Peace lilies, with their elegant white blooms and air-purifying qualities, are a popular choice for indoor plant enthusiasts. Proper care is crucial to ensure your peace lily thrives and brings beauty to your home. Watering is indeed a critical aspect of peace lily care, often considered the most important factor in their wellbeing. The key is to avoid overwatering, allowing the top third of the soil to dry out between waterings. You can easily check the soil moisture by touching the topsoil; if it feels dry and slightly flaky, it’s time to water. Unlike some plants, peace lilies generally don’t experience a dormancy period, so their watering needs remain fairly consistent throughout the year.
Optimizing Light and Location for Your Peace Lily
Peace lilies benefit from regular dusting to ensure optimal photosynthesis. This simple care step helps maintain the plant’s health and appearance by keeping its leaves clean and efficient at absorbing light.
Peace lilies flourish in environments that mimic their natural habitat: bright, indirect sunlight. Positioning your peace lily near a north, north-east, or north-west facing window is usually ideal. Smaller peace lily varieties can sit comfortably on windowsills. However, placing them on shelves can be less suitable unless a strong light source, such as a skylight, is directly above. Insufficient light can hinder their growth and flowering.
Dust accumulation on the leaves is a common issue for indoor plants. Regularly wiping the leaves with a damp cloth is essential. This dusting process is not just for aesthetic purposes; it directly improves the plant’s ability to photosynthesize, ensuring it can efficiently convert light into energy. Clean leaves also enhance the overall appearance of your peace lily, keeping it looking vibrant and healthy.
Soil, Potting Mix, and Fertilizing Peace Lilies
Choosing the right soil and providing adequate nutrients are vital for a thriving peace lily.
Soil and Potting Mix: When repotting your peace lily, select a high-quality, peat-free potting mix specifically formulated for houseplants. Generic houseplant potting mixes are suitable, but for optimal results, consider using a mix specifically labeled for peace lilies, which often provides enhanced drainage and aeration.
Fertilizing: Peace lilies are responsive to regular feeding. Use a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer diluted to half strength. Fertilize every third watering throughout the year to provide the necessary nutrients for healthy growth and flowering. In addition to regular fertilizer, foliar feeding can encourage more frequent blooming. Apply a foliar spray fertilizer every two weeks to the leaves to boost flowering potential.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements
Maintaining the right temperature and humidity levels is crucial for peace lily health.
Peace lilies thrive in typical household temperatures, ideally between 60-77°F (15-25°C). It’s important to protect them from temperatures below 60°F (15°C), as colder temperatures can lead to leaf damage and increase the risk of root rot.
Peace lilies prefer humid environments, reflecting their tropical origins. If the air in your home is dry, especially during winter months with indoor heating, you can increase humidity around your peace lily. A simple and effective method is to place the pot on a tray filled with pebbles and water. Ensure the water level is just below the top of the pebbles so the pot is not sitting directly in water, which can lead to root rot. The evaporating water will create a humid microclimate around the plant.
Pruning and Maintenance
Regular pruning helps maintain the appearance and health of your peace lily.
Use clean, sharp scissors or pruning shears to remove any brown or dead leaves and spent flowers. This not only improves the plant’s aesthetic but also encourages new growth. If you notice yellowing leaves, resist the urge to prune them immediately. Yellow leaves can still provide nutrients to the plant as they gradually turn brown. Once a leaf is completely brown, it can be pruned away.
Staking and Support
Generally, peace lilies do not require staking. Their leaves naturally arch gracefully. However, drooping or leaning leaves can sometimes indicate underlying issues.
If the leaves are consistently drooping or spreading outwards excessively, it could be a sign of root rot. Assess your watering habits and soil drainage to rule out overwatering. If all the leaves are leaning noticeably towards a window, it’s simply a response to the light source. Rotate the plant 180 degrees periodically to ensure even growth and prevent excessive leaning.
Repotting Peace Lilies
Peace lilies prefer to be slightly pot-bound and don’t need frequent repotting. Repot only when necessary, typically every 1-2 years, or when the plant becomes root-bound.
When repotting, handle the root system with care to minimize transplant shock. Symptoms of transplant shock include wilting or yellowing leaves shortly after repotting.
Repotting Steps:
- Pre-watering: Water the peace lily thoroughly about 12 hours before repotting. This helps to hydrate the plant and reduce stress during the process.
- Choose the right pot: Select a new pot that is only slightly larger (a few centimeters wider) than the current pot. Too large a pot can retain excess moisture and increase the risk of root rot.
- Prepare the new pot: Add a layer of fresh, peat-free houseplant or peace lily potting mix to the bottom of the new pot, about 4cm deep.
- Carefully remove the plant: Gently remove the peace lily from its current pot, being careful not to damage the roots.
- Position the plant: Place the root ball on top of the fresh potting mix in the new pot.
- Fill with potting mix: Fill the spaces around the root ball with more fresh potting mix, ensuring the plant is positioned at the same depth as it was in the previous pot.
- Remove air pockets: Gently tap the sides of the pot several times to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets.
- Water thoroughly: Water the newly repotted peace lily thoroughly until water drains out of the drainage holes.
- Return to original location: Place the repotted plant back in its original location to minimize stress from environmental changes.
Propagating Peace Lilies
Peace lilies can be propagated by dividing offsets, a method that allows you to create new plants from offshoots of the parent plant. This is best done in the spring to coincide with the plant’s active growth period.
The most common method for peace lily propagation is division, separating offsets (smaller plantlets growing from the base) from the parent plant. Spring is the ideal time for propagation. Handle the roots delicately during division to avoid transplant shock. Division is best performed on peace lilies that are at least two years old.
Propagation by Division Steps:
- Pre-watering: Water the peace lily about 12 hours before you plan to divide it to hydrate the plant and make the process less stressful.
- Remove from pot: Carefully take the peace lily out of its pot.
- Identify offsets: Locate the offsets, which look like smaller versions of the main plant, growing around the base.
- Separate offsets: Using a clean, sharp knife or pruning shears, carefully cut the offsets away from the parent plant. You may hear a slight ‘snap’ as you separate them.
- Tease roots: Gently separate and tease apart the roots of the offsets from the main root ball.
- Pot offsets: Plant each offset individually in 4-inch (10cm) pots filled with peat-free houseplant potting mix.
- Repot parent plant: Keep the parent plant in its original pot. Fill any gaps created by removing offsets with fresh potting mix. Continue caring for the parent plant as usual.
- Care for offsets: Care for the newly potted offsets in the same way you would care for a mature peace lily.
Troubleshooting Common Peace Lily Issues
Yellowing leaves on a peace lily can be a sign of various issues, including overwatering or underwatering, but some yellowing of older leaves is normal and part of the plant’s natural lifecycle.
Yellowing Leaves: It’s normal for older peace lily leaves to yellow and die off occasionally, especially one leaf at a time, at a slow rate (one per month or slower). However, if more than a third of the leaves are yellowing, it could indicate a problem. Check the roots for signs of root rot. Healthy roots are firm and white to light tan, while rotting roots are brown, mushy, and easily pull away from the soil.
Lack of Flowers: If your peace lily is not flowering, insufficient light is often the culprit. Ensure it’s in a bright, indirect light location. Incorrect temperatures can also affect flowering. Regular fertilization every third watering can also encourage blooming.
Brown Leaf Tips: Brown tips on leaves can be a sign of natural leaf aging. However, dry soil or low humidity can accelerate browning. Ensure consistent soil moisture and consider increasing humidity, especially in dry indoor environments.
Curling or Drooping Leaves: Curling or drooping leaves can be caused by several factors: excessive heat or direct sunlight, transplant shock, or root rot. Make sure your peace lily is not in direct sun, is in a room with average temperatures, and is not sitting in waterlogged soil. If transplant shock is suspected, maintain proper watering (allowing the top third of the soil to dry out) and the plant should recover.
Toxicity of Peace Lilies
It’s important to be aware that peace lilies are toxic if ingested by humans and pets. Keep them out of reach of children and animals that may chew on plants.
Popular Peace Lily Varieties
Peace lily ‘Diamond’ is a striking variety known for its variegated foliage, adding visual interest with splashes of white on its leaves, while still offering the classic elegance of peace lily blooms.
There are several peace lily varieties, each with slightly different characteristics:
- Spathiphyllum ‘Chopin’: The most common and classic peace lily, readily available in garden centers. Size: 20 inches (50cm) height and spread.
- Spathiphyllum ‘Pearl Cupido’: A medium-sized variety with striking, dark green leaves. Size: Up to 3.3 feet (1m) tall, 2.6 feet (80cm) spread.
- Spathiphyllum ‘Diamond’: A newer variety notable for its white variegated leaves, adding a decorative touch. Size: 31 inches (80cm) tall, 20 inches (0.5m) spread.
- Spathiphyllum ‘Sensation’: The largest peace lily variety, best suited for spacious rooms with ample light. Size: Up to 4.3 feet (1.3m) tall, 3.3 feet (1m) spread.
Frequently Asked Questions About Peace Lily Care
Where is the best place to put a peace lily in my house?
The best location is within 3 feet (1m) of a north, north-east, or north-west facing window, ideally on a windowsill. Avoid direct sunlight for more than two hours to prevent leaf scorch.
What are the downsides of peace lilies?
Peace lilies are susceptible to root rot, especially in low-light conditions (more than 3 feet from a window). They are also poisonous if ingested.
How long do peace lily flowers last?
Peace lily blooms typically last for at least two months. After flowering, the plant will continue to grow new leaves and may re-flower in the following spring.
What does an overwatered peace lily look like?
Signs of overwatering include a musty or earthy smell from the soil, mold on the soil surface, and yellowing, curling, or wilting leaves even when the soil is moist.
Should I cut off brown tips on peace lily leaves?
Yes, pruning brown leaf tips can improve the plant’s appearance.
How do I get my peace lily to flower again?
To encourage re-blooming, place your peace lily in a bright, indirect light location and use a foliar feed fertilizer every two weeks to promote flower production.
