How to Care for a Peace Lily Plant
Learn how to care for a peace lily, one of the most popular indoor plants. These beautiful houseplants are fairly easy to grow, but it’s important to know how often to water peace lilies and what to do if their leaves droop or turn yellow. Plus, find tips on how to repot your peace lily to keep it happy!
About Peace Lilies
Peace lilies are not true lilies. They are tropical, evergreen plants in the Arum family, native to tropical Central and South America. These plants thrive on the forest floor, where they receive dappled sunlight and consistent moisture and humidity. Replicating these conditions in the home is the key to getting your peace lily to be happy and healthy.
With enough light, peace lilies produce white to off-white flowers starting in the early summer, continuing to bloom throughout the year in the right conditions.
Most household varieties of peace lily grow up to 16 inches tall, but larger outdoor cultivars can have leaves that reach up to 6 feet in height. Peace lilies are not cold-hardy plants, so they can only be grown outdoors in warm, humid climates (USDA Zones 10, 11).
Is the Peace Lily Toxic to Cats and Dogs?
Yes, peace lilies are mildly toxic. All parts of the peace lily plant contain calcium oxalate—a substance that may cause stomach and respiratory irritation if ingested in large amounts. Keep peace lilies out of reach of small children and pets who might chew on the plant. Other common plants that contain calcium oxalate include philodendrons, daffodils, true lilies, and hyacinths.
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Lighting
- Place peace lilies in indirect but bright sunlight. An east-facing window is perfect, as the plant will be exposed to the bright morning sun. A north-facing window would also be a good choice for a peace lily.
- Keep peace lilies out of areas where they’ll get direct sunlight all day (such as in a south-facing window), as it may dry them out too much.
Watering
- How often should you water your peace lily? It’s not the number that matters but the dryness of the soil that counts. Keep the soil lightly moist to the touch, but not overly saturated. Peace lilies can tolerate short periods of dry soil, but their leaves will start to develop brown tips if they don’t have enough water or humidity.
- Tip: One nice thing about peace lilies is that they will tell you when they’re thirsty: the plant’s leaves start to droop. When the plant starts to look less “perky” than usual, test the soil with your finger. If it feels dry, it’s time to water again.
- Peace lilies are sensitive to chemicals commonly found in tap water, such as fluoride, which may cause brown leaf tips. Use filtered, room-temperature water, if possible.
Humidity
- Peace lilies enjoy high humidity. Misting their leaves or placing their pot atop a moistened tray of gravel can help to increase humidity around the plant.
Fertilizing
- Peace lilies are not heavy feeders, so fertilize only occasionally. To encourage spring and summer growth, fertilize every 6 weeks or so with a balanced houseplant fertilizer starting in late winter.
Temperature
- Peace lilies are a tropical plant; they do best in temperatures between 65°F and 75°F degrees (18 to 23°C) during the day and about 10° cooler at night.
- Keep these plants away from the furnace or a drafty window or door.
Other Care
- The large leaves of peace lilies tend to collect a lot of dust in the home. Gently wipe them down with a wet paper towel occasionally; a thick layer of dust can inhibit photosynthesis.
How to Get Peace Lilies to Flower
- Most often, if no flowers are appearing, the plant is not getting enough light. Peace lilies are very tolerant of low light, but “low light” doesn’t mean no light! To encourage flowering, move the plant to a brighter location, where it will receive bright, indirect light for at least a few hours each day.
- Green flowers, weak-looking flowers, or a general lack of flowers can also be caused by improper fertilizing. In the case of green flowers, cut back on fertilizing, as the plant may be getting too much nitrogen. In the case of weak-looking flowers or a lack of flowers, try switching to a fertilizer made for flowering plants. This type of fertilizer will have a higher amount of phosphorous, which plants need for blooming.
- The peace lily is said to have gotten its common name from its white flowers, which rise timidly above its green foliage and resemble white flags of peace.
- Despite the peace lily’s common name, it is not related to true lilies at all.
- The plant’s interesting blooms are also the source of its Latin name, Spathiphyllum, meaning “spathe-leaf.” The flowers consist of the spathe (the white, sheath-like leaf) and the spadix (the spike of small flowers located within the spathe).
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My peace lily is exploding pollen that is covering the leaves and prevents the flowers from blooming properly. It is a sugary sticky white dusting. What is this and how can I stop it?
Hi Missy,
Depending on the amount of pollen that is on the leaves, it might be enough to where it is inhibiting your plant’s photosynthesis. You can give your peace lily a good shake to remove as much pollen as possible. There’s a good chance that more pollen will collect on the leaves so you can also wipe down the leaves as needed to remove it. You can also remove the pollen-containing spadix to avoid more pollen from releasing.
There’s also a chance that your plant could have an underlying issue, i.e. not getting the right kind of light or the proper temperature range. Also keep an eye out for any white powder that remains after all the flowers have bloomed because this could be a sign of powdery mildew.
What is wrong it plant has white spots on leaves or any colors spots
Hi, Lynda, It’s hard to be absolutely certain what’s wrong with your plant. Peace lilies usually get black spots when they are in trouble; we don’t have much information on white spots. But we have an idea: Maybe it’s scale or mealy bugs. As noted above, wipe down the leaves with a dish soap and water solution or an insecticidal soap; repeat as needed. Another thought: If there is a local nursery near you, take a picture of the plant in its usual location in your home and ask a nursery person if they can help identify the problem.
Ive have a plant for 8 years and has only bloomed once…. (When I bought it)
It receives bright light all day and not near any drafts. I dont mist it but have started using fertilizer just in the past 6 months. It still has not bloomed and it’s very small. No brown spots and I have repotted it several times…. Any suggestions on why it’s not growing bigger or producing flowers?
I keep my peace lily where it receives indirect but bright sunlight, I keep moistening it on the alternate days. The soil is moist enough. Still I find leaves are droopy, yellowish and often withered.
Based on the article, it seems you may be over watering it. I have a large plant that get indirect bright sunlight. I water it once a week and fertilize it once a year. Normally, it blooms three to four times a year with two flowers each bloom. I hope this helps.
I have a very large leafed peace lily, it's facing north at the edge of a covered lanai, not in direct sunlight, it's outside (live in FL's zone 10). The lower leaf edges are browning and the new growth leaves are distorting. What is wrong? Thank you for your help. MM
That sounds like over spray from weed killer.
What happens when your Lilly goes limp?
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