Ask the Expert: Peace Lily pot
I recently bought a mature Peace Lily and repotted it into a "self-watering" pot, which is filled from the bottom & you can see how much water is in there.  I'm wondering if this type of pot is okay for Peace Lilies, or is it better to water them from the top?  Also, should the reservoir be kept full, or allowed to dry up?  Is it possible to over-water with this type of pot?  What about those "Aqua Bulb" things shown on TV lately (you fill the bulb with water, stick it in the soil, and supposedly they release the right amount of water to the plant based on how much oxygen the soil releases)– do they work, and do you recommend them? Dawn

Plant Expert Reply:

I'm an old-fashioned kind of plant watering gal.  For me the best peace lily method is the tried and true watering from the top.  See peace lilies want a evenly moist soil that does not dry out but doesn't leave them soggy either.

I haven't had any experience with self watering pots.  So they could be the next best thing to sliced white bread.  However for most plants if the roots stay soggy, the plant could develop root rot.  Depending on the design of the self-watering container this could or could not be a problem.  If I was going to use a self-watering pot, I would make sure that the soil was moist from the top to the bottom to begin with and then monitor the soil moist for a couple weeks to see how effect these containers are.

I am familiar with the "Aqua Bulb" principle.  We sell a decorative blown glass watering bulb at our garden center.  I find these mostly useful as a vacation watering method.  They slowly drip water as the soil becomes dry, so I don't worry about over watering. On the other hand with these you could be under watering the plant.  Again if you use them make sure the soil is moist from top to bottom before you use these as your watering devise. You will still need to monitor your peace lily occasionally to make sure the soil is properly hydrated.

The key to any of these methods is monitor your soil moisture and adjusting accordingly.

Good luck and keep me posted.

Ask The Expert: Can I reproduce my peace lily with the seeds from the flower? Margaret

Plant Expert Reply:

Although peace lilies can technically be reproduced from seed, other methods give greater results. Large scale growers used tissue cultures for peace lily reproduction as tissue culture offer more uniformity and availability. Homeowners create new peace lily plants through division.

If your peace lily (Spathiphyllum) has any size to it, you can divide the plant into two or more pieces to start new plants. The key is having enough roots to support the foliage. So, always divide your plant from the roots up.

Ask the Expert: what kind of insecticide should I use ?
what kind of insecticide should I use for scale and aphids on my peace lily and how do I apply it? Is there anyway to keep this from happening again? Carol

Plant Expert Reply:

For Aphids and mealybugs I usually recommend a Resmethrin based insecticide. Fertilome makes one called Whitefly & mealybug killer that works well on most houseplants. This product comes in a ready to use (RTU) form and you can spray it directly on the plant. For peace lilies I would begin with a very light misting. Peace lilies are sensitive to many chemicals and any application should be done lightly to minimize any phototoxcity. Keeping the moist level of your peace lily constant and nutrient happy will help reduce insect infestation. Diligence is the key. Keep an eye out for any indication that the insects have come back and treat appropriately.

Ask the Expert: Is my peace lily diseased or dying? My peace lily has little dark bubbles all the way up and down the flower stem and the leaves have a sticky substance on them. Jeanne

Plant Expert Reply:
Have you noticed any tiny insects on the back side of the leaves? Aphids usually attach themselves to the back side of plant leaves and suck the life out of them. During this process the aphids secret "honeydew" a waste product that presents itself as a sticky substance on the top side of the leaves. The dark bubbles could be an infestation of an insect called scale. If you can pick the bubble off and turn them upside down, you should be able to see that it is an insect. Both of these pest can be eradicated with an insecticide. Once the insects have been eliminated your Spathiphyllum (peace lily) will make a full recovery.

Ask the Expert: How do you care for the peace lily flower?
I keep my peace lily near a sliding glass door which has an overhang on the outside which provides indirect lighting. The soil is kept damp to the touch. The flowers on the peace lily never open fully,develop a brown spot on it and eventually dies.

The leaves are green and healthy.
What am I doing wrong? Jacquie

Plant Expert Reply:

It sounds as if your are caring for your peace lily plant properly.  Peace lilies need a humid environment.  Lack of humidity could cause the blooms to turn brown and not open.   So, I would start misting your plant every other day.  If this doesn't correct the problem, we will need to explore the possiblity of some fungal or disease issue.  A photo of the problems can help us pin point the problem.  Good luck and keep me posted.

Ask the Expert: Does my Peace lily have a chance? I read through the blogs about drooping PL and all the reasons, watering, sunlight and temp changes etc. Great advice!! I just want to make sure I'm on the right track. Mine, I think, either became too dry or went into shock from the sudden heat, so I gave it a little water and transplanted it into a bigger pot with moist
soil. That was three days ago and it's still green and the stems are still pretty strong, it just looks really sad. I took your suggestion and cut off the dead leaves at the base of the plant and a few others that looked injured. You had also mentioned to cut off leaves that were also bent. All of mine are bent in some area and I was wondering it cutting almost all of them off might keep the roots strong
and help it to produce stronger the second time. I thought I'd give it two weeks or so to adjust before making that drastic of a decision but wondered if you had tried that and had any success with it.

Jennifer
Plant Expert Reply:
Waiting two weeks before you do something drastic is a good idea. I have seen a peace lily that looked dead and beyond help come back to life. Are your bent leaves broken or more like dropping? If they are only dropping, leave them they will straighten up. Although I have seen peaces lilies recover when all the foliage has been removed, I don't like to cut off all of the leaves until I start to see some new growth. It sounds like you have a good handle on the situation. Just be patient. Good luck and keep me posted.

Ask the Expert: Peace Lily flowers are turning green
We have
several peace lilies planted outside next our patio out of the sun and for
several months they were blooming abundent white flowers but now the majority of
the white flours are turning green.  What can I do to correct this problem. Tyrus

Plant Expert Reply:

This is the natural process of peace lily blooms.  They will start out white then turn green and eventually turn brown.  You need to remove spent the blooms.  Follow the stem to the base of the plant and cut the stem off.  This will encourage the plant to produce new blooms.

Spathiphyllum

Ask the Expert: What kind of plant is this?
We have this plant at my work.  It is several years old.  We are trying to figure out the best way to care for the plant, since it does not seem very happy…  It does seem to be very hardy, since we often forget to water it.  Two pictures are attached.

It also has a brown scale growing on the stems.  I have attached that picture also.  It does not seem normal and, if it is a disease, I'd like to get rid of it.

Plant Expert Reply:

The plant you have is a Spathiphyllum (peace lily).  The photo with the "brown scale" was too blurry for me to tell what it is.  However, the brown tips on the leaves in the picture above are from lack of water.  We have information about how to care for peace lilies on our peace lily plant page (you will need to scroll down the page to see the information).

Your peace lily actually look rather healthy.

Ask The Expert: can pease lillies be put out side in summer months? Jill

Plant Expert Reply: Yes peace lilies can be placed outside during the summer.  I recommend placing pease lilies (Spathiphyllum) in an area protected from hot blazing sun.  Bright areas are good for peace lilies but sunlight beating down constantly on them will cause the leaves to scorch.  Keep them moist outside but watch for overwatering.

Ask the Expert: Peace lily flower turning black
I'm not sure what the technical name is for this part of the peace lily - it could be called a stamen (?).

It's NOT the white leaf part of the flower, but comes out from the stem at the point where the flower part comes out of the stem.

The very tips of these white parts are turning black.

Why?  Is the plant being over-watered?  Or is something else wrong?

Thanks for your help.

Kate

Plant Expert Reply:

The protrusion from the peace lily (Spathiphyllum) "bloom" is called a spadix which is a spike with minute flowers enclosed by the spathe  (the white  leaf).

The answer to the black coloring depends on the age of the bloom.  If the bloom is a couple of weeks old, the black color is a signal that the bloom is spent and in decline especially if the leaves are green and healthy.  This is a normal process that occurs with every bloom.  Simply remove the spent bloom by following the stem to the base of the plant and cut it off.

However if these are newly formed blooms, the plant is under stress.  If the leaves are showing the same symptoms, you are probably over-watering them.  Make sure your pot is allowing excess water to drain away from the roots.  Once you correct the water issue the plant should recover.

As long as your peace lily looks healthy, I would continue to care for it as you have been.

Good luck and keep me posted.