I hope someone can help me figure out what's going on with this plant. I have what I think is a Peace Lily from my grandmother's funeral in 2018. It seemed to do well until around the end of 2021. In March of this year I determined from researching online that it had root rot (likely due to my scheduled watering instead of just when it needed to be watered).

I removed all plants and treated the roots with peroxide and water and removed the dead roots. I saw several videos on youtube mentioning this as a way to cure the plant before re potting. I re potted in new soil, but figured it would probably die. I cut all the stalks off down to the bottom and about a month later a tiny new stalk shot up. That was around the end of April. Slowly but surely it has been sprouting new stalks and making some small leaves. The tallest is about 4 inches now.

The problem I am seeing is that some leaves are starting to wilt and if you look at the tip of the stalk at dirt level, it's brown. I've seen several like that. I only water it now if it's dry about 2 inches below the surface and this seems to be working.

The plant spent its life in the corner of a kitchen with relatively low light. When I saw it start growing again, I decided to move it in front of a window during the day (about 4 feet away on a table). The window has blinds that are partially open and never gets direct sunlight. I really can't find a clear answer looking at information online, but I don't think the leaves could be "burning" from the location I have it.

A final observation is that I've seen tiny insects in the soil. I needed a jeweler's loupe to see them, they are that small. My guess would be aphids or spider mites. From what I've read, I don't think they could be the cause (I've never seen them on the plants or leaves). That's why I'm here though, I'm hoping an expert can help me get this plant healthy again. I'd hate for it to die. I've included several pictures that will hopefully help with a diagnosis. I did go out and buy a spray bottle of Bonide Neem oil from walmart. I saw a video where a woman soaked the soil in the pot to take care of an insect issue. After reading the bottle though, it mentioned to be careful around "tender" plants or new plants, so I was afraid to use it after reading that.

Never had one sorry.

They look happy and healthy to me, just very dry.

I assume the leaves themselves will be ok with more frequent watering, but the tips will stay brown.

The leaves will still work, they just won't look as nice.

I wonder if your plant is Chinese evergreen.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)

I would do nothing now except keep the soil moist and give it bright but not sunny light. Be very patient.

purpleinopp said: I wonder if your plant is Chinese evergreen.
Chinese Evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)

Thanks for the reply! I'm pretty sure it's a peace lily as I believe it did bloom once in early 2019. I think the flowers were white. It never really bloomed after that, but I don't know how old the plant was when I received it.

sallyg said: I would do nothing now except keep the soil moist and give it bright but not sunny light. Be very patient.

Thank you! I do think I may have been under watering it now since my run in with root rot. This morning one of the larger leaves had drooped

After I saw that, I checked the drain holes and they were pretty dry as well as the top 3 inches. I then watered slowly until it came out of the bottom. I'm really sad that the little leaves have been affected by this. I didn't know if it was insects or the sun or what was going on. I'm going to hope it was just under watering.

7wonders said:
After I saw that, I checked the drain holes and they were pretty dry as well as the top 3 inches. I then watered slowly until it came out of the bottom.

Slowly is good, but just because water came out the bottom does not mean the plant is watered and can receive the moisture it needs.

*Especially if the soil is already dry.

7wonders said:This morning one of the larger leaves had drooped

Too dry. Water thoroughly when needed and drain well.

Humboldt said: Slowly is good, but just because water came out the bottom does not mean the plant is watered and can receive the moisture it needs.

*Especially if the soil is already dry.

How to tell for sure, then? The one leaf that had drooped never did come back, it is still drooped over this morning

Whichever it is, it doesn't look like it's dying, from what we can see in the pics. Was it happier in the original place in the corner in the kitchen? You said that is where it started growing again.

When you water, add water to all of the soil surface, so you know all of the soil has gotten moist. Pics of dirt can be deceiving but in the pics, the soil looks unevenly moist to me, and dry in places.

If it seems like all of the water you added ran right out of the drain hole, repeat watering several times, slowly and gently (so the soil doesn't wash out of the pot, or compact unnecessarily) until the pot feels much heavier. Repeat when it feels lighter, but not so late that the soil has no moisture left at all.

When you repotted, did you replace the plants at the same level, with not more soil covering more of the plant? Do you have any pics of this plant in the past? It's really small for a PL that has been with you for 4 years. Can you add a pic of it now, showing the drooping leaf?

I would have doubts about myself being able to keep any plant alive in that soil, which looks like pure peat. I did used to have plants that got root rot when I used potting soil like that years ago. If this doesn't go well, I would blame the soil, not yourself. In my experience with peat, it gets hydrophobic when dry, and suffocates roots.

I don't always drink beer, no wait, I mean don't always used bagged soil from a store, but when I do, I get "cactus/palm" soil, which is very chunky. The chunks cause little spaces of air, which help roots grow correctly, needing oxygen and moisture at the same time to function. Without any microbiological activity, and in a non-porous pot, suffocation from lack of oxygen can cause what we call overwatering, root rot.

Using a clay pot can also help ameliorate the risk of rotting roots because the clay is porous.

purpleinopp said: Whichever it is, it doesn't look like it's dying, from what we can see in the pics. Was it happier in the original place in the corner in the kitchen? You said that is where it started growing again.

When you water, add water to all of the soil surface, so you know all of the soil has gotten moist. Pics of dirt can be deceiving but in the pics, the soil looks unevenly moist to me, and dry in places.

If it seems like all of the water you added ran right out of the drain hole, repeat watering several times, slowly and gently (so the soil doesn't wash out of the pot, or compact unnecessarily) until the pot feels much heavier. Repeat when it feels lighter, but not so late that the soil has no moisture left at all.

When you repotted, did you replace the plants at the same level, with not more soil covering more of the plant? Do you have any pics of this plant in the past? It's really small for a PL that has been with you for 4 years. Can you add a pic of it now, showing the drooping leaf?

I would have doubts about myself being able to keep any plant alive in that soil, which looks like pure peat. I did used to have plants that got root rot when I used potting soil like that years ago. If this doesn't go well, I would blame the soil, not yourself. In my experience with peat, it gets hydrophobic when dry, and suffocates roots.

I don't always drink beer, no wait, I mean don't always used bagged soil from a store, but when I do, I get "cactus/palm" soil, which is very chunky. The chunks cause little spaces of air, which help roots grow correctly, needing oxygen and moisture at the same time to function. Without any microbiological activity, and in a non-porous pot, suffocation from lack of oxygen can cause what we call over watering, root rot.

Using a clay pot can also help ameliorate the risk of rotting roots because the clay is porous.

Thank you for taking the time to write such an excellent reply! Unfortunately, I think you touched on some of the issues that may have played a part in the situation. First, yes, the soil that I used to repot in March was from walmart. I don't recall exactly (bag is in the garage), but it was some sort of "indoor mix". It did seem pretty loose to me. Another issue I suppose is the pot. It's just plastic and I bought it based on looks knowing that clay was probably a better option. It's funny because My grandfather had a huge garden his whole life, and my dad has always grown tons of orchids and all sorts of flowers & plants, but yet here I struggle to keep a simple peace lily alive.

After a few bouts of all the leaves drooping and then freaking out thinking that I killed it, I would then water it and was amazed to see it rejuvenate by the end of the day. Well, a few leaves turning brown and yellow here and there and it scared me enough to then start a watering "schedule" (which I now know is a very bad idea). I think that's when things went wrong. One by one, leaves started to turn brown and I read that you should trim them and then eventually I also trimmed the stalks. This happened over the course of a few months starting late last year. I have included a picture of the drooping leaf as it is now. If you compare to one of my earlier images you will see that it was standing tall just two days ago. There is another image from 2020 when it was in full glory, and then one showing the cut off stalks from January of this year.

Regarding the first images from the other day: yes, the soil had dry spots for sure. The last time I watered it prior to yesterday was probably about 2 weeks ago! I'm so scared of root rot after seeing what it did when I repotted it in March. When I repotted it, I did place the rhizomes at the same level, but a couple were too far gone. You can see in the 2020 picture that it was a very large plant at one point. This morning, I used a spray bottle to mist all of the soil again as evenly as I could. I placed it in some indirect light again, but it's hard to say where it really did well because I seem to remember a leaf or two always turning brown or yellow. I've since read that usually yellow leaves mean too much watering and brown not enough. I swear it's like medical conditions with humans though, you can never be too sure as sometimes the same symptoms can be the result of different means of getting there!

Anyway, hopefully it's watered properly at the moment. Maybe I will leave it in the low light area and not keep moving it during the day. I really thought it was dead in March, but then after about a month a tiny stalk started to grow up and I thought it was a miracle. At that point, I thought maybe I should give it more light during the day. I only questioned this when I started to see the brown/dried leaves. From what everyone here has said and observed in my pictures, I agree that the issue must be under watering.

7wonders said: How to tell for sure, then? The one leaf that had drooped never did come back, it is still drooped over this morning

Tiffany beat me to it.

Heft it a few times before you water, get accustomed to the weight.

Water evenly, give it time to moisten the soil. Doesn't matter if it runs out the bottom or not.

Wait a few minutes, longer the better, and water again, slowly.

It should take longer for the water to drain through which means it's soaking into the soil instead of just draining right out. As mentioned though, if the soil is super dry it will take a while before it breaks through the surface and drains.

Let it drain and heft it again. If it feel substantially heavier you're good.

If not, hit it again and let it drain well.

A well-watered plant is a happy plant, so I agree you were killing yours with love by trying to avoid over-watering.

Just jumping in to reinforce above two excellent sets of instructions. I too augment all potting soil to create WAY better drainage. Even here in my arid climate, that is the key to allowing complete root zone saturation while preventing root rot.

What you said above: "This morning, I used a spray bottle to mist all of the soil again as evenly as I could."...
No, spraying the top layer is not watering. Pour the water in the way Humboldt described.

NMoasis said:
What you said above: "This morning, I used a spray bottle to mist all of the soil again as evenly as I could."...
No, spraying the top layer is not watering.

Indeed.

I care for about 100-150 plants between home and work.

The only time I spray soil is with succulent leaf starts, even then it's just when I need a computer break.

7wonders said:

Is the last picture the most recent?

Those are super cute! They look great, just get them some water:)

Humboldt said: Tiffany beat me to it.

Heft it a few times before you water, get accustomed to the weight.

Water evenly, give it time to moisten the soil. Doesn't matter if it runs out the bottom or not.

Wait a few minutes, longer the better, and water again, slowly.

It should take longer for the water to drain through which means it's soaking into the soil instead of just draining right out. As mentioned though, if the soil is super dry it will take a while before it breaks through the surface and drains.

Let it drain and heft it again. If it feel substantially heavier you're good.

If not, hit it again and let it drain well.

A well-watered plant is a happy plant, so I agree you were killing yours with love by trying to avoid over-watering.

Thanks for the reply! I have definitely taken note of the weight difference and will start to use this as a guide.

NMoasis said: Just jumping in to reinforce above two excellent sets of instructions. I too augment all potting soil to create WAY better drainage. Even here in my arid climate, that is the key to allowing complete root zone saturation while preventing root rot.

What you said above: "This morning, I used a spray bottle to mist all of the soil again as evenly as I could."...
No, spraying the top layer is not watering. Pour the water in the way Humboldt described.

I had actually poured the water in to begin with around the perimeter of the pot and was worried about pouring any directly around the plants for fear of washing away too much soil. I had read that water can be absorbed through the rhizomes as well as the roots so my intent with the spray bottle was to "gently" soak the area all around and above the rhizomes.

Humboldt said: Is the last picture the most recent?

Those are super cute! They look great, just get them some water:)

Thanks! Yes, the last picture is the most recent. This morning, the one larger leaf that was drooped over is now more noticeably farther away from the small dry leaf below it. I started watching yesterday to see if it would revive. I was watching the space between the tip of the drooped leaf, and the top of the leaf below it. There is more distance between the two now so either the leaf is starting to perk up, or the stalk is growing upwards.

A question for all: the small leaves that are clearly dry/brown... should I trim those off or just leave them alone? I didn't know if they could be sucking the life out of the parts that are still growing or not. One final related question, in the picture I posted where the leaves were cut off when the plant was really large in March; Is there any purpose to leaving the stalks when you trim off a leaf or should you just cut the stalks off at the soil level? This would be the same concern, whether or not those stalks would still be taking energy from the rest of the plant when clearly they would no longer make leaves.

Thanks to everyone for all of the replies and helpful information!

If the soil surface has gotten really dry, spritzing before watering can be a way to prep the soil to start absorbing water again.

I do a lot of spritzing for hanging plants over winter. Add too much and they drip on the floor. Putting a plate or bowl under there catches any drips, but the splashing makes that a last-resort safety feature for me.

It can be tricky to water after repotting. If a gush of water is applied, the soil gets instantly compacted and washes out of the pot. Spritzing the first few times, if you have the patience, can get the particles locked in place so when you do water, the bits don't move. As said, this is such a small amount of water per trigger pull. You'll need to sit or stand there squeezing the trigger a bunch of times until a significant amount of water has been applied.

Agree from the new pic of it in the past, it's a PL, not A. modestum.

If a dead leaf or stalk is hindering your enjoyment, definitely remove it. But otherwise, I don't think the plant cares, assuming it's not from an anomaly like bacteria or fungus. My theory is somewhat the other way, that plants absorb the moisture and whatever else from the dying leaf and then to the plant, it's like a hair that falls off of a human head, or an eyelash, it's just not part of the person anymore.

purpleinopp said: If the soil surface has gotten really dry, spritzing before watering can be a way to prep the soil to start absorbing water again.

I do a lot of spritzing for hanging plants over winter. Add too much and they drip on the floor. Putting a plate or bowl under there catches any drips, but the splashing makes that a last-resort safety feature for me.

It can be tricky to water after repotting. If a gush of water is applied, the soil gets instantly compacted and washes out of the pot. Spritzing the first few times, if you have the patience, can get the particles locked in place so when you do water, the bits don't move. As said, this is such a small amount of water per trigger pull. You'll need to sit or stand there squeezing the trigger a bunch of times until a significant amount of water has been applied.

Agree from the new pic of it in the past, it's a PL, not A. modestum.

If a dead leaf or stalk is hindering your enjoyment, definitely remove it. But otherwise, I don't think the plant cares, assuming it's not from an anomaly like bacteria or fungus. My theory is somewhat the other way, that plants absorb the moisture and whatever else from the dying leaf and then to the plant, it's like a hair that falls off of a human head, or an eyelash, it's just not part of the person anymore.

Trust me, it took quite a while with the spray bottle yesterday! I just took my time and my hand was wore out from pulling the trigger once it was saturated.

I'm sure I will be ridiculed for posting the soil I used, but here it is. It was in the dead of winter and my only options were really what I could find at walmart. The ground was frozen and I wasn't about to go dig up dirt and bring it inside. I also presumed that this was a good choice, but there is probably more premium soil that can be purchased from Lowes or Tractor Supply, etc... Admittedly, I'm just ignorant about it all. As I mentioned before, my dad has always grown flowers and plants, but it's really new to me. As an aside, I am attaching an old picture of my grandfather's garden and some other plants of my dads. The orchids are from this year, but the other pictures are older.

As far as the dried out leaves; I like your theory! I would feel bad cutting them anyway since they are still babies even though the leaves have dried. I feel like I've worked so hard bringing it back to life that I don't want to hurt it by cutting them. I know it doesn't really hurt the plant, but that's just how I "feel" about it.