Hi, Folks. Can you help me with the name of this lily(?) and suggest a cause of why it looks so forlorn? We keep it indoors in a low light environment, water it regularly and have Safer Soaped it on occasion for small spiders, etc. But over the past several months it has started to droop and the leaves (including new ones) are incrementally turning brown. The plant was spectacularly lush when we first got it a few years back. It even flowered on occasion. Thanks.
It is a Spathiphyllum commonly known as peace lily, though not really a lily. Not sure why it is not doing well. They like even moisture, no direct sun, but like bright light in the summer. I have heard of people having problems with chlorinated water causing browning of the leaves, but don't think that would be a big problem in Victoria. Has it ever been fertilized?
HI, Just wondering how good your potting mix is if it's old or of cheaper quality maybe a repotting back into it's original pot with a fresh, good quality mix wouldn't hurt and definitely fertilise. :}
Thanks -- I had a hunch it was a peace lily, but now you have confirmed it. And yes, it has regularly been fertilized ..just hit it with some 20-20-20 earlier today. Hmm, I'm wondering about that too -- kill or cure, huh. Can't remember what kind of soil was used. I do have a couple new bags of premium sterilized soil in the garage I can use ..any further ammendment suggestions for this bagged soil and plant? More info: when I first noticed the problem several leaves looked deformed, sort of folded bumps, like when a bug gets into the membrane of a fruit tree leaf.
If you don't disturb the main rootball too much during repot and knock off mainly the old mix it should be fine to move. Remove or clip any damaged leaves and it should recover pretty quick. They do like regular watering but not sitting in moist soils so a fresh repot often can give the extra drainage that old mixes can lack. I have grown these no problem with these conditions at nurseries but have them in the ground at home because they were a bit too high maintenance in a pot for me. If 20:20:20 is the N:P:K ratio of your fertiliser I'd recommend getting something less strong especially for some of your more sensetive indoor plants.
I almost always water mine once a week. Your soil looks dry. Keep watering yours until you see the water come out the bottom and tip the water out. Definitely keep the soil of this plant on the moist side, med light (no direct hot sun) and make sure the pot has drainage holes. The plant shouldn't sit in any water. With all the good tips from the posters here, you should see a BIG improvement, and lots of new healthy growth!
