Spathiphyllum, often known as Peace Lily, is a member of the Araceae family but is not a real Lily. It is a resilient plant that requires little upkeep. They are natives of America’s tropical rainforests.
The Peace Lily can reach lengths of 20–40 inches (0.5–1 m) and widths of up to 10 inches (0.2 m). Your Peace Lily’s black spots usually signals underlying problems, which this article can help you find and address.
Why Does Peace Lily Have Black Spots?
Are you growing a peace lily and you’re now noticing black spots on the leaves? Are you curious to know why your peace lily has black spots?
Since water is crucial to Peace Lily growth, under-watering of the soil-based roots is a typical cause of Peace Lily black spots.
The blackening of Peace Lilies occasionally occurs as a normal part of the plant life cycle, although they are also susceptible to root rot and over fertilization. Pests and other issues like fungus infections can also be to blame.
What Are the Causes of Peace Lily Black Spots?
Although peace lily requires little upkeep, the dark leaves show poor plant care. Shocking alterations in their maintenance can harm these plants. When the leaves of a Peace Lily suddenly start to turn brown or black, improper maintenance has taken its toll.
Understanding the causes is crucial before making a decision. I’ve outlined the typical problems with a peace lily’s blackening below.
Improper Watering
Every time you water Peace Lily, make sure the water level is balanced. Both excessive and insufficient watering have negative effects on leaves.
Since tropical rainforests are where the peace lily originally came from, it needs constant watering.
Underwatering does not appeal to Peace Lily. If you don’t water Peace Lily, it will be obvious since the plant will wither and the soil will become dry.
In contrast, excessive irrigation would drown the soil in fluids, strangle the roots, and make the ground wet.
The plant’s upper section cannot receive the necessary nutrients because the roots cease to function.
Fungal Infections
High moisture levels encourage fungi to grow on Peace Lily leaves. The symptoms are typically observed as little black or brown patches.
When the soil is overly wet and the leaves are continuously damp, fungi like Cercospora grow. Cercospora produces circles with a yellow center that are dark gray overall.
The Phyllostica fungus also produces dangerous leaf patches. The edges of the leaves turn reddish or purple.
The fungus Rhizoctonia feeds on the leaves as well. They use circles and yellow to make several holes. On the leaves, you’ll see a number of parallel striations.
Age Factor
Peace Lily sheds its old leaf while producing new ones. There are signs that the houseplant may soon slough off its old leaves.
Blackening of the leaves begins at the tips. This is a routine procedure.
The foliage begins to shed soon, and new leaves emerge to take their place. The plant’s base has aged, black leaves that can be pruned.
Always cut them from the stems while pruning, and use sterile scissors. Do not prune the fresh leaves.
How Can I Avoid Blackening of Peace Lily?
Fix the Watering
Watch your timing carefully and pay attention to the soil where your Peace Lily is growing. Every time you are about to water it, make sure the soil is dry.
Avoid letting the soil for Peace Lilies get too dry or too moist. It ought to be damp all around. It’s okay to prune the leaves if they have turned black.
Cut the leaves off with the aid of sterilized scissors.
Using a pot that has been well-drained is the second safety measure. I would advice using a pot with enough holes in it to prevent water buildup.
To allow excess moisture to drain away, make sure the medium is likewise a well-draining mixture.
Avoid Fungal Infections
Baking soda is one of the safest treatments for fungal infections on leaves. Baking soda is non-toxic to leaves and has antifungal qualities.
Pour one liter of water and one tablespoon of baking soda into a spray bottle. Spray on the leaves where there is evident fungus growth. Continue until no more fungus is growing.
Utilizing a fungicide to manage the fungal growth is an additional choice. As instructed on the product label, apply the fungicide to the leaves.
I would also advise slicing off the affected portions if no improvement is seen. The fungus wouldn’t spread if this were done.
Avoid Over-Fertilization
You should wash the soil and pot to remove the salts. Of course, you should only do this with a pot that has been thoroughly emptied.
This will remove all of the accumulated minerals in the soil. To balance the acidic character of soil, use alkaline water.
How Can I Prevent Peace Lily Black Spots?
Did you learn that your peace lily could end up with black spots when not properly cared for? Will you like to know what you can consistently do to prevent peace lily black spots?
Be careful to give Peace Lily the proper attention. The Peace Lily requires a pot that is well-drained, 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius), and indirect sunlight. The best potting soil will contain perlite and be able to hold water to keep the soil moist.
Can You Prolong the Life of Your Peace Lily Flowers?
Your lovely peace lily flowers are only white for 10 days, which makes a month seem entirely too short. Although it is possible for the spadix to come back, getting the peace lily to bloom just once, much alone twice or more, is difficult enough. What if you could enjoy your peace lily flower for more than just 30 days? Yes, it would be, but is it really feasible?
Yes! The spadix of your peace lily can unquestionably seem healthier and more lovely for longer by truly honing your maintenance routine.
There is currently no way to stop the spadix from eventually dying completely. It will occur sooner or later.
Due to your exceptional maintenance of your peace lily, it could take two or three months as opposed to only one. But all you’re doing is delaying what will eventually happen.
Knowing that the peace lily flower “spadix” only blooms for a brief period of time personally makes me appreciate it more when it is in full bloom.
Why Are My Leaves Turning Yellow And Brown?
Are you noticing that your peace lily is turning yellow? Would you like to know the cause of the yellowing of your peace lily?
Underwatering and overwatering both cause water stress, which can cause the green tint to turn yellow.
Additionally, a deficiency in minerals like zinc, iron, and manganese can result in chlorosis of the leaves. The interference with photosynthesis caused by keeping peace lilies in dark spaces results in etiolated (pale or yellow) leaves.
How Can You Properly Water Your Peace Lily?
Are you aware that one of the causes of black spots on your peace lily is improper watering? In this section, I’ll educate you on how to properly water your peace lily.
For healthy growth, you should water your plant once each week. And remove all the black leaves so they can never reappear.
You should avoid overwatering the plant because it can also result in black leaves from standing water. Before watering, wait until the top 2 inches of soil are completely dry.
How Long Do Peace Lily Flowers Last?
You might be curious about how long you get to enjoy that lovely white flower now that you know more about the peace lily’s typical life span.
The Peace lily’s flowers bloom for approximately 10 days, and the spadix typically lasts for about a month before dying entirely.
Your peace lily plant is not necessarily dead or dying if just one of its flowers dies. Between three and five years is the typical life span of a peace lily.
But you shouldn’t leave a dead spadix on your peace lily for an extended period of time. In particular, because the texture of the stem might be challenging following bloom death, use a pair of clean pruning shears for removal.
When removing a dead peace lily flower, avoid using your hands as much as possible to avoid stressing the plant.
Slice the stems off of your peace lily at the base. Cut them off as well if you see any leaf discoloration, such as browning, yellowing, or blackening.
Best Moisture Meter For Mint Plant
1. ECOWITT Soil Moisture Meter with LCD Display
The user-friendly digital display on this moisture meter will help you maintain the proper moisture levels in your soil. Simply insert the probe into your soil, and you can monitor moisture levels up to 300 feet away by using a separate digital display device. We really appreciate the flower pot icon because it offers a fantastic visual representation of the amount of moisture in the soil relative to the size of the entire container.
This won’t work well for giant plants whose roots extend deep into a container because the probe itself is just 3 inches long. Small plants, seedlings, and seeds are all sensitive to developing circumstances, making it the ideal choice for them. To use this meter, you’ll need two AA batteries, which are not included.
Pros:
- Intuitive display
- Remote monitoring
Cons:
- Short probe
- Batteries not included
Conclusion
The leaves of peace lilies can turn black due to a variety of various factors. It’s possible that you improperly watered your plant, but other possibilities include fungal infections or pests.
If you pay attention to the plant, figuring out what’s going on shouldn’t be too tough. If you failed to properly care for the plant, you can try to make amends to restore the peace lily to health.
You’ll probably feel bad about yourself if you kill the peace lily by accident. Simply learn from your mistakes so that you may take better care of your plants moving forward.