The Peace Lily (botanical name: Spathiphyllum) plant is a NASA recommended [1, 2] evergreen perennial air purifying plant which absorbs toxic gases like benzene, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide; and at the same time releases oxygen at night. It also increases room humidity, helping breathing while sleeping. No doubt, the peace lily is a perfect houseplant. There are many benefits of houseplants.
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The Peace Lily Plant Description
Peace lilies are tropical plants, they are easily damaged in temperature below 40°F (4.4 °C). It is a herbaceous plant with 10–65 cm large and 3–25 cm broad leaves [3]. It has small flow on a spadix, which is surrounded by a curved 10–30 cm long, white, yellowish, or greenish spathe. The blooms last for about two months till the end of Summer.Peace lilies live on average from three to five years, but with proper care it can last for several decades. I have a peace lily plant for the last 10 years in the same pot while one of my friends, has a peace lily for the last 22 years.
How To Care For Peace Lily Plant Indoor and Outdoor
The peace lily plant is one of the easiest plants to care for. But you have to ensure proper growing conditions involving location, soil, watering, fertilizer, and dividing the plant. The care of peace lilies are discussed below.
Growing Peace Lily As A Houseplant
Sunlight
Peace lilies do not need direct sun light. The plant likes indirect sunlight light, so place the plant in shade. The peace lily plant can grow in fluorescent lights and some varieties even thrive in rooms with very less light. Many peace lilies produce more and healthy flowers in indirect bright shades.Yellow Leaves & Brown Leaves Too strong light may be the reason for the yellowing leaves, while in direct sunlight, the leaves become brown leaves. Too little water can cause the leaf tips to turn brown.
Green Blooms When peace lilies get too much light, the blooms turn green due to increased photosynthesis in stronger light.
Soil For Peace Lily
Peace lily needs a well draining nutrient rich soil. Add coarse rivers sand to the potting mix to make it sandy and free-draining; and mix some cow manure or compost to make it nutrition rich.Watering Peace Lily Plant
Proper watering is very important for peace lily plant. Over-watering, which is the most common mistake gardeners do, can kill the plant. The plant can tolerate under-watering but die by over-watering. The peace lily doesn't need watering as often. So how to check if the watering is needed.Put a finger into the soil, if the soil is damp, do not water. Check again after 1 or 2 days. Water only if the soil is dry.
I follow another method to know when to water my peace lily. I wait until the leaves of my peace lily plant start to droop down before watering. This method will not harm the plant and will prevent over-watering. Peace lily's drooping is the indication of too little water. However, if you ignore the drooping for too long, the leaves may turn yellow or tips brown.
Over-watering may result in wilting of lower foliage and dark-brown spots on the petioles, or stalks between the leaves and stems.
Fertilizer For Peace Lily
Peace lilies are not heavy feeders, so fertilize only occasionally. Fertilize your peace lily with any good quality NPK fertilizer or well composted cow manure in Spring. The NPK fertilizer should be sprinkled around the rim of the pot, then mix in soil and water well.If the leaves become yellow with green veins, then it is the sign of magnesium deficiency. For this sprinkle 1 teaspoon of Epsom salts on the soil and water.
If your peace lily does not bloom, then sprinkle some leftover coffee grounds onto the soil.
Cleaning the Leaves
One last bonus tip to keep it healthy with proper photosynthesis, keep its leaves clean of any dust by spraying water.Pests
The peace lilies are not attacked by pests, but the spent flowers and leaves can sometime attract pests like mealybugs, scales and spider mites.Pruning Peace Lily Plant
- The peace lily plant needs proper pruning at times.
- Remove the dead flower stalks at the base of the plant. While doing so, ensure that no nearby leaves are damaged.
- Remove the leaves that are turning color or yellow leaves from their base. The yellow leaves on the peace lily may be either due to ageing, too much light or under watering. This may also be due to any damage to the leaf while you cut the bloom stalks off.
Why No Flowers on Peace Lily
The peace lily plants produce flowers in medium to bright indirect sunlight. If there are no blooms, the main reason is because the plant is not getting enough light.If your peace lily does not bloom, then sprinkle some leftover coffee grounds onto the soil.Re-potting and Propagation of Peace Lily
If the plant wilt every two, three days, it means the root ball of the plant has over grown in the contain. You can repot it in a larger container or may divide the plant and make new peace lily plants. Spring is the ideal time for re-potting a peace lily.
Can Peace Lily Be Grown in Water
Yes, peace lilies can be grown in water as many other plants.Video of how to Care for Peace Lily
Video on Peace lily Plant Care Video
how to divide overgrown Peace lily
Grow Peace lily Plant in water
Homemade liquid fertilizer YouTube Video
References
- NASA Clean Air Study
- Kobayashi KD, Kaufman AJ, Griffis J and McConnell J, Using Houseplants To Clean Indoor Air, Department of Tropical Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Hawaii, USA, Report UH-CTAHR OF-39, (Nov 2007). pdf
- Peace Lily