Grow Beautiful Peace Lilies Indoors

The Peace Lily, oftentimes referred to as the Closet Plant, is an easy option for the beginning gardener since it isn’t difficult to grow. The plant produces beautiful white flowers that grow throughout the year, adding a breath of fresh air and great ambiance to any room. Whether an office space, a bedroom, or other room in your home, peace lilies add a touch of color. If you’re ready to start growing Peace Lilies indoors, the following information can make the task far simpler.

What makes the peace lily such a good choice for indoor growing is that it can grow in quite low light conditions. In fact, too much light is bad for the plant, so this makes it the perfect candidate to brighten up a room that might not get enough light for other plants.

Grow Peace Lilies Indoors in your Home or Office

Grown indoors, peace lilies can reach heights of a few feet, although some can grow much taller with certain varieties breaking 6 feet. The early summer months are those in which those beautiful white blooms will be seen.

Start with a decent sized pot that will accommodate your adult plant. For most varieties, look for a pot that is 12-18 inches in diameter. The other key is to make sure that the pot has drainage holes to prevent overwatering. Not having proper drainage can lead to Root rot which can kill your plant quickly.

For soil, go with a an all-purpose potting soil. Make sure to go with a formula specific for container gardening as general garden soil will not have the proper drainage when put into your chosen container. Any popular variety at your local hardware store or nursery should suffice.

When selecting your plant, it’s easiest to go with a seedling or mature plant. This the best option for most people as growing from seeds is a bit more difficult.

You can however start from seeds, and compared to other plants peace lilies are fairly easy. Simply press them into the soil to be just barely covered, and then keep the soil warm and moist. This is an option, but bear in mind when starting from seeds it may take 2-3 years before the plant produces flowers.

Lighting

Peace Lilies have relatively low light needs, and this makes them very popular for indoor growing. That said, it still is important to provide optimal lighting conditions for your plant or they may struggle to grow.

Peace lilies tend to prefer medium to low light. This makes them perfect for growing in a room that doesn’t get a lot of light. Too much light can burn out the plant, and if you notice browning leaf tips this is one of the primary causes.

Lighting will also have an effect on flower growth. Plants with more towards the medium end of light will tend to produce more flowers. Those in more low-light conditions will bloom less and appear as more of a standard foliage plants. If your goal is flowers plan your growing location accordingly.

Watering

Keep the plant statured with water, but ensure that you don’t overwater. In most cases, you’ll be watering this plant roughly once per week. The biggest mistake gardeners make with this plant is overwatering. The peace lily is much more tolerant to being under watered than over watered, so always be careful about watering habits. When watering, give it enough that it begins to slightly leak out of the drainage holes on the pot; this means the soil is saturated. Then, wait until it dry to the touch before watering again.

This makes it a great plant for those with busy schedules and lives who don’t have the time to spend on plant care. There are numerous signs of overwatering which include browning of the leaf tips and drying of the leaves. As mentioned, the plant is best under-watered than overwatered.

Feeding and Soil

Fertilization is also something that the plant doesn’t require frequently. In fact, you can fertilize it only once or twice per year and the plant will still receive the necessary nutrients and benefits. Over-fertilizing the plant can cause it to dry out, so it’s best to do so sparingly.

Instead of a heavy fertilizer schedule, consider changing out the potting soil in its pot once every year or so. The soil will naturally become less nutrient rich, and more compact, both of which can harm your plant. Giving it a fresh pot will help combat this, and provide new nutrients for your plant.

Help! My Leaves Have Yellowed!

One of the most common problems peace lily owners report is the yellowing of the leaves and flowers. There are two main causes of this:

Overwatering: A plant with too much water is likely to start having yellowing and dying leaves. If you’re watering more than twice per week you might be giving the plant too much water. Cut back a bit, and see if the condition improves.

Too Much Sunlight: As mentioned above, peace lilies are a low light plant, and too much will give them a “sunburn”. If your peace lily is close to a window try moving it back a few inches so it gets less direct light.

Another tip is to try repotting the lily. Many times, the container the lily came in is not meant for long term growth. You should also look to repot every 1-2 years to provide a fresh growing medium.

As a personal example, I once received a peace lily after a family event. I left it in the pot it came in, and noticed after a few weeks the flowers were brown and dying. I tried less water and sunlight, but the condition of plant worsened. I then tried moving it to a new, larger pot with fresh soil and within a few weeks it was back to normal. If nothing above works this may be the issue. This could also be the problem if it’s been a long time since you’ve repotted the plant.

The good news is that peace lilies are quite hardy and it takes a long time to kill them. Even if they suffer neglect for some time fixing the issue will likely bring them back good as new.

Peace Lily Winter Care Tips

Grown indoors, it’s fairly easy to keep your peace lily happy in the winter. There are a handful of things to keep in mind though; luckily these are fairly easy and usually mean less work than compared to the summer.

First off, it’s important to note that peace lilies tend to go dormant in the winter. This means that it will grow much more slowly and require less attention. From a care perspective, this means you will need to water your plant less and give it more time between waterings. It also means that you won’t need to fertilize in the winter; hold off until spring when the plant begins growing again.

You also want to make sure that your peace lily is getting enough light. In the winter, natural light intensity tends to drop which can be problematic for some plants. Peace lilies do quite well in low light conditions, but you should still be mindful if it was already in a low location to begin with.

Lastly, you want to avoid having your peace lily in a location where it experiences drafts or drastic temperature changes. This includes being too close to poorly insulated windows or walls, or near furnace vents or other sources of heat. These areas of large swings can harm the plant, and you’ll find it might not grow back as strong in the spring because of it.

Peace Lilies Indoors Growing Tips

• The peace Lily should be washed every few months to help the leaves absorb the sunlight. You can easily wash the leaves by misting them with a spray bottle and then gently wiping down the leaves.

• When repotting, make sure that you move your Peace Lily to a pot that is at least two-inches deeper to accomodate future root growth.

• Want to remove toxic chemicals from the air inside of your residence? The Peace Lily plant is an excellent source of chemical removal!

• If the plant doesn’t bloom in a low light setting, you may need to increase the amount of light that it is receiving. It is possible that the plant isn’t receiving enough light. Even a low light plant like the Peace Lilly needs some light.

• Regular pruning encourages the plant to bloom.

• Temperatures under 45 degrees F can damage or kill the Peace Lily plant as will exposing it to frost.

Peace Lilies indoors

Over all the peace lily is a great plant to add some vibrance to a home. It’s also excellent for first time gardeners as it is very easy to grow and difficult to kill.