Peace lilies have become common sights in many homes and office areas. This is mostly because peace lilies are so easy to care for.
If you’re new to taking care of houseplants, then you’re going to have an easy time with a peace lily. They’re resilient enough that they should be able to withstand someone making a few mistakes.
This is why it can be a bit disheartening when you notice that your peace lily is wilting. If you repotted the peace lily recently, then that’s likely the cause of what’s going on.
Why would your peace lily start wilting after you repotted it, though? Keep reading to get more information about why this occurs and what you should do about it.
1 – You Didn’t Repot the Plant Properly
The most likely scenario is that the peace lily wasn’t repotted properly. If you’re still fairly new to caring for plants, then you might not totally understand how to repot plants safely.
When you’re repotting a peace lily, it’s going to be important to loosen the root ball before you place it in its new pot.
Often, you need to repot peace lilies because they wind up outgrowing their pots. The peace lilies get a bit too big, and this causes them to start to become root-bound.
Loosening the root ball will help the plant to get back to normal when it’s placed in a bigger pot. If you fail to do this, then the plant simply won’t have an easy time growing in its new environment.
Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to do this without harming the plant. You can just use your hands to loosen the roots up a little bit so that the plant will be ready to go into the pot.
It’s also recommended to thoroughly water the plant before you decide to repot it. This should help the plant to do better when it’s transferred to the new pot.
2 – Watering Mistakes
Watering mistakes can lead to problems with your peace lily. This is actually something that can cause wilting and drooping whether you’ve put the plant in a new pot or not.
The most common mistake that people make involves watering peace lilies too much. When you give these plants too much water, it’s going to harm them quite a bit.
Going overboard and making the soil soggy can lead to complex issues such as root rot. When the plant is drowning in water, it’s not going to be able to remain perky.
Conversely, not watering the plant enough is also going to cause significant issues. What you want to do is water the soil thoroughly without making it soaking wet.
The soil should be moist throughout when you finish watering it. If you’ve waited too long to water the plant, then you might notice that its leaves will start drooping.
Check the soil to see if the peace lily needs to be watered each time. If the soil is still moist, then you’ll want to wait and check the plant again the next day.
When the soil is dry, it’s going to be time to water the plant. Do so thoroughly and you should be able to keep your peace lily looking nice.
3 – Humidity Issues
Humidity issues can cause peace lilies to start wilting, too. Typically, this is going to cause a little drooping, and this means that you shouldn’t be seeing pronounced wilting if humidity problems are to blame.
Even so, it’s good to know that you need to keep these plants in humid environments for them to thrive. Your home or office area simply might be a bit too dry for the plant.
You can increase the humidity level in your house by using a small humidifier. This is the simplest way to solve this problem so that you can help the plant look its best.
If you don’t wish to use a small humidifier for whatever reason, then you could try misting the leaves of the plant semi-regularly. This should help to provide a bit more humidity, and the plant will start to perk up.
There are other ways to go about this as well such as placing a bowl of water near the plant. Simply doing what you can to raise the humidity should help with minor drooping issues.
4 – Using Bad Soil or Potting Mix
Using bad soil or potting mix could be to blame for your plant wilting. Some types of soil won’t be good for peace lilies.
For instance, using soil that is too dense might keep it from draining properly. This means that you’ll be much more likely to have problems with standing water.
When a plant isn’t placed in well-draining soil, it’s going to have issues with “wet feet.” This can cause root rot and many other problems that might even kill the plant.
It’s also true that you can plant peace lilies in soil that dries out too quickly. When the soil doesn’t retain moisture at all, it’ll make it so that the plant doesn’t get the water that it needs.
Many peace lily enthusiasts recommend using a high-quality all-purpose potting mix. This should help your peace lily to grow strong and stay healthy.
5 – Pest Issues
You might not be aware of this, but pests can cause peace lilies to wilt and droop, too. Typically, peace lilies are fairly resistant to pests, but that doesn’t mean that problems can’t occur.
In particular, mealybugs can be problematic for peace lilies. Sometimes these annoying pests will suck the sap out of your plant, and this will leave it looking quite wilted.
You might also notice that the leaves of the plant will appear yellow. This is a telltale sign that mealybugs are messing with your plant.
It’s possible to notice these bugs on your plant when you look closely. They might resemble a mass of white cotton on the leaves.
The best thing to do if you suspect that you have a mealybug issue on your hands is to use insecticidal soap. This should take care of the pesky mealybugs fast.
6 – Temperature Issues
Temperature issues will make peace lilies droop. Have you considered whether it’s too cold for the plant?
It might not be wilting because you repotted it. The plant could simply be in a spot where it’s colder than it should be.
For example, you could have the plant positioned near an air conditioner. It might even be too close to a drafty window.
The ideal temperature for peace lilies is said to be between 65 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a pretty normal temperature range in modern indoor environments, but it could be cooler than that in many spots if your plant is near a vent or window.
Simply ensure that you’re placing the plant in a safe location. If you keep it in an area where the temperature doesn’t fluctuate too much, everything should be fine.
Final Thoughts
You should have a much better idea of how to solve wilting and drooping issues now. There are quite a few things that can make peace lilies start drooping, but you’ll be able to figure out what’s going on.
If you recently repotted the peace lily, then there’s a good chance that you did something wrong. Simply loosening the ball of roots might be enough to help the plant to start doing better.
It could be the case that you’ll need to adjust the way that you’re watering the plant. You might also need to use a better potting mix or soil.
Just do your best to determine what’s going on by checking things out. You’ll turn things around and your peace lily will look nice again in no time.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.