Peace Lily Care Guide
A Peace Lily, or Spathiphyllum wallisii, is a popular, easy-to-grow plant with glossy green leaves and white flowers, called spathes, that flower in the spring or summer. These blooms can last from 3 to 8 weeks, depending on the climate and how you care for your plant.
Native to tropical Central and South America, Peace Lilies are used to the warm environment found on the rainforest floor where they receive indirect sunlight, consistent moisture, and lots of humidity.
Most household varieties of Peace Lilies grow up to 16 inches tall. But depending on care and type, they can grow up to 2-3 feet tall and wide, making them a suitable floor plant.
5 Tips on Peace Lily Care (especially # 3)
As you become acquainted with caring for your Peace Lily, these five tips are good guides for success.
Where to Grow
The Peace Lily plant prefers moderate, indirect sunlight. They also love humidity which makes them a lovely addition to a bright bathroom. If you have it, an east-facing window will provide the plant with bright morning sun but north-facing windows also work. Just make sure to keep them out of areas where they’ll get direct sunlight all day as it could dry them out which could lead to discolored or wrinkled leaves.
Repotting a Peace Lily
If you need to repot your lily, use fertile, well-draining soil. You’ll know your plant is ready once the roots emerge through the drainage hole (normally every 2-3 years). Don’t worry if your plant loses some of its leaves or flowers, or if the leaves turn yellow as this is merely transplant shock. Just clip the discolored leaves or flowers off the base of the stem and with standard care your lily will recover.
Watering a Peace Lily
When watering a Peace Lily, let the top of the soil dry a little. Try watering it once a week and keep it moist. Your plant will tell you what it needs with its weepy cues; the leaves will droop if they're thirsty but will bounce back afterward. Use lukewarm, filtered, or bottled water, as these plants are sensitive to chemicals. If you use tap water, let it set out for 24 hours so the chlorine can evaporate. Also, avoid watering the crown and instead water along the outside edges of the container which will prevent lodging water between the stems and cause rot.
Cleaning a Peace Lily
The large leaves on a Peace Lily are known to collect a lot of dust. Gently use a moist cloth to remove any dust on the leaves as too thick a layer can inhibit photosynthesis. Also, please do not use any leaf shine as it may prevent the stomata's (cell structure) exchange of carbon dioxide and water in the air and harm your plant.
How to Flower a Peace Lily
Fertilize Peace Lilies every six weeks starting in late winter to encourage spring or summer growth. If your Peace Lily’s blossoms are downcast or sparse it may be an indication that your fertilizer lacks phosphorus. To solve that problem, use a formula that promotes flowering. Pay attention to the color of your buds though; a green color is an indication that you’ve used too much fertilizer. Lastly, suspend fertilizing in the fall and winter months while the plant rests.
5 Varieties of Peace Lily
- Spathiphyllum wallisii, the most well-known and widely purchased, will grow about 12 inches tall.
- ‘Petite’ is even smaller and grows approximately 8–10 inches in height.
- ‘Sensation’ is the largest variety available and can grow up to 4–6 feet in height and width.
- ‘Domino’, is a medium-sized variety and has attractive, variegated leaves.
- ‘Mojo Lime’, named for its lime-green foliage, is a medium-sized Peace Lily.
More Peace Lily Care Tips
If your plant has become quite large and you’d like to separate it into smaller pots, or even give part of it away, it’s quite simple to propagate. First, find the crown (a set of 2-3 stems together) and separate them from one another. Next, you’ll want to carefully pull the roots apart and repot them with the same type of soil mixture that was used with the mother plant. But don’t worry! If this seems like too much, we would be happy to help with this process.
If you are a bit more comfortable doing this on your own, why not try hydroponic planting? We recently read an article that suggests using beta fish! To do this, start with clean roots, free of soil and any browning roots. Next, you’ll want to grab a clean vase (or stop by and purchase one from us- we have many sizes available) and fill the bottom layer with clean glass marbles, pebbles, or colorful small rocks. Then, add the plant and lightly layer more of the same on the roots to stabilize them. Lastly, fill the vase up to the root ball but not above. As water is needed, make sure to refill with filtered, bottled, or distilled water. You can even use tap water that has been sitting out for at least 24 hours so any chemicals have dissipated.
Did you Know?
The Peace Lily got its name because its white flowers resemble a white flag, the symbol of peace. However, don’t let this little plant fool you; Peace lilies are mildly toxic and should be kept out of the reach of children and pets.
Where to purchase Peace Lilies?
Peace Lilies are our best sellers and we offer a wide array of sizes. If you need help, our knowledgeable Plumeria staff would love to help you pick out the perfect Peace Lily for your home.