What to Do When Peace Lily Leaves Droop? Causes and Solutions
Peace lily, also known as spathe flower (Spathiphyllum), is a perennial herbaceous plant of the Araceae family, and it is very beautiful when in bloom. Placing a peace lily in the home helps absorb waste gases, making it a great choice for the home, especially in newly renovated houses. Even when it is not flowering, it can be grown as an excellent indoor foliage plant. However, if its leaves droop during cultivation, it will greatly affect its ornamental value. So how do we get it to recover? Below, Qinong Web will explain what to do when peace lily leaves droop.
Of course, peace lily leaves will not droop for no reason; there must be a cause behind this phenomenon. Qinong Web has summarized four causes here, and for each of these four causes, we have introduced the corresponding solutions. Let us take a closer look below.
1. Improper Watering
Soft, drooping leaves caused by overly wet watering. Normally, watering should not be too wet; overly wet soil easily accumulates water, causing root rot and drooping leaves.
Solution:
Mastering the correct watering method is the most direct way to deal with improper watering. Friends with some growing experience surely know the meaning of "do not water until dry, and water thoroughly when you do." Watering a peace lily should also follow this principle: water only after the soil has dried. When watering, be careful that the water temperature is not too low.
2. Soil
If a peace lily has not been repotted or loosened for a long time, the soil becomes hard and impermeable, and the water after watering cannot penetrate into the soil layer. As a result, most of the roots cannot absorb water and nutrients, and the loss of water and nutrients causes yellowing, drooping, and softening of the leaves.
Solution:
When growing peace lilies at home, the soil should be loosened and the pot changed at the right time. Repot in early spring every year and check the soil condition. If there are many clumps, it is recommended to break them up, dry them in the sun, and then replant. When planting, discard half of the old soil and replace it with loose soil, which is beneficial to root growth. During regular care, loosen the soil once every half year to increase the oxygen content in the soil.
3. Insufficient Acclimatization
Many people may not yet know what acclimatization means. Because changes in the plant's growing environment cause some discomfort, acclimatization is the process of giving the plant enough time to adapt. Usually, most flowers in the flower market are grown in greenhouses. After we buy them and casually place them in the sun for normal care, they easily become wilted.
Solution:
A newly purchased peace lily should first be placed in a cool, ventilated place with scattered light, and watered appropriately. After one week, switch to normal care.
4. Unsuitable Growing Environment
The growing temperature for peace lily is between 5-30°C, but if the temperature is too low, it still has a certain effect on its growth, and humidity is also an important factor. Under dry and cold conditions in winter, drooping leaves are very likely to occur. In winter, indoor air is dry and ventilation is poor, so leaves lose water and droop. In addition, if the potted plant is placed in a low-temperature and small space, the leaves are also prone to yellowing.
Solution:
After autumn, when the temperature drops, move the plant indoors for care, pay attention to increasing air humidity, spray around the plant every day, and wipe the leaf surface with a cotton cloth every 2~3 days. Control water appropriately and just keep the potting soil moist.
The above are the solutions introduced by Qinong Web for dealing with wilted and drooping peace lily leaves. We hope you will gain a lot after reading them. Qinong Web would also like to add that although peace lilies have the ability to purify air, it is obviously impossible to purify an entire room with one small plant, and we also need to strengthen ventilation.