Peace Lilies are an excellent way of adding a pop of color to your home. The bright white petals bring a sense of calm to any space. Sadly, Peace Lily leaves turning yellow is a common issue with these plants. When you notice the discoloration, you may wonder the reason behind it.
One of the main reasons has to do with the plants’ surroundings. Factors like temperature, humidity, and light exposure can cause leaves to turn yellow. Other issues, like soil pH, diseases, and repotting shock, may also play a role.
In this article, we’ll discuss the common causes of yellow leaves on a Peace Lily. We’ll also walk you through what you can do to resolve the issue.
Peace Lily Leaves Turning Yellow
People all over the world use Peace Lilies as a way to symbolize serenity. However, when the leaves start turning yellow, the overall sense of calm can turn sour.
So, let’s take a look at some of the possible causes of this discoloration.
1. Temperature
One of the main factors that can affect Peace Lily leaves is temperature changes. These flowers are tropical perennials, which means they enjoy warm conditions.
Ideally, the Peace Lily will grow best in a temperature range of 65 to 85℉. This is toasty enough to keep the plant healthy.
If the temperature exceeds 90℉, the Peace Lily may start to show signs of damage. Over time, the leaves and petals will wilt and may turn yellowish-green.
A similar process will occur if the temperature drops below 60℉. Some of the structures of the plant may freeze over and degrade.
This includes the roots, stems, and leaves. With these parts frozen, it can be difficult for the Peace Lily to absorb and transport water.
That means the plant won’t be able to use any nutrients to grow.
Solution
The first step of fixing a temperature problem is moving the plant. You need to find a space with a constant heat setting throughout the year.
For this reason, if you planted the Peace Lily outdoors, you may have to move it inside. This will allow you to control the temperature to meet the flower’s needs.
After you secure the plant in a new location, you can address any physical symptoms. For wilting leaves, all you have to do is add a little water to the soil.
However, with a frozen plant, the solution is a little more involved. You may have to pick up a heating lamp to warm the Peace Lily up before it’ll improve.
2. Humidity
Humidity also plays a major role in Peace Lily’s health.
As we mentioned, this plant is tropical, so it enjoys high levels of humidity. It uses the extra moisture to plump up its leaves and maintain their shape.
When you place the Peace Lily in a dry environment, the plant will begin to struggle. To stay healthy, the lily will try to add a little humidity to the air.
It’ll pull water through its roots and transport it to the leaves. Then, the leaves will release moisture through tiny structures called pores or stomata.
The plant will continue to do this until the area is humid, or the flower runs out of water.
This will cause the Peace Lily to dry out and wilt. When that happens, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off the plant.
Solution
The quickest way to resolve this issue is to use a humidifier. You can leave the device running for a few minutes each day to increase the air moisture in a space.
Yet, this may cause your house to feel much warmer than it actually is. Instead, you can use a fine water mist.
Sprinkling your Peace Lily with a little water every day will ensure that it doesn’t dry out.
3. Repotting Shock
Most Peace Lily owners are familiar with the repotting process. Since the plant will continue to grow in size throughout its lifetime, you’ll need to move it to different pots.
The process is usually completely safe and even necessary to keep your plant healthy. However, any small mistake may lead to damaged leaves.
When you repot a Peace Lily, you have to remove the roots from the soil. This can be a little tedious and challenging.
So, some people may decide to yank the flower out of the ground. While this may not seriously damage the plant, it’ll affect its ability to grow.
With fewer roots, the Peace Lily won’t be able to absorb as many nutrients. For that reason, you’ll notice that the leaves will turn yellow.
Solution
Once roots fall off, it’ll take a while for them to grow back. Sadly, that means there’s almost nothing you can do about the color of the leaves.
You have to wait a couple of months for the plant to go back to a healthy state. In the meantime, make sure that you regularly water the soil and use fertilizer.
4. Diseases
Few people know that, just like humans, plants are susceptible to many diseases. Some of these illnesses can cause leaves to turn yellow.
Peace Lilies are vulnerable to two different diseases that can cause discoloration. The first one is the Dasheen Mosaic virus, which creates yellow patterns on the leaves.
Moving on, the second illness is leaf blight. This is a fungal infection caused by phytophthora nicotianae.
The disease will cause the outskirts of the leaves to turn brownish-yellow. Depending on the severity of the infection, the symptoms will slightly change.
In the beginning, the yellow tint will be dry and travel to the center of the leaves. As the disease progresses, it’ll turn the leaves soft and mushy.
Without proper care, the infection can spread from the leaves to the stems and petals.
Solution
Unfortunately, there’s no known cure for the Dasheen Mosaic virus. Yet, it doesn’t affect the plant’s growth cycle.
The Peace Lily should still be able to thrive, even with the disease. However, you can remove the yellowing leaves to make the plant look better.
As for the leaf blight, you can start by removing any of the infected leaves. Then, you can purchase a fungicidal solution that’ll help heal your plant.
5. Soil pH
The pH describes the acidity or alkalinity of an object. Few people know that this will affect a Peace Lily’s ability to grow.
These plants need a pH value of around 5 or 6, which is a little acidic. This will allow the plant to absorb water and minerals efficiently.
Water quality and fertilizers are the main culprits behind the pH changes. If you’re using hard water to dampen the soil, the minerals in the liquid can increase the pH value.
On the other hand, when you add too much fertilizer, the nitrogen may cause the pH to drop.
Solution
It’s almost impossible to tell the soil pH by just looking at it, so you’ll need a testing kit.
This comes in the form of strips that you stick in the soil for a few seconds and then pull out. You should then be able to see a color change that will indicate the pH.
When the pH value is outside the acceptable range, then you need to replace the growing medium. You can try to rebalance the pH using chemicals, but it’s much easier to get a fresh batch of soil.
6. Light Exposure
ِPlants need light to be able to carry out photosynthesis. Without the sun, the plant won’t be able to produce energy or grow new structures.
Over time, the leaves will dry out and begin to yellow on the edges. You may also notice that the stem is slouching down and the petals turn a bluish-gray.
Moving on, too much sun can also have negative effects on the plant. Since the leaves don’t have a protective cuticle layer, they’re susceptible to sun damage.
The excess light will break down the cells of the leaves and cause the structures to turn yellow.
Solution
The only way to resolve this issue is to find a shaded area for your plant. You want a location that gets some sunlight, but not too much.
For indoor plants, you may have to buy sheer blinds to ensure that the light inside the house isn’t intense.
On top of that, it may be a good idea to keep the Peace Lily on a high shelf. This will minimize the chances of sun damage.
Yet, for outdoor plants, finding the perfect balance can be a little tricky. Typically, it’s best to place the Peace Lily in a spot with plenty of morning light and afternoon shade.
That way, the plant doesn’t have to withstand the scorching midday sun.
Wrapping Up
There are a few reasons behind Peace Lily leaves turning yellow. Some of the most common culprits are temperature, humidity, and soil pH.
Other than that, there are a couple of diseases, like the Dasheen Mosaic virus and leaf blight, that may be at fault.
Finally, issues with light exposure may also cause discoloration to the leaves.
Back to Garden And Sunshine home page
Read more from our peace lily category