Peace lily - newbie needs urgent help

[Chris M]

Hello All, I had an indoor peace lily that was getting very crowded so I split it and repotted it. A couple of the newer pots are doing very poorly and quite looks like it's dying rather fast. One problem during the repotting was that the roots were exposed to the air for about an hour. Also they've probably been getting too much sunlight so I'll move them away from the light a bit. Any suggestion about giving them food or anything else I can do to help them recover? Thanks, Chris

[raeannsimpson]

you do know not to touch the leaves of a peace lily, right? how big was the plant before you repotted it? you are right about the sunlight. in my experience, they don't care for it too much, just a little in-direct light is good enough for them. i don't usually thin out peace lillies, just move them up to a larger pot or basket.

[Kay Lancaster]

No, "food" won't do any good here (it's generally not a good idea to fertilize a stressed plant, unless the stress truly is a mineral deficiency)

Have you been overwatering? Do the roots fill at least 2/3 of the pot?

If the root ball is small in relation to the pot size, uproot them, wash off the roots, and repot in a smaller pot with fresh soil.

It's fairly normal to loose a few leaves when splitting a plant, but your trouble makes me think root rot, though I'm going more on gut feeling than real evidence here.

[dannysmom]

I have never heard this before. I have a couple of peace lilies and am curious as to why one should not touch the leaves. Would you elaborate on this for me? Thank you.

[rachael simpson]

Well, I don't know if it's fact or not, but I have seen the results of this. It's something that I've heard all my life. (my grandmother kept peace lilies around all the time.) Have you ever noticed the black/brown spots wherever the leaves have been touched? I was told that touching the leaves causes the spots. Something about the oils of the skin being "poison-like" to the plant. When you touch it, it also rubs off the natural, protective oils of the plant. I was also taught to trim the brown tips of the leaves with scissors. Like I said, don't know if it's a "science-proven" fact. But I can tell a difference in the peace lilies I've cared for. The leaves stay green and healthy looking.