Peace Lily Care

Water a peace lily when the top of the potting mix is dry to the touch. In a Perth summer that is often once or twice a week, and less in winter. The plant tells you when it needs water: the leaves begin to droop, and they lift again within hours of watering.

Peace lily varieties

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) have deep green leaves and white flowers held above them on stiff stems. They are one of the few indoor plants that flower reliably without strong natural light.

• Peace Lily Sensation is the largest peace lily, with big, ribbed leaves and large white flowers. It grows into a floor plant.
• Peace Lily Sweet Romano has rich dark green leaves and long-lasting white flowers, and suits a shaded outdoor entertaining area as well as indoors.
• Spathiphyllum Chico is compact, with large white flowers above glossy leaves, and suits a table or shelf.
• Spathiphyllum Sweet Rocco is a mid-sized peace lily for a table or the floor.

Browse the full range in our Peace Lilies collection.

How often to water a peace lily

Water when the top of the potting mix is dry to the touch. Check with a finger rather than watering on a set day, since how fast a pot dries depends on its size, the room and the season. As a guide, a peace lily in a warm, bright room in a Perth summer often needs water once or twice a week, and every week or two in winter.

When you water, water thoroughly until it runs from the drainage holes, then let it drain. Never leave the pot standing in water in a saucer or a cover pot.

Peace lilies are forgiving. A plant left too long will wilt, sometimes dramatically, and recover quickly once watered. Letting it wilt often weakens it over time, though, so water at the first sign of droop.

Drooping leaves

Drooping is almost always thirst. If the potting mix is wet and the plant still droops, the roots are waterlogged; let it dry out and check the pot drains freely. A plant that wilts again within a day or two of watering has usually outgrown its pot.

Brown, yellow and black leaves

• Brown leaf edges or spots usually come from overwatering, or from draughts, air conditioning or heating. Move the plant somewhere more sheltered.
• Black leaf edges, or black leaves and stems, mean the potting mix is staying too wet. Water less and check the drainage holes are clear.
• An older yellow leaf at the base now and then is normal.

Cut damaged leaves off at the base.

Light and flowering

Give a peace lily bright indirect light, out of direct sun, which burns the leaves. It tolerates lower light better than most flowering indoor plants, though it flowers less. A peace lily that has stopped flowering usually needs more light.

The white flowers appear through spring and summer and last for weeks. They turn green as they age, which is normal. Cut spent flowers off at the base of the stem.

Outdoors

Peace lilies can go outside in a warm, shaded spot, such as a covered patio or outdoor entertaining area, out of direct sun. Protect them from frost and cold winds, and bring them back inside before winter.

Air conditioning and heaters

Keep a peace lily out of the airflow from air conditioners and heaters, which brown the leaf edges. Refrigerated air conditioning also dries the potting mix faster, so check the plant more often through summer.

Feeding

Feed while the plant is putting out new growth, from spring to the end of summer, with a liquid fertiliser for indoor plants. We recommend Growth Technology Foliage Focus or Plant Runner Indoor Plant Food.

Pots and potting mix

Keep a peace lily in its nursery pot inside a decorative pot, where water can drain away from the roots. Repot when the plant outgrows its pot, which usually shows as wilting soon after watering. Use a well-draining premium potting mix, such as Waldecks Premium Potting Mix. For a small peace lily, a specialised indoor potting mix may suit you better, such as The Home Plant Co Indoor Potting Mix or Searles Indoor Potting Mix.

For peace lilies at 175mm and below, our Trio pots are the range to look at. For 200mm and larger, look at Terreno, and each Terreno listing gives the nursery pot sizes it fits.

Cleaning the leaves

Peace lily leaves collect dust, which cuts the light they take in. Wipe them with a soft damp cloth. Leaf Love Gloves and microfibre leaf cleaning gloves make it quicker, and Plant Runner Neem Oil Leaf Shine leaves a clean finish.

Fungus gnats

Small flies hovering around a peace lily are fungus gnats, which breed in potting mix that stays wet. Let the potting mix dry out properly between waterings, and repot into fresh potting mix if they persist. For anything else on the leaves, bring a photo into one of our garden centres, or a leaf sealed in a zip-lock bag or container, and our team will tell you what it is and what to do.

Toxicity

Peace lilies are toxic to pets and people if eaten. Keep plants out of reach of pets and young children.