Im very upset & sad over 1 of the peace lilys we received when my dad passed away 3/25/10..When I brought the peace lilys home I was watering the one & it was literally infested w/little millipedes & worm like looking critters. After reading various Plant sites & "what to do & not do" my head was spinning! I then contacted a "specialist" in NY & was told do not re pot..do not use any type of non chemical insecticide soap..do not use Miracle Grow or fertilizer etc.. I tried the "drowning method" and I found 4 of the mini millipedes crawling around as if nothing happened. So I "thought" ok well thats all there was in there. BIG mistake there, I checked the soil in the morning and fluffed it around & there they were..the mini millipedes just going in & out of the soil. I against the instruction from NY expert purchased a non chemical insecticidal soap & followed the directions. Well it was as if I sprayed a millipede buffet, they were all over it & didnt die. So I was crying, upset & determined to save this plant so I repotted following instructions given from local greenhouse. I did this 2 days ago & now my peace lily looks like a weeping willow! I am so upset this is very important to me because it was @ my dads funeral & it makes me feel so bad that this happened. Is it too late to save this very precious plant? Im desperate & cant stand the thought of it dying. PLEASE Ill take any & all suggestions.
Unless the plant is completely dead it can almost certainly be revived since these plants are highly resistant to abuse. I do not know who you consulted with but the advice would conflict with the experience of any serious aroid grower or researcher I know, and I do know quite a few. Aroids are not like other house plants and many growers know zip about their care. Your plant is almost certainly a hybrid of the plant genus Spathiphyllum and all Spathiphyllum species and hybrids are members of the plant family Araceae commonly called aroids. I have specimens of this plant that are well over 20 years old. The plant must have very porous soil and there is no porous soil available for sale at any store I am aware of. You must mix it yourself. I highly recommend you immediately remove the plant from the current soil and discard it. The eggs of your parasites are almost certainly in that soil. You must then treat the entire plant to rid it of the infestation but not knowing what your problem may be I would suggest taking the least harmful route first. Take a large spray bottle and put 1 tablespoon of Canola Oil in the sprayer. Go to any local horticultural supply or farm store and buy a farm chemical known as Pyrethrin. Buy the smallest bottle you can find, usually under $5. and it is always cheap in a farm store This will last you for many years if needed again. Add about 5 drops of the Pyrethrin to the large spray bottle. This mixture is environmentally safe since the Pyrethrin is made from plants. However, in large doses it might be harmful so use gloves and don't get it on your skin despite the fact it is commonly used on dogs and farm animals and any farmer would tell you I'm nuts for offering the warning. Just be safe. Add warm water to the sprayer and shake it throughly every few minutes during application. With the plant totally removed from the soil spray it throughly, and I mean THOROUGHLY then allow it to dry. The entire mixture will evaporate shortly and will do no harm to the plant or your living environment although it is best to do this outside. Before doing this read the article attached, especially the part about soil mixtures for aroids. I hate to make your head "spin" further but if you will carefully read my entire article you will understand more about how this plant lives in nature. I quote several scientific sources: http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Spathiphyllum Clevelandii pc.htm Once you have the plant repotted keep it in bright indirect light, not in a dark corner. Like any plant your Peace Lily needs light in order to produce chlorophyll. The chlorophyll in the leaves of the plant produce sugars that feed the plant and just as you cannot survive without food, neither can the plant. This subject can be complicated so I won't make your head spin further, just use bright indirect light. Keep the soil evenly moist and do not allow it to dry. It will do no harm if the only the top layer dries a bit but I rarefy allow the soil in my over 300 aroid specimens to dry with the exception of winter when they dry out naturally to some degree in the wild. Your plant is capable of and does live in water in nature despite the fact many websites will tell you to water it rarely. Just look at the first photo on the page link. I grow six of these in an aquarium filled with fish! You will need to spray the potted plant at least weekly for a full month to ensure no eggs are still hatching. If the pest persists then you must take stronger measures but I have rarely seen that necessary. The chances are high your pests were encouraged to grow due to lack of humidity and dryness. Let me know how this progresses. My email address can be found at the bottom of the homepage on my website: www.ExoticRainforest.com Oh yes, fertilize it! Aroids need fertilizer on a regular basis and the simplest is a pelleted fertilizer every three months. Try to find a 14-14-14 which is almost always available at Lowe's or Home Depot. Once established it will also enjoy a light dose of magnesium (Epsom salt) about once a month. Just follow the instructions on the package and don't over use it.
