Do peace lilies like tea leaves?

Peace lily plants are a popular and easy-to-care-for houseplant due to their beauty and ease of maintenance.

This comprehensive guide provides comprehensive advice on watering, light, fertilizer, potting soil, flowering, and pest control for peace lily care.

I will provide answers to your queries, assist in resolving common issues, and provide guidance on growing peace lilies.

Peace lily (Spathiphyllum) plants are a widely-known and potentially the most common houseplants.

Peace lilies are commonly grown as office plants or in homes due to their ease of care.

This indoor plant, often given as sympathy gifts, features white flowers and dark green foliage, adding life and vibrance to any room.

The peace lily plant is a forgiving and beneficial plant suitable for anyone, offering ease of care and numerous benefits.

What Is A Peace Lily Plant?

The peace lily plant (Spathiphyllum) is a popular tropical houseplant known for its large green leaves and white flowers.

Some people find it boring and overused, but I personally enjoy them.

Peace Lily Benefits

Peace lilies thrive in indoor environments with minimal direct sunlight, making them ideal for houseplants or office plants due to their adaptability.

Indoor plants are easy to grow and can also help purify the air.

The author highly recommends these flowering houseplants due to their numerous benefits and numerous advantages.

Different Peace Lily Varieties

Spathiphyllums are a diverse group of plants that are all equally beautiful.

The plant variety ranges from small, few-foot tall varieties to large floor plants that can grow several feet tall.

Peace lily plant care is consistent across all varieties, no matter the size.

Peace Lily Toxicity

Peace lilies, a common question, are poisonous to cats and dogs, as per aspca.org, as all parts of the plant can be harmful when eaten.

If you grow plants at home with pets or small children, keep them out of reach. Check out my list of pet-friendly houseplants.

Can A Peace Lily Live Outside?

Growing your peace lily outdoors is possible as long as they are kept in shade and protected from the cold.

Living in a warm climate may be advantageous for growing plants in a shade garden.

During summer, moving a peace lily plant outdoors can provide it with a boost, but they can be finicky.

To ensure a successful fall transition, bring your pets indoors early and be prepared for them to droop and pout for a few days after being reintroduced.

Peace Lily Care Instructions

Although houseplants are often considered easy-to-grow and can thrive on neglect, they still require significant care. Proper care of a peace lily plant is crucial for its thriving, and here are some tips for maintaining its health.

how do I get my peace lily to flower again?

After blooming, they typically have a rest period during the fall and winter.

Light is crucial for plant blooming, but direct sunlight is not tolerated by these plants.

To ensure optimal flower growth, ensure they receive ample bright, indirect light or consider adding a grow light.

Feeding peace lilies during spring and summer can help stimulate their blooming.

Peace Lily Water Requirements

Overwatering is a common issue in peace lily plant care, emphasizing the importance of proper watering for optimal plant growth.

They prefer their soil to slightly dry out between waterings, as they dislike being overwatered.

Your plant will droop when it needs water, but a good soaking can quickly revive it, as they are known to be drama queens.

Allowing peace lily plants to dry out can weaken them and lead to future issues. Here are some tips for watering a peace lily plant effectively.

How often should you water a peace lily?

The most common question about watering a peace lily is “how often?” It’s recommended to create a plant care schedule but not to water automatically based on a specific timeline.

Overwatering plants can be dangerous, so it’s crucial to check the soil regularly. Check the soil every few weeks by pushing your finger one inch down. When watering, the soil should no longer feel damp. Give the plant a good drink of water and allow excess to drain before reintroducing it. If you’re concerned about watering peace lilies, use a soil moisture gauge to ensure the correct amount of water is given.

The type of water you use matters!

Proper watering is crucial for peace lily care, but the type of water used is also crucial. Peace lilies are sensitive to chemicals in tap water, such as salts and chlorine. Rainwater is recommended for their care, as these can cause issues like yellow or brown tips and leaves. If rainwater isn’t available, chlorine can be evaporated by leaving it in an open container for 24 hours or using filtered water.

It is recommended to use room temperature water on peace lilies as they are highly sensitive to extreme temperatures, including hot or cold water.

Peace Lily Light Requirements

This plant is ideal for those who are concerned about growing houseplants in homes with limited natural light.

Peace lilies thrive in low light environments, as they don’t like direct sunlight, which can cause leaves to fade, turn yellow, or burn. They should be kept off window ledges unless they’re north-facing. However, they need light to grow their best and bloom. Place them in bright, indirect sunlight. If natural light isn’t available, add a grow light if it won’t bloom.

Repotting Peace Lily Plants

Peace lily houseplants prefer being pot-bound and don’t like being repotted. Repotting them should only be done when absolutely necessary, as they don’t like being repotted at all. Avoid making repotting part of your regular plant care routine.

When to repot a peace lily?

Spring is the ideal time to repot peace lilies, but it’s not just for aesthetic reasons. The only time to worry about repotting is when the plant is completely pot-bound. People often repot plants when they experience issues, as it’s the first instinct to fix the problem.

Repotting a sick peace lily plant is often the worst time due to its difficult nature and potential transplant shock.

How to repot a peace lily?

When repotting your peace lily, ensure the pot size is not too big, as they prefer less space. Use one to two pot sizes up and use drainage holes to prevent overwatering. It’s common for peace lily to droop after repotting, so don’t panic. Treat them as usual and don’t fertilize until they recover. They should return in no time. For more information on repotting houseplants, visit this resource.

Best Potting Soil For Peace Lily

Peace lilies can thrive in general purpose potting soil, but prefer fast-draining soil. To increase drainage, mix perlite, pumice, or coarse sand into the soil mixture. If neglecting houseplants, add peat moss, vermiculite, or coco coir to the potting soil to help retain moisture. If the peace lily is constantly drooping, add these materials to improve the soil’s drainage.

Fertilizer For Peace Lily

Peace lilies require minimal feeding and should be fertilized during spring and summer. However, be cautious with synthetic chemical fertilizers as they are highly sensitive to them.

Avoid using harsh chemical fertilizers or over-fertilizing peace lily plants to avoid problems like browning or yellowing leaves and tips. Instead, use natural fertilizers like compost, compost tea bags, or a foliar spray made from compost tea. This helps maintain humidity and prevents spider mites. Indoor plant food and general purpose organic liquid fertilizers are also suitable for peace lily plants. Organic fertilizers prevent accidental over-fertilization and burn, making them safe for sensitive plants. Using compost tea or indoor plant food can also be beneficial for peace lily plants. Overall, organic fertilizers are the best choice for peace lily plant care.

Peace Lily Pests

Peace lily plants are generally unaffected by bugs, with spider mites and mealy bugs being the most common. If bugs do appear, organic neem oil, a natural insecticide, is highly recommended for eliminating these pests. A horticultural spray oil is also effective in controlling these houseplant pests.

Pruning Peace Lilies

Regular pruning of peace lily plants is essential for their appearance and improved flowering. To prune, remove brown leaf tips and edges at an angle, and cut dead or dying leaves all the way down to the plant’s base. It’s normal for peace lily flowers to turn brown or green, but pruning out faded and dead ones will encourage new blooms. To prune peace lily flowers, cut the stalks back to the base of the stem.

Peace Lily Propagation Methods

Peace lily plants can be propagated by dividing them. This process is simple and can be done at any time, especially when repotting the plant. Remove the plant from its pot, untangle its roots, and carefully separate offshoots from the main rootball. If the rootball is thick, use a knife to cut it apart. Ensure each stem has roots to ensure survival.

Troubleshooting Common Peace Lily Problems

Peace lily plant care can be challenging when the plant becomes fussy and starts having problems. Common problems are the plants’ response to wrong things. Pay attention to how you care for the plant and its location. After investigating, the issue or combo of issues should become obvious. Here are some common peace lily care problems and tips for fixing them.

Leaf tips turning brown or brown are often due to watering issues, lack of humidity, or soil chemical buildup. A yellow or white crust on the soil or pot edges indicates salt or chemical buildup. To prevent this, try using rainwater or filtered water and switch to organic fertilize instead of synthetic ones.

Leaves Drooping

Drooping is typically caused by over or underwatering, sudden temperature changes, or transplant shock after repotting.

To ensure plant health, check soil, water only when dry, and move the plant in direct sun, near heat, or cold drafts. Monitor until plant recovers.

Leaves Turning Yellow

The yellow leaves of a peace lily are normal as they die, and as part of regular plant care, it is recommended to prune them down to the stem’s bottom.

Peace Lily Not Flowering

Inadequate lighting is a common cause of peace lily not blooming. To encourage blooming, feed the plant during spring and summer, and deadhead spent flowers regularly.

Flowers Turning Brown

The flowers naturally turn brown and die back when spent, but can be pruned back to the base of the stem.

Flowers Turning Green

Green peace lily flowers age naturally, but pruning them can encourage new white ones.

Leaves Turning Black

If leaves turn black suddenly, it’s likely due to freezing, extreme heat, or sunburn. If they turn brown first and then black, refer to the first point to determine the cause.

Peace Lily Plant Care FAQs

This section addresses frequently asked questions about peace lily plant care. If you can’t find the answer, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll respond as soon as possible.

Do peace lilies need sunlight?

Peace lilies grow well in low light conditions, and will suffer if they are exposed to direct sunlight. That being said, they do need some light to grow their best and produce flowers.

When Do Peace Lilies Flower?

It’s not uncommon for them to bloom at different times throughout the year, but they usually flower more prolifically during the spring and summer months. See “How To Make A Peace Lily Bloom” above to learn more.

How often do you water a peace lily?

I don’t like to give a definitive answer for how often to water because it depends on the growing conditions. Rather than watering on a set timeline, you should check it every few weeks, and water it when the soil no longer feels damp. See the “Peace Lily Water Requirements” section above for more details.

Why is my peace lily plant drooping?

There are several things that can cause your plant to droop. Basically, it’s what they do whenever they’re unhappy.