Why is my peace lily drooping? Looking over to see your once-healthy plant withering away is enough to strike fear into the heart of any plant parent. Drooping leaves are no joke, but luckily, there are a few ways you can prevent them when it comes to caring for a peace lily.
It's no secret that houseplants can be rather dramatic when it comes to showing signs of struggle, similar to why bay tree leaves turn brown; peace lilies are no exception. In fact, you might've also been wondering why your peace lily tips are turning brown.
5 Factors Behind A Peace Lily Drooping
In most cases, we can easily identify the problem with our plants. Seasoned houseplant lovers will have already mastered how to clean plant leaves and know all the best fragrant house plants to make your house smell good. However, sometimes the code is a little harder to crack, and drooping leaves appear seemingly out of nowhere.
Here are a few reasons behind peace lily leaves drooping...
1. Improper watering
Watering our plants can be a little trickier than it first seems; after all, knowing how to care for an orchid is vastly different from knowing how to care for a peace lily. That's why when we're watering, we can often forget to water plants that need it more than others and vice versa. So if your peace lily leaves have significantly drooped, there's a chance it's thirsty or drowning.
"Peace lilies like to be watered consistently to ensure that their soil is moist, so there needs to be adequate drainage and no standing water. If your peace lily is either under- or overwatered, this can cause the leaves to droop, so it’s important to know whether you are watering too much or too little," says Lucie Bradley, gardening expert at Easy Garden Irrigation.
With over 28 years working in the garden industry, Lucie has been fortunate enough to spend every day speaking to both amateur and professional gardeners. Encouraged to garden since she was old enough to walk, she believes that you can never know everything about gardening, as it is constantly evolving.
2. Incorrect levels of humidity
Similar to why your peace lily leaves might turn yellow, a lack of humidity can play a part. Lucie says, "Whilst keeping your peace lily soil moist is important, these tropical plants also love a humid atmosphere, thriving with humidity levels of 40 to 60 per cent."
"If your peace lily is kept in a room where there is low humidity, then you could find that the leaves will start to droop, as well as their tips and edges becoming brown, dry and ‘crispy’. So, if the compost your peace lily is growing in is moist - not wet - and you still have droopy leaves, lack of humidity could be the problem," she explains.
3. Plant pests
It's something most of us dread: pest control. Whether it's knowing how to get rid of flies in your home or how to keep away flying ants in your garden, every season can pose a new threat to your plants. Unfortunately, your peace lily is not safe from pests either.
"Even though peace lilies are not affected by many pests, it is important to be vigilant, as an infestation will affect the health of your plant and could cause the leaves to become limp and droopy. Sap sucking pests such as aphids, mealybugs and spider mites will all suck out the sap, draining moisture and nutrients, weakening leaves and stems so they are unable to stay firm and upright. If these sap sucking insects are the problem, you are also likely to see the leaves changing from healthy green to yellow," says Lucie.
"To identify if it is a pest infestation causing the leaves to droop, check the leaves, especially the undersides, and the stems to see if you can find any pests or evidence they have been there, such as sticky residue," she continues.
To tackle these pests then it's recommended that you use an organic pesticide like neem oil to clean and treat the plant. This DD Organic Neem Oil, A Natural Garden Bug Spray for Plants at Amazon, is perfect for the job.
FAQ
How do you revive a droopy peace lily?
Luckily, drooping leaves are extremely easy to fix and are one of the few plant symptoms that can be reversed without any lasting damage to the plant itself.
Lucie recommends starting a regular care regime, with the first step being to put into place a balanced watering schedule. She says, "Depending on the reason for your peace lily drooping will determine what you need to do to revive it. Although peace lilies are thought of as ‘drama queens’ and reacting quickly when their care does array, they are also resilient and this means that as long as you are patient and correct the problem which has caused your peace lily to droop it should recover."
Should your peace lily still be drooping after you've altered all of these, then ensure it's not in direct sunlight, as this could also lead to other problems, such as yellowing or browning leaves.
Why your peace lily is drooping when the soil is moist
As mentioned previously, house plants are sensitive when it comes to the amount they're watered. Unlike how long you should water your lawn, houseplants can very quickly suffer from overwatering.
However, should you have successfully drained your plant and be sure the roots aren't drowning or rotting in excess moisture, there is another reason its leaves are still drooping.
"If your peace lily is drooping but you have checked the soil and it is moist, then underwatering is not the reason the leaves are droopy, and you should look at the other causes which could be affecting the health of your plant," says Lucie.
Knowing how to diagnose your plant's symptoms makes tending to them a whole lot easier and a droopy peace lily is certainly no cause for alarm. Staying on top of a regular care routine for your plant will help avoid any drooping taking place and allow you to spot further issues should they arise.
