Droopy Peace Lilies

[P A U L]

I couldn't quite determine where to post this...

I bought Peace Lilies last week. I think I overwatered them--possibly because I neem oiled the hell out of them for spider mites. The mixture was about 99% water to <1% oil. Yesterday, 1 pot began to droop and a few hours later the remaining followed. I have 8 pots, and only 5 of them are doing this (I did water and neem them differently).

The leaves did not change color at all and remain green. None yellow, none brown, none appear 'damaged' in any way. They just look like...Charlie Brown's christmas tree. The leaves felt sturdy before, now they feel like moist paper towels.

Are these guys...going to stand up again eventually or did I royally screw up?

[rainbowgardener]

Peace lilies are pretty hardy. Probably if you leave them alone for a little while they will recover.

But you didn't really tell us how or how much you watered. The mention of neem oil makes me think maybe you are just talking about spraying the leaves? You understand that does not count as watering? Peace lilies commonly droop when they are under watered. You want to water the soil thoroughly until water is running freely out of the drain holes. But if they are sitting in a saucer, then empty the saucer, don't leave plants sitting in water. Once all the soil has been well moistened, then don't water again for awhile, until the top layer of soil starts to dry out or until the leaves just start to show signs of drooping again.

[P A U L]

I did not spray only the leaves. I pretty much sauna-steam-roomed them. At first, I sprayed the base of the stems around the soil, the leaves, below the leaves. Next day I noticed more spider mite bites, so I did the same. Noticed more spots the next day...got annoyed, put all the pots inside a large trash bag and sprayed inside the bag and kept it here for about an hour.

As for watering....after neeming it, I think I sprayed the top of the soil around the base of the stems...maybe a good 40~50 pumps of the spray (mist setting) every day for 3~4 days. About 2 days after that, 5/8 started to droop. About 20 pumps is about 2~3 tablespoons. I never left them in a tray/saucer. I kept them on my window sill, sitting on top of a bookend (those things that hold up books on a shelf). Currently, the Los Angeles night temp is about 50F. The base of the bookend has a large hole, large enough for the pot to tilt if I don't position it correctly.

I don't recall seeing water dripping out of the bottom. I wasn't really paying attention. If any water did drain it would have just dripped out the window. I'm on the 10th floor of my apartment...the window sill has a slight tilt and would just drain the water away outside. Again, I wasn't paying attention to drainage.

Currently...the top soil is fairly dry...I'm afraid to water it in case I did overwater. I think I could pick-up/pinch a bit of soil and crumble it between thumb and finger. When I brought the plants home from the store, the soil was moist for 2 days(?).

I only used distilled water that I bought from walgreens in those gallon cartons.

[rainbowgardener]

Spraying is not an effective way of watering. You have not moistened the soil below the top level. You need to put your plant in the sink and pour water onto the soil from the top, all the way around until the soil is thoroughly wet and water is running freely out the drain holes. (Trust me, if you had watered enough and your plant was sitting on a window sill, you would notice the water coming out!).

I believe your plant is under watered, not over watered.

[P A U L]

ok, so I put all 8 pots into my bathtub, and poured half a gallon of water over the top of the soil until they started draining out of the bottom. some pots overflowed first and then drained.

fingers crossed.

[imafan26]

Don't forget that they also need light. Leaves will get soft if they are in insufficient light. They should be under lights or in a bright room, but not in direct sun.

The plants like to be evenly moist. A half gallon of water is not that much for 8 plants.

I would use a hose spray and spray under the leaves to knock off the mites. I would water the plants by putting in pot in a bucket of water and leave it there until the bubbles stop and then, remove the plants drain. Do not put them on saucers full of water.
https://www.thespruce.com/grow-peace-lilies-1902767
Spathi[hyllum should be misted if you live where the humidity is low. Like their anthurium relatives they tolerate heavy shade but not darkness. They still need good light to bloom and for the leaves to be the right color and texture. 70% shade is good for them (50-250 foot candles).
A light meter is a better way to test if you have enough light.
https://greenerynyc.com/how-to-measure- ... or-plants/
https://extension2.missouri.edu/g6515

[applestar]

One other thing not mentioned I think — oil-spray shouldn’t be used in direct sun, especially if thoroughly costed even with very dilute, direct sun could negatively affect the foliage.

Also, too much oil could block the pores and then the plant won’t be able to breath.

Next time, I would put the plants in the bathtub and give them a shower — tepid Not warm water — wrap the pot and soil with a grocery bag tied around the stem, hold sideways/lay on side and completely rinse off the leaves from the underside.

It’s good to do this every so often.

[imafan26]

Hosing off plants with a jet of water is usually the least toxic way to wash off sucking pests. The underside of the leaves and stems should be thoroughly sprayed.

If I have to use insecticidal soap or oil on a potted plant. I usually dip instead of spray. It gets better coverage and is more effective since contact will be a little longer. I bag or tape the soil on the pot so the soil won't fall out and mix 1 tbl of horticultural oil or soap per gallon in a bucket and dip the plant head first. I try to hold the plant under water for a minute or two.

[P A U L]

well i'll be damned. i placed the pots in my bathtub and doused them with water. i used distilled water before learning that i should use tap water. anyway, within 2 hours they started standing up!!! there was 1 pot, however, that wanted to be a baby and didn't start standing till the next morning. they're all full of life now!

thanks!!!!!

[rainbowgardener]

??

I don't think the difference was between the tap water and distilled. Distilled water is better. Tap water is fine, if you let it sit a little while to evaporate the chlorine off. Tap water with chlorine is not best, but it won't kill your plants or anything.

I think the difference is in getting them thoroughly moistened, leaves and soil. After this, you need to water thoroughly but not too often and mist the leaves in between.

[P A U L]

??

I don't think the difference was between the tap water and distilled. Distilled water is better. Tap water is fine, if you let it sit a little while to evaporate the chlorine off. Tap water with chlorine is not best, but it won't kill your plants or anything.

I think the difference is in getting them thoroughly moistened, leaves and soil. After this, you need to water thoroughly but not too often and mist the leaves in between.

oh..i didn't mean to suggest the type of water had anything to do with it. the plants were definitely thirsty and watering them as you said completely brought them back to life.

[imafan26]

ruAeroids prefer to be evenly moist, but will tolerate some dryness. I would learn to put a finger in the soil and feel it. If is is damp, it can go another day. When it feels almost dry, take it back to the tub, hose the dust off the leaves and spray the undersides to knock off any hidden pests. Then, put the pot in a bucket of water until it stops bubbling. Drain the plant on a rack (old oven rack works well), until it is not longer dripping before you put it back in place. You can plan ahead if you fill the bucket with water a day or two ahead of time and leave it out so the chlorine has a chance to off gas. Once a month add a tablespoon per gallon of miracle grow to the water. They still need to be fertilized. If you have low humidity, misting daily helps.

I use 70% alcohol for pest control. It is cheap and easy to use and works. Just don't spray any plant in the heat of the day.

If you want to make the leaves shiny, you can use diluted milk and brush it on the leaves to make them shiny. Put out ant bait to control ants and most of your other pest problems will go away. Except for fungus gnats, for that you have to make sure you the plant has good air circulation ( use a fan) so the soil does not stay wet too long.

[P A U L]

thanks for all the tips! another question about my lilies...

would it be OK to keep the plants crowded like this??

[imafan26]

As long as the plants are rotated and they don't have pests it would be ok. I would put one less plant on the shelf myself since I like the plants to have enough room so the leaves don't grow into each other. I am not a fan of saucer and they should not have water constantly in them.

[rainbowgardener]

The saucers do make life easier, so you don't have to take all the plants to the sink to water them. But put a layer of small rocks in the bottom, so the pots sit up over the water that drains in to the saucer, NOT in it.