This is one of the more popular houseplants for beginners. It’s known to be easy to care for, and is one of only a few houseplants that flower indoors.
It’s flower is a simple, yet beautiful white spathe, and those who know how to care for the Peace Lily will possibly see it flower twice a year.
Contrary to what some may believe, the Peace Lily is not actually a Lily, but part of the Araceae family – and are more closely related to Philodendrons and Alocasia.
Care for the Peace Lily is relatively straight forward, if you follow the care tips below.
LIGHT
In the wild, Peace Lilies are shade loving plants, and enjoy dapples of sunlight. In your home, it’s harder to replicate this, but placing your plant in an Eastern facing window or in a well lit corner of your room, will be your best bet. The more indirect light your Lily receives, the more likely it will be to flower. If the plants leaves are starting to brown or scorch, it may be that it’s receiving too much direct light, and should be moved back slightly, or find it a shadier spot.
WATER
With Peace Lilies it’s important to never let the soil dry out. This doesn’t mean keeping the soil wet, but slightly moist at all times. If possible, use filtered water, or tap water that you’ve let sit overnight.
They love high humidity, so bathrooms are a great option for placement, if you have sufficient lighting. Otherwise, place them on a pebble tray or near a humidifier – Usually not an in issue in the tropics.
If you notice your plant is droopy, this is usually an indication that it needs water. Yellowing leaves means the soil is too wet, and can be an early indicator of root rot.
SOIL
Peace Lilies like an organic, well draining potting mix. A mixture of Peat moss or Coco peat, perlite, sand and bark is usually ideal. If you want to add a light compost in the mix, reduce the peat moss ratio in half and replace with the compost.
FERTILISING
In the summer growing months, fertilise weekly. Otherwise, add a slow release fertiliser (pellets) at the beginning of the growing season. Choose a fertiliser that has a higher percentage of phosphorus to promote flowering e.g. NPK 10-30-20.
PROPAGATION
Propagation is easily done via clump division from the mother plant.
Over time your plant will outgrow it’s growing container and you can either pot-up or propagate. Click here for more information on propagation methods.
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