Peace lilies are probably one of the most common indoor house plants. The simple reason is that the Peace Lily is an extremely durable plant that needs little care and is very easy to grow. That being said, all plants need some attention and the below is all you need to know about Peace Lily care.
The Peace Lily is an ideal indoor plant for the beginners, as it’s very hard to kill this plant. Below is all you will ever need to know with the most comprehensive information about caring and growing a peace lily in your home.
About the Peace Lily plant:
The reason the peace lily is so hard to kill is due to the fact its origins stem from being a tropical evergreen plant that thrived living at the bottom of the forest bed. What this means is they barely received any light and had generally no direct exposure to rain. The ease of replicating these types of condition in your home is generally the ingredients to a healthy and thriving indoor plant.
Peace lilies do flower if they get enough sunlight, the typical bloom is a white flower which typically arrives in the early summertime and will continue to produce flower throughout the year. The peace lily will grow dependant on its location and the pot it has been made home. Generally speaking, they can grow to 16 inches in height, but as mentioned given space they can grow quite large an in some cases the heights of around 6 feet can happen.
If you were wondering if the peace lily can be grown outside, this obviously depends on where you live. As they are tropical plants they thrive in warm and humid conditions, so if your winters are cold where you live, chances are this plant will not make it through the cold and most likely die.
How to plant and care your peace lily
Peace Lily Planting guide
- Potting soil – be sure that is all-purpose and is well draining as the peace lily does not like excessive moisture.
- To keep it healthy it is recommended that you re-pot the plant annually in spring. The peace lily will thrive and regenerate in a fresh bed of fertile and healthy soil.
- Typically the peace lily will outgrow the pot you have place it in. At this point, you can divide the plant into other pots. This is another handy element of the peace lily as you can multiply your crop of peace lilies as the years go by filling your house with this beautiful evergreen plant.
- The peace lily can tolerate a bit of tough treatment which makes it ideal for splitting and re-potting.
Peace Lily Care guide
- The key to the peace lily is not overwatering in. You have a greater chance of killing it from too much water than too little water. They are quite hardy and can live for short periods without water. The key to know if you definitely haven’t watered them enough is their colour. If you see them turning brown, you’ve been a bad plant parent and need to water it asap.
- They are extremely sensitive to chemicals. So if you have a water filtration system at home please definitely use it for the water you are going to use on these plants. Also, best that the water is at room temperature. So in those colder months make sure the water is not too cold.
- As they are tropical plants they thoroughly enjoy the humidity. Some gentle misting with water can help with this and keep them in higher spots in the house as this can help with humidity. Tip: place the pot on top of a tray of gravel that has been moistened this will aid in the humidifying effect.
- You don’t really need to fertilise this plant, but if you do keep it on the rare occasion every 2 months should do the job. If you want that is.
- Again they are tropical plants so keeping the temperature above 16 degrees Celsius. I’d imagine this is common in most western nations as we tend to blast the heating systems during the winter time. Typically not a problem.
- Yes, they don’t mind the sun but the harshness of the afternoon sun is a no-no. As mentioned at the beginning they are a plant that lives at the bottom of the forest and rarely saw the sun.
The ultimate Peace Lily Care FAQ
The below are all the questions you will find about the Peace Lily. They cover a breadth of topics and provide with all the required answers.
Do peace lilies need sun?
Technically they do not need direct sunlight to thrive. In fact, they can live quite easily in extreme low light conditions. The caveat to that is that they won’t typically bloom without sunlight. If you provide it with the right amount of sunlight, chances are you will see blooms of the typical white flowers.
Is the peace lily plant poisonous?
Well and truly. Unfortunately, these plants are both poisonous to humans but also to your pets at home. The juice and sap within the plan contain a very high concentration of oxalates and if the plant is chewed these oxalate crystals will enter the bloodstream due to its high affinity for calcium.
The result of this is that calcium will be depleted from the body and oxalate crystal will form. This is a toxic reaction inside the body and will cause a disruption in cell membrane function. These crystals can also accumulate within the kidney causing high levels of toxicity.
Do peace lily plants clean the air?
In general, most indoor plants help with clean and purifying the air in your home. The peace lily has been rated extremely well at performing this function. There was a NASA study conducted on 19 variants of plants and it was found the peace lily to be very good at removing Benzene (given off by gasoline, paint, rubber and detergent) and Trichloroethylene (found in paint, lacquer, glue and varnish) from the air. So yes indeed Peace Lillies do clean the air. What a bonus for having this lovely plant in the house.
How often should you water your peace lily plant?
Peace lilies do not require constant watering. A light watering once a week should suffice. In fact overwatering the plant is more damaging than not watering it. A great way to know is if the soil is dried out you most certainly should water the plant but just keeping it moist is ideal.
Tip: if the plant begins to wilt or goes slightly yellow in colour, its time to water your plant. But don’t overdo it. It will soon return to form once you give it some love again.
How long do peace lilies last?
Peace lilies will live on an average of 3 to 5 years. The life really does depend on the way that you care for the plant. If you care for it with love it will live way longer than the average. If you don’t well you will reap the results of neglect.
Why is my peace lily dying?
For a plant thats is known to be extremely hardy, you’ve obviously neglected this plant. Some of the reasons include:
- that you are placing it in direct sunlight
- you are overwatering the plant
- you are over fertilising the plant
- it is too cold for the plant – keep above 16-degree Celsius and boost humidity
- it is getting old and is dying
Can peace lilies be grown in water?
Yes, they can. Amazingly they don’t require soil to be grown. The ideal way to do this is for the roots of the plant to be suspended above the waterline. This will allow the roots of the plant to grow into the water. Best to keep the plant itself out of the water as this is not ideal for sustaining life in the plant.
How do I get my peace lily to bloom or flower?
Chances are you are not giving your peace lily enough light. While they do not need direct sunlight, a nice amount of sunlight will help the flowers bloom. Try some fertiliser and a little more sunlight and you should find your peace lily blooming in no time.
How do you re-pot peace lily plants?
If your plants are growing and also growing the method you desire them to, at some point they will certainly require a bigger pot– or some fresh potting mix. Repot plants in the spring when they are just beginning to grow. Strenuous origin development will certainly enable the plant to adjust to its brand-new container quickly.
When it comes time to repot, choose a natural soilless medium made especially for potting houseplants (perhaps even details to your species of houseplant). There are lots of to select from, or you can make your very own.
Pick a pot that is larger than the existing container, but not substantial. A pot that is too-big can encourage origin rot and other problems because the soil will stay damp for days, or perhaps weeks prior to it can be utilized by the plant.
Make sure with the original system when repotting to stay clear of damages. Thoroughly company the soil around the root sphere without condensing the dirt. Leave enough area at the top of the new container for water as well as water thoroughly.
Recommended Peace Lily Varieties
The below is a super list of peace lily varieties that provide that special touch to your home. These are Indoor Plants World favourite varieties of the peace lily. They are also varieties we believe in regards to peace lily care are some of the easiest.
Domino – is medium in size and is pleasing to the eye due to its variegated leaves.
Mojo Lime – is medium in size and has a lovely lime green coloured leaf.
Spathiphyllum wallisii – one of the smaller varieties of peace lily, only typically reaching just 12 inches in height.
Petite – as the name suggests one of the smaller peace lilies at just 8 inches typically height in growth.
Sensation – If you are looking for a big one, well this is the largest you can get. They can grow up to 6 feet in height.
If you want to find out more about other plants which are easy to care for please check out our guide on Plants for Shaded Areas.
