Peace lilies are known for their striking white blooms and lush green leaves, are among the most popular houseplants. They’re not only beautiful but also relatively easy to care for, making them a favorite for both beginner and seasoned plant enthusiasts. If you’re looking to maintain a thriving peace lily indoors, our comprehensive guide on how to look after a peace lily indoors will answer all your questions and provide expert tips on how to keep your plant healthy and happy.
- How Much Light Does a Peace Lily Need?
- How Often Should You Water a Peace Lily?
- What Temperature and Humidity Are Best for a Peace Lily?
- How to Fertilize a Peace Lily?
- What Soil is Best for Peace Lilies?
- Why Is My Peace Lily Not Blooming?
- How to Prune a Peace Lily?
- How to Deal With Common Peace Lily Problems?
- Are Peace Lilies Toxic to Pets?
What is a Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum)?
A peace lily is a tropical, evergreen plant that thrives on the forest floor, where it receives dappled sunlight and consistent moisture. It is most famous for its white, sail-like flowers and its broad, dark green leaves. In indoor environments this houseplant likes similar conditions as it would in it’s natural tropical environment.
Unlike true lilies, peace lilies are not in the Liliaceae family but rather the Araceae family. They’re also known for their air-purifying properties as houseplants, helping to remove toxins like benzene, formaldehyde, and carbon monoxide from the air.
The peace lily thrives in low light homes, so it is a perfect addition to brighten up a low light corner. A peace lily is often seen as a symbol of spiritual renewal or tranquillity so it is an ideal housewarming gift for people who don’t have cats. The peace lily is a beautiful plant that is fairly low maintenance and is perfect for new plant parents.
How Much Light Does a Peace Lily Need?
Peace lilies prefer indirect, filtered light. Since they naturally grow under tree canopies, they don’t need direct sunlight, which can actually harm the plant by scorching its leaves. Ideally, place your peace lily in a spot that gets bright but indirect sunlight, such as near a north or east-facing window. It likes about 2-4 hours sunlight a day, which isn’t much compared to a lot of other houseplants. This is why it is one of the best low light low maintenance houseplants you can choose.
As you learn how to look after your peace lily indoors you’ll notice that if the plant receives too much sunlight, the leaves may turn yellow or brown. This is a sign that they are burnt. On the other hand, too little light can result in fewer blooms and slower growth. You can end up with a completely green bush, which leaves plant parents feeling a bit disappointed.
Light requirement tips at a glance:
- Best light: Bright, indirect light
- Avoid: Direct sunlight as it can cause leaf burn
How Often Should You Water a Peace Lily?
Your peace lily enjoys consistently moist soil, but there’s a fine line between moist and overwatered soil. A good rule of thumb is to wait until the top inch of soil feels dry before watering again. When you water, make sure to thoroughly soak the soil, allowing any excess water to drain out from the bottom of the pot. Mastering how to water your peace lily to look after it indoors is one of the key skills of being a plant parent.
One of the benefits of peace lilies is that they let you know when they’re thirsty. The leaves will droop quite obviously when the plant needs water. It’s one of the great perks for new plant parents with concerns about overwatering, simply wait until you see the drooping leaves before watering. However, it is important to avoid letting the plant stay wilted for too long, as this can stress it out and cause stunted growth, or worse. Just make sure you check the soil is dry before watering.
You may notice that your peace lily begins to wilt about once a week indoors, so as you get used to its behaviour you’ll be able to water the day before to keep your peace lily happy. This will help you avoid overwatering or underwatering your peace lily. If you water to frequently your peace lily can get root rot as the soil is waterlogged. This is bad for the plants health and it will show yellowing leaves, leaves with brown tips and it will wilt. If it has moist soil and is wilted it is a sign your plant is suffering with overwatering and needs to be dried out.
How often to water at a glance:
- Water when the top inch of soil is dry and when you see the leaves begin to droop
- Avoid overwatering your peace lily
What Temperature and Humidity Are Best for a Peace Lily?
Being a tropical plant, the peace lily prefers warm, humid environments. Aim to keep the temperature indoors around 65–80°F (18–27°C) for your plant to thrive. The plant also doesn’t like drafts, so keep it away from air conditioners, heaters, or cold windows, especially in the cooler fall and winter months.
Humidity is also essential for a peace lily’s health. It prefers humidity levels of around 50-60%, so if your home is dry, especially during colder months, consider misting the leaves to increase moisture levels. Your peace lily may well thrive in a bathroom or a room that is damper than other rooms in your home.
Best temperature and humidity at a glance:
- Best temperatures are 65–80°F (18–27°C)
- Peace lilies prefer higher humidity at 60% but can tolerate average household levels.
How to Fertilize a Peace Lily?
Peace lilies are not heavy feeders, but a peace lily can benefit from occasional fertilization when you look after them indoors. Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer once a month during the spring and summer months, when your plant is actively growing. Avoid over-fertilizing, as this can cause leaf burn or stop your peace lily from blooming. In the fall and winter, the peace lily’s growth slows down, so you can reduce or stop fertilization during this time.
Fertilizing a peace lily at a glance:
- Fertilize once a month in spring and summer.
- Use a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer.
What Soil is Best for Peace Lilies?
Peace lilies thrive in well-draining soil that is also able to hold moisture well. A standard potting mix is usually sufficient, but you can improve the drainage of the soil by adding sand or perlite. Proper drainage is key to preventing root rot, which can occur if the soil retains too much water. When planting, consider using a ration of 2 scoops of standard potting mix to one scoop of sand and mixing to create a soil that drains and holds moisture.
It’s also important to repot your peace lily every 1–2 years to refresh the soil and get the best root growth. Your peace lily will out grow it’s pot if it has the right growing conditions in this time.
Best soil to look after peace lilies at a glance:
- Use a standard potting mix with added drainage components like sand.
- Repot every 1–2 years.
Why Is My Peace Lily Not Blooming?
Peace lilies are known for their beautiful white blooms, but sometimes your plant just stops flowering. It’s frustrating when this happens, but don’t worry as you can usually work out and solve the problem. It could be due to one of the following reasons:
- Insufficient light: Peace lilies need bright, indirect light to bloom. If placed in low light, the plant may not produce flowers.
- Lack of nutrients: If the plant hasn’t been fertilized in a while, it may not have enough nutrients and energy to produce the famous white blooms.
- Improper care: Overwatering, underwatering, or low humidity can all affect the plant’s blooming cycle. If your peace lily is not happy, it won’t bloom.
- Leaves are dusty: This means your plant can’t filter light properly for photosynthesis to happen, preventing it from blooming. Wipe your leaves with a damp cloth to remove dust and keep leaves healthy.
To encourage blooming, make sure that your peace lily is getting enough light, is properly watered, and is fertilized during the growing season. This should resolve your problem, and remember an indoor peace lily can grow all year round so you can fertilise outside of the growing season if your plant isn’t blooming.
Remember a peace lily is not a plant which will have a bloom all year. They normally flower in the spring with one or two blooms. They will, under the right conditions, sometimes bloom again in fall. If you don’t see blooms and you have had your peace lily a while don’t worry. The time to take action if your plant isn’t showing any signs of blooming is normally towards the end of spring to encourage a fall bloom.
Why your peace lily may not be blooming at a glance:
- It’s not had the right light, watering, and fertilization for it to bloom.
- It’s already bloomed this year
How to Prune a Peace Lily?
Pruning helps to keep your peace lily looking its best. Remove any yellow, brown, or wilted leaves by cutting them at the base of the plant. You can also trim old or dying flowers by snipping off the stalks near the base once they start to fade. Regular pruning is part of how you look after a peace lily indoors and it not only improves the plant’s appearance but also promotes healthy growth.
Pruning at a glance:
- Regularly remove yellow or dead leaves and old flower stalks.
How to Deal With Common Peace Lily Problems?
Indoor peace lilies can face problems from time to time. Here are few of the symptoms you may see your plant display if there is something wrong with its environment and its unhappy:
Yellow Leaves
Causes
There are a few potential causes for yellowing leaves on a peace lily. This includes overwatering, poor drainage, lack of nutrients, or your plant being pot bound and needing repotting. It’s important to determine the cause before moving onto the solution as otherwise you can stress your peace lily even more.
Overwatering and poor drainage will leave the soil feeling overly moist to the touch. If you get water coming up from the soil as you touch it this is likely the cause of your problem.
Pot bound: If you see roots growing out of the bottom, it’s time to upgrade your pot even if there are signs of other causes for yellow leaves.
Solutions
Remove any leaves that are completely yellow no matter the cause.
Overwatering: If the cause is overwatering adjust your watering schedule. Always remember to check the soil with your finger before you water to avoid overwatering your peace lily in the future. You need to dry your peace lily out so consider repotting to get rid of some of the waterlogged soil and to improve the drainage.
Poor drainage: This links to overwatering. Make sure you have holes in the bottom of your plant so that water can escape. Consider repotting and adding more perlite or sand to your potting mix. Putting some stones in the bottom of your pot to a depth pf about an inch can also help drainage.
Lack of nutrients: Add some fertilizer to your peace lily every two weeks for a month and then monthly to improve the nutrients in the soil.
Needs repotting: If your plant has roots growing out the bottom of the pot it is time to repot so it can grow. Choose a new pot with good drainage and upgrade your peace lilies home.
Brown Leaf Tips
Causes
Low humidity, over-fertilizing, or exposure to chemicals in tap water can cause the tips of your peace lily to go brown.
Solutions
Increase humidity levels by misting regularly or moving to a more humid room in your house. You can monitor humidity levels around your plant using a .soil moisture metre. Reduce how often you fertilize your plant. Plants can struggle with the level of chlorine in tap water and brown tips is a tell-tale sign. To resolve this consider watering with rainwater if you have somewhere you can collect it. Using filtered water is an option. If you are on a budget you can always simply use tap water and leave it to stand for 24 hours before watering your plant, as this gets rid of the chemicals.
Root Rot
Cause
The cause of root rot is water logged soil.
Solution
Sadly, if you don’t catch this problem quickly it can really damage your peace lily. You need to make sure that there is good drainage in your pot and avoid overwatering by always going for a less is more approach to watering. It is easier to revive a wilting underwatered peace lily than one that is over watered.
Remove your peace lily from its waterlogged soil, cut off any roots which are clearly black and dead and repot in a pot with good drainage. Overhaul your approach to watering and only water when the soil feels dry.
Are Peace Lilies Toxic to Pets?
Peace lilies contain calcium oxalate crystals, which are toxic to both cats and dogs if they eat the plant. Symptoms of poisoning in your pet can include drooling, mouth irritation, vomiting, or difficulty swallowing. If you have pets, it’s best to keep this plant out of their reach or even better rehome your peace lily and look for a pet friendly houseplant instead.
Toxic to pets:
- Peace lilies are toxic to animals if eaten, so it is best to avoid having this plant in your house if you have pets.
Conclusion
It is a fun and rewarding experience to look after a peace lily indoors as these plants can thrive for many years with the right care. By providing your peace lily with the best light, water, humidity, and occasional fertilization, you’ll have a stunning, low-maintenance plant that adds beauty to your home. It’s the perfect addition and goes well with all styles of home décor.
By following these simple tips, your peace lily will flourish indoors, providing lush greenery and elegant blooms to brighten any space in your home.
