Peace Lily Leaves Turning Black| Causes & Fixes
Nothing can be as annoying as noticing your peace lily leaves turning black. Your happiness and contentment with the lovely green leaves of your peace lily leaves will be affected negatively. And this can indicate several negative possibilities, such as a pest attack or old age. But before you start making wild guesses, keep reading this article to learn more about the potential causes and solutions to this problem.
Peace lilies are popular houseplants. This beautiful houseplant features lovely shiny green leaves and white flowers. The appearance alone is one to relish and hence one of the main reasons people have them in their houses and gardens. You will undoubtedly get tremendous ornamental value with peace lilies as your houseplant.
Apart from decorating your house or compound, you can exchange peace lilies as a gift. Receiving a peace lily as a gift for houseplant lovers can be very satisfying. It demonstrates that the giver values your relationship and provides a perfect gift for your friends and family.
Are Your Peace Lily Leaves Turning Black?
It may be difficult to notice when peace lily leaves change color. The problem may begin with tiny dots or spots developing a different color. It may take longer to see the peace lily leaves turning black, especially if you are not keen to check on them.
What does peace lily leaves turning black mean? The simplest explanation is that this is when your peace lily leaves, usually green, start changing color to black. A common indication would be when you notice black spots on peace lily leaves. But don’t expect the leaves to develop black spots only.
Sometimes, you may notice the peace lily leaves turning yellow and black. But this is not normal. Peace lily leaves yellowing and blackening often go hand in hand. You may notice that the leaves are turning yellow first before turning back. The yellowing tends to precede the blackening. So, even without seeing pure black spots, yellowing may indicate that the lily leaves are about to turn black.
A good plant lover will check on his plants often. This habit will enable you to notice the peace lily leaves turning back and yellow. Such developments will usually indicate peace lily leaf problems. It could mean that leaves have developed a peace lily disease. It could also imply that the plant lacks some crucial elements. You may also learn about bird of paradise leaves curling here.
Why Are Peace Lily Leaves Turning Black?
You may be wondering why your peace lily leaves are starting to turn black. The question ‘what causes peace lily leaves to turn black is common among people with these beautiful household plants. The reasons for peace lily leaves turning black could vary and may be among the potential ones discussed below.
Aging
Peace lilies also age as other plants do. Aging means that the plant has lived for a long time and can no longer live or produce as before. Old age could be one of the potential causes of your peace lily leaves turning black, brown, or even yellow. The leaves will turn black before falling off. And this should not worry you.
Aging is a natural phenomenon that affects all living things, including other plants. Aging will also be a potential cause for water lily leaves turning black. You can’t stop or control the aging of peace lilies. The best you can do when you notice the peace lily leaves turning black due to old age is to prune them to maintain the good green look of the plant.
Watering Problems
Watering issues can also be the reason for your peace lily leaves turning black. Water lilies tend to consume quite a lot of water. Hence, they need enough water throughout. With inadequate water, you may notice the peace lily leaves turning black. Water deprivation is also noticeable through the peace lily tips turning brown.
Giving too much water to peace lilies may also cause the same problem. If your peace lilies are potted, having too much water in the soil could cause suffocation of the roots. You may then start noticing the peace lily leaves turning brown. The leaves could then end up becoming black.
Poor Water Quality
Poor water quality could also be behind your peace lily leaves turning black. And this is quite likely if you use ordinary tap water to water your plants. Often, tap water has chemicals like chlorine and fluorine that alter its PH. And this means that the tap water could have excessive concentrations of these chemicals. Hence the reason for your peace lily leaves turning black.
As you continue using tap water on your peace lilies, high concentrations of nutrients and chemicals could accumulate in the soil. And this can then inhibit water absorption by the plant’s roots. Essentially, the water lilies will not be getting enough water. Without adequate water, the plant will ultimately die, and the leaves will start turning black before that happens.
Pests
If you water your plants well but notice the peace lily leaves turning black, it may indicate a pest attack. Pests like spider mites, mealybugs, scale insects, and aphids are common on peace lilies.
Pests puncture the peace lily plant and suck its moisture, causing the leaves to turn brown, black, or yellow. The pests hide under the leaves, mainly below the black or brown spots. A peace lily black flower could also indicate a pest attack. Likewise, a peace lily back stem could be showing a pest infestation.
Root Rot
Fungal root rot is also a common cause of your peace lily leaves turning black. The fungal root rot is often caused by overwatering your peace lily plant. When you water the plant too much and too often, the soil becomes soggy, suffocating the roots. The problem could also be due to poor drainage.
Besides noticing the soil is too soggy, look for other symptoms like swollen and drooping leaves. You may also check the roots closely by uprooting one or a few of the peace lilies to have a closer look.
Over-fertilizing
Are you using chemical fertilizers on your peace lilies? It could be another potential cause of the peace lily leaves turning black. Specifically, using too much chemical fertilizer affects the PH and mineral composition in the soil. The mineral composition will rise with high fertilizer use, while the PH will drop. And this adversely affects water and nutrient absorption by the plant’s roots.
Additionally, the chemical fertilizers could end up causing chemical burns to the roots of the peace lilies. The leaves end up dying and hence the turning to black color. The same issue could arise if you use too much-concentrated chemical fertilizer on the peace lilies.
How To Treat Black Leaves On Peace Lilly
You already know some of the most common causes of your peace lily leaves turning black. Your next concern should be treating or preventing more peace lily leaves turning black. While you may not be able to treat all cases of peace lily leaves turning black, you can effectively do so by applying several techniques.
For most human-related causes of the problem, you only need to adopt proper peace lily leaf care. As you will learn, most of this entails eliminating the causative factor or element.
Proper Watering
You can treat black leaves on peace lily by adopting proper watering practices. Limited or excessive watering is one of the main reasons for the peace lily leaves turning black. Therefore, you should avoid such bad or poor watering practices and adopt proper ones.
First, you need to shift from tap water to filtered or rainwater. If not possible, you can still use tap water after filtering it properly to eliminate excessive nutrients and chemicals. Second, be consistent in how you water your peace lilies. Please don’t let the soil become too dry or too soggy.
Finally, ensure that your plants have proper drainage. If you use pots, ensure they have adequate drainage holes to let excess water out and away from the plant. The idea is to avoid saturating the soil with water and chemicals.
Pest Treatment
If your peace lily leaves are turning back because of pest infestation, the solution is to fight and eliminate the pests. And this may be as simple as pruning the affected leaves or using appropriate pesticides. Using natural pest control methods or pesticides as much as possible is recommended. For example, insecticidal soap and neem oil can effectively fight pests.
Proper Plant Fertilizing
It is time to change if you have been over-fertilizing your peace lilies or using excessively concentrated chemical fertilizers. To begin with, avoid fertilizing too often as this is likely to change the soil’s PH and nutrient composition, leading to the peace lily leaves turning black.
Moreover, when using chemical fertilizers on your peace lilies, ensure you dilute them properly before application to reduce acidity and the risk of the chemicals burning the roots of the peace lilies.
Replanting
Sometimes it may not be possible to save a peace lily with black leaves due to extensive root rot. You may have noticed the problem when it was too late to save the plant. Therefore, while you will lose the peace lily plant, you can replace it. However, this is more complex than replanting.
It entails changing the soil or pot if the affected plant’s roots rotted due to soil issues. Replanting in the same ground will likely cause the same problem because the underlying causative factor is still persistent.
Check Your Peace Lilies Often
The easiest way to prevent and treat your peace lily leaves turning black is to check on them constantly. It is easy to forget about the peace lilies because of other commitments such as work. Don’t let this habit get into you because it will cause you to fail to take appropriate care of the peace lilies.
Whether you work from home or in the office, develop a routine of checking on the peace lilies and stick to it. For example, check on the plant every two days. This routine check ensures that you can notice symptoms of problems early and take necessary action before it’s too late.
Take Away
Peace lilies can develop black, brown, or yellow spots on the leaves for various reasons. If you notice your peace lily leaves turning black, don’t panic. And this is normal and can affect anyone growing this ornamental houseplant. But don’t ignore such developments.
You could be the reason why the peace lily leaves are turning black. You may have used tap water with excessive nutrients and chemicals or overwatered the plant. It could also be something else, like a pest infestation. Whatever the cause is, identify it first.
Apply the appropriate treatment intervention depending on the cause of your peace lily leaves turning black. Sometimes, this may require more than one treatment approach. Just focus on eliminating the causative factors, even if it means replacing or replacing the entire plant.
Finally, it is essential to be knowledgeable and stay updated on growing and maintaining common houseplants like the peace lily. You can get relevant information from various sources on the internet. For example, you can get peace lily black tips on Reddit. Information is power and can save you when dealing with your peace lilies.
FAQs
How do you fix black leaves on a peace lily?
You can fix black leaves on a peace lily in several ways, depending on the underlying cause. The idea is first to establish the cause of the black leaves and then use that to adopt the appropriate fix. For example, pest treatment is the correct fix if the leaves are black because of pests.
Should I cut black leaves off peace lily?
Before cutting black leaves off the peace lily, you should first establish whether that is the proper thing. Not all black leaves on peace lily need cutting. Some may only need treatment with, for example, neem oil. But you can cut the black leaves if their damage is beyond recovery.
How do you fix black leaves on plants?
You can fix black leaves on plants in various ways. First, you can use insecticide to eliminate pests causing the leaves to turn black. Second, you can ensure proper drainage for the soil in which the plant is growing. Third, you can shift from tap water to rain or filtered water. These are just some examples.
How do I prevent the blackening of peace lily leaves?
To prevent the blackening of lily leaves, you need to be more vigilant. Adopt a routine system of checking on the plants and the leaves often. Through this, you can notice any small changes in the coloration of the leaf at the earliest possible time and take an appropriate intervention. More importantly, ensure that the peace plant grows in a proper environment with enough water, light, and nutrients.
What is the black stuff on my peace lily leaves?
The black stuff on your peace lily leaves could be signs of a pest infestation, a disease, root rot, or other problems. Please don’t ignore it whenever you notice any black spot or stuff on the peace lily leaves. Check closely to ensure that it is not just dust or dirt, in which case there would be no cause for alarm.
How do I make my peace lily green again?
You can make your peace lily green again by providing the best growing environment and requirements. Ensure it grows in fertile soil with proper nutrient, PH, and moisture levels. Also, ensure that it grows in a place with enough sunlight. If pests have infested your lily plant, use appropriate pest treatment methods to eliminate them.