Peace lily plants are one of the most sought-after household plants, mainly due to their aromatic presence and the beauty that it adds to your house. Due to a lack of professional expertise, they often wonder how to propagate peace lily? This ultimate guide tells you everything in detail you wanna know about how to take care of peace lilies indoors.
Peace lilies are popular as Spathe flowers or White Sails plants. Its large white petal-shaped upright leaf is what attracts your eyes. Its white leaves look like a big fragrant flower which is actually a spathe. It is interesting to know that spathe and spadix (That rod-like branches of the petal) of this plant purify the surrounding air.
More About Peace Lily
Its beauty and the fact that it purifies the air, make it a perfect addition to your indoor garden. But the peace lily plant is a toxic species hence it is strongly recommended to keep it away from the reach of children and pets. The thick spikes of lily consist of tiny white flowers, the height of which is around 6 inches tall and 4 inches wide.
A quick review of the technical aspect of Peace Lily Plant
| General Name | Peace Lily |
| Botanical Name | Spathiphyllum |
| Plant Type | Evergreen, herbaceous perennial |
| Mature Size | Up to 4 ft height |
| Sun Exposure | Low and indirect sunlight |
| Soil Type | Well-draining potting soil |
| Soil pH | 5.5 to 6.5 pH |
| Toxicity | Toxic to Humans and Pet animals |
What Tools Do You Need to Propagate Peace Lily?
Before we know how to propagate peace lily, go through the checklist of tools and items needed for the propagation.
- A healthy peace lily plant
- A sharp Scissor or pruning knife.
- A soft cloth and some newspapers to keep the plant.
- 3 to 4-inch pot
- Potting soil with peat mixed into it.
- Some water.
How To Propagate Peace Lily?
Unlike succulent plants, peace lily can’t be propagated by cutting its stem or leaf. The only way to propagate this plant is to separate the mother plant and propagate it in a new pot. As a result, you will have two peace lily plants. Let us explain everything in detail, step by step.
Select A Mother Peace Lily Plant
Begin with selecting a peace lily that has grown mature enough. Plants with a good number of crowns developed would also be easy to separate. Lean on the mother plant and hold all the foliage together and take out the mother plant. Do not rush because roots may be stuck to the pot. If it is so, deal with it patiently.
Divide The Mother Plant
Now, use a sharp knife or a scissor to cut the crown section from the mother plant. Make sure that the crown section is divided and must have leaves and roots attached to it to propagate successfully. This is a very important step in the propagation of peace lily and has to be done with great care. Take out the plant from the pot carefully. Don’t hustle in pulling up the roots. First of all loosen the soil, using your fingers to set apart the roots to find a clump of roots.
Pot The Plant
Now, once you get the needed clump of roots, use a clean and sharp gardening cutter and cut that part of the root which connects to the leafy portion. You are all set to pot both the divided lily plant and re-pot the mother lily plant. Before you start potting or repotting, check the plants if there are any loose brownish leaves or roots, cut them away.
Take a big pot around 4 to 5 inches in diameter. The size may vary according to the size of your plant. Place the roots with a leafy portion in the new pot which you have already filled with soil. Fill it with fresh soil mixed with peat. The soil must be well-drained with little moisture but not soggy.
Aftercare of The Plant
Keep the plant in a warm place where there is enough Indirect sunlight. Soil shouldn’t be soggy but moist. Keep watering the plant at a fixed interval. Do not use any kind of fertilizer for the first 2 months.
Tips to Take Care of a Peace Lily
The plant also needs care just like babies do need. Their growth and health depend on how their care has been done. Only taking home peace lilies is not enough, taking good care of them is essential and imperative for their growth. For all the home gardeners out there, we are here sharing some tips that will help you in taking good care of your lovely lilies.
- Plant the peace lily in a pot filled with soil, and pour peat moss on the top of the soil so that the plant retains water.
- This plant can retain water for a long time. Once a week watering them is enough. When the top 2 to 3 inches of soil looks dry, you can water the plant. During the summer season, the watering frequency may increase to twice or thrice a week.
- Its flowers have a fragrance and look attractive to the eyes. Its flowers turn to pale green from white. These flowers last up to 6 weeks.
- For the right care of the plant, it is important to know that peace lilies are susceptible to pests. To keep pests like spiders or mites away from the plant, clean the leaves with insecticidal soap to remove pests.
Best Conditions To Grow Peace Lily
The healthy growth of the peace lily plant requires placing it in ideal conditions for its growth. Every plant needs a few basic requirements i.e. Light, Water, Soil, and Right Environment. Let us tell you what are the best conditions to grow a peace lily plant indoors.
LIGHT
This plant is good to keep in shady space because they are low-light required plants. But this doesn’t mean that it does not require Sunlight. Sunlight is necessary for peace lilies to flourish. Usually, it is a good idea to keep it under the shade however indirect sunlight is the best option. If your house has a window near the North or East direction, place it near that window. Sunlight is necessary for blooming peace lily but avoids keeping it under direct sunlight because it may burn the leaves.
TEMPERATURE
The temperature that suits peace lilies is more than 65 degrees. Do not keep it in a frozen place. This plant is a native forest species hence the temperature it requires is a bit higher than usual. One of the commonly asked questions is do peace lilies like humidity? Well, being a tropical plant, yes the air around this plant must be humid. To raise the level of humidity, you may keep the plant pot in a tray filled with water. When the water evaporates, it will add humidity to the surrounding air.
WATER
The requirement of water for a peace lily is once or twice a week. However, this is just suggestive. If you feel the plant needs water, you may do it. However, make sure that it will not get overwatered otherwise root rot will be a problem. Turning of leaves yellow and drooping are signs that something is wrong with the roots of the plant. If you notice such things, immediately cut off the water for the next few hours.
POTTING
The ideal time to pot the plant is in late winter before the spring season begins. Take the pot size one more than the actual size. Usually, the maximum pot size required for these kinds of plants is around 10 inches. Keep changing soil every 2 or 3 years. However, you may also go for repotting the plant by separating the peace lily in another pot.
While repotting, growing the peace lily in the new plant is also possible through the water instead of soil. It is suggested by the experienced gardeners to put some pebbles and stones in the bottom of the pot so that the roots will be submerged in water completely. This will help the leaves and stems to stay above the water line and thus prevent rotting.
A Few Commonly Faced Problems with Peace Lily
Peace lilies are among those plants that need very little care and attention. This easy-growing plant is the best option for beginners to get started with gardening hobbies. However, there could be a few problems that are commonly faced by all the peace lily owners. Let us have a look so that you can tackle these issues proactively.
Drooping Leaves
This plant needs water at a regular interval of time. Say once a week. In the summer season, this frequency may increase. The plant gives a certain indication that it is time to water it. Often the home gardeners wonder why is my peace lily drooping and turning yellow? The solution is simple. Simply water it. Usually, within 24 hours, the leaves again turn back to the upright state. You may also check the soil to assess the water requirement. When the top 2 to 3 inches of soil are dry, water the plant immediately.
Falling Leaves
Over the period, it is a natural plant life cycle that some leaves die and fall. You can inspect the plant regularly and trim the deteriorating leaves. Once the leaf is pale and dead, there is no way out to remove it. If the leaves are not removed timely, pests start feeding on them, including the healthy ones.
Fungal Disease
Darkness is not at all good for this plant. They are not likely to bloom under darkness. Moreover, due to darkness, there are high chances that it attracts fungal diseases like powdery mildew. The only way to get rid of such disease is to take care of the plant. Provide the plant with enough sunlight and water. Remember to water the plant only through the soil line. Also, prevent leaves from dangling. In the worst cases, fungicides can also be used to recover plant health.
Blooming of Peace Lily
If all the conditions are right, peace lilies can bloom twice a year. The favorite time for peace lilies to bloom is in Spring. Inadequate natural light is the prominent reason for peace lily not blooming. On average, it has been seen that peace lily flowers last up to 6 weeks but they can last up to 2 months. Generally, it takes one complete round of seasons for a peace lily to start blooming.
Light is a very important source to keep the plant full of beautiful flowers. It is therefore recommended to not keep the plant in dark rooms or where there is no window. Enough light source doesn’t mean that the plant should be kept under direct sunlight. Because direct sunlight will affect the health of the plant negatively and also burn the blooming process. So, no direct sunlight, only indirect sunlight is needed.
Conclusion
For a novice gardener, it seems daunting to propagate a peace lily plant by division method. A single wrong move may damage the plant and its growth for a lifetime. Hence, being careful is imperative. We have tried to compile every essential information of your help in this guide. However, if you have prior knowledge about how to propagate peace lily, it doesn’t seem as difficult as you think. Just go step by step and take good care of the plant.
FAQ
Do Peace Lilies Like Acidic Soil?
Yes, a peace lily is like acidic soil because the pH level of the peace lily lies in the range of 5.5 to 6.5 pH. A higher pH range means higher acidity of the soil. Experts believe that peace lilies grow faster in acidic soil conditions.
Do Peace Lilies Like Humidity
Yes, the peace lily is a tropical plant and thus like humidity. Temperature below 7°C is not ideal for such plants. A humidity level above 60% is suggestive in the case of peace lilies.
Do Peace Lilies Need Drainage
Yes like all other plants that grow in soil, peace lily also needs soil drainage. Make sure that your peace lily pot has at least 1 drainage hole. To keep the soil moist, once a week watering is required for a peace lily plant.
Why Is My Peace Lily Drooping And Turning Yellow
One of the major causes of your peace lily plant leaves drooping and getting yellow, is either underwatering or overwatering. Make sure that your peace lily pot has at least 1 drainage hole so that the soil does not become soggy. In some cases, the insufficient light source is also a cause.
Do You Cut Off Dead Peace Lily Flowers
Yes, it will be wise to prune the dead peace lily flowers. Deadheading the plant keeps its appearance good and maintained. Also, If dead flowers are not cut, they can harm even good flowers. Peace lily flowers grow from the stalk, once the flower is dead, the stalk should also be removed.