Do peace lilies like to be root bound?
The Peace Lily, a tropical plant native to the Americas and Southeast Asia, is often a gift given to people as a sign of sympathy and care. However, many care guides for this plant do not fully understand its real needs and go beyond the basics to keep it alive. To enjoy the beauty of the Peace Lily, it is essential to keep it healthy and looking good.
The plant is prone to yellow tips and brown leaves, and simply learning its lighting and watering requirements is not enough. The author, who has experienced similar challenges, learned the hard way. After researching its origins and family, they realized the need for changes and experienced positive results after making the necessary changes.
The author’s advice on how to care for Peace Lilies properly is based on their personal experience and the advice of others who have experienced similar challenges.
Peace Lilies are not real Lilies, but rather belong to the aroids family, like Philodendrons, Anthuriums, and Alocasias, which require high humidity and crispy tips. They are often misunderstood as different from Swiss Cheese Plants and Elephant’s Ears, but this is not the case. To maintain their tropical appearance, it is essential to care for them in the same way as other tropical plants.
PEACE LILY MEANING & SYMBOLISM
The Peace Lily, with its name and white spathe, symbolizes healing, hope, peace, purity, and prosperity. Its name and the pure white color of its specialized leaf suggest it is often gifted as a symbol of peace and purity.
- Peace is achieved after a disagreement between friends or family members.
- The plant’s exceptional air cleaning properties are symbolized by its purity, represented by its white color.
- Peace Lilies are often gifted as a sign of condolence to those who have lost a loved one, promoting healing and hope. Their emotional attachments make them a popular choice for those seeking proper care, as they hold significant emotional connections to these plants.
- Peace Lilies, according to Feng Shui, symbolize prosperity by balancing room energies and converting negative into positive ones, thus promoting harmony and balance in the environment.
IDEAL LIGHT CONDITIONS AND BLOOMING
Peace Lilies, like many tropical plants, thrive in low to medium light conditions but thrive in bright, indirect light. They should not be exposed to direct sunlight as it will scorch their leaves. A North-facing window is ideal for this plant. The main difference between bright and medium light is the blooming of their white specialized leaves. The more light a Peace Lily gets, the more it produces these beautiful white leaves.
The Peace Lily’s flowers are actually specialized leaves, called the Spadix or Spadix. The Spadix grows minute flowers protected by the Spadix, while the Spadix starts shedding white powdery pollen on its green leaves. After a few weeks, the Spadix will turn brown, while the Spadix will fade into brown or green. The stem should be cut off when the Spadix starts to fade into brown or green.
How much light does a peace lily need?
The Peace Lily, originally in its shaded spot in the Dining Room corner, can bloom on demand using natural hormones. Growers can make Peace Lilies bloom on demand by moving them to a bright, indirect light area of your home. This will allow the plant to grow into a mature plant, ensuring that it doesn’t overshadow its white blooms.
HUMIDITY REQUIREMENTS AND BROWN LEAVES
When caring for Peace Lilies, it’s crucial to consider humidity levels. Dry air causes leaves to brown, but these plants thrive in high humidity, which is uncommon in heated or air-conditioned homes. Therefore, providing extra humidity is essential for their growth and health.
do you know : How often do peace lilies need to be watered?
- Using a plants humidifier. There are several products available on the market, like the highly rated Pure Enrichment Mist Aire, which is an ultrasonic cool mist humidifier.
- Misting your plants. I mist all those plants that thrive on high humidity, such as Marantas, Monsteras, Alocasias, Stromanthes, Calatheas, Fiddle Leaf Figs, Strelitzias, Ferns, Pileas, Peace Lilies and Norfolfk Pine.
- Grouping your plants by species. Grouping plants together will help them raise the surrounding air humidity levels.
- Using a tray filled with pebbles and water. Filling a saucer with small pebbles and adding water so that it barely reaches the top surface of the pebbles, helps maintaining higher levels of humidity around the plant. However, it is important that the bottom of the pot is not submerged in water with the roots stagnating in it. This will cause root rot in the long term.
Misting Peace Lilies twice a week with distilled water can prevent their tips from turning brown and effectively treat their specific case.
Here you can see the typical Peace Lily yellow and brown crispy tips.
WATERING, FERTILIZING, AND BROWN LEAVES
WATERING
There are two schools of thought when it comes to watering Peace Lilies.
- Some believe this plant is drought tolerant and suggest waiting until the leaves droop before watering it.
- Others believe that this plant needs to have the right balance of moist soil, but not too soggy, and that letting it dry in between waterings will cause its leaves to go brown.
Underwatering and overwatering Peace Lilies can cause yellow and brown crispy tips, which can damage them due to root rot. To avoid this, it is recommended to use a finger to water the plant when the top soil is dry. Peace Lilies are also susceptible to mineral and chemical issues in tap water, such as hard water, excessive chlorine, and salt. To combat these issues, it is recommended to water the plant with distilled water and mist it with tap water twice a week. This method can help prevent yellow and brown tips and ensure the health of the Peace Lily plant.
The speaker expresses their belief that switching to distilled water and misting their Peace Lily significantly improved its health and appearance.
FERTILIZING
The literature on Peace Lilies recommends fertilizing them a few times a year, mainly between Spring and Fall. However, the author suggests using liquid fertilizer every time they water from Spring to Fall. To ensure safety, they recommend fertilizing every second watering from Spring to Fall by diluting the liquid fertilizer in its water.
SOIL, POTS, REPOTTING, AND DROOPING LEAVES
The health of your Peace Lily depends on various factors, including light, humidity, and watering. However, proper drainage is crucial for its overall well-being. To ensure proper drainage, plant your Peace Lily in a pot with drainage holes, whether it’s terracotta, ceramic, or plastic. If you prefer a non-draining pot, follow these steps. Proper soil is also essential, with a tropical plants mix with perlite added to increase drainage. After watering, ensure to discard any excess water in the saucer. This will help ensure the plant’s overall health and longevity.
Repot your Peace Lily if it lacks drainage or has tight roots. It’s best to do so when the leaves become droopy and the plant appears crowded and deformed. Increase the pot size by 2 inches, but not more, as this may cause the plant to suffer. Peace Lilies should not be planted in pots larger than 10 inches in diameter, as there are theories suggesting they will stop blooming if planted in pots too big.
PROPAGATING PEACE LILIES
Division is the most common method for propagating Peace Lilies, as they grow separate bunches of stems from the soil, unlike plants with a single trunk or stem.
Division can be done in one of two ways;
- If the plant is still small, you can simply separate the roots by gently pulling them apart with your hands. (You first need to remove the Peace Lily from its pot, loosen up the soil, and then, gently pull the roots apart with your fingers.)
- If the plant is bigger, and root bound like in the picture above, you’ll need to cut the rootball in the middle, using a sharp or serrated knife. (Once again, remove your plant from its pot, loosen up whatever soil is left on its rootball, and start cutting from the bottom up, towards the stems. Cut as many pieces as you’d like, in order to reduce the size of your plant.)
Plant divided plants or cuttings directly into a pot filled with soil. Drooping leaves may occur due to cutting roots during division, but this is normal and won’t damage the plants. Allow time for recovery before planting. After planting, water the cuttings thoroughly.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The text provides additional information about Peace Lilies, in addition to the care instructions provided.
Peace Lilies are effective air purifiers that remove formaldehyde and xylene from the air. However, they can be mildly toxic to pets and humans, causing oral irritation, burning, drooling, vomiting, and difficulty swallowing. Place them out of reach of small children, cats, and dogs. They bloom in spring, but some have been blooming year-round.
The right “flower” is showing a dark spadix turning green and a fading spadix, indicating that the white specialized leaf is about to die. As the spadix turns dark, it releases white, powdery pollen from its tiny flowers, which has dropped into the leaf below.
FAQ
How do you know when to repot a peace lily?
You will know when you have to repot your peace lily when roots are growing out through the drainage holes and from the top of the soil. In addition to this, if your peace lily is starting to wilt more frequently, then this is a clear sign that they need to be repotted.
Why do peace lilies like to be root bound?
The main reason why peace lilies like to be root bound is because they become more efficient at absorbing water, thus reducing the risk of the roots rotting. Although there is a limit on how much water the roots can absorb, and if they constantly stay in water then they will eventually rot.
Why is my peace lily dying after repotting?
It is normal for peace lilies to wilt after being repotted, although they should perk up after a day or so. If the peace lily is dying after being repotted then it is usually because the roots have dried out, or you have covered the crown of the plant with soil.
Should I cut the brown tips off my peace lily?
It is safe to cut off the brown tips from your peace lilies, although this won’t fix the issue of why they develop brown leaf tips. One of the main reasons why peace lilies get brown leaf tips is due to low humidity, these are tropical plants that love high humidity.
There are 17 incredible peace lily benefits!
SUMMARY
The summary provides a concise summary of what your Peace Lily needs to maintain its health and beauty.
| Place it in a bright, indirect light area. | Fertilize it every two waterings from Spring to Fall. |
| Provide high levels of humidity by misting it with distilled water twice a week. | Make sure it’s planted in a well draining pot. |
| Only water it with distilled water when the top soil is dry to the touch. | Only repot when necessary. |
