Glossy green leaves, stunning white spathes, and rich symbolism make peace lilies stunning houseplants.
Moreover, plants like these are perfect for novice houseplant owners as they need very little maintenance. However, if the peace lily leaves turn yellow, it’s worrying.
Overwatering or underwatering can cause peace lily leaves to turn yellow. Also, it can be caused by poor water quality, aging foliage, or lack of nutrients. Nevertheless, there are more reasons.
Let’s examine each cause of yellow peace lily leaves in detail, along with how to remedy them
Why are peace lily leaves turning yellow?
1. Improper watering
A peace lily loves water and humidity. However, too much water may result in yellowing leaves.
Also, if you don’t have good drainage, your peace lily roots can become clogged with water. In turn, this leads to root rot, which prevents the roots from absorbing water and nutrients.
In contrast, yellow leaves may indicate a thirsty peace lily. Despite their resilience, plants may suffer health problems if left without enough water for prolonged periods.
How to fix
Make sure you adjust your watering habits according to what your peace lily needs.
When the soil on top of your peace lilies feels dry, it is time to water them. For a healthy peace lily, a good deep watering every week or two is enough.
In the event that your watering has been adjusted but you are still experiencing yellow leaves, you may not have good drainage.
Additionally, a light soil mix is best for growing peace lilies, as they like moist, well-draining soil. So, by adding coconut husk and perlite, you can improve the drainage of your soil.
Also, never water your lilies inside their pot covers. If the pot is on a saucer, ensure that any excess water around the base of the pot is drained.
2. Using poor-quality of water
Peace lily leaves sometimes turn yellow due to the quality of water we use, not the amount of water.
Usually, water quality isn’t an issue for peace lilies. Nevertheless, tap water is packed with chlorine, fluoride, and other minerals, which can cause peace lily leaves to yellow.
How to fix
Keep your peace lilies away from tap water. Consider using filtered, purified, or even rainwater instead.
You are entitled to use tap water because it’s convenient and easy. If this is the case, try to de-chlorinate your tap water. To remove chlorine from water, you can leave it in the sun for a day or two, or you can boil it and let it cool before using.
3. Providing insufficient sunlight
Among the main causes of yellow peace lily leaves is lighting. It’s natural for peace lilies to love light, but direct sunlight can scorch the leaves, turning them pale yellow.
However, too little light could make it worse. Without enough light, your plant will have trouble photosynthesizing, which can cause yellow leaves.
This usually occurs due to the peace lily being recommended as a low-light houseplant.
Additionally, it will be hard for your peace lily to bloom if it doesn’t get enough light.
How to fix
It’s natural for peace lilies to grow on jungle floors, where the trees filter the sunlight. In order to replicate these conditions indoors, place your potted peace lilies near an east-facing window or in an area that receives indirect sunlight all day long.
To ensure your peace lilies get enough light, move them to a sunnier spot, away from direct sunlight, on your windowsill, or in your home.
Moreover, choosing peace lilies for the outdoor garden should be done with care. It is best to choose a place that gets plenty of morning sunlight or filtered sunlight throughout the day. I recommend a shady spot near an east-facing wall.
4. Extreme temperature fluctuations
It is possible for your peace lilies to turn yellow due to extreme temperature fluctuations. Peace lily leaves can also lose their color when temperatures fall below what is ideal for tropical plants.
The peace lily flourishes in USDA zones 10 – 12, so they need warm, muggy weather.
One of the reasons peace lilies makes great indoor plants is that they prefer a temperature range between 65 and 85F.
In the event of a sudden cold snap and temperatures dropping below 65F, yellowing could occur. Also, extreme heat can have negative effects on plants, usually resulting in wilting.
How to fix
You can determine if the yellow leaves are caused by temperature by using a thermometer.
Also, in the winter, place your peace lily in the warmest room in your house. To prevent overheating, keep the pot away from windows, as it can get extremely cold near the glass.
To handle temperature drops in zones 9 and lower, keep your peace lily indoors or in a pot, you can move between indoors and outdoors.
5. Deficiency of nutrients
It is often not necessary to use nutrient-heavy fertilizers for peace lilies to thrive. However, yellowing leaves can be a sign that your plant is lacking certain nutrients.
These nutrients range from major ones like nitrogen to micronutrients like iron and magnesium.
You may notice that your plant’s roots are not growing properly if you haven’t refreshed the soil for a long time. If a plant runs out of nutrients in the soil, it will need additional fertilizers to grow.
How to fix
To fix the problem, give your peace lily small doses of a balanced liquid fertilizer.
It’s also worth repotting if you have got nutrient problems. Over time, soil quality in pots gets bad as nutrients get reduced.
6. Disease and pests’ infestation
It is rare for peace lilies to be plagued by pests. However, occasionally you may encounter aphids, mealybugs, or spider mites. Your plant can suffer from yellowing leaves due to the presence of these pesky buggers.
Similarly, peace lilies are susceptible to a few diseases. Root rot and Phytophthora parasitica fungi are the most common among them.
How to fix
You can easily eliminate pests from peace lilies. Also, by caring for your plants and placing them correctly, you can avoid their infestations.
When you do spot an aphid in a few numbers, you can simply remove them. Just pick them off the leaves and squish them between your fingers or drop them into soapy water. If you have a spray bottle, you could also use it to spray them off.
If you are dealing with spider mites or mealybugs, try spraying neem oil on your peace lilies.
Peace lily diseases are a serious problem. You might have to throw out your peace lily if the infection is bad. If you see any gray or black fungal growth, prune it away and watch for signs of escalation.
7. Transplant Shock
Repotting or transplanting peace lily plants can take time for them to acclimate. As a result, some of the leaves may turn yellow due to shock.
Also, it’s usually not necessary to repot peace lilies more often than once a year because they grow so slowly.
How to fix
If you see yellowing leaves without brown tips on your peace lily, it is likely suffering from shock. Until the plant recovers, water the plant normally, but place it in partial shade. Also, do not fertilize the plant until it has recovered.
Moreover, you should only repot peace lilies if they are root bound. For root bound, check the pot’s holes. It’s time to repot if roots are visible in the holes.
8. Choosing the wrong soil type
Peace lilies are best grown as houseplants in moist, yet well-draining soil.
Your peace lily will thank you if you feed it when it tells you that it needs water. If you do not water it once a week, the leaves will sag slightly. There’s not a great deal of wilting, but there’s a slight sag on them and that’s when they need a drink.
Check how frequently it wilts because if it does so every three to four days, chances are, it needs a larger pot. However, you should check the drainage holes of the plant pot first because they can become clogged, causing the plant to sit in standing water.
How to fix
Make sure the soil is well-draining and when you water it, let the water drip out of the drainage holes to ensure it’s well-soaked. This will keeps the soil moist for a week.
9. Lack of humidity
In humid climates, peace lilies thrive. When grown indoors, peace lilies prefer humidity levels of around 60%. However, yellow leaves can happen if the air around the plant gets too dry.
How to fix
You can tell if your peace lily leaves are yellowing from low humidity by their brown tips. It’s usually due to low humidity or underwatering.
Put a humidifier or pebble tray around the plant to boost humidity. Additionally, place it in a steamy bathroom or mist it every few days.
10. Age of the plant
You don’t always have to worry about yellowing leaves. Sometimes, it’s simply nature’s way.
With most plants, older leaves will yellow and eventually fall off as the plant redirects its energy to younger leaves.
How to fix
There is no cure for aging. Just prune them or wait for the plant to drop them naturally. After your peace lilies have dropped, make sure to clean up any dead leaves and debris around their base. This will keep pests and diseases away.
The best way to avoid yellow peace lily leaves
If you follow the proper care, you can prevent yellow leaves from developing in the future. So, start with
- Check your peace lily’s leaves regularly for yellowing. If you do this, you will catch problems like pests and diseases early on before they cause too much damage.
- Additionally, it is important to dust the leaves to keep them clean.
- If the top inch of soil on your peace lilies is dry, water them. However, if in doubt, always underwater rather than overwater. As you can fix underwatering more easily.
- Make sure your peace lily gets filtered light, not full shade.
- It is best to use potting soil that is rich, loose, and well-drained with plenty of organic matter.
- Lastly, protect the peace lily from drafts and keep it warm. They dislike drafts and temperatures below 55℉.
Few questions on yellow leaves on peace lily
Q1. Should I cut the yellow leaves off of my peace lily?
Ans. Yes. To allow the yellow peace lily plant to produce new foliage and blooms, prune its leaves. Also, plants look green and healthy when pruned.
In cases where the leaf cannot be saved or heals slowly, you can cut it off whole. If your leaves have yellow edges, trim them off.
Q2. Can a yellow leaf turn green again?
Ans. A plant abandons a leaf that lacks chlorophyll and absorbs its nutrients. As a result, once the leaf turns yellow, it cannot be made green again. Occasionally, the yellow leaf color can turn green again with treatment in cases of nutrient deficiencies.
Q3. Why are the bottom leaves on my peace lily turning yellow?
Ans. As the plant matures, its leaves turn yellow at the bottom. Also, in direct sunlight, peace lily leaves scorch yellow and brown (depending on the extent of the sunburn).
Conclusion
There are several reasons why peace lily yellow leaves may occur, including improper watering, inadequate sunlight, lack of nutrients, and humidity.
In general, if you take care of peace lily well, most reasons for yellow leaves will not occur. Furthermore, peace lilies offer many benefits when they are taken care of properly. To read all the amazing benefits of a peace lily, click here.
For diseases and pest infestations, you can apply neem oil or pesticides. Depending on the severity, the treatment will vary. Also, there are times when you will need to repot.
For aesthetic purposes, you can prune away unsightly leaves. However, you should avoid over-pruning, and you should always try to find a solution before cutting off too many yellow leaves.
What questions do you have? Feel free to ask in the below comment section. And please share this useful article with family and friends.
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