How to care for your Peace Lily

One of the easiest and most beautiful plants you can have in your home and garden is the Peace Lily. Caring for your peace lily might be easier than you think.

Known for its ear-like blooms, this unique must-have plant is often used as an indoor plant. As a very popular décor item, the Spathiphillum (or better known as the Peace Lily) brings a soothing atmosphere with its long and elegant green leaves and white flowers. Not only will this indoor delight bring colour to your home, but also provide clean air as it has air-purifying qualities.

Hardy and easy to care for, these evergreens are a true joy when it comes to bringing life to your home. We will be discussing a few easy tips and tricks on how to care for your Peace Lily to ensure vigorous growth and blooms by the dozen!

Light:

The preferred light requirement is best when kept out of direct sunlight and rather grown in indirect sunlight. Indirect sunlight refers to when the direct sun light is blocked by an object that diffuses or filters the sunlight. The perfect place for your peace lilly would be at a window or even under a sky light. Be sure to avoid direct sunlight as this could damage your plant by burning the leaves.

Water:

A good thing to know is that peace lilies are not very “thirsty”. It is best to let your pot’s soil to dry out first before watering your peace lily thoroughly. Watering should take place approximately once a week.  When watering your peace lily, try to completely drench the soil to ensure that all roots are watered. Many call them a dramatic plant, for reason being that their leaves will start to droop when they need water. This will be a good indication that your plant is due for a good watering.

Soil:

Well-draining soil is always the best way to go when it comes to potting your peace lily. Ensure that your soil is not too condensed as this might lead to your soil not drying out enough. A good well-draining potting mix can be purchased at our garden centre that ensures the correct consistency for your plants.

Repotting:

A good indication of when you need to start transplanting is when your plant starts to drink up water quicker than usual , the leaves start drooping quicker and your roots start taking over the pot. A bigger pot is the way to go! Be sure that the pot is at least a few centimetres bigger to give your plant space to grow. You will notice that your peace lily will outgrow your pot a few times, but it will not likely outgrow a 45cm pot.

Blooms:

Like many other flowers, peace lilies need a lot of light to produce blooms. It’s best to make sure your plant gets plenty of natural, indirect sunlight to promote the growth of it’s beautiful flowers. In Gauteng’s climate, I have personally seen that the peace lily can flower for months on end starting from spring, straight through to autumn. Fertilizing for blooms are not necessary, but if need be, a good 3:1:5 can go a long way by only fertilizing twice a year.

WARNING

Although this beautiful plant can add so much to your home, it can also be a risk to pets and children. Peace Lilies are toxic to pets and children and should be kept out of their reach.

As we know, the peace lily is quite easy to take care of. All it comes down to is lots of natural light, well-draining soil, watering once a week and making sure that it gets re-potted when needed.

Be sure to purchase your very own at Bergmann’s Garden Centre to ensure another wonderful addition to your home!