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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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While peace lily's don't need a large amount of light they still need some especially if you want them to bloom. Depending on where you live dry air might also be a contributor. Misting your Peace Lily every few days and keeping it away from any vents would probably be a good idea as the air flow from the vent will dry the air and plant out faster and misting will put more moisture into the air.
Hi there. I just got my first peace lily plant. I was told to water it every 3-4 days. About how much water should I be giving it? It's a medium sized floor plant. I read some of the comments and noticed it looks like the leaves are slightly wilting and the soil is dry, so wondering if I haven't given it enough water. Thanks for your help!
I was given a peace lily by my late mother-in-law so I want to keep it. She always kept it indoor as it is extremely large. I have put it on my front porch, hidden from direct sun but some of the leaves seem to be losing their green color. The new growth(not all) is slightly a lighter green. Does it need more sun? I have another Peace lily that gets more sun and no problem.
New growth is often a lighter shade of green than old growth, so that itself is not concerning. However, you also state that some of the old leaves are losing color, too. Are they turning yellow or white? This could be caused by a few factors: primarily temperature, nutrients, humidity, and light. Temperatures below 60掳 F or above 90掳 F can cause problems, so take the plant inside if you expect extremes. Nutrient deficiencies can also cause leaf discoloration, so you may try feeding the plant with a bit of houseplant fertilizer. Low humidity can also cause yellowing. Finally, discoloration can occur when the plant is exposed to too much light. Peace lilies prefer bright, filtered light, so if your plant isn’t getting that now, try moving it to a better location.
I have 4 long 2 to 4 ft. trailing stems on my peace plant and wonder if I should allow them to grow or cut them off?
hi,
2 month back i bought a peace lily plant and repotted it. after few days it leaves started getting black color and after few days few leaves was turning yellow. i consulted a nearby nursery , they said to cut all the black, yellow colored leaves and repot with new soil. I did it as they said, but now it has only one leave in a plant, that leaf also turning brow, but i want to save it. will it grow again? Do i have to take any extra care ? kindly inform me.
I have had my peace lily for 24 years. Love this girl! However, I repotted my lily about 3 months ago, and now it seems to have developed some small bugs that appear to be eating the roots. The lily tops of the roots are protruding up out of the soil, and one by one, the stems are turning yellow/brown and falling off. How can I fix this? I am not ready to part with my peace lily. Should I try repotting? Can some of the roots be saved even though they have no stems? I want the bugs gone too! They are not fungus gnats nor spider mites nor springtails. Help!
It really does sound like there has been overwatering. This is the common reason for yellowing on the leaves and bugs. Let the soil dry out completely before watering again. It’s possible that you have root rot due to poor drainage. Remove your lily from the pot and look for circling roots that are plugging your container’s drainage holes. Cut away any rotted and damaged roots and repot using completely new clean potting soil. There are also fungicide drenches to control the rot organism, yet unless the conditions in the soil improve, rot will continue or return. Contact your local Extension office for a list of approved fungicides in your state
I was given my lilly for mother's day and it appears the flowers were cut in the middle of the stem and its brown how can i help my lilly grow a new flower? And what can i do to keep cats away from her? Thank you
I've got a peace lily from my Dad's funeral. It is a fairly small one. I put a terra cotta plate in a plant hanger, suspended it from the ceiling, and use it a shelf for the peace lily. In the summer, I put it outside. I love my houseplants, but I love my cats more. So if a plant is dangerous and I can't guarantee the cats won't get at it, I rehome the plant. Lilies are very poisonous to cats.
