Tiny black dots (fungus?) killing my peace lilies... Help!

3 years ago

I bought a medium sized peace lily from Home Depot a few months ago for a friend but haven't been able to deliver it because of Covid (thankfully?). So, anyways, I noticed far too late that the undersides were getting yellow and dull and the edges on the top side of the leaves were having the same issue. At first, I saw a couple little bugs on it and assumed there was a pest infestation, so I did a watered down alcohol spray and wipe-down. Upon closer inspection, there's tiny miniscule little black dots absolutely covering almost every big leaf on the plant and found that the black dots would come off and some green pigment would too. What is it? Should I toss the whole thing?

On top of this, despite having moved the plant away from my others, I've found the beginnings of whatever infestation is on my much smaller peace lily. Can I save it? (I hope so, I love that plant a lot!)

Sorry for the long post, I want to be thorough. I've attached some photos. (Definitely washed my hands after taking these!) You can see things are getting much worse for medium-sized peace lily.

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Comments (8)

hc mcdole
3 years ago
I clicked on all of the images and do not see any of the black dots you mention. The damage I see looks like spider mites.

I did zoom in as much as Firefox allows (300%?) and did a print screen. I copied this into PS and cropped and rotated 90 degrees to the edge of what you are talking about. It could be very tiny insects or possible fungal infestation. Perhaps others will chime in with this image?

I would cut off the worst leaves to get rid of a lot of the problems. Continue using whatever methods you are using (have you tried a soapy mix? Neem oil?)
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
isolate from any other plants..

and then consider just getting rid of it ...

its usually not worth spending 20 bucks to save a 10 dollar plant ... if you get my drift.. and these are far from rare ...

no harm.. once isolated.. in continuing what you are doing.. if you have nothing better to do ... and already have the supplies ...

i would also cut off the skeletonized leaf .. it is doing nothing for the plant ..

a pic of the whole plant might be interesting ...

ken
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Sylvan and company: Thank you! I will try the downsizing and careful watering. I got my Peace Lily as a wedding present 21 years ago--I really, really don't want this baby to die. It is at work now as my kittens bit the poor thing to shreds. So, seeing as it had some black leaves (as well as fang marks) I researched about black leaves and changed the soil and, oops, enlarged the pot. Now it is putting out lovely little green leaves--which are turning black and brittle. Another peace lily at work got frozen during a power outage last year. Its leaves turned black and many fell off/were pruned, but it looks great now. We are kind people, who hate to see something killed--that's why we struggle with these plants. A 6-foot tall dracaena at work was locked in an unused office for a month or so and nearly died, but I've been watering it and it is sprouting new growth. I feel great! :-)
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Rather than poking holes in the plastic, I would take it out of the planter entirely. I don't know how much space there is between the bottom of the plastic and the base of the tin, but it would be very easy to overwater with that sort of setup, and they're easily overwatered anyway. Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum spp.) are one of those weird plants that have a reputation for being easy and a reputation for being difficult, and they're not really either one. They don't generally get pests (though they sometimes get root rots and fungus problems), they'll tolerate almost any level of light, they don't mind normal indoor dry air, they're a lot more flexible about temperature than you'd think, etc., but watering is tricky. What I try to do with mine is to water them thoroughly when they begin to droop. If you wait too long, the leaves will all completely collapse and lay flat (they'll pop up again when you give the plant water again); if you don't wait long enough, the tips of the leaves will usually go black, and then the black will spread along the leaf margins and the leaf will slowly blacken and disintegrate. There are other things that can cause this sort of tip and margin burn (extremely dry air, extreme heat, overfertilization or mineral buildup in the soil), but usually if you see that, it means the plant is too wet. This black tips and margins thing is one of the main things people post about on the forum, by the way. That and fungus gnats (small flies: not a serious pest, but annoying), and both problems are usually caused by overly wet soil. You do have to live with a peace lily for a while before you can see the difference in the way it holds its leaves when it needs water. The easiest way I've found to tell with my plants at home is to put a hand under a leaf and brush upward: if the plant has enough water, the leaf will stay rigid, and will resist my hand like a piece of thin cardboard would; if it's dry, the leaf will offer no resistance at all and will feel more like a piece of cloth. If you don't have another container for the plant, then yes, poking holes in the plastic is almost certainly better than nothing, but I would really try not to leave the plant in that situation any longer than you have to. It's too easy to overwater.
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Black Sooty Mold grows on the upper surfaces of leaves where other overhanging foliage above them have sucking insects on their reverses. As the insects suck the plant sap, they excrete sugar water which falls on the tops of the underlying foliage. Sooty, black mold grows in the sugar water making the surfaces black and 'sooty', but not in dots. What you describe sounds like old rust where the orange pustules have lived their useful lives. Rust often turns black toward the end of the fungus' life cycle, and it can be "sooty" feeling. I agree, clear photos would certainly help. Here is an image I found on line of "old rust". Kim Here is a link that might be useful: old rust
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Reese W
Original Author
3 years ago
@hc mcdole Yes, the photo you attached is what I’m talking about. I didn‘t think it was insects because they don’t move! And they really are so so tiny. I was thinking fungal but still not sure. I will see about some other methods I can try like neem oil. Thanks!
Reese W
Original Author
3 years ago
@ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5 Yeah, that leaf needs to go. I kept it in hopes that someone might recognize what’s happening here. I can’t get a picture right now but from afar, the plant looked fine. No droops, just very dull edges on 2-3 of the leaves total. The black dots are on everything though. The bigger flowers look like they’re getting infested too and getting dark brown splotches.

Might have to throw in the towel, indeed.
party_music50
3 years ago
I don’t think it’s spider mites just by the location on the leaves. The bleached leaf tips look suspicious... How strong was your alcohol mix?
Reese W
Original Author
3 years ago
@party_music50 I agree with that; good point. The mix was like 1 part alcohol 2 parts water. The thing is is that I went over it a lot trying to remove the spots so it definitely contributed to the fading. Regardless, the color was leaving the plant before I did that and now it's accelerated and harming it more. Turns out it was ineffective anyways...
party_music50
3 years ago
I wouldn’t use the alcohol anymore. That’s much too strong of a mix and is likely doing more damage. I’d spray the entire plant with water, both top and bottom of leaves... or use very dilute soapy water — like 1 tsp dish soap in a quart of water — then rinse.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
be careful with dish soap.. many are actually detergents .. which isnt good for plant tissue ...

that said.. one tsp in a quart of water should avoid that issue ...

often.. the black dots are poop ... and not the bug.. hence.. it doesnt move .... if you take one and wet and smear it .. yeah.. i know.. yuck.. its often actually green ... but then you are looking for a bug big enough to produce such ... oh hell.. just throw it out.. lol ....

btw.. with all you have already done.. how do you know you havent already solved the problem??? and the leaf damage is just now showing???

ken

ps: in line with the story above.. did you know licorice dots arent really black.. they are green ... lol ... IF i recall properly .... and thats always questionable this early in the morning ... lol ..

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=black+licorice+dots+candy&t=ffcm&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images

Tiny black dots (fungus?) killing my peace lilies... Help!

Comments (8)

hc mcdole

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Reese W
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Tiny black dots (fungus?) killing my peace lilies... Help!

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hc mcdole

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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Reese WOriginal Author

party_music50

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Reese W
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