A peace lily leaves splitting – how to fix/prevent it has a negative effect on not only the appearance of the plant, but can also be a sign that something is seriously wrong with the plant.
Lack of nutrients, an environment that is too dry, and not receiving enough water are all reasons that can cause the peace lily leaves to split. If you don’t act quickly, the leaves could split even more, which can interfere with the plant’s ability to absorb nutrients from the sun.
What Causes Peace Lily Leaves Splitting?
Before you can even begin to address the problem, you must first figure out what is causing the peace lily leaves to split. The quicker you can identify the problem, the quicker you can leap into action to save the plant.
There are several causes of peace lily leaves splitting, including dehydration, improper humidity levels, malnutrition of the plant, pests, diseases, and even physical damage caused by you, your children, and your pets.
Dehydration
Dehydration is the leading cause of a leaf splitting in peace lilies. If you don’t properly hydrate the plant, then its leaves can begin to discolor, curl, and even split. As the dehydration continues, the plant will experience stunted or slowed growth, and the plant could potentially go into shock.
The best way to ensure your peace lily stays properly hydrated is to water about once a week. Furthermore, make sure to water the plant with distilled or filtered water.
Tap water can cause its own problems since it typically contains additives that can damage the peace lily. If you must use tap water, fill the watering can with water and then let it sit on the counter for about 24 hours, or at least overnight. This should give the chlorine in the water enough time to dissipate before you water the peace lily.
Lack Of Humidity
Humidity levels are extremely important for peace lilies, who need a humidity level of 75 percent or above. If you don’t give the plant this high level of humidity, it will start to develop splitting in its leaves. Thankfully, this can be easily corrected by increasing the humidity level in the area around the plant.
There are a few different ways to increase the humidity level, including using a drip tray or humidifier. You can also mist the peace lily’s leaves to help put humidity in the area around the plant.
Malnutrition
When a peace lily isn’t getting the proper nutrients, it can cause the leaves to split, as well as the plant just not growing. Feeding the peace lily an all-balanced liquid fertilizer made for houseplants will help give the plant the nutrients it needs.
When you apply the fertilizer, do so at half strength once every 6 weeks. This should be done during the plant’s active growing season, which is the spring and summer. In the fall and winter, when the plant is not actively growing, cut back the feeding to once every 8 to 10 weeks.
Pests
Sap-sucking insects can cause small holes on the peace lily’s leaves, and these holes can cause the leaves to start to split. While this isn’t as common of a cause as some of the other environmental factors, it is still a possibility that you should look at if none of the other potential causes fit your situation.
The article owner is Plants To Trees dot Com and this article was first published on December 27, 2022.
Look at the underside and top side of the leaves. Do you see any pests? If so, quarantine the plant to an area away from other houseplants and then liberally spray the plant with insecticidal soap or neem oil. Make sure to read and follow the instructions located on the back of the bottle.
Diseases
Diseases are another reason that your peace lily leaves may be splitting. Fungal and bacterial diseases, such as bacterial leaf spot and root rot, can all have a negative effect on the peace lily’s foliage. Splitting, curling, discoloration, and falling off the plant are just a few of the problems that these diseases can cause.
Thankfully, you can prevent these diseases from infecting your peace lily by providing the plant with its ideal growing conditions. This means not overwatering the plant and when you do water it, do so at the base and not above. Watering the peace lily above causes the soil to splash up onto the leaves, which can result in pathogens lurking in the soil coming in contact with the leaves when the water splashes up onto it.
Unfortunately, in most cases, once the disease infects the peace lily, there is little you can do to stop it or cure it. You may be able to stop the spread by removing the infected foliage and drenching the soil with a fungicide.
Physical Damage
A potential cause of the peace lily leaves splitting is physical damage done by you, the owner, children, and even pets. This is often the cause if you have a peace lily in a high traffic area where it could accidently be bothered when going about your daily activities.
If this is what is causing the peace lily leaves to split, simply move the plant to an area where it won’t be bothered. This may be in a room away from high traffic areas, or higher up where children and pets cannot reach it.
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PlantsToTrees.com is the owner of this article and we first published this on December 27, 2022.