Is my peace lily's lighting ok?

Question

I got this beautiful peace lily sensation about five weeks ago. I just discovered the yellow leaf and I'd like to troubleshoot this before it gets worse. I suspect it's due to lighting but would appreciate any feedback or tips.

As shown in the photo below, it's placed to the side of a couple large windows which face south. I live in sunny Los Angeles and we are going through a February heat wave - temperatures are in the high 80s and it probably gets to 80-82 inside my home during the day. It seems to get direct sun like it's getting in the picture in the morning for roughly two hours; the rest of the day it's blocked from the sun but still in a bright room.

There were a couple times when I watered once when its leaves drooped. I know that's not healthy so I know I need to get it water before that happens. I'm also a bottom water-er, but will water from the top every so often to make sure nutrients are going through. I allow tap water to sit out overnight so that chlorine can evaporate out before giving it to the plant. I have a humidifier, though it's at the opposite corner of the room, that I run almost every night and if the central air/heat is on.

Answer 1

Sometimes a yellow leaf is not a serious issue. Plants adjust to their environment. In this case this is an older leaf that is partially shaded by newer leaves. You can just remove it at the base with a clean cut.

As far as leaving water out for the chlorine to evaporate this will only work for areas that only use chlorine to treat water. Many cities in North America use chloramine to treat water and this does not evaporate readily from standing water. For plants that are sensitive to chlorine which, to my knowledge, does not include spaths you can get a water treatment additive at most pet stores or use a carbon filter that is used by portable water filter systems.

Watering is critical to success with this plant as it should not be allowed to get dry enough to start drooping. How often you need to water will depend on light levels. This plant likes bright diffuse light and can benefit from a wick system to provide an even amount of water to the roots all the time.

This plant does not get spider mites and rarely gets any other pests. The most common problem is letting the plant dry out too much and then overwatering.