Peace Lily

Please help me! I have a Peace Lily that I received 9 months ago when my 18 year old daughter passed away in a car accident. It was very small when I got it, as a matter of fact it was in a styrofoam coffee cup. One of my daughter's friend's wanted me to have one, and that was all they had at the shop that day. I planted it a couple days later in a small pot, and after a couple months I planted it in the pot it is in now. At first I was overwatering it, and adjusted that and it thrived all summer. Since the cold has set in (I live in the Northeast) it has slowly looked sadder and sadder. Now the leaves are turning black. I can trim them all off one day, and the next day there are more. I still have more green than black ones. I thought it was too cold in my house, so I brought it to work with me. There is no mold or bugs that I can see. Please help me, this plant has a huge sentimental value to me. Thank you! Cindy

Well, are you letting it dry off a little before watering again? I water mine plenty in the summer, but not so much in the winter. It may be a humidity issue. Have you leached or flushed the soil lately? Like run lots of clean water through or soak it for a while and then run clean water through? Sometimes the peaty soils hold an accumulation of salts, and that keeps the plant from being able to use the water in the soil. It would be like drinking salt water, not too pleasant. As long as I don't over water in the winter, my plant will pick back up and be beautiful during the warmer months outside in the shade. I hope that helps. If you post a picture, it may help to identify exactly what is going on. I do leach or flush my pots every so often to keep any buildup from harming my plants.

Cindy, first I want to express my sincere condolences to you!!! My peace lily is a sentimental plant to me as well. I brought it and all the other plants home from my baby brother's funeral a little over a year ago, so I know how dear this plant is to you!

Second...and bear in mind that I am fairly new to this potted plant thing but my peace lily likes to be in a smaller pot and the leaves to be misted occasionally. the plant tips were turning black and crackly till i started misting them. So far it seems to be handling the heat in the house if I keep it misted.

yeah they do like to be a little rootbound, and yes I too am very sorry for your loss

Yeah, I am sorry for not offering my condolences. My plant came from my gran's funeral, and it is sentimental, too. I can't imagine if it were from one of my children's. My prayers go out for you.

As far as the rinsing the soil goes, I guess whenever I notice dust on the leaves, I take the whole plant into the kitchen or bath and give it a shower, foliage and soil. I think the plant enjoys it :)

speaking of children Amanda made me blueberry pancakes for supper

Thank you everyone for all the helpful comments and caring thoughts.

I have leached it, because someone told me that it might help. I'm thinking the pot might be too big for the plant. I am going to try putting it in a smaller pot after Christmas. I do mist it once in a while, maybe not enough though. I will take a picture of it to post, maybe then it will give you a better idea of whats wrong with it! Thanks again:) Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Cnin66,
My sincere condolences for the loss of your daughter. I also have a peace lily that is sentimental to my husband and me. We brought it home from my step-daughter's funeral who also died in a car accident at the age of 21 so our plant it very important to us too. I also had difficulties learning what conditions this plants likes. I've been through all the potting soil, pot size, misting issues but finally figured out something else quite by accident that seems to have made it much happier. I keep the door closed to our guest room (to keep the cats from sleeping on the bed) and this keeps it cooler in there. I put the peace lily in there for the winter and it loves it! I used to keep it in the dining room where it didn't do well at all. Not only is the guest room cooler but more humid so the conditions are great for it. Now I'm enjoying watching it put on new leaves instead of cutting off dead leaves. Maybe you have a room that's a little on the cool side that you could try? Good luck.

Strangest thing......I got to work this morning, and there is a blossom on my peace lily. It hasn't blossomed since mid-summer. Christmas Miracle? I guess its doing better than I thought.

Hugs, that must have been a nice surprise.