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Growing Peace Lily Plants: Watering, Light, Repotting, and Pests
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鈥檒l 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鈥檚 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鈥檛 have enough water or humidity.
- Tip: One nice thing about peace lilies is that they will tell you when they鈥檙e thirsty: the plant鈥檚 leaves start to droop. When the plant starts to look less 鈥減erky鈥 than usual, test the soil with your finger. If it feels dry, it鈥檚 time to water again. They can be a bit dramatic; don鈥檛 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掳F and 75掳F degrees (18 to 23掳C) during the day and about 10掳 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 鈥渓ow light鈥 doesn鈥檛 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.
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鈥檚 common name, it is not related to true lilies at all.
- The plant鈥檚 attractive blooms are also the source of its Latin name, Spathiphyllum, meaning 鈥渟pathe-leaf.鈥 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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will it be ok in an area with no sunlight and what can I do to make it grow...it's not dead or dying it just wont grow I've had it in front of a window for about 3 years with the blinds half open I water it once a week from the bottom and give it indoor plant miracle grow on occasion....Please Help Me keep my Peace Lily alive if meant a lot to me
Hi, Crystal: Yes! Let’s keep this peace lily going! Listen, if it’s not dead or dying, it sounds like you’ve been doing a lot right. Don’t put it where there is no sunlight… it needs partial sun, as you seem to have been giving it. Try changes one at time. Maybe try moving it out from directly in front of the window and opening the shades slightly more. See what that does for a couple of weeks. Or maybe move it and try closing the shades slightly. If no noticeable effect, try watering from the top … peace lilies shouldn’t be sitting in water (they would be getting a tropical rainstorm in the jungle). But it just needs to be moist, not wet. Ease up on the fertilizer. One other thing is that it simply may be rootbound and need to have both new and more soil in a bigger pot. But repotting will shock it, so if done, it needs to be done carefully and quickly. Yet one more thing is that it just may not be warm enough. There’s a difference between sun and heat. If there’s a way to warm up where the plant is, that might change things, too. The main thing is that you seem to have a healthy plant, so you don’t want to make any big or complicated changes. Try little changes and see what happens. Thanks for asking and good luck!
I just bought a peace lily from the store and it is now in my house. It looks a little droopy. Should I put it in a new pot with new soil?
Ok, maybe that subj line is a little strong. Do not transplant this lily. Moving it only adds stress: think about: the plant will have to acclimate to yet another new condition鈥攐n top of moving into your home. Keep this in mind, though: Peace lilies are tropical plants. They like sun, but indirectly; they like its heat (or any heat) more. Do not give it too much water; allow it to dry between waterings. These are lovely and can be successful but they can also be a challenge. Peace, to you!
I have a lovely Peace Lily and many seeds from it. I would like to start new plants but don't know how to use the seeds to do so as they are many. Can some one instruct me as to how to plant to get new Peace Lilies to grow? Please help.
Why are the leaves on my peace lilly turning yellow
Hi, Rhee: There could be any number of reasons for your yellow leaves, but most likely this is caused by too much sun, too cold a temperature, or too much or too little water. For peace lilies, it’s everything in moderation! Thanks for asking!
I received an over sized peace lilly as a gift and have it in the corner of my living room near two windows. I've drawn the shades to not have direct light on it, keep the soil moist and now the leaves are starting to break and at the bottom turn yellow?! What am I doing wrong?
Is there a draft by the windows? I keep mine away from windows and in an area where it stays around 60 degrees :) Also, I only water mine when it starts to droop :) GL
Reading info on Peace Lilies, read comments on the "frozen" plants. Had same issue two years ago with African Violet. Poor plant would not grow no matter what I did. Finally remembered my Mom's favorite plant food. Miracle Grow. It is now more than 5X the size it started at. All my plants get, and so will my new Peace Lily.
