Monday, April 13, 2009

Would a Epsom Salt mixture help my Peace Lily?

My Peace Lily was lookin a little droopy and I thought it might need some sun because its in a room where there is little to no sun light. So I put it outside for a day and the leaves that were pretty and green are now wilted. Even the ones that were just begining to grow.





I read that Epsom Salt helps seeds germinate, makes plants grow bushier, produces more flowers, increases chlorophyll production, and improves phosphorus and nitrogen uptake for house plants if you mix 2 tablespoons of Epsom Salt to a gallon of water.





So I was wondering if it would help my Peace Lily since its not so perky anymore. If it won%26#039;t help then what should I do?

Would a Epsom Salt mixture help my Peace Lily?
I have only heard of Epsom Salt used for rose bushes, and it works. It wouldn%26#039;t hurt to add a little, (1/2 teaspoon) to the water once. But it is easy to over feed a house plant, because there is nowhere for the stuff to go. It stays in the pot. And Peace Lily is not in the rose family, so I don%26#039;t know that it would help.





I rescued a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum) at work. Someone threw it out because it wilted. I pulled it out of the trash and was able to get it to bloom.





I should tell you that Peace Lilies don%26#039;t like a lot of light, so taking it from a dark room to direct sunlight might kill it. I would take it out of the sunlight. In nature it grows under the shade of trees, that%26#039;s why it makes a good house plant.





Let me tell you how I revived the plant at work. I put it in the break room, which had no windows but bright florescent lights in the ceiling. I put it directly under a light. You might try placing your plant very near a light that shines in a room, or in front of a north window, or in a window with filtered light.





The plant at work was big, it was in a 12%26quot; pot. But a lot of the leaves had died off. I fed it water from a drinking cup. So it got 4 ounces (1/4 cup) of water every day, that%26#039;s all, no more no less. I poured the water into a different part of the pot each time. It only got watered 5 days a week. Peace plants don%26#039;t like to get soggy, but they don%26#039;t want to dry out either. I went on vacation for a week 4 times a year. Before I went on vacation I placed the plant in the Janitors Closet sink and doused it with water till it was running out, then let it drain. At the end of my shift, I put it back to it%26#039;s place. It didn%26#039;t get any more water for a week. When I came back, I gave it four 4 oz cups of water the first day, then went back to 4oz a day 5 times a week.





With this light and watering schedule, the plant bushed out and within a year, a scraggily plant I rescued from the trash, was producing flowers.





My advice:


Keep the plant away form direct sunlight.


But if it%26#039;s in a dark room, place the plant near a light that is on for 16 hours, and off for 8. (I turned the break room light off during my shift, the night shift, to give the plant a rest.)


Water lightly, but every day. Once every 4 months (or when you go on vacation) place it in the bathtub and turn the shower on to soak it; this will wash the leaves too. Let it drain all day. Don%26#039;t water again for 7 or more days to allow it to dry out completely. Then give it a little extra water and go back to daily water of a little bit.





The plant does produce flowers but it isn%26#039;t a %26quot;hungry%26quot; plant, so a little Miracle Grow or other plant food in the water every 6 months should be enough. Don%26#039;t forget to plant in in a bigger pot once the roots get over grown, but not before.
Reply:Epsom Salts is magnesium and all plants need some. You seem to be giving a huge amount of credit to Epsom Salts. I know for a fact the taking your poor Lilly out in the sun didn%26#039;t do it any favours. Imagine; it was indoors and suddenly it%26#039;s out in the sun! Wow! It is a wonder it didn%26#039;t just turn up its toes and die. Take some advice. If your plant is looking droopy move it into a situation that gets filtered light but not straight out into the sunshine that it hasn%26#039;t been accustomed to. I would wait a week for the leaves to stand up again and then...make up a small quantity of Epsom Salts something in the range of half a breakfast cup of ES to a ten litre bucket of water. It won%26#039;t come back fast but with some TLC you should be able to save it. Good luck. And remember NO MORE DIRECT SUNLIGHT!!!
Reply:peace lily like to dry out in between watering..A little morning sun will be ok for it.. a trick that i do is It sound funny but work they like coffee after you are done with your morning coffee what ever left use it to water your plant not every day once a week and not the grounds..



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