Sad Peace Lily - What Will Make It Grow?
Ask the Expert: My Peace Lily won’t grow I have a Peace Lily from my mother’s funeral, I don’t want it to die, but it just won’t grow. I have had it for a year and it hasn’t done a thing, in fact, it has lost a couple of leaves. It was small to begin with but it is looking really sad. I read the news letter about Peace Lilies and I think I may be over watering it, but what else can I do?
October 24th, 2007 at 8:42 am
Liane,
If your peace lily pot was wrapped with foil, remove it. Keeping foil around the plant is not good for the long term. Florists wrap the plants with a foil that keeps water from dripping. Good for the memorial service bad for the plant. The foil doesn’t let the plant drain properly.
If foil is not the problem, I would suggest re-potting the peace lily. One, this will help if the plant has been continuously over-watered by giving it a new soil base. Two, it may be root-bound. Once the plant has been re-potted water the plant in and then only water when the soil is dry to the touch. A good way to test if you have properly water is the soil-ball test - performed a day or so after you water.
Pinch some soil from the pot and roll it into a ball. If you can squeeze water from it — too wet.
If you can’t roll in to a ball because the soil is powdery — too dry. If you can form a ball but can squeeze water from it - Your just right.
After a few weeks you should fertilize your peace lily.
October 28th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
If you’re worried about overwatering this plant and have others or plan to purchase other houseplants, I suggest getting a moisture meter. These tell you the level of moisture at the root level and when to water so as not to overwater your plant. I had the problem of overwatering and purchased a moisture meter after losing many beloved plants. The moisture meter has been my plant’s life saver!