Before you get to know how to revive a wilted peace lily, you should understand all the possible reasons why it’s happening in the first place.
For many indoor gardeners, the phenomena of peace lily drooping and turning yellow is quite disappointing. If it’s the first time for you, it can be scary as well.
Yes, drought stress is the primary suspect but there may be other reasons why you are seeing brown and yellow leaves.
In this article, you will learn everything about it including how to bring a peace lily back to life.
5 Reasons of Drooping Peace Lily
Many of you consider it as an indoor houseplant. But the truth is, it’s a tropical plant meant to prosper outside. Outside is its native environment.
So, it needs a similar outside growing condition to grow indoor as well. The absence of any element will result in drooping.
On the other hand, the excess presence of such elements will also cause trouble. Let’s see its ideal growing conditions that you must ensure.
- Inadequate Water
The drooping leaves of peace lily indicate too little water it’s required to flourish. So, as soon as the leaves begin to droop, you should water your peace lily to countermeasure the dehydration.
In fact, the general rule of thumb is watering your peace lily ONLY when its leaves begin to droop.
The beauty of having peace lily indoor is that they are very much forgiving. Meaning, as soon as you keep watering it seeing its drooping symptoms, you will see its upright growth rate.
They rehydrate very quickly!
But don’t let it dry out too much or too often. Their leaves will begin to turn yellow. As they keep blooming, provides them a bit more water than usual.
- Lack of Ideal Lighting
You can grow it both outdoor and indoor but the lighting needs need to be satisfied ideally. The problem is you can’t put it directly under the sunlight to avoid burning its foliage.
It becomes droopy when it gets too much sunlight. The reason is pretty simple.
Exposure to too much sunlight leads to a higher transpiration rate. Meaning it loses too much water very quickly.
So, it needs moderate lighting. It can still tolerate the low light. But take measures to prevent direct sunlight or too much lighting.
- Excess Watering
Drooping leaves are a sign of root rot in peace lily and it happens when you give it too much water. Novice gardeners make this mistake a lot.
Whenever they see the drooping leaves, they keep watering them too much causing its root to rot. This in turn leads to the acute drooping situation from where there won’t be any recovery.
If the drooping happens due to excessive watering, even the chemical treatments won’t save the peace lily.
So, it’s important to ensure well-draining soil to prevent waterlog. The roots of the plant won’t rot if they are not waterlogged.
Observe these common signs of root rot in peace lily and I will show you what to do later in this article:
- The roots turning black.
- Leaves turning yellow.
- Weakened and mushy roots.
- Wilting leaves.
If I were you, I would replace the soil if the wilting persists assuming the soil is already infested with fungus.
- Mealybug Damage
If the same problem keeps happening even after ensuring optimal watering and lighting, maybe the tiny bugs are feeding on the cell sap of peace lily. It happens a lot!
Shake the plants and if you notice some tiny bugs jump, it’s the mealybugs we are talking about! Look closely underneath the leaves to find their all infestations.
If unnoticed, they will keep feeding on the stems which will cause the leaves to tilt. Use a jet of water or alcohol-saturated cotton swab to dislodge the mealybugs.
- Repotting Shock
Drooping and wilting is common for a peace lily. It’s called the repotting shock. Not just peace lily, it’s a common phenomenon for any houseplants.
The only best thing you can do after repotting the houseplant is not to water it immediately after repotting unless the soil is too dry or apply any fertilizer.
Common signs of repotting shocks are as follows:
- Yellow leaves.
- Curling and rolling of leaves.
You need to address such stress quickly to avoid permanent damages like limb & twig death to your peace lily.
Apart from the above-mentioned 5 reasons for peace lily leaves drooping and turning yellow, using the wrong soil type or soil with poor conditions, diseases, low humidity levels, contribute to the same condition.
- Low Humidity
It leads to both drooping and wilting of a peace lily. In addition to warm climates, it requires high humidity as well to flourish. In fact, that’s that requirement for most houseplants.
They begin to droop if the air is dry with low humidity levels. You will also notice the foliage begins to turn crispy and hard. More so, you will see yellowing leaves.
How Do You Revive A Droopy Peace Lily?
Bringing a peace lily back to life is not that much hard if you follow the proper steps. And you must act quickly as soon as you observe the wilting and drooping signs.
Here are a few steps you can take to revive your peace lily:
- Avoid Direct Sunlight
The ideal temperature for most of the peace lily types is 65-75 °F to flourish happily. That’s because they are tropical plants.
At night, if the temperature drops to like 10 °F or increases the same in the daytime, it will still grow well.
But if the temperature drops and rises anything below or above the ideal range, it will show signs of drooping.
As you have already learned, direct exposure to the sun will burn and kill your peace lily. It makes all of your effort futile.
No matter how much you keep it feeding and watering, the excess sunlight will lead to excessive transpiring.
Just move your plant to a shady area as soon as you become sure of it. And monitor the progress to see how well it’s doing. If it’s not reviving, maybe the temperature is not the issue.
However, if it’s in the patio with direct sunlight, move it away to areas with less sunlight. If you have placed it near your window, move it was to a relatively lit area.
For your garden or house, the ideal locations are shady corners for the peace lilies to grow with deep green leaves. You still want to ensure ample light but not just the direct sunlight.
Under any circumstances, do not place the peace lily plants nearby the heater or fireplace. This will lead to frequent temperature fluctuations and will kill the plants.
Do not keep any of your houseplants in close proximity to the air conditioner as well to avoid acute temperature fluctuation.
In a nutshell, peace lily prefers the average indoor temperature. It will flourish wherever it gets such a temperature.
- Optimal Watering Regularly
They need constant watering alright, but when blooming, it requires water a lot more. You need to keep it in your mind while fixing your watering schedule.
The first rule of thumb is, never keep your peace lily deprived of water for a long time. If you do, they will begin to wilt.
To prevent wilting and reviving your drooping lily, water it at least once a week. The leaves run out of water quicker than you think.
So, spritz the peace lily leaves with distilled water every other day. This will prevent water loss more significantly.
- Ensure Proper Drainage
Waterlogged roots of the peace lily will bring its demise pretty soon. The only way around this consequence is to ensure the proper drainage of the soil.
Yes, they are water-thirsty houseplants and require regular watering. But if the gets cogged, it will kill the plants rotting its roots by depriving enough air.
But do you examine whether your houseplants are having a waterlogging problem?
Simply push your finger into the soil up to the 2nd knuckle. If your finger comes up wet, your plan is having a waterlogging problem.
This is how you can drain the soil…
Create some holes in the base of the pots. All the excess water will flow out and your peace lily will revive quickly.
With enough holes in the base of the pots, you don’t have to worry about the excess water. Regularly monitor these holes to ensure they are still working.
- Pick The Right Soil
Such houseplants are not so fussy or picky about soil but they hate the following soil types:
- Sandy Soil: Gritty soil is not perfect for peace lily as it drains water too quickly before the plants can receive adequate nutrients from the water to flourish.
- Clay Soil: If you plant your peace lilies in clay soil, they will have a serious waterlogged problem which will lead to root rot. The slow draining of water in the pots is not good for the peace lily to survive and flourish.
If this is the cause of drooping peace lily, you can quickly solve the problem of repotting the plants in more suitable and fresh soil.
- Ensure Proper Humidity
Rectify the low humidity condition if this is the cause why your plants having trouble. There are a few ways to increase the humidity levels.
One cheap and easy way to increase the humidity level is by misting your plants frequently. As it will increase the temperature temporarily, you need to do it regularly.
Another way to solve the problem is to get a portable humidifier. Any electric humidifier will be effective to increase the humidity levels.
If low humidity is the real cause, you can also put the potted peace lily inside another container. Then fill the space between the two pots with Sphagnum moss.
This is a long-term solution to increasing the humidity level around the houseplants.
If you are lazy and do not want to apply any of the methods, simply place the pots anywhere indoors where the humidity is naturally high.
- Treat Root Rot Quickly
When the roots are fully damaged, there is no turning back. Nothing will work to revive the plants. But if detected earlier, you can fix this fungal infection easily.
And treating root rot requires some complete treatments for the roots, soil, and even the water. Here is how you can treat it to revive a droopy peace lily…
- To get rid of the fungal infection, completely change the potting soil.
- Now, sterilize the pots using hydrogen peroxide to kill the fungus.
- You need to protect the healthy roots from infecting by rotting roots. So, trim the rotting roots to prevent the infection.
- Get rid of the fungal spores by cleaning off the roots.
- Repot the peace lily with a healthy potting solution.
Don’t worry if you notice some stress after repotting. It’s totally normal.
- Vitamin B1 Treatment After Repotting
It requires vitamin B1 treatment if you are dealing with peace lily drooping after repotting issues. This will help with the root development after repotting.
Apart from this, you can also use any houseplant starter fertilizer for better root development.
Read the content of the fertilizer carefully. If you feed the houseplants any nitrogen fertilizer, make sure NOT to use it excessively. Excessive fertilizer treatment will lead to intoxication and burning.
- Get Rid of Mealybugs From Peace Lily
Alcohol is a great way to remove any bugs or insects from the houseplants like peace lilies. But you need to make sure it’s safe and effective.
You can easily get rid of mealybugs from the houseplants spraying with 70% isopropyl alcohol. It’s deadly for the bugs but perfectly safe for the peace lily.
From any online store or local garden stores, you can buy such alcohol with a spray bottle to protect your houseplants from such tiny mealybugs and any other bugs as well.
While spraying, you need to be really generous and make sure to treat the entire plant, not just its leaves.
To ensure the effectiveness of the treatment, you can use clean water to gently rinse the peace lily to remove all the deal mealybugs.
If you still notice some mealybugs lurking, use cotton swabs or cloth soaked with rubbing alcohol to remove those bugs by hand.
Some people may not have ready access to rubbing alcohol. In such a case, you can still achieve the same result using the dilute solution of dish soap.
This is how you can achieve this…
Get a spray bottle. Mix 1 tablespoon of dish soap with 1 liter of clean water and mix the solution really well. Now, spray your plants and completely soak them.
Dish soap won’t do any damages to the peace lily plants but make sure it’s well diluted. It’s true for the peace lily but may not tolerable for other houseplants.
Do the same as discussed above for any leftover mealybugs the next day.
- Prevent & Get Rid of Peace Lily Diseases
During the summer, your peace lily is prone to a certain type of disease called Cylindrocladium root rot. In addition to damaging the roots, it also causes the leaves and stems to change color.
This is how you can solve the problem…
Remove the plants from the pots and remove the old soil from the roots. Now, gently remove the worst affected roots using any pruning shears.
Dip the rest of the roots in a suitable fungicide to kill any remaining fungi. Lastly, replant the peace lily in a new pot with fresh soil.
Wash all the gardening tools to get rid of any potential contamination and discard the old soil filled with fungi. This is important to avoid infecting other houseplants.
Now, watch the peace lily caring video guide.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long do peace lilies live?
Answer: Around 3 to 5 years with proper condition.
Why is my peace lily drooping even after watering?
Answer: Maybe you are overwatering it. Also, there are several other reasons behind it like direct sunlight, low humidity, diseases, etc.
Why is my peace lily limp?
Answer: Over or underwatering is the main reason why your peace lily is limping or drooping. The best thing you can do is to use your finger to check the water level in the soil.
How do I know if my peace lily is overwatered?
Answer: Both overwater and underwater are bad for your peace lily. It’s overwatered if you see the following signs:
- Weakened and black roots.
- Brown leaf tips.
- Brown-edged leaves.
- Stagnant growth.
- Yellowing leaves.
- Wilting leaves.
How do I know if my peace lily is dying?
Answer: If the leaves start to turn yellow or begin to droop, your peace lily is dying. Take measures against excess sunlight and provide optimal water.
How do you rejuvenate a peace lily?
Answer: If you are sure, you are not watering it for a long time, start watering it immediately. But don’t overwater it. Also, ensure that it’s not directly under the sun.
How do I get my peace lily to flower again?
Answer: You are keeping it in a dark area where it’s not getting enough sunlight which is vital for the flowers to appear. It should get excess to light but do not overheat it exposing it to direct sunlight.
How do I know if my peace lily has root rot?
Answer: The wilting appearance and yellowing leaves indicate the root rot and repotting in new soil can help a lot.
Conclusion
To add beauty and improve the indoor air quality, there is no alternative to houseplants like peace lilies. But they need your regular attention and care to flourish.
From here on, peace lily drooping with yellow leaves should not be a concern for you.
Memorize the reasons why you are having trouble and apply the techniques on how to revive a wilted peace lily.
You will be good to go for a long time!
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