How to care for your Peace Lily plant
Posted by Joel Richardson on 02 May, 2007
[ Category: Advice ]
Long elongated green foliage with white half shaped blooms characterises the Peace Lily houseplant. The Peace Lily (Closet Plant) is one of the most popular and easiest to grow houseplants.
House Plant Care Guide – Spathiphyllum – Peace Lily
Situating it in lower lighted areas make this plant work almost anywhere. Try to keep it within 5 to 8 feet of a window for best results. Do not place your plant in direct sun. Direct sunlight can damage the Peace Lily’s foliage. If the leaves begin to yellow, it may mean it is receiving too much sunlight. Move it to a less lighted area.
The main care requirement for your Peace Lily is water. This plant requires heavy watering, but you must allow the soil to dry out in-between watering to a point as well. This house plant will let you know when it needs water. The leaves will begin to droop. Allowing the foliage to droop slightly in-between watering has turned out to be successful for me. However, do not let it droop severely. Once the plant is watered the foliage will spring back up. If you allowed it to dry out too much, some of the lower leaves may yellow and need to be removed.
This plant also loves higher humidity levels, so providing it with a nice misting a couple times a week will help the plant remain beautifully healthy.
Comments:
Joel says:
Dear Marie,
Many different problems cause the browning at the tip of the leaf on a Peace Lily. Very difficult for me to identify without seeing the plant. Generally speaking the following cause brown tips
a) over watering
b) under watering
c) over feeding / wrong fertiliser
d) old leaves
e) pests
I hope that you can send a photo in / or indentify from this list the cause so that you can remedy.
Thanks
Joel
Sunday, 05 August, 2007
PEACE LILY says:
MY PEACE LILY FLOWERS ARE STAYING GREEN INSTEAD OF TURNING WHITE. WHAT MIGHT I BE DOING WRONG??? PLEASE HELP
Sunday, 26 August, 2007
Hannah says:
Very helpful article! I have a peace lily. It seems to be healthy, but it is growing in a stange way. All the leaves/stems are going outward from the center of the plant instead of in a nice looking upward way. It there a way I can help it to grow in a more attractive way?
Thursday, 30 August, 2007
Joel says:
Green flower causes:
a) New flower start pale green
b) Old flowers fading turn green
c) Too much water.
I hope this helps.
Friday, 31 August, 2007
Joel says:
I shall have a look into your Peace Lily flowering problems and get back to you asap.
Friday, 31 August, 2007
susan says:
Will my peace lily plant survive on our screened in porch? There’s no direct sunlight but the evening temp could drop as low as 50.
Thanks!
Saturday, 20 October, 2007
Cathy says:
I think I got my answer as to why my pease lily is not doing so good from your article which was very interesting and I hope that I can now revive my plant before it really takes a dive, hrer’s my problem. Recently most all my leaves started turning brown around the edges and they have now left the whole leaves brown. I do have a couple of new starts coming up, but I don’t want them to turn brown too. What do I do, I really want to keep these two plants. One of them is 17yrs old and from my little brothers funeral, the other is 5yrs old and from my dads funeral. These plants really mean alot to me, they are also the only 2 that I kept. I thought I was doing fine with them. I talked to a florist, she told me I needed to put them in small containers and that I did, it was good luck up until maybe the past couple of months or so. They have never been directly in the sun, usually across the room from the window. To say the least I am very concerned. Am I one of the most worried people about these plants that mean so much to me, as any other person who has asked for your help. I’m sorry I guess I just need to hold on to something. I very seldom if ever have any white flowers grow. Is it possible to help me and of course my plants? Thank you so much, Sincerrely yours, Cathy
Sunday, 21 October, 2007
Joel says:
So long as it doesn’t get too cold in the porch, ie freezing, the Peace Lily should be fine.
Sunday, 21 October, 2007
Joel says:
Peace Lily plants require decent light levels and a moist soil to keep on flowering. Many people keep these plants for long periods of time with successful flowering a reward for good plant husbandry.
If you still have problems please get in touch.
Sunday, 21 October, 2007
Sheila says:
Hi Joel, great article, will follow your tips. I have a question about my peace lily plant – it never produces the flowers. I have had it for over 8 months and never have I seen a flower bloom on it. I do keep it watered….and will now start to do as you said (letting it droop) – could the problem be I have overwatered it and thats why I do not see flowers? Thanks in advance!
Thursday, 25 October, 2007
Joel says:
You could try re-potting the Peace Lily in to a slightly larger pot and cutting back on its watering. This should stimulate the correct growth.
Sunday, 28 October, 2007
Sarah!!!!!! says:
i just got a peace lily at my grandpa’s funeral. do you need to mix fertilizer with water at all?
Sunday, 28 October, 2007
Joel says:
Hi Sarah,
No you don’t. You will only need to feed every so often as opposed to regularly.
Monday, 29 October, 2007
Pat says:
Does the peace lily plant need to be transferred to a bigger pot and does it need fertilizer? My peace lily pot drains away all the water after I water it. Please help.
Thursday, 08 November, 2007
Misty says:
I just got a peace Lilly from my ex husband’s funeral 3 days ago, it was gorgeous-now all the beautiful white flowers have turned brown and wilted and are falling off my plant! The plant it’s self looks wonderful! I don’t understand what has happened! can someone please give me a clue? I have chlorine remover for my fish tank and I was wondering if I could use this in the water for my plant instead of leaving the water out overnight.
Saturday, 24 November, 2007
Laura says:
Hi Joel! Thanks for the article.
We’ve had our Peace Lily for almost 2 years now and just recently, all of the tips have turned brown. It is in a corner near a window; no direct sunlight and not too cold. We are worried that there may be lead in our water (we live in a house that was built in the 1930s) and are thinking this could be the reason. If not, we’re wondering if we need to re-plant.
Also, what do we do with the brown tips? Should we cut them off? We really love this plant and don’t want to lose it…I got it as a gift after my mother died.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks,
Laura
Monday, 26 November, 2007
matthew morton says:
i need to konw how to get seeds from my lilly so i can grow more but i dont know how to make to produce seeds can you help me.
Tuesday, 27 November, 2007
joel says:
Hi Laura,
I would suggest re-potting the Peace Lily to invigorate the plant. You can re-pot into either the same size pot or slightly larger. Follow the instructions above and let me know how you get on. If this doesn’t solve things then we’ll try something else!!
Joel
Sunday, 02 December, 2007
peggy says:
This article is really very helpful as someone recently misinformed me that lilys do not need much water
hi joel, I really do not know much about but i got this lovely peace lily from the shop recently. it is in my living room, the leaves are now looking burnt and the flowers are turnig brown too. plase hepl. howoften should i water it
Tuesday, 25 December, 2007
Neha says:
Hi everyone,
I just wanted to point out gently that many of the questions we ask bloggers and plant care writers are already answered. Do a quick Google search for “peace lily brown tips,” for example, and you’ll get several pages with information. That way, we don’t flood writers with the same questions over and over again.
For example, when I was researching brown tips on peace lilies, I found this page, as well as http://www.briansgarden.com/2000/11/peace-lily-care.html and http://ezinearticles.com/?Peace-Lilly—-Brown-Tips-on-the-Leaves—-Why?&id=399594.
The thing I have to do now is try several things out: water the plant differently, change the lighting conditions, and so on. I think many of us are scared to handle plants, but they can take a little gentle handling; they can stand up to some changes, as long as we keep an eye on them and observe what the plant’s response is to the changes.
Happy caring.
Neha
Friday, 28 December, 2007
brady says:
Hi,
I’ve had a peace lily for about 8 years. I was recently out of town for 10 days, and the lily didn’t get water, plus it was really hot in the apartment. It is totally wilted – but the leaves are still green. Just really really wilted. I’ve been giving it a bunch of water over the past few days, but I’m not seeing any improvement yet. Any ideas?
Thanks.
Sunday, 30 December, 2007
lynn says:
Hi, I am having a very seriouse problem with my paecelilly the leaves stay droopy I’ve transplated it watered it fertilized it read about it and nothing seems to be working please help
Sunday, 30 December, 2007
joel says:
Peace Lily plants do not like cold weather. Their leaves will blacken, droop and generally not look too good.
My advice to you all is to keep your Peace Lily plants fairly warm (minimum temperature about 10 degrees C).
Friday, 04 January, 2008
erica says:
Hi Joel,
When the tips begin to brown I cut them is that good for this spathiphyllum plant or should i just leave them alone?
Wednesday, 16 January, 2008
Joel says:
Hi there,
The leaves are browning due to either (a) end of flowering period, (b) exposure to cold conditions or© overwatering. If you can assess which of these is to blame then I would tackle the problem before cutting the leaves off.
If you have no joy please get in touch again and we’ll try to get to the bottom of it.
Joel
Thursday, 17 January, 2008
Bob says:
My wife’s peace lilly leaves are turning BLACK on the ends. She has always trimmed the brown leaves and removed flowers per above.
We were out of town for two weeks and the house temp was 66, now back to 70-72. Sister watered every week.
Friday, 01 February, 2008
Clare says:
Hi
I have 2 Peace Lilies and a couple of their leaves look like they have been nibbled and are retracting…there arent any pests at all. They are flowering and look very healthy apart from this. I water regularly and put a phosphate tablet in once every 6 months.
Please advise!
Clare
Sunday, 03 February, 2008
Noddy says:
Peace lilies are not doing that well this year. A combination of causes probably. They do not like great variations in temperature and light levels – in other words they don’t really do Winter very well!
Try not to over water and keep them in a warm & light environment. I know that this is most probably stating the obvious….but just give it a try and I am sure that you will see good results.
Noddy
Sunday, 03 February, 2008
Diane Abrahamsen says:
Hey Joel, Just got my first Peace plant and I was wondering if I should water the plant from the bottom tray or the usual watering procedure from the top. A few of my bottom leaves have yellowed and I’m wondering if the watering procedure has anything to do with it. It came in a plastic container that surrounds the planting pot and I’m wondering if I should remove the plastic container. Otherwise the plants doing well. Please let me know. Thanks
Wednesday, 06 February, 2008
Joel says:
Watering either way should be ok – just don’t over do it. When watering either submerse the pot (but not the foliage) into water for a short while, at least until the media is moist or using a small watering can apply a the top of the pot.
The plant should be ok in the pot that it was supplied in for about a year. In time you should think about repotting into a larger pot.
Thursday, 07 February, 2008
Tabatha says:
Joel,
We have had a my peach lily for a little over 2 years and about a year ago it we replanted it in a bigger pot and then 2 months after that we moved and my sister put the plant in the back of her car and rode with the windows down for almost 240 miles!! Do I need to say anymore. The poor plant has never been the same. It’s almost 12 inches high and it’s nothing but stalk and maybe 5 leaves on top. Can I cut it down? How do I make it fill out?
Monday, 18 February, 2008
Harriet Wade says:
The leaves of my Peace Lily (antiurium) have turned brown and I have to continually trim them in order to keep the plant looking decent. I think it might be the water softening treatment we have in our home. Is there any way I can replace the nutrients that are lost through this process that would enable my plants to flourish regardless. Thank you
Friday, 22 February, 2008
Kelly says:
Hi Joel
My peace lilly was VERY hearty at 3years old. a couple weeks ago I repotted it for the third time into a bigger pot. The pot it was in was very crowded and I couldn’t find a pot just one size up..it’s not too too big but the pot I used is probably two sizes larger (about a 14inch?) during the repotting about half the root ball broke off and remained in the old pot…at first it seemed to do well by being able to spread out more. But now, the plant has leaves that are yellowing and browning-i have cut those off. I haven’t had this type problem with the plant in a very long time. When the plant was fairly new it wasnt growing much and all the leaves were flopped (not droopy like it needed watering) i cut alot of the plant back and by doing that it really thrived afterwards. i’m concerned that with most of the rootball not making the transplant that it will not survive…do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Friday, 22 February, 2008
Amanda says:
Hi Joel,
I really need some emergency help with my peace lilly!
Last year i moved house on the hottest day of the year. I managed to cook my peace lilly (aka Colin) in the car for the entire day as I forgot about it when i was moving my belongings!
My peace lilly WAS large, with big glossy leaves and massive white flowers and now, although i have tried to revive it, it looks awful (no surprise i’m sure!). The leaves are half brown and no flowers. Any ideas or should I give up?
Monday, 25 February, 2008
Katy says:
i removed the flower from my peace lily,which has the seeds intact, what do i do now with those seeds please let me know Thank You
Sunday, 02 March, 2008
Emma Roberts says:
Hi,
I have re-potted my peace Lily in the past, and it is doing well, but it still seems really crowded in the pot and I don’t have space for really huge containers. Is it possible to split the plant in two or should I just keep getting bigger pots?
Thanks,
Emma
Monday, 03 March, 2008
Steph says:
Hi
Was just wondering if you could explain to me why my lilly plant is not flowering? how would i get it to flower?
Thanks
Wednesday, 05 March, 2008
grace says:
I just recieved a beautiful plant .it came from the
florist. It is big -It has very little dirt in the pot.
can i leave this plant on the patio covered-30*
to 70* -help thanks
Wednesday, 05 March, 2008
jennifer sosa says:
hi joel i have a peace lilyuits my first plant
in understood how many times i have to put water on it, but my question is how much i have to put ? cause i dont have any idea and i dont want to over watering or under watering
Sunday, 09 March, 2008
Diane Palladino says:
Hi Joel,
My new Peace Lily came in a tin bucket with no holes in the bottom. Can I leave it in there like that or should my husband drill holes. I like the bucket.
Sunday, 09 March, 2008
Joel says:
Hi there
Sorry for the late reply. Yes I would definately drill osme holes in the bottom to help with drainage.
Regards
Friday, 14 March, 2008
Joel says:
Peace Lilies do not like the following:
a) too much water – aim to water one every 7-10 days in normal every conditions and every 5-7 days in hot weather.
b) Your leaves will turn brown if (a) you have over watered, (b) the plant has suffered sun scorch, (c) under watered!! (d) too cold – under 13 degrees celsius
c) It is probably cheaper to buy a new Peace Lily than to grow your own from seed and also an awful lot quicker!
d) Peace Lilies will flower and then concentrate on renewing its energies to flower again. It is perfectly normal for a Peace Lily to stop flowering for a while. Please bear with it.
e) I would advise repotting into a larger pot than splitting the plant
Friday, 14 March, 2008
Jaclyn VanHorn says:
I had received a peace lily from my little brothers funeral and it is extremly important to me! It has gnats for sure I am in a panick he passed 5 months ago and I just cant loose this plant. Your above info has helped, I am going to try thr potato and soap water, but very concerned.
Sunday, 16 March, 2008
Joel says:
Hi there,
I suggest that if the soapy water method fails then you head for your local garden centre and buy a chemical for this purpose. That way you have the peace of mind that the Peace Lily should be fine!
Friday, 21 March, 2008
Jerry Cutter says:
I need to know , after a bloom turns brown , do I pull the stem out and leave the leaf or should I cut the leaf off at the ground.
Monday, 24 March, 2008
Rhiannon says:
Hi all,
this seems like a good place to share the care information that I got from the flower shop when I bought my Peace Lily.
Here’s what the leaflet says:
“Spathiphyllum (Peace lily) should be kept in a normally heated room and in a very moist atmosphere, so frequent spraying with tepid water is essential. Never use cold water straight from the tap, as this is most damaging to the plant.
Propagation by dividing the plant can only be done in early spring. Remove the large plant from its pot and divide into several sections. Each section can be grown separately. A good-sized plant can be divided into three. You must provide it with a good potting compost and as a well aerated soil mixture is appreciated, mix some peat moss with the compost. Its requirement for water is reduced during the winter, but the plant does not have a real resting period. Do not forget the crocks at the bottom of the pot when repotting. The plant is very susceptible to spent soil, so repot frequently.”
Hope this is helpful
Wednesday, 26 March, 2008
dennis says:
Hi i have just split my Peace Lily up, as it was getting very overgrown in the pot it was in.Can anyone recomend a good food for the Peace Lily and how often to fee please
Thursday, 27 March, 2008
joana says:
Very interesting article. I’m a beginner and just got a Peace Lily, the tips are very valuable.
Friday, 04 April, 2008
Lauren says:
Hi,
Really halpful article.
I recently got a peace lily, but a few days after I got it, some of the white flowers started going brown and shrivelling up. The rest of the plant looks great, but this keeps happening to the flowers. It is not getting too much light and i am watering it as insturucted – so I don’t know what’s wrong with it!
Thanks.
Saturday, 05 April, 2008
Sheri says:
I got my peace lillies when my grandmother died. I actually split them apart because it was getting huge. However, i saw that you said you should not split them…did I just ruin my grandmother’s plant?
Sunday, 06 April, 2008
PAULETTE KRUG says:
I have had a peace plant for about 8 years, it has grown from a small plant to a hugh one. It looked beautiful until this past year. No flowers and recently the leaves have drooped over and even when I water it the leaves are still drooped over. It is still in the pot that I got it in 8 years ago. Should I transplant it, what should I do about the leaves and can I break up the bulbs, there seems to be 4 of them. I would hate to lose this plant as it was sent to us by friends after my father in law passed away. Please Help
Thank you,
Paulette Krug
Thursday, 10 April, 2008
Stacy Boston says:
I have had my peacelily for 5 years it has only bloomed one time with only one flower why, and what do I need to do? other than that it looks great.
help me bloom
Stacy
Saturday, 12 April, 2008
karen says:
very good article, looking for advice over mine. had for 4 years, thriving and flowering as normal, i have never moved its position as i knew it liked it where it was, last week i re-potted to bigger pot, plant became droopy so i watered and added some ‘plant n feed’.... plant looks half dead, leaves are going brown and still very droopy, is there anyway that i can revive this plant – would be a shame to loose it after 4 years…... also, had a ‘parot plant that i started from cutting, all leaves have dropped off and stem has gone from hard tree looking to now being very soft stem and dead??
Tuesday, 22 April, 2008
Char says:
I’ve read all other questions so as not to repeat. My P.L.‘s leaves have yellow spots, is this a water issue or a fungal issue? Also what, if anything can I apply to the leaves for more shine on sort of dull leaves? I’ve had one before and killed it. This one came from mom’s funeral and I want it to survive and thrive. Thanks.
Friday, 02 May, 2008
Linda Ward says:
Love the article !!!!!!!!!!!!!! However, I need some advise…..I got a peace lily from my grandmothers funeral about a month ago. One night while I was asleep, my puppy dug it up !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It sat all night and most of the next day till about 5pm. when I tried to repot it. It’s been a few days now and the leaves are all droopy, ( I have a stick holding up the leaves ) and now the ends of the leaves are turning yellow. PLEASE HELP ME SAVE MY PEACE LILY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Monday, 05 May, 2008
sandra says:
i bought my peace lily in march i would like to re-pot it now in may will it be ok ?
also if i want a bigger peace lily and i pot it into a bigger pot does it grow to the sizes of the pot like some other plants do ?
and is it normal for the flower to break through and bud on a stem of a leaf ?
thanks sandra
Sunday, 25 May, 2008
Dee says:
HI Joel
Hi Joel. I have had my peace lily since December of 2007. Around March it stopped producing flowers. I cut the sten if the flowers off and now I noticed that the tips of the green leaves are turning brown. It is still produceing green leaves. I have it near my windwon but it is not getting direct sunlight. How do I get it to produce flowers again. Is it too far gone.
Thanks
Dee
Monday, 26 May, 2008
Joel says:
Hi there,
Try watering a little less & keep out of direct sunlight.
Greening of the flowers can often be a sign of quite an old plant!
If you have new flowers coming through I would suggest that you cut off the old ones & enjoy the new.
Thursday, 29 May, 2008
steve says:
hi i have a very large lilly plant in our garden but after storm it has collapsed? what can i do to bring it back many thanks
Wednesday, 04 June, 2008
Carla says:
I repotted my peace lily in a much larger pot because it was so crowded in the one from my grandmothers funeral. The next day the leaves began to turn yellow. I read that it should be put in only a slightly smaller pot so I repotted it again. This has killed off all the leaves with the exception of the bloom that was on it when I repotted it. Now I have several little babies coming up. Should I allow them to stay in this pot or put them in a smaller pot?
Wednesday, 04 June, 2008
Mike says:
Hi Joel,
I just bought a peace lily and I repotted it to a bigger container. Is it ok to put it in my living room? I also put a moss on top of the soil below the leaves to make it look nice. I not sure though if its ok. Please advise.
Thanks,
mike
Saturday, 07 June, 2008
Marie G- California says:
Is it ok to give two Job’s plant stick I put two one in the back and one in the front of the plant and I rotate it once a month my plant is beautiful. the only thing I feel the soil na dit’s dry so water it but the leaves are turning green am I doing something wrong?? Also when does it need to repotted// Its really getting big. Everyone says that see’s my plant say’s to leave it in the pot or it’s going to go into shock. If I repot will it go in to shock???
Thanks Marie G
Monday, 16 June, 2008
Mary says:
Joel, What type of soil is recommended for repotting the Peace Lily and should I get Miracle Grow for the food requirements after the repotting? Thanks, Mary
Monday, 16 June, 2008
Angel says:
My peace lily is drooping pretty bad and I think it’s because it was near the air condition
vent. Is there anyway to revive the plant?
Tuesday, 17 June, 2008
Trudy says:
I just recieved a piece of this plant the peace lily, and I would like to plant it. Do I dry the seeds or just put the leave in water to sprout. Please let me know as soon as possible Thank you very much.
Wednesday, 18 June, 2008
Kelly says:
I’m worried about my peace lily, the leaves are very lifeless and droopy, i water it regularly and it has just been repotted too. It lives in a light and airy office.
Please could you help?
Thanks
Kelly
Wednesday, 25 June, 2008
Rita says:
Very, very helpful. Thank you.
Tuesday, 19 June, 2007