How to Take Care of Spathiphyllum Plant

One of the most temperamental plants in the houseplant community is the peace lily. Aside from its huge, glossy, deep green foliage, you can always rely on its resilience. Just like any other indoor plants, they prefer bright, indirect light but the peace lily can tolerate low to medium light settings in any home.

That is indeed a characteristic all plant enthusiasts would love to have as a plant.

Here’s everything you want to learn to care for this fabulous tropical plant.

More About Peace Lilies

peace lily plant

The peace lily is an evergreen tropical plant that thrives in the forest, only receiving dappled sunlight with high humidity and moisture. So, replicating the environment for your indoor plants is essential.

The Spathiphyllum grows gorgeous white flowers known as a spathe. It has green glossy leaves with long flowering stems growing in different light conditions. The flowering plants belong to the Araceae family, and some plant lovers also refer to it as the spath lily.

The flower color can vary from white or yellow, and when mature and treated as an outdoor plant, it can reach up to six feet tall, while as an indoor plant, it only grows to three feet tall. Peace lily plants bloom in the early summer months and continue throughout the year.

While the peace lily is a toxin-removing plant to clean the air from carbon monoxide, it also contains toxins. Most of the time, the peace lilies are safe to handle, but it is not safe around children and pets when consumed as it is mildly toxic. All parts of the plant have insoluble calcium oxalates.

The substance can irritate the mouth, throat, and stomach. Another notable thing about the peace lily is that it is not a cold-hardy species and only grows well outdoors in warm climates. So if you live in the USDA hardiness zones, ten or eleven peace lilies grow outside.

Peace Lily Plant Care

peace lily care

Concerning peace lily care, it thrives as a potted plant in a tropical environment. As the temperatures are not great for growing outdoors, you can move your plant outside in summer and bring them in when temperatures drop. They grow their best by keeping the soil evenly moist in filtered light.

Soil Mix Suitable for Spathiphyllum

Peace lilies enjoy growing in a loose potting mix with a lot of organic matter. Nevertheless, as the plant is native to the tropics of Asia and Central America, they prefer soil with deteriorating plant matter.

Also, the plant’s roots are sensitive to damp soil, and having well-draining soil with enough drainage holes is essential. So, choosing a clay or terracotta vessel works well to wick excess water away.

Spathiphyllum Sunlight Needs No Direct Sunlight

peace lily in low light setting

The peace lily prefers filtered light to bright light to keep those glossy green leaves looking great. A north-facing window would be beneficial for these plants when taken indoors.

Some varieties can stand more light, but this peace lily prefers low light to indirect light.

If you notice the peace lily leaves curling or looking pale, it receives too much light while scorched foliage is too much direct sunlight.

Watering Needs

watering peace lily

Your peace lily plant prefers when you leave the soil dry. It does not enjoy over-watering as it can lead to root rot. So, leaving the inch below the surface drier is best before watering.

During the warmer months, you can mist your plant frequently. While in winter, you can slow down with the watering but never leave the soil to dry completely. If you find the tap water is a bit chlorinated, then we recommend using filtered water instead.

Or you can leave the water standing for a day or two, allowing the chemicals to evaporate. We also recommend watering your plants with room-temperature water to prevent shock.

Temperature & Humidity Needs for Indoor Plants

Your peace lily prefers moisture and warmth. So the best is to find a spot away from cold temperatures below 60°F. It will die when exposed for too long to the cold if left in these temperatures. An ideal temperature is between 65°F to 80°F.

You can spritz the leaves with water daily using distilled water in the growing season. So average room temperatures with high humidity levels are ideal for this plant, especially when keeping it away from cold drafts.

If you do find that your Spathiphyllum wallisii needs more humidity, you can mist the leaves regularly or use a pebble tray placed underneath your plant.

Fertilizing of Spathiphyllum

slow release fertilizer for peace lily

Your peace lily loves frequent feeding to provide you with seasonal blooming. You can feed your plants weekly in the growing season using a slow-release fertilizer but can refrain from feeding in winter.

Repotting and Getting Your Peace Lily to Bloom

Your peace lily prefers its root ball to be a bit root-bound. But when your plants exceed the pot’s capacity, we recommend repotting it to a bigger container in early spring. Also, use a pot with a drainage hole with quality soil and leave the soil dry between watering.

Another thing you may face with your Spathiphyllum wallisii is when it blooms, as they do not sometimes bloom outside of the natural environment. But if you want your plant to bloom, it helps to provide them with ideal conditions, balanced houseplant fertilizer, low light, and humidity.

Doing this and avoiding the direct sun will produce those white flowers as the peace lily makes for a fantastic display indoors.

Propagating Peace Lily

Great with the peace lily care; you have grown a healthy plant, but it always helps to propagate your tropical beauty to ensure you always have one available. The easiest way to do this is by dividing the root ball when repotting. Then, inspect the roots for small offshoots located on the mother plant.

  • Start by removing the plant from the pot and tug or cut away the neighboring crowns.

  • Or you can cut out a section of the root ball with two or more leaves with roots attached.

  • Next, fill a six-inch pot with potting soil that is moist but not soggy at all.

  • Plant the clumps and water your plant well. Then place your plants in a warm yet well-lit spot to help establish the roots.

Spathiphyllum Varieties

You can find some hybridized species of the peace lily that range in size, and some grow massive.

S. ‘Mauna Loa Supreme’

The peace lily is a common variety and can grow up to four feet tall, with leaves growing up to nine inches wide.

S.’ Sensation’

This large variety reaches up to six feet tall and has broad leaves growing 20-inches in length.

S.‘ Golden Delicious’

The peace lily varietal has new growth featuring a gorgeous golden to green hue.

S.‘ Starlight’

The peace lily grows narrow leaves and has many wavy margins. It can develop multiple blooms, up to 20 flowers on one plant.

Spathiphyllum Diseases and Pests

As with most houseplants, your peace lilies can become the home to pests or diseases. Here are some common problems you can face with this beautiful plant.

  • When the leaves turn yellow, it is a sign of either over or underwatering. Sometimes you can notice yellow leaves because of age. It might need a bit more space if you see older leaves turning yellow and have not repotted for a while.

  • Direct sunlight can result in brown leaf tips. In addition, leaves can turn brown with overfeeding or the lack of water to low humidity. Keeping your plant on a humidity tray and misting it helps increase the moisture in the air.

  • Scale, fungus gnats, and mealybugs are other concerns. Using a clean, wet cloth with insecticidal soap can help remove pests, or you can use neem oil.

Where can you buy a Spathiphyllum Plant?

If you want a peace lily to keep the indoor air clean, you can find one at your local garden center or online. Still, you need not browse through different nurseries as Plantly has this gorgeous plant here.

Whether you want to buy, sell or simply reach out to other plant enthusiasts, Plantly is the right place to be!

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