Peace Lily

Common Name: Peace Lily, White Flag, White Sails, Spath Flower
Latin Name: Spathiphyllum
Family: Aroid
Plant Type:  Perennial
Origin: Central and South America
Blooming Time: Year round
Humidity: High humidity
Temperature: 60-85°F
Height: 5′ H  4′ W
Color: Dark green foliage, white flowers
Insects and Diseases: Thrips, mealy bugs

Description:
The Peace Lillies are very pretty houseplants even just for their dark green foliage that gracefully arches over. The leaves can grow to over one foot in length. The white blossoms develop on top of slender, straight stems and create a dramatic effect against the dark green foliage.

The blossoms are generally taller than the foliage and resemble a Calla Lily. Flowers begin a pale green and turn to a creamy white as it matures. They’re long lasting blooms, but have a very light fragrance.

Lighting:
Peace Lily’s will thrive in areas of low light, 5 to 8 feet from a window is a great location for this plant. The plant shouldn’t be set in direct sunlight for long periods of time, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off.

Watering:
Peace Lily’s need evenly moist soils, but the soil should never be soggy. Standing water will kill the root system, as a matter of fact the most common reason Peace Lily’s die is because of over-watering. Normally watering about once a week is plenty for this plant.

Many have found success with watering by allowing the leaves to slightly droop before adding water. However, keep in mind that if you allow the plant to droop too much, it can damage the plant.

Severely drooping leaves means the plant has been dry long enough to damage some of the roots and the bottom leaves may turn yellow and fall off. To help provide the higher humidity levels this plant likes, mist the foliage several times a week.

Soil:
A high quality potting soil works well for Peace Lily’s. Choose one that will drain good, but still retain water. The soil should be well aerated and if the soil packs to tightly, add Perlite, sand or peat to the mixture.

If you want to make your own soil mixture you can add equal parts of garden soil, coarse sand or Perlite and peat or humus. It’s best to use a pot that has a hole for drainage to prevent root rot.

Peace Lily’s like to be somewhat root bound, re-potting is only needed about every other year. Just move up to a pot that is just a couple of inches larger than the original pot so that the roots will still be slightly together.

Fertilization:
The plant will usually be fine with no fertilization at all, but if you do feed the plant, moderate fertilization is all that is needed. A well balanced fertilizer with a 20-20-20 diluted at one fourth of the recommended dose is enough to suffice. If the tips of your leaves or roots are turning brown, you’re fertilizing the plant too much.

Propagation:
The main way of propagating Peace Lily’s in a home environment is by plant division. New crowns will form at the side of the plant that can be cut away and re-potted. Choose crowns that have a least two leaves present and use a sharp knife to separate it from the parent plant.

Try to remove as many roots as you can with the crown. Pot the new plant in a small pot about 3″ in diameter. It’s best to use the same type of potting mix that the parent plant was growing in. Water the plant right after potting, but don’t apply fertilizer for at least three months.

Toxicity-Poisonous:
The sap of the plant contains oxalate crystals and ingestion can cause swelling of the tongue and throat. And, can cause dermatitis or skin irritations in some people. An upset stomach is generally experienced if parts of the plant are ingested. But, it would take a large amount of plant ingestion to cause severe problems.

Care:
If you experience skin irritation from contact with the plant sap, thoroughly wash the affected area with warm water and soap. If serious symptoms occur from contact or ingestion, contact your physician.

Tips:
While Peace Lily’s prefer natural light, they can be used in rooms that have no windows at all. They can thrive very well under fluorescent lighting alone.

Peace Lily’s should be kept out of any drafts or cold air to keep from damaging the plant. They can be misted frequently with warm water and to provide extra moisture, place the pot on top of gravels in the watering dish.

Remove any dying or dead flowers, they will take energy away from the plant and cause the new leaves to grow out smaller. Remove both the flower and the stalk as far down as you can without damaging the plant.

If after the blooms die your Peace Lily just doesn’t seem to want to bloom again, place it in a darker area for awhile. The period of darkness will trick the plant into thinking it’s had a dormant stage and the blooms will soon start to sprout again!

Written by Connie Corder for HouseplantsForYou.com, Copyright 2008 All Rights Reserved