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Peace Lily Spathiphyllum Clevelandii
The Peace Lily has become one of the most favored houseplants of our day. Perhaps no other commonly grown interior plant offers so much beauty in return for so little. It readily survives in very low light situations, it produces an abundance of glossy, dark green foliage, and it regularly adorns itself with dramatic white blossoms. With the current surge in popularity of these specimens, caring for peace lily plants is a timely topic.
Peace Lily Background
Peace Lilies, botanically known as Spathiphyllum, are members of the Aroid family, which includes such other familiar flowers and plants as Anthurium, Calla, Philodendron, Dieffenbachia, and Chinese Evergreen. Most of the Aroids are indigenous to the warm and shady forest floors of the tropics. Thus, they are well-adapted to the low light levels and comfortable room temperatures found in most homes.
Peace Lily Lighting
Even among shade-loving Aroids, Peace Lilies are most tolerant of reduced light. They’ll even flourish under the completely artificial flourescent lighting commonly found in offices and commercial spaces, although their preference is for bright, filtered, natural light. This makes caring for Peace Lily plants relatively easy.
Watering A Peace Lily
As far as watering is concerned, Peace Lilies prefer an evenly moist soil. Most people find that they can water their plants once a week, depending of course on light and temperature conditions. At lower light levels or cooler temperatures, any plant will use less water than when it is more actively growing. Use room temperature water. Soil should never be soggy, and plants should never stand in a saucer filled with water. Peace Lilies should also never be allowed to completely dry out, which will result in wilting of the plant, death of the tiny root hairs which conduct water to the plant, and subsequent yellowing or browning of the leaf edges.
Peace Lilies do exhibit a sensitivity to chlorine in the water, so in metropolitan areas where it may be heavily chlorinated, it’s best to allow the water to stand overnight to allow the chlorine to dissipate before watering the plants.
Fertilizing A Peace Lily
Fertilizing is another important factor in caring for Peace Lily plants. The soil in any given container will become depleted of nutrients over time as the plant grows. So it’s a good idea to help replenish it by feeding the plant once a month or so, during the growing season, with any standard house plant fertilizer, such as 20-20-20, at one-quarter the recommended dilution rate. The delicate root hairs as well as the edges of a Peace Lily’s leaves can burn if the fertilizer is too strong.
Repot the plant every year or two in a rich soil consisting of equal parts of loam, peat moss, and sand.
Peace Lilies & Pests
Peace Lilies are rather resistant to most insect pests. An occasional infestation of mealy bugs may show up, and can be easily treated by wiping with rubbing alcohol and spraying with insecticidal soap. Because these plants have broad evergreen leaves, they benefit from having their foliage regularly wiped with a damp sponge to remove dust.
Peace Lilies Provide Clean Air
It’s interesting to note that in caring for Peace Lily plants, we are also helping them to care for us! Spathiphyllums were among the top ten plants in the Clean Air Study conducted by NASA, and were shown to be highly effective at removing formaldehyde, benzine, and carbon monoxide from the air, thus fighting “Sick Building Syndrome”.
Peace Lily Options
Peace Lilies have been extensively hybridized in recent years, so that now we have many more choices among the varieties. “Flower Power” is a new introduction which, as its name suggests, is a prolific bloomer. “Sensation” is a huge plant, potentially becoming 6 feet or more across, with bold, dark green, ribbed foliage; quite effective in interior-scaping. “Domino” is a variegated type, with irregular white splashes mottling its thickened leaves. Check with your local professional florist for these and other varieties, and bring home a breath of fresh air, courtesy of the durable Peace Lily.
Hi… Hopefully someone is still around :)
I’m a new FIRST TIME plant father. I just adopted two twin Peace Lily plants ;) 6 inches. I have about 10 questions (lol) hopefully that’s cool. There’s a few so bare with me :)
1. I got these twins from the local grocery store. So it came in a plastic pot with those sort of gold colored wrappers around the pot. So I started to take one off until I saw that they had holes poked out in the bottom. So what should one usually put underneath these?
2. When to re pot? How will I know if the root system outgrows the current pot its in? Im guessing just by the mere sight of the roots growing out on the bottom?
3. Does the new pot need to have holes in the bottom? When I think of the pots I have seem they seem solid on the bottom, the terra cotta ones etc. So a bit confused on that front.
4. If one does re pot, Im guessing since these are 6 inches, the next pot would be 8 inches , and would one need to add potting soil to this?
5. Is there any specific *organic* plant food you would recommend? I read that for a granular, a good rule of thumb could be once every 2-3 months but do not over fertilize! A Spathiphyllum could go 6 months without getting fertilized and be just fine. So should I just hold off on it?
6. I’m in Los Angeles, so I know climate and how dry it can be effects how much you should water. Using the heater or AC can change a humid room into a dryer room due to the lack of humidity in the air. Best to check you plant frequently so you can get an idea of how fast the moisture evaporates. I purchased these plants on this past Tuesday and being a new doting father have been checking everyday and the soil is still moist, but when the soil is dry and it’s time to water, these are 6 inch plants so how much water? ( Just until the soil is moist? 1 cup, 2 cups of water? I have read Peace Lilys are very susceptible to root rot ( what does root rot look like?)
7. Also I know chlorinated water is a no go. I don’t even like chlorinated water for myself. I get reverse osmosis water, basically nothing in it. I do ad 1/2 tsp of raw himalayan sea salt into the 1 gallon jug to ad minerals… will this water be okay to use on peace lilys?
8. I read nasa’s report on house plants and their cleaning properties, this plant purifies many chemicals. I read that a 6 inch peace lily cleans 100 sq of the air. So I wanted to know do peace lily’s in order to maximise air cleaning abilities do all the plants need to be in close proximity to each other? I have my 2 plants on each night stand in my bedroom. I want to purchase more (hopefully bigger ones) and have them spread across my apartment. Hopefully they don’t have to all be positioned next to each other for maximum effect. I have a studio apartment, and wanted to spread them out.
9. If one buys bigger peace lily’s that would have to be placed on the ground ( in my place is a slight colder draft that comes in from low on the ground) will this possible effect the peace lily negatively?
10. LAST ONE! * audience cheers* I wanted to purchase larger peace lilys, and when I went to home depot, they had a larger one, but the leaves were brownish, didn’t look very well. I didnt purchase but I cant seem to find larger ones in stock. Can peace lily’s with these brown leaves be saved? Or is it better to just avoid. Also is there a time of year when peace lily’s, larger ones are more available?
Thanks thanks thanks. Hopefully it was okay to ask all this. Knowledge is power :) I want my twins to live long :)
David,
We enjoy answering questions – so here goes:
1. I hate foil wrapping because it holds the water instead of let it drain away and this can be bad for the plant. Instead of foil I recommend placing a saucer under the plant to allow the excess water to drain away from the plant.
2. I usually repot the plant when I start seeing roots coming out of the drain holes and more roots than soil at the top of the rootball.
3. Drainage is very important – having drain holes in the bottom of the pot allows for good drainage. If you pot doesn’t have drain holes, place pebbles, gravel or rocks in the bottom of the pot before adding soil. This will help with drainage, but you will have to be more diligent when watering to give the plant the right amount of moisture.
4 Rule of thumb when re-potting is to go up a size half-again as large as the existing pot. So for a 6inch pot you can go to a 8-9 inch pot.
5. I use a liquid soluble fertilizer about every 3-6 months on my houseplants. The one I use is called Daniels plant food (it is a seaweed extract) , but there are others Miracle grow – peters etc.
6 So here a trick – when you stick you index finger in the soil up to your first knuckle and pull a little soil out. If you can’t roll it into a ball then it is time to water. If you can roll it into a ball and squeeze water out it is too wet. I usually wait until the soil is dry and then give the plant water until a little water runs out the drain holes.
7 Don’t add salt to the water. Simply place your tap water in an open container and let the chlorine evaporate. This usually takes 24 hours.
8. Spread them out.
9. No need to plant them in the ground – You can buy bigger piece lilies and simply grow them in bigger pots.
10. Yes peace lilies can survive with some brown leaves. However, if you want healthy peace lilies I suggest you purchase your plants from a real nursery/garden center instead of a box store that sells plants. A real garden center will be more knowledgeable and helpful than the box stores.
Hope I was able to answer all your questions.
Hi,
Our well water has a water softner unit attached to it. With it having water softner salt associated with it, would it be harmful for peace lilies, or would it be ok?
Lisa,
If the unit uses salt, this could be a problem over time because the soil will develop a salt build-up that can damage the plants. Not sure how long it will be before it causes a problem.
My plant needs to be cut in half! It has out grown it’s pot and I don’t want a bigger pot. The one it’s in now is huge. Will I kill it if I cut it in half?
Marie,
I am going to assume that you have a peace lily. If this is true, it will not harm the plant to divide it in half.
I have 2 Peace Lilly’s that came from my moms memorial Service and I want to keep them alive as long as possible, I live in Texas where is very humid and i want to keep them inside I’m just not really sure what kinda light I should have them in to bloom , I have had these for 2 years now I’ve only have a few browning on the leaves , I actually cut the brown off and they seem to be OK with that.. I want them to bloom so bad , I have read to move them to a darker room to make them bloom is this true ? I am assuming this means less lighting .. They are in a window shelf now with filtered light from the morning sun and they get no evening sun , maybe someone could answer my question ..
1) what kinda light to make them bloom ??
Nikki,
As far as I know more light is needed for a peace lily to bloom. Keep in mind the peace lily growers have a little trick to get them to bloom that you won’t have – a hormone called Gibberellic acid. However, you can try the following to see if you can get the plant to bloom – increase the amount of light the plant gets and use a water soluble fertilizer every two weeks. Hope this information helps.
My Pwace Lily is about 9 years old, I have it in front of my patio door facing west. It blooms like crazy and I have never fertilized it. It needs to be split because it has out grown it’s huge pot.
Hi!
I have squired a peace lily that lived in an office for many years. I live in central Texas so it is hot outside about 97 with a breeze today, I have the plant in full shade-but it is outside and really shocky looking. Am I going to kill it if I leave it in the heat? I don’t have floor space in the house for it right now!!! Help me please! I’m afraid I am murdering this poor plant!!
Hi Shawna,
A temperature range of 65°F to 80°F will keep your peace lily plant happy. I suggest moving it out of the heat and making space for it indoors. Hope this helps!
I have a peace lily that’s about 7 years old. It’s leaves turn brown around the edges. I’ve tried re-potting. Fertilizing. Cutting back. More light. Not all at once but, nothing seems to stop this. New growth comes in looking fine, but some immediately also brown. Is it simply dying from old age? I thought these guys were hardy and long-lived.
I have a peace lily that’s about 7 years old. It’s leaves turn brown around the edges. I’ve tried re-potting. Fertilizing. Cutting back. More light. Not all at once but, nothing seems to stop this. New growth comes in looking fine, but some immediately also brown. Is it simply dying from old age? I thought these guys were hardy and long-lived.
Thanks!
Jacqueline,
The leaves of your peace lily going yellow or brown around the edges are normal, especially if it’s a very old one. Since you have already ruled out other possible problems, I would say that you might be watering the plant too much. When you water, soak the plant but don’t let it “sit” in water. Watering your peace lily once a week is usually sufficient. However, when the plant is grown in low light levels or cooler temperatures water requirements may be less. Hope this helps! Here is an article with more information about peace lily plant care. Reading through it might help!
Jacqueline,
The leaves of your peace lily going yellow or brown around the edges are normal, especially if it’s a very old plant. Since you have already ruled out other possible problems, I would say that you might be watering the plant too much. When you water, soak the plant but don’t let it “sit” in water. Watering your peace lily once a week is usually sufficient. However, when the plant is grown in low light level or cooler temperatures water requirements may be less. Hope this helps! Here is an article with more detailed information about peace lily plant care. Reading through it might also help!
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Thx for quick response but link is broken.
Also no yellowing, I know that means over watering. Just browning. Thinking mineral buildup.
Yes, that could be it. If you are watering with tap water, it may be accumulating too much calcium in your plant’s soil. I would try flushing the plant with bottled water until it runs out of the drainage holes. Maybe that will help. I tried attaching the link again.
https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/flower-plant-care/plant-care/peace-lily-plant-care/
My peace Lilly is going brown around the tips then turning yellow. We live in Townsville Australia and it is fairly hot and humid. I have it indoors but no air con. It is not in front on a window and gets low light. I have another one at work that is thriving in the air con. Is it just too hot for it at home? I am thinking of putting it in a sheltered spot outside although am worried a hit wind might fry it.
My peace lily is not very happy. It is brown around the edges and the leaves are going yellow. I live in Townsville Australia and it is fairly hot and humid. I have it inside in low light no am tryi not to over water it. Thinking of moving it to a sheltered spot outside but worried the hot wind will fry it. Could it be in the wrong sort of pitting mix?
Kylie,
It could be possible that your peace lily is planted too deep in the soil. However, most times when the leaves on a peace lily begin to brown and turn yellow, it is due to over watering. Try sticking your finger into the soil up to your first knuckle, and pull a little soil out. If you can roll it into a ball and squeeze water out, your plant is being over watered. If you can’t roll it into a ball at all, then it is time to water. I don’t think moving your peace lily outdoors will help, as they tend to like humid conditions with filtered light.
Hope this helps!
Hi,
I just bought Peace lily plant a month ago after reading the benefits of having it in the house. I have it in my bedroom room facing south window 6 ft away from the window. when I bought the plant, it was nice, blooming, with beautiful white flowers and the leaves were dark green too. Now, the problems have started:
1. All the flowers (petal part) is turning brown even the tiny new flowers
2. Leaves are getting yellow (leaves near roots) and I am sure eventually they are going to be brown as well
3. the step part of the flower (spike kind of bloom), – some kind of power is falling on the leaves and on the floor – with or without touching it. – is it normal?
4. the leaves are not straight or standing. all the leaves are like they are thriving for water (even if I water them regularly) they do not lively, look dull. – I hope you get it what i am trying to say here.
How can I cure these problems?
I do water once in a week only, drainage is pretty good and I do not leave the pot in the water as well.
May be too less light is the problem? or no air circulation?
Thank you so much for all the info. Your blog and answers to all the question are very helpful.
Nenncy,
I think your plant is just recovering from shock. The flowers turning brown and the leaves turning yellow can all be related to the plant’s natural life cycle. The powder you see is most likely pollen from the flowers. That’s why I think your first 2 issues are not water related. Same for the drooping. Once a Peace Lily experiences shock, it can take it a while to perk back up. Make sure you are keeping it evenly moist and if you are concerned that it is not getting enough water, check the moisture of your soil by sticking your finger into the soil to the first knuckle and removing some of it. If you can roll the soil into a ball, you should be able to squeeze it and it should not produce a lot of water, just a slight amount. If you can’t roll it into a ball, your plant is too dry. If you squeeze the ball and a lot of water comes out, it’s too moist. Extreme temperature changes can also cause your plant to droop, so make sure it isn’t located in the path of an air vent.
My peace lily has a spadix emerging from the middle of a leaf stem, but it is not surrounded by a leaf. I have other white flowers emerging like usual, so not sure why this one is developing differently. Any ideas? If the spadix develops without a surrounding leaf/flower, can I just cut it off?
You can cut it off if you choose. Just make sure to cut it at the base. You might try giving it more time to develop as well. It could just be new growth.
I recently acquired a beautiful peace lily plan from my brother’s funeral. It wae beautiful, strong and beginning to sprout flowers. My a/c suddenly went out and my plant hegan to droop badly. Is there anything i can do to save it? I’ve been praying it comes back because of sentimental values for me. Thank you
Hi Jamie, I recently discovered having a green thumb when we got our first zz plant. In a year shes grown so beautifully, then to make sure, I repotted her purchased a smaller one and she blossomed beautifully as well. I noticed when I purchased a different plant, I started getting tie tie flies in my home, the new plant is of course my Lilly plant. I got rid of the flies by sprays that does not harm plants. I also covered the soil with gravel and now I see tiny black bugs crawling on the rocks from my .majestic Palm tree and in the pot of the lilly plant, when I move it , I see small flies again. Last question, is my problem that I contaminated my home when I got my palm tree and lilly plant? I’m sorry I’m all over the place nevertheless I can’t have these flies in my home again, If I Didn’t Know Better I thought my ZZ plants we’re getting jealous. What can I do to finally get rid of all these bugs and small flies starting all over again at my home. By the way I neglected to say these are all home plants.
Thanks, please help me,
Angelo…
My peace lily your 7 years old in a pot it’s 10 inches across, I repotted one time about 3 years ago, I was told by The Florist to water it from the bottom up so I’ve been mistakenly set it a bowl of water until the leave worked back up overnight, w miracle gro in in the water, I’ve been doing that for years this last week I watered it and it’s like waterlogged the leaves are sad or drooping really bad they feel like they’re full of water and feel like they’re very damp and it’s been about 4 or 5 days now and it’s not for come back up and I want to know what the deal might can you help me out….Please… Thanks Tony
Hello! Here’s a good article that might help –> https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/care-peace-lily-funeral/
I have a peace lily that was originally my grandmother’s. She was given the plant at her mother’s passing in 1980. It has survived three moves, numerous repottings, and numerous splittings. I have had the 38-year-old plant a few feet away from a west facing window for the last two years where it has flourished and grown so large, I knew it was time for me to split and re-pot. I took the massive plant and easily split into 8 new plants with the large original still holding onto a big chunk. This was exactly one month ago. All the plants went into west facing windows in a similar location to the original. They appeared happy for about a week but more than half now have yellowing leaves, brown edges, droopy even though I am keeping on the same watering schedule as the last two years.
It’s so important to me that at least the original survive this ordeal. Any suggestions? The split plants were all placed into 6-inch pots.
Your repotted plants may not need as much sunlight as the original parent plant. It might be best to give them a break and find a more indirect way for them to receive sunlight until they are a bit stronger.
My Peace Lily is in a ceramic pot and needs to be divided but I can’t do It while it’s still in the pot. I need to some how take it out but I don’t know how to do it without destroying the plant.
Hi Marie,
We have a great blog that discusses how you can split you peace lily here: https://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/split-peace-lily-two-plants/
I have a peace lily and I live in Tucson, AZ which is hardiness zone 9B. Can I plant it outside in partial shade?
Peace lilies thrive in partial to deep shade, and can’t tolerate hot, direct sun. They should also be moved inside before temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.