Peace lily: Care, Tips, Benefits , and Propagation

Peace lily: Care, Tips, Benefits , and Propagation

Table of Contents


Peace lilies are one of the most loved and common house plants due to their million benefits and ease of growing. Native to the tropical rainforests of Colombia and Venezuela, it is truly a shadow-loving plant that thrives in a warm and humid environment. The peace lily plants sport elegant arching leaves that emerge directly from the ground in a cluster form. As the weather starts getting warmer in spring, they start blooming with stunning white flowers.
Peace lily flowers are actually modified leaves of ‘bract’ and have no fragrance. However, these elegant white flowers on tall stems emerging from a sea of green foliage is a thing of beauty. The plant blooms profusely from spring to monsoon in India. These NASA-approved air purifiers remove a wide spectrum of indoor air pollutants to give you and your family a clean living space. With their ability to live happily in the shade and air-purifying quality, they make excellent bedroom plants to help you sleep better, They are also an excellent choice of plant to keep on the window sills of your well-lit bathrooms.

Peace Lily care


Indoor peace lily doesn't have a rigorous care regimen, but there are some basic pointers that the plants are very finicky about, out of which the most important is its watering. Let's take a look at several factors that contribute to peace lily care:

Soil


Peace lily plants like rich, well-draining potting soil with ample amounts of organic matter. The idea is to replicate its native tropical conditions where the soil is packed with decomposing organic matter. However, the plant is also very sensitive to too-damp soil conditions, so a well-draining mixture is essential, and using a terracotta pot for it works best as it helps get rid of excess moisture and also lets the oil breathe.

 

Light

Peace lilies are shade-loving plants but as an indoor flowering plant, they need to be filtered light throughout the day. Although they do like hot direct sunlight they do appreciate a few hours of early morning sunlight from the east. One major telltale sign of too much light is curled, pale leaves, while scorched leaves are a sign of direct sun.

Water


Potted Peace lilies prefer being under-watered rather than overwatered, so water them only when the top two inches of the potting mix is dry to touch. In hot summer months, either mist your peace lilies frequently to maintain a humid environment to avoid browning edges or use a humidifier.
Winters are dormant for peace lily plants, so stop fertilising the plant and only water when the top two inches are dry to touch.
One important point about peace lily watering is to establish a schedule, if the plant remains dry for too long and is then watered too often and kept wet for long spells, then the peace lily leaves will start browning. The only way to avoid this to set your own fixed watering schedule for every season.

Fertiliser


Peace lilies love frequent feedings and they reciprocate with bigger leaves, more blooms, and a sturdier plant. Feed your plant every 10 days with a well-balanced houseplant fertiliser like the Ugaoo Plant tonic in the months of spring to monsoon.

Propagating Peace Lily


The peace lily can be propagated by dividing clumps during repotting activities, which can be done during any season. Although, avoid doing this if you are a new gardener.
Peace lily grows in a cluster from, with the leaves emerging directly out of the soil in bunches. While repotting try identifying several such bunches, if the bunches are big enough with their own sustainable root system, pry them apart to form two separate plants, each with their own root system. Pot these new plants in a fresh, rich, well-draining potting mix.

Repotting Peace Lily


Repotting peace lilies is fairly simple. Repotting of peace lilies should only be undertaken when the current planter is full of the plant. If you notice roots coming out of the drainage hole or showing on top of the topsoil, then it's time to repot your plant.
Select a planter at least 3-4 inches larger than the current planter. Gently remove the plant from the current planter and loosen the root system by taking out as much soil as possible from it. Make sure to not damage the root.
Now plant it in the slightly larger planter with a fresh well-draining potting mix.

Types of Peace Lily Plants


Peace lilies come in dozens of popular varieties. They range in size from miniature to massive and from deep green with snow-white flowers to golden-leaved beauties. Some of the popular hybrids include:

  1. Spathiphyllum ’Power Petite’: A small varietal that grows to only about 15 inches.
  2. Mauna Loa Supreme': A very common variety that grows to be between 3 to 4 feet tall, with leaves that are up to 9 inches wide.
  3. ‘Sensation’: The largest peace lily varietal, which reaches up to 6 feet in height with broad, 20-inch long leaves.
  4. 'Mojo': A striking, large varietal with vibrant green leaves.
  5. 'Golden Delicious': A variety that features new growth with stunning golden-green colour.
  6. 'Starlight': A varietal with narrow leaves that have wavy margins. It's also known for having multiple blooms, with as many as 20 flowers on a single plant.

How to Deal with Peace Lily Plant Problems

Unlike many indoor flowering plants of indoor foliage plants, peace lily remains free of pests. However, sometimes it gets plagued by mealy bugs or thrips. A few tried and tested tips to avoid this is-

  1. Spray a neem oil solution every 15 days, especially at the center of the leaf cluster and underside of leaves.
  2. Keep the plant well-ventilated. Since the plant loves humidity, it is essential to keep it aired out to avoid festering pests and infections in a warm humid environment.

 

Click to Buy:

Air Purifying Plants
Low Maintenance Plants
Flower Seeds