The peace lily is a classic houseplant that can add interest to your home and even help keep the air clean. This plant also isn’t too difficult to grow and isn’t susceptible to many pests or diseases. Even though peace lilies are not prone to many problems, they can experience leaf discoloration. Because the peace lily has such deep green foliage, it is easy to spot a problem that causes its leaves to turn pale or white.
A peace lily leaves turning pale/white is your sign that the plant is experiencing distress in some form and needs your assistant ASAP. In most cases, the reason for this leaf discoloration is directly associated with improper care.
Peace lilies are not hard to care for, but they do require a certain level of care in order to maintain their health and attractive appearance. High humidity levels, warm temperatures, moist soil, and indirect sunlight are all needed to keep the peace lily thriving for years to come.
What Causes Peace Lily Leaves Turning Pale/White?
When you are faced with a peace lily leaves that are pale or white, your first question is probably “what is causing the leaves to discolor?” This is an important question that will need answering before you can take any steps to correcting the problem.
The most common causes of peace lily leaves turning pale/white are nutrient deficiency, too much sunlight, growing the plant in direct sun, and excessive temperature. Other potential causes include overwatering the plant, though this isn’t as common as the others on the list.
Nutrient Deficiency
Nutrient deficiency is the leading cause of peace lily leaves turning pale. When the plant isn’t receiving the right amount of nutrients, the leaves will develop Chlorosis and will develop much slower than healthy leaves. Thankfully, there are things you can do to help fix this problem.
Adding a balanced, liquid fertilizer to the peace lily once every 6 weeks will help give the plant the nutrients it so desperately needs. You can also add fish emulsions or worm castings to the soil as a more natural and organic fertilizer.
Too Much Sunlight
An excessive amount of sunlight is another cause of the peace lily leaves turning pale/white. Unfortunately, this can be difficult since the plant already needs 10 to 12 hours of light every day. If you are providing the plant with more than this amount, try cutting back a bit and see if the new leaves that emerge turn pale as well.
Direct Sunlight
Peace lilies cannot thrive in direct sunlight, and trying to grow the plant in this harsh lighting will cause its leaves to scorch and turn pale or white. Thankfully, you can easily correct this problem by moving the plant out of direct sun and instead allowing it to grow in bright, indirect light.
Remember, however, that once the leaves turn pale or white, they won’t revert to their iconic green color. Once the issue is fixed, any new leaves that emerge will have that desirable green hue. If the new leaves also emerge pale or white, then you haven’t corrected the problem.
Excessive Temperature
Temperatures that are too high can also cause the peace lily to develop pale or white leaves. Peace lilies do love warm temperatures, with the ideal range falling between 68 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, but that doesn’t mean they can handle temperatures above this range. In fact, subjecting the peace lily to temps that are 90 degrees or higher can cause the leaves to discolor to a pale or white hue.
If you have your peace lily in an area where the temperatures are above 85 degrees, try lowering the temp or moving the plant to a cooler room. Once the plant is moved to the correct temp, you should see new leaves emerge the proper color.
Additionally, ensure that hot air, such as what comes out of a heating vent, isn’t blowing directly on the peace lily. This can also cause the leaves to turn pale or white even if the room is not set at a higher temperature.
Overwatering
Even though overwatering is a common problem with peace lilies, they don’t always cause the plant’s leaves to turn pale or white. In most cases, the leaves of an overwatered plant will turn yellow. However, there are some instances when overwatering leads to pale or white colored leaves.
Overwatering is typically caused by giving the plant too much water too often. However, it can also occur if you have the peace lily growing in soil or growing medium that doesn’t drain properly. Whether the overwatering is caused by too much watering or compact soil, they both have a potentially deadly effect on the peace lily.
When a plant is overwatered, it cannot properly absorb the nutrients in its soil. This will cause the plant to start to wilt, the leaves to discolor and drop, and its growth to stop. Root rot will also start to set in, and when this occurs, the chance of saving the peace lily is slim to none.
Root rot is a serious fungal disease that causes the roots and even the stems of the peace lily to rot. This will eventually kill the plant. Because of the seriousness of this disease, it is best to implement preventive measures, such as only watering when the soil starts to feel dry and growing the plant in well-drained soil.
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PlantsToTrees.com is the owner of this article and we first published this on February 26, 2023.