Do you have a peace lily plant in your home? If so, you may be wondering what to do about the brown leaves that appear on the plant.
There is no doubt that these plants add a nice touch of white beauty to your home or garden. Nevertheless, if you fail to take proper care of them, they will quickly turn brown, indicating that something is wrong.
There are several reasons why peace lily tips brown, including overwatering, underwatering, lack of humidity, and too much direct light. It is also possible for peace lily leaves to turn brown due to natural causes.
Worry not; this blog post will help you understand what’s causing your peace lily leaves to turn brown and how to fix them.
Why peace lily leaves are turning brown
1. Overwatering
Many gardeners tend to believe that frequent watering will keep their peace lily blooming. However, that’s not true. Peace lily likes moist soil but dislikes wet soil. Also, their need for water changes according to the seasons and the conditions of the soil. For instance, peace lilies do not need frequent watering in winter.
When you overwater it not only causes peace lily brown tips but also the plant starts to droop. Additionally, your plant will have water-soaked look. And before your peace lily leaves turn brown tips they will start turning yellow.
Moreover, if the situation gets worse and if you left your plant untreated then it can cause root rot.
What to do:
Follow the below points to treat overwatered peace lily.
- Firstly, check the drainage system of the plant.
- As mentioned earlier, a peace lily needs water according to the season. As in winter peace lily needs less moisture, reduce watering.
- Once a week watering is enough for your plant. However, make sure all sides of the pot receive water.
- Next, make sure to choose the right pot size. As too big or small pot will make the soil too loose or compact. Also, roots will have difficulty breathing in excess water.
- Use a soil medium that drains excess water from the soil. Also, avoid using clay soil. Clay soil holds too much water for a long time.
- Lastly, if overwatering has caused root rot, repot the plant.
2. Underwatering
Underwatering is just as much of a problem as overwatering.
An underwatered peace lily will become stressed. This can lead to dry, crispy brown leaf tips. Also, if you notice drooping or wilting along with browning tips, then it is surely a sign of underwatering.
What to do:
- Water your peace lily according to its size. Big peace lily plants will need more frequent watering than the small ones.
- Notice your plant, if it is showing signs of wilting water it well.
- Also, understand your plant’s seasonal needs. In summer and spring, peace lily needs more water as those are dry seasons.
- Make sure the soil you are using holds enough water. Additionally, do not use sandy soil. Sandy soil drains water very quickly.
What is the best way to know when to water your peace lily?
To understand your peace lily watering needs, it is best to know how to check moisture.
If you poke your finger into the soil, you will be able to tell if it is moist. If your plant’s soil feels dry, water it. And if the soil feels wet, do not water it.
Alternatively, you can lift the pot to check. No water is needed if your pot feels heavy. However, you may need to water your plant if you hear hollow sounds at the bottom.
Also, you can avoid the watering issue by letting the top half of the soil dry up before watering the rest.
3. Poor Drainage
There’s more to root rot than just watering error. It could also be a pot issue.
Drainage holes are essential for all plants. Drainage holes let the excess moisture drain away, letting the airflow through the soil.
Without drainage holes, peace lilies planted in containers will quickly die, as they need frequent watering. In addition, you may also have this problem if you use a decorative cover pot without drainage holes, or if you let the plant sit in a drip tray without removing any moisture.
What to do:
- Always plant or repot Peace Lilies into containers with drainage holes.
- Before planting, drill some into the bottom of the container if it doesn’t have any drainage holes.
4. Sudden change in temperature
It’s best to keep peace lilies between 68 and 85°F during the day, and 10°F at night. When the leaves are exposed to temperatures above or below this range, brown tips will appear.
If your peace lily is located near doors or windows, which are frequently closed and opened, drafts will enter the room and affect it.
If the peace lily is subjected to such frequent temperature fluctuations, it develops brown tips that eventually turn the whole leaf brown.
What to do:
- Put your peace lily near the window, but a few feet away so it gets indirect sunlight.
- Do not place a peace lily plant near heaters, radiators, or air conditioners.
- The plant can live in an air-conditioned room but keep it away from the AC because the cold air can kill it.
5. Lack of humidity
For peace lilies to thrive, humidity needs to be between 50% and 60%. It may be too dry indoors for Peace Lilies.
Make sure you keep the humidity between 40-50%. If it doesn’t get enough humidity, the leaves can start turning brown.
What to do:
- Keep your peace lily hydrated by misting it regularly.
- In the room, keep a humidifier on.
- It is best to place the pot over a pebble tray. Add some water to a tray, add some pebbles, and place the plant on top. Don’t let the drainage holes touch the water.
- You can create a humid environment by grouping many plants together.
6. Over-fertilizing
The peace lily grows better if it is fertilized. Fertilizers that contain all the essential nutrients keep your plants healthy and growing. However, fertilizers sometimes contain high salt levels, such as sodium chloride.
Adding fertilizer to your plant releases chlorine ions, which are harmful to Peace Lilies.
Your peace lily will suffer more damage if you overfertilize it since it will be exposed to more chlorine ions. Using too much fertilizer will lead to necrotic leaves on the Peace Lilies’ tips and margins.
As a result of overfertilization, the soil accumulates salts that prevent the plant from absorbing water. Also, in the absence of enough soil nutrients, the plant remains dehydrated.
What to do:
- If you don’t know how much fertilizer to use, use less.
- In winter, you don’t have to fertilize.
- After fertilizing, water the plant well.
- It is best to avoid fertilizing the leaves and flowers.
- Whenever salts accumulate in the soil, flush them off. Make sure the soil is dry before you do this. Otherwise, your plant will suffer from overwatering.
- In the case of liquid fertilizers, the soil will absorb them all. If the situation worsens, your plant may need repotting.
- To help the plant heal, avoid fertilizing for a while.
- Whenever a leaf has turned completely brown, remove it.
7. Using incorrect soil
A soil mix that is incorrect can also lead to root rot. In most cases, Peace Lilies will thrive in the soil they came in when you bought them, so this is only a problem if you recently repotted and used the wrong soil mix.
In order for Peace Lily roots to thrive, the soil must drain well and retain some moisture. Many garden soils and potting soils fail to meet these requirements, resulting in waterlogging and root rot.
What to do:
- Whenever you repot your plants, use a light soil mix that drains well.
- Make a soil mix that can drain excess water and hold enough moisture.
- To create the best potting soil, mix one part perlite with two parts high-quality potting soil. A more sustainable alternative is coconut coir, which performs the same function as peat moss.
- It is also a good idea to match the texture of the soil mixture with the previous mixture. As a result, your plant will not suffer from transplant shock.
- Don’t use clay or sand soil. There’s a risk of overwatering with clay. Additionally, sand drains water really fast, so plants won’t absorb nutrients.
8. Using tap water
Despite being the most common cause, the salt build-up isn’t only caused by overfertilizing. Some tap water can also cause this problem.
There may be a range of chemicals added to your tap water depending on where you live. These chemicals aren’t good for our houseplants. Specifically, chlorine can cause soil imbalances and root problems that result in brown tips.
If you live in a city with highly treated tap water, you have a couple of choices.
What to do:
- First, use filtered water on your plants. Although this can be tedious, it will definitely stop your problems from getting worse.
- Before watering, leave the water out for a while to let the chlorine dissipate. It is not clear how long or effective this process takes, but it is worth experimenting with.
- A general recommendation is to leave the water out or leave it for 24 to 48 hours before using.
9. Bottom watering
While bottom watering can hydrate your plants, it can also result in sodium buildup in the soil. By watering from above, sodium gets flushed out of the potting mix.
What to do:
- When using the bottom watering technique, ensure that you water your plants from above every fourth or fifth time.
- Let the soil soak for 10 minutes, then dump the catchment saucer again for another 30 minutes. Regularly doing this should prevent soil sodium buildup.
- Lastly, never use softened water when watering, and refresh the soil every few years to prevent an excess of sodium.
10. Too much direct sunlight
The peace lilies thrive in their native land because of the indirect sunlight. Additionally, they require bright sunlight without being directly exposed to it. Their tips turn brown under direct sunlight, and they get sunburned.
What to do:
- Place your peace lily near a window where the sun doesn’t shine intensely.
- To block direct sunlight, pull down the curtain.
- If you have windows facing north or east, plant your peace lily there. In this direction, the sun is bright but not as intense as in other directions.
- If you have peace lilies on the patio, move them to a shaded area.
- Additionally, artificial lights are great for growing peace lilies.
11. Pest and Disease
Insects like spider mites suck the juice out of your plants and reduce their vigor. There is a noticeable pest problem when the foliage appears grayish and the tips begin to brown.
What to do:
- If you mix dish soap with some warm water, it will work. However, insecticidal soap is less likely to damage the Peace Lily. This plant is also slightly less vulnerable to insects.
- In order to get rid of aphids, mealybugs, and mites, soaps are the best option.
12. Plant Shock
There may be times when your peace lily simply adjusts to the new environment. In many cases, this occurs after a plant is purchased, its watering routine is changed, or it has been moved to another part of the house.
What to do:
During the first few weeks after transplanting the plant, give it some time to acclimate to its new pot. With proper care, brown tips will disappear as leaves drop, and new ones will emerge.
13. Age
At the end of a leaf’s lifecycle, it begins to age and may turn brown at the tips. Your plant is not harmed, it’s natural. Eventually, the leaves turn brown and fall off.
It takes time for new leaves to grow after the old ones fall off. In this case, there is nothing to worry about, and there is no solution.
What to do:
- If you don’t like the brown leaves, you can remove them. To avoid browning of the new tips, make sure you cut the new tips below the brown tip.
- If any blooms are dead, remove them as well. To prevent bacterial and fungal infections, use sterilized scissors or pruners while cutting.
How to prevent peace lily brown leaves
1. Mist the leaves regularly to increase humidity
The main cause of brown leaf tips is low humidity, so misting the leaves creates a humid microclimate that mimics the peace lily’s natural tropical environment. Depending on how dry your climate is, you may need to mist the peace lily’s leaves daily while the tips are browning.
In addition, you can use a plant humidifier to boost humidity and create a more favorable environment for peace lilies.
2. Avoid using tap water
To prevent brown leaf tips on peace lily leaves, use rainwater, bottled water, or distilled water if your tap water has hard water or is suspected to contain fluoride or chlorine.
It is also safe to water your peace lily by leaving a bowl of water out overnight to let the fluoride and chlorine evaporate.
3. Give the peace lily a generous soak when the soil feels dry
A thorough watering ensures that the water seeps into the soil and gets to the roots where it’s needed to alleviate the stress that causes the leaves to drop and the tips to brown.
4. Make sure the soil does not dry out completely
In the event that the soil has completely dried out, immerse the root ball in water for 10 minutes.
Unless the soil is soaked, water will run off the surface and down the side of the pot rather than infiltrate the soil, so soaking for about an hour at a time is necessary to get the peace lily the water it needs.
5. Avoid direct sunlight
Make sure the peace lily is in bright indirect light, away from direct sunlight. It is not just the tips of the leaves that can be scorched by sunlight, the entire leaf can also be turned brown.
6. Use less fertilizer and water the soil thoroughly
If you apply fertilizer frequently, salts can accumulate in the leaves, which can lead to brown leaf tips. So, before applying additional fertilizer, only use a general houseplant fertilizer at half strength.
7. Maintain an ideal temperature
Aim for 68°F and 85°F (20°C and 30°) during the day and 10° cooler at night. Keep your peace lily away from any sources of indoor heating and be aware of air currents or draughts from windows or air conditioning to avoid fluctuating temperatures.
Few questions on peace lily brown tips
Q1. What does an overwatered peace lily look like?
Ans. An overwatered peace lily will look pale and turn yellow. If you continue to overwater your plant, leaf edema can occur. Additionally, leaf tips will become brown and show no sign of growth.
Q2. Will brown tips on peace lily go away?
Ans. Unfortunately no, once the peace lily has brown tips, the tips won’t turn green again.
Q3. Should I cut the brown tips off the plant?
Ans. Yes, cut the brown tips off the plant. Whenever you notice dead leaves, dormant stems, or brown parts of leaves, prune them away. Also, it is fine to pluck dead leaves with your hands. However, just don’t pull too hard. Otherwise, you may damage the healthy part of the plant. You can also remove brown tips by using scissors or pruning shears.
Q4. How often should I water a peace lily?
Ans. Your peace lily plant needs weekly watering. However, your plant will tell it needs water by drooping leaves. Additionally, in winter, only water your plant fortnightly.
Conclusion
Your peace lily leaves can turn brown for several reasons. Such as Overwatering, underwatering, and using overly hard or soft water. Also, peace lily brown tips can cause due to many minerals, inadequate humidity, and lighting conditions.
However, the most common reason for brown tips on peace lily plants is due to improper watering. Either you are overwatering or not watering them all. Additionally, you may be exposing your peace lily to direct sunlight.
Another common reason is overfeeding and using poor quality water. Tap water can cause salt build up in the soil, leading to brown tips in peace lily. Sometimes, browning starts at the tips as the plant is getting older. However, as it is a natural process, you don’t have to worry about it. You can simply prune the brown leaves in this case.
You can easily prevent brown tips on peace lily leaves if you take good care. Although peace lily care isn’t always easy. However, once its white flower blooms, you will be proud of all the efforts you have out in peace lily.
If you have any questions about peace lily brown tips feel free to ask in the below comment section. Also, don’t forget to share this article with your friends and family.
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