Growing Peace Lily Plants: Watering, Light, Repotting, and Pests
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Learn how to care for a peace lily, one of the most popular indoor plants. These beautiful houseplants are fairly easy to grow, but knowing how often to water peace lilies and what to do if their leaves droop or turn yellow is essential. Plus, find tips on how to repot your peace lily to keep it happy!
About Peace Lilies
Peace lilies are not true lilies. They are tropical, evergreen plants in the Arum family, native to tropical Central and South America. These plants thrive on the forest floor, receiving dappled sunlight and consistent moisture and humidity. Replicating these conditions in the home is the key to keeping your peace lily happy and healthy.
With enough light, peace lilies produce white to off-white flowers starting in the early summer and continue to bloom throughout the year in the right conditions.
Most household varieties of peace lily grow up to 16 inches tall, but larger outdoor cultivars can have leaves up to 6 feet tall. Peace lilies are not cold-hardy, so they can only be grown outdoors in warm, humid climates (USDA Zones 10, 11).
Is the Peace Lily Toxic to Cats and Dogs?
Yes, peace lilies are mildly toxic. All parts of the peace lily plant contain calcium oxalate, which may cause stomach and respiratory irritation if ingested in large amounts. Keep peace lilies out of reach of small children and pets who might chew on the plant. Common plants containing calcium oxalate also include philodendrons, daffodils, true lilies, and hyacinths.
Growing
Lighting
- Place peace lilies in indirect but bright sunlight. An east-facing window is perfect, as the plant will be exposed to the bright morning sun. A north-facing window would also be a good choice for a peace lily.
- Keep peace lilies out of areas where they’ll get direct sunlight all day (such as in a south-facing window), as it may dry them out too much.
Watering
- How often should you water your peace lily? It’s not the number that matters but the dryness of the soil that counts. Keep the soil lightly moist to the touch but not overly saturated. Peace lilies can tolerate short periods of dry soil, but their leaves will develop brown tips if they don’t have enough water or humidity.
- Tip: One nice thing about peace lilies is that they will tell you when they’re thirsty: the plant’s leaves start to droop. When the plant starts to look less “perky” than usual, test the soil with your finger. If it feels dry, it’s time to water again. They can be a bit dramatic; don’t panic if they start to wilt.
- Peace lilies are sensitive to chemicals commonly found in tap water, such as fluoride, which may cause brown leaf tips. Use filtered, room-temperature water, if possible.
Humidity
- Peace lilies enjoy high humidity. Misting their leaves or placing their pot atop a moistened tray of gravel can help to increase humidity around the plant.
Fertilizing
- Peace lilies are not heavy feeders, so fertilize only occasionally. To encourage spring and summer growth, fertilize every 6 weeks or so with a balanced houseplant fertilizer starting in late winter.
Temperature
- Peace lilies are tropical plants; they do best in temperatures between 65°F and 75°F degrees (18 to 23°C) during the day and about 10°F cooler at night.
- Keep these plants away from the furnace or a drafty window or door.
Other Peace Lily Care Tips
- The large leaves of peace lilies tend to collect a lot of dust in the home. Gently wipe them down with a wet paper towel occasionally; a thick layer of dust can inhibit photosynthesis.
How to Get Peace Lilies to Flower
- Most often, if no flowers appear, the plant is not getting enough light. Peace lilies are very tolerant of low light, but “low light” doesn’t mean no light! To encourage flowering, move the plant to a brighter location where it will receive bright, indirect light for at least a few hours each day.
- Green flowers, weak-looking flowers, or a general lack of flowers can also be caused by improper fertilizing. In the case of green flowers, cut back on fertilizing, as the plant may be getting too much nitrogen. In the case of weak-looking flowers or a lack of flowers, try switching to a fertilizer made for flowering plants. This type of fertilizer will have a higher amount of phosphorous, which plants need for blooming.
Specialty varieties of peace lilies are not very easy to come by in most garden centers, though they have been growing in popularity. You may have more success ordering them from an online source.
- Spathiphyllum wallisii is a smaller peace lily, reaching only 12 inches tall.
- ‘Petite’ is smaller still, at approximately 8–10 inches.
- ‘Sensation’ is the largest variety available, capable of growing up to 4–6 feet in height and width.
- ‘Domino’, is a medium-size variety with attractively variegated leaves.
- ‘Mojo Lime’, which has lime-green foliage, is another medium-size peace lily.
Wit and Wisdom
- The peace lily is said to have gotten its common name from its white flowers, which rise timidly above its green foliage and resemble white flags of peace.
- Despite the peace lily’s common name, it is not related to true lilies at all.
- The plant’s attractive blooms are also the source of its Latin name, Spathiphyllum, meaning “spathe-leaf.” The flowers consist of the spathe (the white, sheath-like leaf) and the spadix (the spike of small flowers located within the spathe).
- Peace lilies are poisonous to dogs. Learn more about houseplants that are toxic to your pets.
Photo by W. Carter/Wikimedia
Catherine Boeckmann
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I have had a peace lilly for 24 years. All of a sudden it is totally drooping I don’t know what to do.
My lilly looks like someone took a bit out of one of the leaves. I can't see any bugs on the plant, what can cause this.
When A Peace Lily Is Over 1 Year Old, I'm Fixing To Repot, But Do You Cut Back The Huge Leaves Or Leave. Very Couriuos
Thank You
Mary Suggitt
Sir I newly buy a peace lily its spadix is dark brown and spathe is green
Hlo sir/mam i have recently buy a peace lily from nursery but the problem is that its spadix is dark brown and spathe is green
Plzz help
My Peace lilies are growing well. But these don't flower much. I see tiny green or pale flowers once in a while. They are kept in shade with bright light. I water them 2 times a week.
Pls guide.
Hi Farzana,
It sounds like you should increase the amount of light your peace lily receives. While you do not want to put your plant in direct sunlight, peace lilies thrive when it receives lots of bright, indirect sunlight. Try moving it to a place that is brighter and out of the shade, but won’t be in direct sun.
Also, make sure you are not giving it too much water. You want to soil to be moist to the touch, but not oversaturated. And if you did not fertilize this year, begin fertilizing in late winter with a balanced liquid houseplant fertilizer. You should add fertilizer two or three times during the active growing season (about every 6 weeks).
Try switching the area of sunlight the Peace Lily is kept in.
I had really bad itchy eyes and nasal congestion. As soon as we removed our peace lilies from our bedroom, my allergies were gone. So no more peace lilies in our home...thank God.
This is a very strange question! I love the foliage of peace lily, but the flowers creep me out! Would it hurt the plant if I just cut off the flowers as they form?
