Loved for their luscious foliage and delicate white flowers, if your Peace Lily is losing leaves then this could mean something serious. Luckily, there are only a few causes of leaf drop with Peace Lilies so it makes diagnosing the issue a lot simpler than with some other problems. If your Peace Lily is losing leaves quite rapidly, then watering issues are most probably to blame. However, it could also simply be a sign of natural ageing so it’s important to know the difference so you know how or if you need to change your watering routine.
Waterlogged soil can cause your Peace Lily to start losing leaves
Too much water is a common factor when it comes to Peace Lily plants losing their leaves. Whilst they might not be as fussy as many other houseplant types, they will still suffer if sat in waterlogged soil for too long. Overwatering can lead the roots to turn soft and mushy which starves your plant of nutrients. This will then lead your Peace Lily to start losing some of its leaves to conserve energy.
To determine whether overwatering is the reason your Peace Lily is losing leaves, check the moisture levels in the soil immediately using a moisture meter, or the finger/chopstick method. If the soil is waterlogged then replace it with dry high-quality potting mix. You might be tempted to just wait for the potting mix to naturally dry out but this just risks even more leaves falling off your plant.
Whilst you are replacing the potting mix, cut off the rotten roots as this focuses your plant’s energy on growing new healthy roots. To prevent overwatering from causing your plant to start losing leaves again in future, adjust your watering schedule so you aren’t watering your Peace Lily as often as you were before. Make sure the potting mix has time to dry out between waterings.
Underwatering can also be a factor
Another common cause of leaf drop in Peace Lilies is a consistent lack of water. Although we have established above that overwatering is also a killer, too little water can cause some of the same problems to occur.
You can tell if your plant is losing leaves because it’s too dry by looking at the way in which the dry parts have developed on the leaves that have fallen off your plant. If there are brown spots are at the edge of the leaf, rather than in the middle, this is a sign of a dry plant. Another thing to look out for is which leaves are turning brown. If you find there are dry spots on leaves throughout the plant, from top to bottom, this also points to dry soil.
To rectify the issue and stop your Peace Lily from losing leaves, water your plant a little once a day for a week. This will gradually moisten the soil and avoid any shock being caused by a sudden change in environment. If you water your plant too much at the beginning, it can actually lead to more leaves falling off as a response to the stress.
It could just be natural ageing
As your Peace Lily matures, it may occasionally lose a lower leaf as a natural sign of your plant maturing. This is absolutely nothing to worry about and isn’t a consequence of anything you did wrong or anything in the environment which needs to change.
Make sure to keep track of how many leaves your Peace Lily is losing as if it’s more than a couple every year then there is definitely a problem with watering. There is no harm in giving the soil and roots a once over every now and again to check for signs of root rot and keep an eye on any changes in light or temperature that may be affecting its health.
Those are the three main reasons why Peace Lilies lose their leaves. If watering issues are the cause of your Peace Lily losing leaves, then you need to act quickly to solve the problem and stop any more leaves from falling off. The earlier you catch the problem, the easier and quicker it will be to fix it. But don’t give up on your plant, Peace Lilies are hardy and can bounce back from a lot so be patient and ensure your plant is getting the right care and it should bounce back.
Check out our Peace Lily care guide for everything you need to know to keep your plant thriving.
