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.

[applestar]

It’s a great view. The one that is blooming looks lovely. What is the grassy-looking one? — it DOES stand out.

I think if I was being obsessive, I would shift them around — maybe keep them moving one spot to the right and moving the right-most to the left-most at the same time rotating the way they face the window.

[P A U L]

As long as the plants are rotated and they don't have pests it would be ok.

the leaves do show brown dots once in awhile...but i sprayed eeeeverywhere with neem oil 4 times in a week when i first bought them. i jet-mist-sprayed them in the shower from top, from underneath, sideways, all around, into the stalks/base and in between. i see no other signs of pests other than these spontaneous brown dots.

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.

i moved 2 somewhere else. the saucers are there because i gave them a nice long shower the other day and i had to move them out of the tub. they're just there for drainage. i usually have them on a 'cork' coaster. any water that drains--less than half a centimeter--seems to be evaporating very quickly.

no plants sit in the water. the pots in the cup, there's a gap between the surface of the water and bottom of the pot. i have it like that because I'm trying to see if it may provide a little bit of humidity.

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.

i have less than 10 so I'm still ok taking them to the bathtub and just leaving the shower running. sometimes i have a bucket of water, and i dunk the pots till they stop bubbling (usually after about 10 seconds) and then leave them in the tub to drain.

It’s a great view. The one that is blooming looks lovely. What is the grassy-looking one? — it DOES stand out.

thanks! i actually cut off all the blooms for all my pots because they're dumping pollen all over my 500sq-ft apartment. i got peace lilies because NASA listed them as very efficient for cleaning the air...albeit in their laboratory setting. that 1 pot pretty much said "i hate you" and threw up 3 new flowers. 2 other pots put up....green flowers...which i also cut away.

the grassy plant...i got it free w/ a yelp coupon (lol). it's a "neanthe bella palm." chamadorea elegans is what the owner of the nursery said.

[imafan26]

Neem can be overdone. I would only use it once or twice a week and especially if you have plants in a sunny window, you don't want to spray in the heat of the day. Oil can burn. Brown dots are usually water spots that burned in the light or fungal issue from the leaves being sprayed too often instead of watering the plant. Tropical plants in a natural environment tolerate more water than plants from drier regions and Anthuriums usually live on the leaf litter and roots of trees. They have a waxy flower and leaves are shiny so normally they do a good job of wicking water off and the leaf is designed to drip dry. However, people, being people put plants in unnatural environments. Plants in the rainforest get rained on everyday, but because there is only so much light on the forest floor they space themselves out. Anthuriums, like orchids are air plants and have very few roots in the ground and mostly they are there for support. Most of the roots are in the air and they are very absorbent and collect water and nutrients in the air and from whatever "compost" falls on them from the trees. Rainforests usually rain every day, but not all day long so the plants are spaced and the rain stops long enough for the plants to dry off. If the environment was not good for them, they would just die off. They like humidity, but a humidity tray would also work. Misting should be done early in the day, and they should be misted lightly and not heavily. The plants should be spaced and they need good air circulation (a small fan or breeze) so they don't stay wet for a long time. Anthuriums are susceptible to fungal diseases, like blight which is water borne. Chlorine not a good thing, so if you are going to mist, collect the water the day before and leave it in an open pail for 1-3 days so the chlorine can vaporize. There is no chlorine in rain water. Media that is kept too wet will sour faster, so remember to repot your plant before the media breaks down.

[P A U L]

OK this is about my peace lilies, but not about the drooping. The flowers have brown spots and I can't seem to figure out why.

They aren't in direct sunlight. I jet sprayed the crap out of the plants, neemed them several times before that. I don't see any signs of pests...but the white leaf around the seed has brown spots on them and I have no idea why...

Any ideas???

[imafan26]

Those aren't so bad. Most flowers or spadix don't like to be sprayed especially after they open. The same thing happens with orchids that get the flowers wet and fail to dry before the sun comes out. The bacteria and fungi thrive in wet and humid conditions and infect the leaf through parts that have been injured. It is best to grow them under cover and take care not to let the leaves stay wet for a prolonged time.
https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-25.pdf
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp292

[P A U L]

well damn it. it seems spraying/misting it blast spores from the seed onto the white leaf and 'stained' it.... this whooole time i thought it was spider mites. all sources on google pointed to brown spots being pest damage...

[applestar]

Those were interesting links that imafan posted. Very informative.

I did have to chuckle at this one:

Deformed spathes. The suspected cause is an environmental-physiological interaction. In this example, the ‘Ozaki’ spathe has elongated to an obake shape.

...Assuming “obake” is pronounced oh-bah-kay as in “ghost” in Japanese, I thought ...only in Hawaii would they describe that shape this way.