Can you rescue an over watered Peace Plant?

Question

Hello. I got a peace plant for Christmas, and the second I brought the thing back into the apartment it started to droop. So I watered it. And then the next day it was drooping some more. So I watered it again. And then when it kept drooping, I actually looked up Peace Plants and it said beware of over watering. Oops. The plant's not looking too good. The leaves aren't yellow but they are drooping a good deal and both the lillies withered. Any tips on how I might be able to save it? I'd hate to kill my first house plant within a week of bringing it home.

Answer 1

Make sure the pan or foil or anything under the plant isn't holding any water. Then try tipping the plant to pour any excess off. It should be ok. they are pretty durable. Just lay off water for a while. They like to get dry and droop in between watering, just a little. Then water thoroughly, to let all salts from plant food drain out, let dry again. feed in the spring with some pellet fertelizer and transplant when it is root bound. they like that oo. Put into a pot just one size larger. They really don't like to be in a huge pot until they are that size. Good luck.

Answer 2

First: don't do anything until you have read what I wrote. If you don't have any, you need to go to the store and get some new houseplant soil and perhaps some Perlite (helps with drainage). I suggest a new pot similiar to the size you have now that allows for better drainage. I like the ones that have a wick water feed. You can ask the garden attendant or look for a pot that has a pour spout outside of the base and inside has an elevated bottom. Take this home, put down some newspaper (to make clean up easy). Turn the pot sideways, gently hold/support your plant at the base and take it out of it's current pot. Without hurting the root ball (this is the area of the plant next to and below the plant base) gently remove some of the wet soil. If the soil is as wet as you say, most of what should be removed will probably fall off. You can place packing peanuts in the bottom of the new pot or add the new soil and perlite. Mix a small amount in the bottom of the pot. You want to make sure that when you put the plant back in the pot, that you have about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of space from the base of the plant to the top of the lip of the new pot. Be very careful with the roots, they keep the plant alive. Gently put the plant in the new pot and see if your spacing is okay. If everything is good, then gently/carefully place new soil mix around the plant. Do not put soil around or above the base of the plant. Can cause plant to rot. You should be able to tell by the weight of the pot when the plant needs watering, water from below using the spout, the plant will aborb as much water as it needs using the wick system. Below are some plant care sites - Good luck.

Answer 3

Peace Plant Care

Answer 4

I agree with Emmaeum (sp)

I think that there is good advice in the answers you've gotten, just to vehement.

Peace Lily (Spathephyllum) is the same plant that used to be used in those 'Beta Bowls', with a plant floating in a vase with a fish? remember those? They like water, and lots of it.

It's true, if there is foil or wrap around the pot, that needs to come off. Most florists, or garden centers put it on as decoration, but don't tell you that it needs to come off.

Generally peace lily bounces back easily from not enough water (which will make it wilt), and can recover from too much water (which will make it wilt too) as well.

I will add a concern, I don't know where you live, and certainly it's been unseasonable mild in parts of the country. Peace lilies can't take freezing (or near freezing temps.), not even for a few minutes. When you got the plant, was the foliage protected with paper? How long was it outside? Did it stay in an unheated car for an extended period? Cold will cause it to wilt, and turn a blackish color (bruised looking). Check that as a possible source for the wilting.

I hope that this helps
Good luck

Answer 5

Those plants don't need much water and tap water kills all nourishment as it has bleach in it. Bleach evaporates within one or two hours though and nourishment can be had from adding growing compost to the water and to the soil, you can't over do it with the compost so give it lots but very little water and it has to be able to drain, not stagnate.

RE:
>Can you rescue an over watered Peace Plant?
>Hello. I got a peace plant for Christmas, and the second I brought the thing back into the apartment it started to droop. So I watered it. And then the next day it was drooping some more. So I wat...

Answer 6

I would buy a bag of soil and use that as a fertilizer. Also let tap water sit for one day before using it on your plant. Soak the soil in a bucket and add water and the day after mix and give a little to the plant. RE: Would a Epsom Salt mixture help my Peace Lily? My Peace Lily was lookin a little droopy and I thought it might need some sun because its in a room where there is little to no sun light. So I put it outside for a day and the leaves that were prett...

Answer 7

Those plants don't need much water and tap water kills all nourishment as it has bleach in it. Bleach evaporates within one or two hours though and nourishment can be had from adding growing compost to the water and to the soil, you can't over do it with the compost so give it lots but very little water and it has to be able to drain, not stagnate.

Answer 8

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I have only heard of Epsom Salt used for rose bushes, and it works. It wouldn't hurt to add a little, (1/2 teaspoon) to the water once. But it is easy to over feed a house plant, because there is nowhere for the stuff to go. It stays in the pot. And Peace Lily is not in the rose family, so I don't know that it would help. I rescued a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) at work. Someone threw it out because it wilted. I pulled it out of the trash and was able to get it to bloom. I should tell you that Peace Lilies don't like a lot of light, so taking it from a dark room to direct sunlight might kill it. I would take it out of the sunlight. In nature it grows under the shade of trees, that's why it makes a good house plant. Let me tell you how I revived the plant at work. I put it in the break room, which had no windows but bright florescent lights in the ceiling. I put it directly under a light. You might try placing your plant very near a light that shines in a room, or in front of a north window, or in a window with filtered light. The plant at work was big, it was in a 12" pot. But a lot of the leaves had died off. I fed it water from a drinking cup. So it got 4 ounces (1/4 cup) of water every day, that's all, no more no less. I poured the water into a different part of the pot each time. It only got watered 5 days a week. Peace plants don't like to get soggy, but they don't want to dry out either. I went on vacation for a week 4 times a year. Before I went on vacation I placed the plant in the Janitors Closet sink and doused it with water till it was running out, then let it drain. At the end of my shift, I put it back to it's place. It didn't get any more water for a week. When I came back, I gave it four 4 oz cups of water the first day, then went back to 4oz a day 5 times a week. With this light and watering schedule, the plant bushed out and within a year, a scraggily plant I rescued from the trash, was producing flowers. My advice: Keep the plant away form direct sunlight. But if it's in a dark room, place the plant near a light that is on for 16 hours, and off for 8. (I turned the break room light off during my shift, the night shift, to give the plant a rest.) Water lightly, but every day. Once every 4 months (or when you go on vacation) place it in the bathtub and turn the shower on to soak it; this will wash the leaves too. Let it drain all day. Don't water again for 7 or more days to allow it to dry out completely. Then give it a little extra water and go back to daily water of a little bit. The plant does produce flowers but it isn't a "hungry" plant, so a little Miracle Grow or other plant food in the water every 6 months should be enough. Don't forget to plant in in a bigger pot once the roots get over grown, but not before.

Answer 9

Drain any water it may be holding. Put in a window that gets good sun light. Give it a few days and just add a little water, it doesn't take much water to keep them up.

Answer 10

Follow Miss Mary's first advice first. I bet you it has one of those foil covers that is placing your spath in swamp conditions. If that is the only problem, just take the foil or undrained outer pot off, and repotting will be unnecessary. But all the advice on repotting by CS is excellent, just may be overkill for a brand-new plant.