features of Yellowing leaves on a peace Lilly

Yellowing Leaves on A Peace Lily: What Are the Reasons?

Peace lily is one of the eye-catching houseplants with white bloom and dark green leaves.

It requires low maintenance and has some environmental preference for growing since it belongs to tropical regions.

One of the common issues with peace lily is yellow leaves, which can happen due to different reasons, including environmental factors.

If your peace lily shows yellow leaves after putting effort and time into your plant, it is customary to be frustrated.

But there is no worry; by reading this article, you can discover the reasons that lead to developing yellow leaves, and by managing the growth requirements of your plant, you can still enjoy your healthy plant.

Why do Lily’s leaves turn yellow?

Due to different reasons peace, Lily’s leaves can be affected and fail to keep their leaf pigments and turn yellow.

Here is the list of common reasons that yellow leaves appear on the peace Lily:

1. Underwatering

Peace lily is sensitive to poor watering and cannot stand drought, and to remain healthy, they need moist soil. To keep their soil moist, they should be watered once a week.

You can dig your finger into the soil up to 1-2 inches to see that your plant suffers from poor watering. If it is dry, you must pour water.

1. Overwatering

• Overwatering is one of the main reasons for yellow leaves on Peace Lily.
• The symptom of overwatering is severe and does not only include yellow leaves; it appears as brown tips on the leaves, wilted foliage, rotting roots, or fungal diseases.
• Although peace lily belongs to Southeast Asia and South American jungles, which allow plants to grow in moisture, it cannot tolerate overwatering and waterlogging.

1. Light issues

• As peace lily originated from the jungles and lives under the canopies, it prefers regions with indirect light, which is bright.
• When your plant is exposed to direct sunlight for an extended time, it will lead to wilted leaves appearing in yellow colors.
• If you grow your plant indoors, you should place your plant near the east-facing windows or keep your plant far away from the windows so as not to be exposed to direct light.
• If your plant does not get enough light, on the other hand, it will be incapable of doing proper photosynthesis and lose green pigments, ending up turning to yellow-colored leaves.

1. Lack of humidity

Peace lily appreciates humid conditions and prefers a 60% humidity level due to its naturality.

When this plant is grown in the home, it should be provided with enough humidity level, and if the area lacks humidity, plants become dry and display yellow leaves.

Use a humidifier or pebble tray to increase the environment’s humidity level. In addition to these, you can mist the peace lily for a couple of days.

1. Lack of nutrients

• Peace lily need enough nutrients in the soil to thrive and make the most of their potential. A lack of nutrients shows up on the plant as yellow leaves.
• To optimize photosynthesis, plants need to get nitrogen from the soil, and while plants cannot intake nitrogen from the ground, the green pigments of leaves disappear.
• To help the plant prevent the yellow leaves display, you must raise the soil nutrients by applying a diluted houseplant fertilizer within 6-8 weeks during the growing seasons and stop fertilizing during fall and winter.

1. Improper water quality

• In addition to the amount of water, you should consider the water quality while watering plants.
• Since tap water contains chemical materials such as fluoride and chlorine, it is more likely that the leaves of the peace lily will turn yellow when you use tap water when you use tap water.
• So, when your peace lily’s leaves turn yellow, check the soil once you see white dots sprinkle on the soil surface; it is due to build-up salt.
• You can use filtered or dechlorinated water to counter this issue caused by improper water quality.

1. Temperature fluctuation

• Although peace lily does not require high maintenance, exposure to fluctuating temperatures can lead to developing yellow leaves. 
• Peace lilies best thrive in temperature ranges between 55–85 degrees Fahrenheit and 12 degrees centigrade. If you make the temperature stable in the environment, the symptom of yellow leaves on peace lily will disappear.
• If the environment’s temperature fluctuates between high and low temperature, the plant undergoes stress and loses its green pigments.

1. Repotting shock

• Changing the plant’s pot frequently without allowing it to acclimate to the new one leads to its shock.
• The idea of repotting the plant is once a year since this plant is slow-growing and needs more space for growing.
• To know if the cause of the yellow leaves on the peace lily is related to repotting shock, you can check the tips of the leaves. You’ll see brown tips on the leaves along with yellow leaves.
• Here are points that you need to consider when choosing a new pot:
• Use one size larger than the previous pot when you transfer your plant to a new one, and select clay or terracotta pots rather than plastic or ceramic.
• Large pot includes more soil, allowing plants to enjoy more moisture the ground holds as they dry slowly. This pot lets the earth lose its water quickly and not be waterlogged.
• Choose a pot with a drainage hole at the bottom to prevent waterlogged and yellow leaves on the peace lily.

1. Pests & diseases

Although peace lily is known for its tolerance against any pest and disease, it can be affected by some organisms such as fungus gnats, mealybugs, and scale insects. When plants are affected by problems, plants develop yellow leaves.

If air conditioning around the root is insufficient, plant roots cannot breathe and absorb the nutrients from the soil efficiently, leading to rotting roots and, finally, yellow leaves.

10. Old leaves

• As plants age, naturally, yellow leaves appear on the plant and finally drop, making space for new leaves. So, when one or two leaves turn yellow at the base of the plant, it is because of plant age.
• After seeing the old leaves yellow and wilted, you need to remove them with clean scissors. Once the yellow leaves drop on the plant’s soil, you must clean them to avoid pest infection.

The bottom line

Peace lily is a popular houseplant from tropical regions that requires low maintenance. However, it will likely develop yellow leaves if you don’t meet its requirements.

The reasons behind the yellow leaves on the peace lilies are associated with factors such as low nutrients, improper watering, natural age of the plant, low level of humidity or fluctuating temperature, and others.

I hope you find the main reasons for your yellow leaves appearing on the peace lily and immediately provide a proper remedy for the plant.

If you have further questions in this field, please don’t hesitate to ask us in the comment section.