Greenie Get the app 
Drooping leaves · Peace lily
Why is my peace lily drooping?
A drooping peace lily is almost always thirsty: when the soil dries out, the whole plant can flop over. Water it thoroughly, let the excess drain away, and it usually stands back up within hours. If it droops while the soil is wet, the roots are likely waterlogged or rotting, so let it dry out and check the roots instead of watering again.
Check these first
-
Push a finger into the soil. Dry soil means it needs water; wet soil means do not water.
-
Lift the pot: a very light pot confirms it has dried out, a heavy one means the problem is not thirst.
-
Check the saucer and drainage holes for standing water.
-
Note when it droops: only in the late afternoon on a hot, bright day, or all the time.
-
Think about cold: was it near a cold window, an open door or an air conditioner?
-
If it droops in wet soil, slide it out of the pot: healthy roots are firm and pale, rotting ones are dark, soft or sparse.
Causes and fixes
-
Dry soil
How to tellThe whole plant flops, the soil is dry and the pot feels light. It perks up within hours of watering.
What to doWater thoroughly with room-temperature water until it drains out of the bottom, then empty the saucer. From then on, water when the surface starts to dry so the plant does not wilt again; repeated wilting leaves yellow or brown edges.
-
Waterlogged soil or root rot
How to tellLeaves droop or yellow even though the soil is wet, and watering makes it worse. Roots are few, dark or soft. This is more common in winter, when the plant uses less water.
What to doStop watering and let the top of the soil dry. Empty the saucer and make sure the pot drains. If roots are rotten, cut them away and repot into fresh potting mix, going up just one pot size at most.
-
Heat and strong light
How to tellOn hot, bright afternoons the leaves sag even though the soil is still moist, then lift again overnight.
What to doMove it out of direct sun into medium or bright filtered light and away from heaters. A little sagging on a hot afternoon does no harm, but if it happens day after day the leaf tips and edges will start to brown.
-
Cold or drafts
How to tellDrooping or dark, damaged patches appear after a cold night or a spell near cold glass, an open door or air conditioning.
What to doKeep it between 20 and 29 °C and above 15 °C, away from drafts and cooling vents.
-
Too much fertilizer or a crowded pot
How to tellThe plant wilts again soon after watering, leaf tips burn, a white crust forms on the soil, or roots fill the pot and grow out of the holes.
What to doFlush the soil with plenty of plain water and feed only at a quarter of the label strength in spring and summer. Repot one size up if roots fill the pot.
Stop it coming back
-
Check the soil often, especially in warm weather, and water when the surface starts to dry.
-
Always let excess water drain and empty the saucer.
-
Keep it out of direct sun and away from heaters, air conditioning and drafts.
-
Water a little less in winter, when it grows slowly.
-
Feed lightly, at a quarter strength, only in spring and summer.
When to worry
When to worry
Drooping from dry soil is not serious: a peace lily bounces back within hours of a good watering, though a few leaves may yellow or brown at the edges afterwards. Worry when it droops in wet soil, does not recover a day after watering, or the base of the stems feels soft. That points to root rot: unpot it, cut off dark, mushy roots, repot into fresh mix and water only when the surface dries.
