill the pot once the plant was in, so i know it's crowded root-wise, but with so little foliage...i dunno. I guess I'm looking for the *best* potting medium for this guy, while i attempt to find a bigger pot that isn't TOO big, and whether i should even try to re-pot it while it's recovering from my attack...

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know this plant has great potential to be absolutely stunning, if i but just knew the proper way to care for it :)

Please advise on the best potting medium, as well as any other tricks/tips you may have for helping this poor thing recover. I feel bad for hacking him down to nothing, but it seemed right to chop off anything that wasn't 100% healthy and green. I hope i did the right thing!

Thanks!

~Jen

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Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
14 years ago
This plant is very susceptible to high levels of dissolved solids in the soil solution (accumulations of salt from tap water and fertilizer), so it's important that you use a soil that allows you to water copiously to flush the soil of salts w/o risking root rot, and the soil should remain stable between repots or divisions (ask if you need help). Watering with distilled water, water from the dehumidifier, or room temp snow melt is very helpful for this plant.

Fertilize more frequently at low doses, and be very sparing with fertilizer in winter while the plant rests. 3:1:2 ratio fertilizers like 24-8-16 or 9-3-6 work very well.

Very bright diffused (like a full sun location, but diffused through a sheer curtain) or very bright indirect light is best, and temperatures 68-85*. No sudden chills or cold drafts, please.

Al
sequoia54
14 years ago
If you do a search of this forum's postings using the keyword "soil" there are a number of interesting posts about the various potting media now being used by home growers. If I were potting up a spathiphyllum, I'd be inclined to use a mix which included a generous amount of non-organic material such as perlite or vermiculite, for better drainage. You would need to water more frequently, but this would flush out the accumulated salts Al is referring to.

Spathiphyllum seems to be one of "those plants" called "easy," yet which many people have killed off. My mother kept one going for 51 years. It was in a dish garden she was given when I was born, hence was always called "the Betsy plant," LOL!
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It's uncommon for sunburn to cause a total collapse of a plant, so the issue is likely to be found in watering habits. I'd say the odds significantly favor the issue being related to the effects of over-watering. If the issue is indeed related to over-watering, as I suspect, whether the plant makes it or not depends on how severely the roots are damaged. The best course is to depot the plant, inspect the roots for rot, trim any roots visibly compromised or suspected of infection by rot, and repot into an appropriate size container with an appropriate soil. The alternate, which offers a reduced expectation of an end result that's favorable, would be to depot the plant if the soil is wet (as opposed to damp), and place the root mass on a stack of newspaper, paper bags, an old towel .... to dry down before returning it to its container, after which you would monitor water needs more carefully. I should have asked if you fertilized the plant since acquiring it. If yes, it could be the reason or play a part in the problem. If you did fertilize, please describe what you used and at what strength. Al
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Hi Golden and Welcome to Houseplants.. Peace lily's seem to be a problem the last couple months. There have been several thread regarding this plant. How long after your friend repotted did the plant start acting up? Do you know what size the previous pot was, and what size she planted into. PL's do NOT like large pots..they prefer to be semi-smug. One reason is, many people have a tendency to overwater, therefore soil stays wet..You did mention the soil was moist, but how long after he/she watered did you test its soil? Normally one should hold off on fertilizer after repotting, but I don't consider this an major issue. As long as fertilizer directions were followed, so PL wasn't overfed. As long as PL isn't sitting in front of ac vent, it shouldn't do harm, then again, ac takes moisture from the air..still I don't think leaves would yellow/grow smaller from dry air. They'd most likely brown, I'd think anyway. To be honest, we as growers should water by schedule..Once a wk may be fine, but you have to take certain things into consideration..when a room is ac'd, it stays cooler..in the process, soil takes longer to dry..So, if she/he is water once a wk, and soil is moist, this isn't helping. She/he needs to test soil..stick a finger down into soil..if wet wait a few days, then retest. If dry, (crumbly) give it a drink. Water soil thoroughly, but wait till it's semi-dry before giving another drink. A larger pot holds more water too..and depending on material of pot makes a difference..For instance a clay pot dries out faster than plastic. Tell your friend to water when soil feels dry..not bone dry, but crumbly dry. One last thing, but this is a last resort..tell friend to check for pests. Mainly mites and mealy. But there are other pests that attack PL's too. Do you know how to check for bugs? Toni
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thanks for the link it is definitely Spanish moss on top of the soil i think that i will be removing it just because it does get in the way of when i am trying to check the soil for moisture. it does add a little bit for decorative purposes but i think its just a pain it seems to just fall out and gets all over the place. when should i water the plant when the top of the soil is starting to get a bit dry that is what i have heard? but i also wonder why this plant can be over watered because i have seen when people use them with beta fish bowls and then it seems that the whole roots are soaked in water the whole time.
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User
14 years ago
I would not repot this while it's recovering, there are too many things going on at once, expecially since you've cut it back some, just as we go into Fall.

Hopefully, in your search, you've read that these plants like to be tight in the pot to begin with.

Fussing w/ this plant will likely not help; I'd wait 'til Spring to do much else w/ it.

peace lily help for a chronic plant killer

Comments (3)

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

sequoia54

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