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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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I have a cat also and this is what I did to keep her away from my lily. I put hot sauce and water in a bottle sprayer and spray the plant. It did no harm to the plant and kept my cat away. I spray every 6 to 8 weeks or when she goes near it. I had my plant 12 years and cat 10 years. Hope this help.
When the blooms die, where is the appropriate place to trim them? Down by the base of the plant or just under the bloom?
Hi Brandy,
Excellent question! Trim the dead blooms at the base of the plant to encourage new blooms to grow.
Is the Pod seeds that are at the inside of the Lily transplantable to making a new plant??
Reply
I was given a beautiful basket of house plants including a peace Lilly for Mother's Day. Have been keeping soil moist and they look great. What now ? Do I separate them into pots or let them grow all together? How long will they live in a basket without repotting ?
It’s hard to say what to do (or not do) without knowing what the plants are, but it’s probably safe to assume that they are bundled together to make a beautiful presentation. If you know what they plants are (perhaps the florist or whoever made the basket could tell you), you could search this Web site to learn about each one’s particular needs, in terms of light, moisture, etc. Sooner or later, one or another plant fades or reaches or even as the summer winds down (and sunlight diminishes, you will probably need or want to separate them. You may then be surprised: the plants might be in separate containers within the basket, beneath a 鈥渂lanket鈥 of decorative mulch or other such cover. Transplanting to larger containers may be required. It depends on the plant/s.
Is it unusual to see brown sticks grow within the leaves of my Peace Lily. They grow encased in the leaf stem. Thank you
I have a peace lily that the roots were riped off. Ever since the plant stays wilted. I have tried Miracle Grow and Epsom salt but with no luck. It has been almost a year now. I have it in the same place with my others, which are thriving. Any suggestions?
You may need to replant. Are there still pieces of roots? If so, it’s worth saving. If not, you’re not going to have much luck. The roots are the stomach and nothing survives without a stomach! Carefully take the plant out of its container and rinse the soil from the roots and dry the roots out on a paper towel. Then place in a pot with new well-draining soil. We suggest either commercial potting soil with a lot of perlite added for drainage or you can add orchid bark mix to the soil which will allow more air circulation around the roots. The pot must have drainage holes so the water can escape. Never let the roots sit in a tray of water or you’ll get root rot.
