Find Your Ask the Expert: Peace lily: Brown tips
Hi,
I want to ask you what I should do when my peace lily has brown tips. Should I cut them?
Also, some of the tips are turning kind of green. Is this good or bad sign? Jack
Plant Expert Reply:
You can cut the leaves at an angle to remove the brown tips. If only a few leaves have brown tips, I like to remove the whole leaf instead of cutting the tips off.
When you say turning green do you mean a lighter green? Water stress and insect stress can be a factor. I would say since the plants have brown tips, it is more of a water issue. Create a more humid environment around your peace lily and make sure the soil stays moist but not soggy.
If you can take a picture of the leaves from various angles, I will take a look at them to see if I can determine any problems.
As you mentioned, I think the main cause might be over watering. Since the pot is relatively small, it is a little bit hard to water evenly. So I aways give water from center above, where all the flowers with brown tips are rooted.
Other lilies are turning light green and their petals are turning outside. Should I leave them like this? Can you also tell me how often does peace lily have new flowers? Also, how do I know whether peace ily as a whole is dying or not?
Thank you for your advice.
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It would be better to water the peace lily around the edges rather than right in the center. You may need to re-pot the plant if it has outgrown the container. The part of the plant shown in the picture is called the spath. It will start out white then becomes light green and will over the course of time turn brown. That is the natural process and when this happens you cut it off. Just follow the stem to the base of the plant and cut it off. These “blooms” will occur off an on throughout the year. Of course proper light, water and fertilizer are needed for this to happen.
Take a look at our Caring for Peace Lilies section on our peace lily page. You will need to scroll down the page to see the care instructions.
Please let me know if you need anything else.
When the edges of the leaf is brown should I cut the whole leaf off or just trim off the brown on the edges.
Hi dawn,
You can do either. If you choose to trim the brown off the tips, make sure you cut at a 45 degree angle. If you cut the entire leaf off, cut it at the base of the leaf.