Question
My peace lilly has brown-black leaves what am I doing wrong? Oh, I also have a yellowish powder on the floor around my peace lilly, what is it?  

Answer
Hi Roxanne,

As a general rule for peace lilies, yellow leaves indicate excessive drying of the soil and black leaves indicate root rot due to keeping the soil too moist or maintaining it in a pot that is too large.

The best time to water a peace lily is just as or just before it begins to wilt a bit. It is okay if it wilts once in a while, so next time let it go a bit longer until you see it start to wilt. Then you will have a better idea as to how long it can go and how dry the soil can get.

If you moved your peace lily into a pot substantially larger than its original pot, then the excess soil may be keeping the roots wet for too long. If so, you may need to downsize the pot.

The yellowish powder is most likely the pollen from the flowers, although you did not state that yours was in bloom. However, I cannot think of anything else related to the peace lily that would produce yellow powder, including pests or diseases.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.
   
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

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