Ask the Expert: Identify flowering plant
I have this plant in my garden. It has long, about 18\" tall, stems that have very thin, like pine needles, green leaves all the way up the stem. It has baby blue flowers, 4 or 5 petals per stem, about 1" wide. It blooms from April through summer and flowers close up in late afternoon. When they die off in the late Summer-Fall there are small rounds pods that have little seeds separated by pod sections, like in oranges. I don't have a picture, wish I did, as it would probably make your search alot easier. Thanks for any help that you can
give me. Terry

Reply:

Phlox Austromontana Photo By Thomas Stoughton

Yes a picture would help. So, I've found one that can help us narrow the choices. This is Phlox austromontana or Mountain Phlox. It can have light blue flowers and has a needle like foliage. I found the photo on the Cal's Photo website and the photographer was Thomas Stockton. Does your plant look anything like this one? If not we'll try another route.

Ask the Expert: Can my Peace Lily be saved?
I had a large peace lily that was so heavy it kept falling over. I had to lean it against a wall until I got a larger pot to put it in. In the meantime, all of the stems drooped so low that the stems became permanently bent. I figured there was no way for them to unbend, so I cut each stem at the point right before the bending occurred. Now the plant has a few lily flowers, 1 leaf, & about 20 short, cut stems. Will the stems keep growing or did I kill it? Or should I cut the stems closer to the roots? Is there a way to save my lily or is it too late? Stacie

Reply:
I've got good news and bad news. The good news is your peace lily (Spathiphyllum) will survive. The bad news is you are being brought up on plant assault charges. Just kidding!

The peace lily will put on new leave shoots fairly quickly. In the meantime, you need to cut the stems off at the based of the plant. Why? The stems will not produce new leaves. However, the plant will produce new leaves to replace the ones it has lost. Give it a very light solution of fertilizer or vitamin b1 to add in the new leaf production.

Anytime you peace lily stem become bent and damaged, you will need to cut them off at the based of the plant. Peace lilies will produce new leaves from the based of the plant and usually quite often. So in a few weeks, you'll never know the peace lily had a bad haircut. Good luck and keep me posted.

Spathiphyllum with Leaf Damage

Ask the Expert: Pruning your peace lily
recently my peace lily suffered an unexpected "cold night". It has lots of dead edges on the larger leaves. Would it be best to cut the dead/dying leaves out of the plant to encourage new growth? Or suffer through the ugliness and hope that it flourished on its own? Toni

Reply:

Peace Lily With Damaged Leaves

I recommend pruning out the damaged leaves this way the plant will place all of its energy into producing new foliage.  To remove the leaves follow the leaf stem to the base of the plant and cut it off.  Since the plant is in stress from the cold temperature, make sure you keep the plant evenly moist.  You can give it a very light solution of fertilizer or vitamin B1 to help it overcome the loss of foliage.  Good luck and keep me posted.

Ask the Expert: My peace lily leaves have turned brown?
I transferred my peace lily to a larger pot and since then the leave have turned a dull brown and r really thin.  What can I do to save this plant? Courtney

Reply:

A peace lily with brown leaves is usually the result of too much fertilizer, too much light or not enough water.  However, the transplanting process can also cause problems. When you transplanted your peace lily did you keep the top of the original root ball at the same level?  If you add a lot of new soil to the top of the root ball, the peace lily will decline instead of thrive.  New soil should only be added to elevate the plant in its new container and to fill in the gap at the sides.  So remove any extra soil place on the top of the root ball.

Also, when you finish transplanting you should saturate the soil and then proceed with normal watering practices.  If you only lightly watered the peace lily see if it needs more water.  This doesn't mean just the very top layer of soil.  All of the soil needs to be moist.

Since fertilizer can cause issues, I wait until my plant has overcome transplant shock before I fertilize it.  If you fertilized immediately following the transplant, you might have more fertilizer than the peace lily can handle.  If this is the case and the plant is towards the dry side water it with fertilizer free water.

Last but not least, make sure that your light source is the same as it was before.  You don't want intense light beating down on your peace lily.

We have a great peace lily information page.  It might give you other clues as to what is going on with your peace lily. Good luck and please keep me posted.

Drooping Peace Lily

Ask the Expert: Peace Lily Drooping
Hi there,

I woke up this morning and found my Peace Lily drooping severely, although all the leaves are still in green color.

I bought the plant about a couple of weeks ago. It is about 1 feet high and the condition of the plant was very good.

I was told that once a week of watering is enough; placing a tray under the pot and pour water in the tray. I was not sure and am still not sure how much water I should give to the plant. Because after the first watering I checked the soil, it was still dry. So, I gave a little bit of water time after time but the soil condition was the same.

Then, this morning the plant was showing the sign of watering.

Could you tellme what should I do?

I"m glad I found this website. Taka

Reply:

Over-watering and under-watering will cause a peace lily(spathiphyllum) to wilt (droop).  When it comes to watering once a week should be enough provided that you give it adequate water.  You can water one of two ways:  Give it water until it starts to  over-flow into the saucer or you can water and then do a moisture test.  You want your soil to be moist but not soggy at all times.  This means that if you stick your finger into the soil about a knuckle deep and remove some of it that you can roll the soil into a ball.  When you squeeze this soil ball it should not produce a lot of water just a slight amount.

Another thing that will cause a peace lily to droop is temperature changes.  If your plant is directly under an air vent the drastic change in temperature when the air comes on will cause the plant to droop.

Check both of those conditions.  Once you correct the situation it should take a week or so for the plant to recover.  Be patient and give it time.

Ask the Expert: how to repot a peace lilly? i have a peace lilly about 11 years old. tryed to repot it and it stop growing. i tried seperating it into two. i think i made a bad mistate. i need help

thanks Thelma

Reply:

The nice thing about peace lilies is that they are pretty tough. First, anytime you separate a peace lily it goes through a little shock. This shock will keep the plant from growing temporarily. So, if it has only been a week give it time. If it has been longer then we need to look at a few other factors. When you repot a plant it is important to keep the top of the root ball at the same depth as it was originally. If you planted it deep (add soil to the top of the rootball not just at the sides), it will cause problems. In this case you will need to lift the plant up — you will need to take the plant out of the container and shake the extra dirt off the top and place it back in the container filling to close the gap between the plant and the container. At this point the plant needs to be watered in and kept moist but not soggy. If you have been watering because it looks droopy - stop! Water is not the problem transplant shock is and the plant needs rest not more water.

If you are still not sure what is going on, send me a picture of the peace lily and I will try to help.

Ask the Expert: Peach Lilly is droopy.
My husband received a peace lily as a gift.  It is in a basket type pot with no hole in the bottom.  The plant is very heavy and I am continuing to spray the leaves but it is drooping like it needs water.  It is extremely heavy so I don\'t think it needs water.  Should I repot it in a pot that has drainage or is this a typical way to plant these; in a pot that is plastic lined and not drainage in the pot?  Don\'t want to loose the plant. JoyLynn

Reply:

A peace lily will wilt when over watered as well as when it is under watered.  In your case, you are right in your assumption that the peace lily doesn't need more water.  Since your pot doesn't drain, the roots are probably way too wet.  You can do one of two things - repot it into a container that has drain holes or change the conditions in the existing pot.  If you like the pot it can in, simply take the plant out and place rocks in the bottom of the pot; then put the plant back in the pot.  You will still have to be careful not to over water the peace lily.  However, the rocks will help to keep the roots from drowning. Once you have correct the problem the peace lily such make a full recovery.

Ask the Expert: Peace lily is drooping
My son repotted by year old peace lily. He never does what I ask, but always does what I do not ask:o) Anyway, he repotted the plant, and added fertilizer, which he has never had. Now, he droops, and is unresponsive to water.  Since my husband and I were not home when the repotting experiment occured I have no idea how he repotted the plant.  I know peace lilies like to be root bound, so I am fearful that he is not getting enough water.  He is only wet at the top, and I do not notice water in the drain tray.  Please help!!  Tracie

Reply:

Give the boy "A" for effort.  At least he is interested in plants.  The first thing we need to check is the soil level of the plant.  Can you tell if the original root ball top is still exposed?  If not, simply lift the plant so that it is planted at the depth it was before.  In most cases, when repotting you need to keep the plant at the same depth.  In other words, do not pile soil on top of the existing rootball.   Now if the soil is only moist on the top water it until a little water drains out of the bottom.  The easiest way to determine the moisture level is to stick your finger in the soil.  In this case you will need to go all the way to the hand knuckle.  Once you get the soil level and moisture level set, give the plant a little time.  It will take a couple of weeks for it to recover from the shock.  Be sure to keep the soil moist but no soggy and look for new growth.  If the plant is putting out new growth that is a sign that the plant will make a full recovery.

You are correct. Peace lilies don't mind being root bound.  If the new pot is more than 1 1/2" times larger than the old pot, you might want to repot it into a slightly smaller one.  The good thing about peace lilies is they are pretty resilient. Good luck and keep me posted.

Since your son is interested in the peace lily, he might want to read our peace lily plant care information.  He will need to scroll down the page to find the information.

Ask the Expert: Can I plant Peace Lilies in the yard?
My mother pasted away in january and she recieved four Peace Lilies and I would like to plant them at her grave site. I wanted to know if they would be ok?  Rebecca

Reply:

Rebecca

I'm sorry for your loss.  Although Spathiphyllum (Peace Lilies) would be lovely around her grave site, these plants are tropical and can't survive cold temperatures.  Unless you live in certain areas of Hawaii or Florida, you need to keep these peace lilies as houseplants.  You can use them as outdoor plants during the warmer months.

Ask the Expert: How cold a temperature can a spath stand?

I have had my spathiphyllum in the house and decided to put it out on my front porch. The temperature reached the upper 40's last night and the leaves are sick looking and very droopy. Have I killed it or will it survive? Saundra