Question
I am most concerned about my peace lily. It was doing fine until i came home after being away. The stems look fine but the leaves are terrible. They are a dull green and wilting fast. There are small bugs that look like dandruff and leave little yellow cases which i think are egg cases. The cases are most often round in shape. I think the problem came from infested soil. I have used garlic as a repellant, but only very recently. Is there anything I can do?

Answer
Hi Miriam,

The wilting and dull green color are probably from rotted roots or from soil that got too dry while you were away. If the soil feels moist and does not perk up after watering, then you can be quite sure the problem is root rot. If watering revives that plant, then the wilting was due to dry soil.

You didn't mention where you are seeing the alleged insects or waht they look like. If the "dandruff" is on the leaves, then it is probably pollen from the flowers. If the "egg cases" are in the soil, then it is probably the shells of fertilizer pellets. But I cannot be sure of any of this without seeing a photo or having a better description.

Photos can be sent to me at [email protected]

Regards,
Will Creed