Comment by nebula8804 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by nebula8804 | Hacker News Reader

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I got a peace lily in March after my father passed away and it has been so much trouble to keep it going. I'm really sad about it.

First I didn't realize I was overwatering it and introduced root rot into the system. The online guides recommended repotting with fresh soil and carefully yanking on all the rotted roots so as to remove as much of the rotted material as possible.

They also recommended a very gentle scrubbing with a tiny bit of dish soap with the expectation that the plant will be shocked for a while but recover. I did all this and it did help somewhat.

Then the following months the area was very sunny with 90 degree F days. I didn't realize it at the time but I was killing the plant by overheat.

2-3 weeks of this and after realizing what was happening, I moved it into the basement near a tiny window with indirect sunlight (~69 degree F all day). This worked for a while but now as I take a step back and look at the plant, it is a mess. It is definitely still alive but does not seem healthy at all. Multiple leaves have yellowed, some have either yellow or black spots on it. All of the beautiful White Seed like things have turned pitch black and are disintegrating.

I am now just not sure what to do, I just keep watering it with 1 water bottle's worth of water every three days or so but it seems like it is a mess that I can't recover from.

I've been there. I received a peace lily seven years ago when my brother passed away and I had a hard time keeping it healthy. I tried keeping it inside and all it was doing was dropping leaves. I tried putting it near a window to no avail. Its death seemed inevitable.

Then I tried putting it outside. What I've learned is that while they do not do well in direct sun, they do like light. Lots of it.

I've read that a southern window is the best window for a spath. The reasoning is simple: for folks that live in the northern hemisphere, the most amount of indirect light will enter from the south. And wouldn't you know it -- our south wall has no windows!

I live in Tennessee and I now keep mine outdoors during the growing season. It sits in a pot on the deck underneath the canopy of a large river birch. Even during the 90+°F days, it does well. The back of our home faces west, so it can catch a few direct rays late in the day as the sun sets over the horizon, but it is strategically located so that the deck railing and a nearby crape myrtle filters enough of that scorching late afternoon sun to make it happy.

I bring it indoors once the overnight lows start to dip to around 40°F. Over the winter, it drops about a third to a half of its leaves. I put it back out for a few days at a time in the early spring as weather allows. Once the frost danger has past, it stays outdoors. The leaves rapidly multiply and it puts out about 5-6 blooms around July.

If you can, try putting it outside. I am sure that the boost in photosynthesis will help it more than anything.

I feel you. My son may be in this position one day. Don’t give up on it! I’ve kept multiple peace lilies in offices and homes for years. They are dramatic, but also forgiving. What you’ve done so far sounds helpful. I’d suggest:

* More light, but indirect. They like well-lit rooms as long as the sun doesn’t shine on them. They do like 70º better than 90º. * Let the soil dry a little between waterings. Stick your finger in the soil to see if it’s damp. If it is, water in a few days. * It’s ok to overwater them until water runs through the pot, but be sure the pot doesn’t sit in that water. * Prune off all the dead material. The blooms always look disgusting when they die.

Lastly, get it a friend or two. Get another couple peace lilies and care for them the same way. It’ll help you understand how they behave.

I give mine a pint of water every week or two. If it wilts I water it regardless. It's been happy in a bright room near a sunny window in the UK for 10 years. Current pot is around 10" diam and 10" high for comparison.

If ever in doubt I let it tell me - it's all about the wilting, if it starts to wilt, give it water, if it's not wilting, you can wait, if you haven't seen it wilt for a while, might as well let it dry some more to avoid root rot. I also trim off dead flowers and leaves just to give the other leaves more light but I don't think that matters.

Yellowing and leaf decay in fall is a common symptom of cold. Needs a warmer place.

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