Houseplant Diagnosis

Question

I have never seen this before. The leaves on my peace lily plant are turning black overnight. The whole leaf turns black and is limp and wilty. The stalks look completely healthy.  Two days ago I removed almost all the leaves, except for the new growth. Today all remaining leaves are black and limp. What could this be? Please help, my curiosity is driving me crazy, not to mention the death of my plant.

Answer 1

It could be suffering from over watering or it could have a fungus (brought on by the excess moisture). There is not much you can do if the issue is overwatering other than letting the plant dry out, and possible repotting it. As a precaution, I would also recommend treating for a fungus. This can cause these symptoms as well. A general fungicide would be all you would need to do this.

Answer 2

If you want to go a little deeper into what has happened to your peace lily, pull it out of its pot and examine the roots. You will probably find them all brown and mushy,i.e. dead. And stinky. If there are any firm, healthy roots left, you can cut away the dead roots, and repot the part with good roots, into new soil and pot. But go ahead and try again – peace lilies are great plants. Water only when the leaves are just starting to wilt – they will be bending down on their stems – and then water enough so a little water comes through the drainage holes.