I have two Spathiphyllums that I split when they were small years ago. I had trouble with them wilting as well when I first got them. Either the pot is too small or too big. Never repot a plant in a pot over 1 1/2 inches bigger than the existing pot. I put mine in a big pot twice the size of the poor plant, I had no experience with plants back then, and the plant never got any bigger and it wilted. Turns out the soil around the root ball was staying wet and the roots were starting to rot. I split the plant and put them in different pots and now they are so big I have to buy huge pots for them. They are at the point of being split more than once each. I give them lots of fertilzer and water then regularly. More in the summer time but I keep mine out on the porch when it's warm out. The indoor temperature effects them as well. If where they are right now is cool from the AC they need less water. If the heater is on they will need more. To check your plants to see if they are thirsty put your pointer finger in the soil one inch. If it is dry to the tip of your finger water the plant. If it is moist they are ok for that time. Light: these plants need medium light (no direct sunlight- they will burn and turn brownish gray) and need to be away from drafts - AC vents, doors and open windows. Make sure you don't have root-rot going on or nematodes...if you have these evil pests kill the plant and burn it...nematodes can live in dry foliage and soil for over a year! Prun away any dead or dieing foliage because that way the nutrtion will be going to the healthy stems instead. Make sure the soil is well drained and there is a drain hole in the bottom of your pot. DO NOT let the plant sit in water in a saucer because that's where the salts from the soil drain to. If you let the plant sit in it the plant with suck back up these harmful salts. After each watering empty the saucer. Watering overhead is better than watering from the saucer. The suction from the water pulls the salts from the soil into the saucer making the plant healthier... you may have a salt build up killing your Spath. And with the roots Peace Lilies will survive in plain water as long as they are fed fertilizer, half the roots are out of the water (oxygen) and the other half is in the water (water and nutrition). I love Peace Lilies and this is what I have learned over the years about these magnificent plants. (Besides taking a college coarse on interior plants)I hope my info helps. Good Luck with your plants!!!

Waterbug_guy, I decided years ago that I prefer the KISS method to water gardening, which is when I put away the salt and testing kits. I decided not to fight the natural water conditions I had, although way back then there all kinds of people telling me to do something immediately to drop my pH which they felt was too high, add salt, and test daily at least. I decided that was not what I wanted, and my fish and I have been content with that decision for about a decade. So I certainly agree with a lot of what you have said. You are also certainly more knowledgeable than I about how much the actions I took could have altered my test results. I can not rule out user error because no matter how simple the test I am simply cable of erring. But my initial thought WAS that my ammonia had been high and the filter was kicking in and taking care of it, and the water change and plants helped. But I am not disregarding what you said, because I am just not as up on testing and treating those results, in part because I chose not to g0 that route years ago. Like I said, it really doesn't seem very important any more. But I am going to continue testing at least a few times a week for a while and will try to remember to do it right before and after cleaning the filter. I would be interested to see what the results are before starting the filtering next spring with the fish load I have, as well as from the time I start filtering until the WH take off again next year. I wonder if I am having periods of high ammonia levels before the bio filter really gets going again, when I only have a few small WH. Something to maybe keep an eye on in the fall once a frost has starting the kill the WH, as well. Especially once I put the filter away for winter. Joecd, as far I am concerned any filter that harbors the good bacteria that can change the ammonia in the pond to nitrite and then nitrate is a type of bio filter. There are almost as many ways of doing that, it seems, as there are people with ponds. One way is to purchase a canister type filter that has media inside for these bacteria to grow on, as I did. There are also many types of homemade biofilters, and most surfaces in your pond probably do that to some extent, as a well. But most people I have heard referring to a biofilter are referring to a separate filter that is specifically designed to do that, whether it is a purchased filter or a homemade one, rather than to the natural bacteria on the surfaces in the pond.

Well, thank you everyone for your responses. I started pulling some up yesterday and it indeed was ready. Some were planted to close together to form a sizeable head, but that's what you get when you let your kids plant with you. I did get a few rounds, I may plant them again, or just use them as garlic onions. Upon pulling them out I realized that had I left them in till the end of June or July like I was going to, the wrappers would have rotted away. This is only my second year growing garlic and believe it or not, I didn't look anything up about growing it, I just put it in and my Grandma told me what to look for when it's ready and that was it. It seemed very easy. It wasn't till all the reading and research did I start to get worried this year, I guess ignorance really is bliss. The one thing I learned for sure is I think I will stick with the hardnecks, if they do well in California. I've already prepared a site for the fall garlic that won't take up any of my precious tomato space next year. That was the only hard thing about growing garlic, trying to decide where to plant it since it's going to be in for a while, but I'm all set now! Thank you again to everyone who helped me, and I look forward to many more years of garlic growing.

Two things: I'm not an expert but based on your description: the opening that you left at the top (with some of the fronds sticking out) served as a catch for any water from rain. Gravity sent the water down the frond to the crown where it collected and with no air to keep it dry-fungus and bacteria formed to eat away at the crown and then downward. Ironically, given the size and your Trachy coupled with your mild winter, you probably would have not had any problems had you left it unprotected with only sprays and mulch. Two: when you bought the palm, was the connecting trunk exposed(above the dirt line)? I ask this because it is bad to raise the dirt line on any tree and I noticed that you can't see it in the pictures. As far as a remedy, Jim gave you the best advice to save the taller trunk. The only other thing I would do is spray the top of the new trunk with copper fungicide to make sure it is all killed. You can use my Beet/Banana formula to give it a nutrient rich boost which couldn't hurt. Hopefully the whole specimen can come back. Good question about cutting away the damaged trunk-I honestly have no idea. Logically speaking, it's not like they share a heart or any other vital organs so I don't why it can't be done. But again, that is an opinion and not based on expertise. Either way, I would hold off and see if you can save it as a whole first. Good Luck and I wish you Guys the best. This post was edited by Kokomo-JB on Mon, Apr 8, 13 at 10:42