hi - i'm rob from boston. my plant, which i got from ikea about a month ago, is dying and i don't want it to, so i need help. the bottom leaves started turning brown about a week ago, as well as one of the flowers. now one of the other flowers has a brown spot on it and i'm not sure what to do ... herein lies the problem. i put it in a great big pot, more than twice as wide as the one it came in, and water it regularly with the watering ball. i put a few pics on flickr. a link is below to the slide show. can someone help? i would be grateful. thanks rob http://www.flickr.com/photos/79704764@N00/sets/72157625598278895/show/
Some browning of old inflorescences and leaves is normal. However, it can indicate other problems. Please give us a photo of your entire Spathiphyllum so that we can see the whole plant and its pot. What is the composition of the soil in which the plant is growing? Any and all details of light and temperature levels are helpful in diagnosis. Have you checked for bugs, e.g. mites, scale, etc.? My guess is lack of water. Recommend to you this excellent information from the website of our own Steve Lucas: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Spathiphyllum/ Clevelandii pc.htm Ha! Saltcedar beat me to it. Great minds think alike! And---welcome to the Forum.
Thank you both, Saltcedar and Togata. It drives me crazy that I can't grow anything in this pot. Previous to the plants I had a ficus that lasted years, grew quite tall and wide and flourished. After I moved I gave the ficus to someone as my new place wouldn't accommodate such a big tree. I have posted a photo of the plant in the pot, link below. The soil is from previously potted plants, those too which didn't survive. Perhaps I should get new soil. I believe it was Scotts potting soil, I don't usually get cheap stuff. I haven't seen any bugs. I do see lots of white dust on the leaves which is always near a flower, just thought it came from the flower. So you think the aquaglobe is providing insufficient water? Should I add more AquaGlobes, or just water manually more frequently? About how often is proper? Once, twice, thrice weekly? What about soil and fertilizer, what would be correct for this plant, and would the low light cause this? I was told they were about the only plant that would flourish in low light, which is contrary to what it said in the link you guys sent. Thanks for all the help. I'm a functional idiot when it comes to this stuff. BTW, can you add attachments to these posts? Don't see a place where I can do that. Rob http://flic.kr/p/96GBqV
Also, upon closer inspection I noticed a brown spot came onto the big flower overnight, and the smaller one is much worse. I took evasive action and quenched it with water (since the link said they loved water) and will wait and monitor. Link to that photo below. http://flic.kr/p/96H3Hr
Flower senescence is normal, not to worry. I suggest you get a Sansevieria for that pot/location. http://www.evergrowing.com/HousePlantTV/sansevieria.htm Spath's require more light to do well.
Thank you very much. I will monitor and if it continues to fail, will replace with the Sansevieria. Maybe I will try moving it to a location with higher light.
Saltcedar and Togata, thanks for posting the link to my site. These plants are commonly grown but not well understood by the majority of growers. In order to prosper it needs very porous soil and brighter light. Regrettably, the majority of information on the net about Spathiphyllum is based on the desires and "needs" of the grower and not scientific fact. Most growers prefer to do what is easiest for themselves and not what is best for the plant. Cyberczar, read the entire link even if you find some of it boring. I have over 40 of these plants growing in a large bed now, all interconnected, just as they grow in nature and I promise if you try to understand the plant, it will regrow and prosper. My cluster is now well over 20 years old and we brought it from Florida to Arkansas in 2001. Soon I will need to cull them and give them away or give them a much larger bed! It is not uncommon for these plants to only produce an inflorescence (a group of flowers, not a single flower) during specific months of the year. Only a few natural species produce an inflorescence year round and since virtually all the plants available to purchase are tissue cultured and not identified by species there is just no way to know when it may produce a bloom. I explain all of that in the piece. Steve www.ExoticRainforest.com
