eonaxes
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questions for my peace lily

One of my peace lilies sucks up water like crazy, it dries out the soil in about 2 days, in 3-5 days without watering it starts to droop
I give it plenty of water but the soil seems kind of weird: the water seems to pass right through without much absorption

I thinking maybe the soil is bad and/or its too big for the 6" pot its in (its pretty big with 5 full flowers and 5 more starting to grow in

is this normal?

GardenerGirl
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Is there a space of air between the soil and the pot? If a plant gets dry enough, that can happen, and then the water just runs down the inside of the pot without really affecting the soil.

What I do, when I have problems with water absorption, is a really slow, deep watering. I wet the very surface, wait 5 minutes of so until that water has soaked in, then add more water, often in 5 or more rounds, until I'm confident that the soil is really wet through. It should only be necessary to do that once, and then water normally and consistently after that.

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Kisal
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Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) do require a lot of water. If you think the pot is too small for the plant, you can gently remove the plant and take a look at the roots.

https://houseplants-care.blogspot.com/2006/10/peace-lily-care.html

eonaxes
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so do I grab it by the base of its stems and pull it out?

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Kisal
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Well, no. I wouldn't recommend that, exactly! :lol:

I would first tap the pot all around its sides on the edge of a table. Then, tip the pot and see if the root ball will slide out into your hand. If that doesn't work, you can carefully run a blunt table knife around the root ball, between it and the inside of the pot, just as you would remove a muffin or cupcake from a pan. Then the root ball should slide right out into your hand.

Here are some instructions that might help:

https://houseplants.about.com/od/pottingandrepotting/a/Repotting.htm

https://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/steps-for-foolproof-repotting.html

And even a video:

https://video.google.com/videosearch?q=repot+a+plant&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

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rainbowgardener
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Inspecting is good, but I would pretty well guarantee you that the 6" pot is too small for it, which would be part of the problem you are having. Put it in a 12" pot and you will have a lot more soil to hold water. Put a little gravel for drainage in the bottom and then fill it with good potting soil mix.

eonaxes
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thanks I finally got around to doing this
I was not sure about the rootball and was afraid to cut away a layer of the ball because I'd prolly screw up
I also was not able to get much old dirt out of the root ball
and finally when I watered the plant, the water came through with a muddy color
could this have been a problem?

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rainbowgardener
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well the muddy color was probably just dirt, but the fact that there was hardly any dirt left is certainly why it was needing to be watered all the time. The soil is there to hold water. Without soil, the roots can just catch a drink as it goes by, but can't hold (hardly) any. Put it in a pot that's enough bigger than the root ball to hold a good amount of soil- more soil than roots. It should do a lot better.

melissawho44
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I have a peace lily also and have had this problem in the past.
Sounds like it is root bound and needs replanting in a bigger pot. :)

eonaxes
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its been a week since I repotted and a few of my flowers are wilting, one of the smaller ones has wilted very badly
is this a cause of concern? thanks

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vintagejuls
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eonaxes wrote:its been a week since I repotted and a few of my flowers are wilting, one of the smaller ones has wilted very badly
is this a cause of concern? thanks
At this point, pics would be helpful. 8)

Did you repot to 1 size larger pot?
What type of soil did you use?
When you water, how long does the water stay on top of the soil until it goes all the way through? 5 seconds, 30 seconds, more than a minute?

With answers to these questions, hopefully, I and or others can provide you with some suggestions and direction. Looking foward to hearing back from you. :wink:

eonaxes
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I went with 2 sizes bigger since the plant seemed like it was way too big
I don't know anything of types of soil, I just got this $3 indoor plant soil
The water goes through very quickly, about 7 seconds.

I inspected it further yesterday and it was very dry, it appears so far the roots are not absorbing the moisture from the new soil, as if eveything is trapped in the old root ball. I watered it directly on top of the old ball and this morning it looks better.
Maybe I should have cut a little bit of the outside crust of the old rootball so the roots can push into the new soil?

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Kisal
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Using a sharp knife to cut shallow grooves into a very tight root ball does sometimes help new roots to grow. I don't think it would necessarily help water penetrate a very dry root ball, though.

You might try putting the plant, pot and all, in a bucket, then filling the bucket with water up to the rim of the plant's pot. Let it soak for about 30 minutes, and then remove it. Allow all the excess water to drain out. Once you get the old root ball soaked in this way, regular watering should suffice to keep it moist. :)

eonaxes
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thanks I will try this

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vintagejuls
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I think it would be OK to pull the plant out of the pot, gently break up the root ball with your hand dislodging most of the old dirt and then repot it with the new soil (soild should no be wet). Do not pack the soil in during repotting but gently press the soil and then water to allow the soil to settle naturally. Maintain a regular watering schedule. Peace Lilys do not like to dry out and if allowed to wilt too often will not recover.

Good luck and keep us posted... :wink:

Susan W
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I certainly agree with suggestions of re-potting and soaking. Not all potting soils are alike. I am not pushing brands, but for containers I use the ones such as Miracle Grow or Schultz, not hyponex or the 40 # bags of cheaper stuff at the garden center. They seem to stay soft, don't cake, and do hold water.
Also try the soak. You can sink the plant in a tub of water, over the top of pot. When air bubbles quit, should be soaked.
Reminds me, I have a large peace lily that needs a bigger pot. I did pick up a larger pot (went with plastic as it is lighter, and the plant needs moved in for the winter months). I may fill the bottom 1/3 of pot with the 'cheaper' stuff, then work in the better growing mix.
Hope this helps!



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