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How to Care for Peace Lilies

close up of a peace lily flower with greenery and foliage
Photo Credit
Georgina198/Getty Images
Botanical Name
Spathiphyllum spp.
Plant Type
Houseplants
Sun Exposure
Part Sun
Shade
Soil pH
Neutral
Bloom Time
Varies
Flower Color
Green
White
Hardiness Zone
10
11

Growing Peace Lily Plants: Watering, Light, Repotting, and Pests

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Learn how to care for a peace lily, one of the most popular indoor plants. These beautiful houseplants are fairly easy to grow, but knowing how often to water peace lilies and what to do if their leaves droop or turn yellow is essential. 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, receiving dappled sunlight and consistent moisture and humidity. Replicating these conditions in the home is the key to keeping your peace lily happy and healthy.

With enough light, peace lilies produce white to off-white flowers starting in the early summer and continue 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 up to 6 feet tall. Peace lilies are not cold-hardy, 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, which 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. Common plants containing calcium oxalate also include philodendrons, daffodils, true lilies, and hyacinths.

Peace lily in a white pot
Photo by izzzy71/Getty Images

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Planting

How to Plant, Repot, and Divide Peace Lilies

  • Plant or replant your lilies in a container twice as large as the root ball with well-draining, all-purpose potting soil. The soil should be able to hold moisture and dry out slowly over time. Peace lilies don’t like to dry out entirely, but they also won’t do well if kept in soil that’s constantly wet, as this fosters root rot fungus.
  • Repotting the plant every few years in the spring is suitable for the peace lily, as it will appreciate the refreshed soil.
  • Eventually, the peace lily may grow too large for its pot, at which point it can be divided. Remove the plant from its pot and split it into smaller plants, being sure to leave several leaves per clump. Peace lilies grow from rhizomes, so they can tolerate a bit of tough treatment during dividing.

Can Peace Lilies be Grown in Water?

Yes, peace lilies can grow in water alone; they are often sold in vases without any soil. Ideally, the base of the plant should be suspended above the water line, either by a specially made vase insert or a layer of small river stones. This allows the roots to grow down into the water but keeps the base of the plant and its leaves from being constantly wet, which can cause rot. 

Growing

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 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. They can be a bit dramatic; don’t panic if they start to wilt.
  • 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 tropical plants; they do best in temperatures between 65°F and 75°F degrees (18 to 23°C) during the day and about 10°F cooler at night.
  • Keep these plants away from the furnace or a drafty window or door.

Other Peace Lily Care Tips

  • 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.

Peace Lily plant and flower

How to Get Peace Lilies to Flower

  • Most often, if no flowers appear, 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. 

Types

Specialty varieties of peace lilies are not very easy to come by in most garden centers, though they have been growing in popularity. You may have more success ordering them from an online source. 

  • Spathiphyllum wallisii is a smaller peace lily, reaching only 12 inches tall.
  • ‘Petite’ is smaller still, at approximately 8–10 inches.
  • ‘Sensation’ is the largest variety available, capable of growing up to 4–6 feet in height and width.
  • ‘Domino’, is a medium-size variety with attractively variegated leaves.
  • ‘Mojo Lime’, which has lime-green foliage, is another medium-size peace lily.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

  • Brown leaf tips are commonly caused by excessive direct sunlight, over-fertilization, lack of water, and/or low humidity. Keeping the plant on a tray of moistened gravel or misting the leaves can help to increase humidity.
  • Yellow leaves may be caused by overwatering, underwatering, or old age (of the leaf). If the oldest leaves are yellowing and the plant hasn’t been repotted in a while, it may just need more space to stretch its roots.
  • Scale and mealybugs will happily take up residence on the plant, if given the opportunity. A thorough wipe-down of leaves with a dish soap and water solution or insecticidal soap can be effective at stopping them, though repeated applications may be necessary. Learn more about how to get rid of scale and mealybugs.
  • Droopy or wilting leaves are often the result of too much water. Often, once per week is enough. When you water the plant, wait until the moisture comes out of the drainage holes, but never leave water sitting in the saucer or water the saucer, hoping the moisture moves up the plant. If the water drains too quickly through to the saucer, then your soil is too sandy; your soil needs to be well-draining and porous, containing peat moss, fine bark, or perlite.

Wit and Wisdom

  • 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 attractive 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).
  • Peace lilies are poisonous to dogs. Learn more about houseplants that are toxic to your pets.
Peace Lily flower
A peace lily’s flower consists of a spathe (white sheath) and a spadix (green or off-white spike of flowers). 
Photo by W. Carter/Wikimedia

Houseplant Guides
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Breccan</span> Mon, 01/05/2015 - 16:01
I got a very root-bound peace lily from my mom and divided it into 5 plants. They were all doing well, except the one I had in my bedroom. It was droopy so I thought it was too close to the heat vent. I moved it onto the window ledge (north facing, not too much sun) but it didn't help. Maybe too cold? (winter now). So I put it back downstairs in front of the same north facing window and now it is fine again! What could explain this? I"d like to have one in my room for air quality, but I'm not sure why it doesn't like it.
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 01/06/2015 - 12:34

Hi Breccan,

Peace lilies grow best in average room temperatures between 65° to 80°F. Make sure to keep the plant away from cold drafts in the winter.

 <span>Kassandra L.</span> Sat, 12/20/2014 - 12:30
I have two peace lilies. Now Ive noticed little black flies ... how do I get rid of them? Help please!
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 12/22/2014 - 10:13

Hi Kassandra,

The small flies are probably fungus gnats. They are attracted to wet soil. Repot your plants with good quality potting soil in pots with drainage hole. Only water the plants when the surface of the soil is dry. Do not overwater.

 <span>Kaye From Georgia</span> Wed, 12/17/2014 - 08:01
My Peace Lily has looked great for a year. It has the huge dark green leaves...no browning or yellowing. My problem is the stems from the leaf down to the soil looks broken and stripped off nearly. No animals, no insects I can see with a bright light. The leaves are starting to bend down too much now. It looks like more than half the plants stems are doing this now. What can I do?
<span>Kelly Flores</span> Tue, 12/16/2014 - 10:06
I received a peace lily plant from my church on April 20, 2013, shortly after my Mum passed away. I have never had good success with plants except for the wandering Jew, and mother in laws tongue. I feared I was going to kill this beauty! Here it is a year and a half later, and it was doing fine, last week. I had only fertilized it once in the 18 months I had it, and it caused the plant to bloom again shortly after. I lightly water it on Sundays like I do my just add ice orchid that never flowers anymore. Both plants had deep green healthy leaves. I fertilized it a second time last week, about 6 weeks after the first time. I fear I have killed it. A couple days later all of the green healthy leaves that were standing up are wilted on all sides of the pot. The white blooms fell over too. I have drained water thinking I over watered, let it dry, added more in case it didn't have enough. Then I noticed it was root bound to it's pot. I had a pot of potting soil on my porch, just slightly bigger than the one it is in so I washed the old pot, rinced the soil through with water, and repotted it. However now I am thinking I should have just bought more soil because almost immediately I saw all these tiny ant like things start crawling over the leaves and stem. I do not know if they were in the plant, or the soil I potted it with. Maybe they are what is killing it? I need help please because I do not want these pests to kill my peace lily, or to get all over my house. How can I kill the pests, save the plant, and help it to flourish? I have noticed the wilting leaves are turning yellow. I have clipped off the brown tips, and removed brown, hard, stamen? From being wrapped inside some of the once flowered stems. It has always been on my kitchen center island above the sink. There are five windows across the walkway from it, but the windows never face the sun. Help please? I know it is almost Winter, but should I go buy a new pot and potting soil and repot again?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 12/16/2014 - 14:57
Hi Kelly, The insects probably came in with the soil from the porch. We suggest that you get new fresh soil and disinfect the pot with 1 part bleach to 10 parts water or get a new pot. Get a soil mix that drains well while staying moist. Nearly any soil designed for houseplants will be good. If you see the insects on other plants spray with insecticidal soap.
<span>Beasleybowman</span> Tue, 11/25/2014 - 06:56
Hi I've had my peace lilly for 2years now its lovely with big green bouncy leaves but since the lillys died first time a few months after being bought it, the lillys have never grown back its on my dining room table away from sunlight but im afraid if I put it in my bathroom in indirect sunlight from frosted windows it might damage the leaves?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Tue, 11/25/2014 - 09:52

The lily will do better in a bright spot out of direct sunlight. The bathroom sounds like a good place and the plant will enjoy the humidity in the bathroom. The leaves are not going to get damage from indirect sunlight. Keep the soil just moist at all times but not soggy wet.

 <span>Catherine R. 2011</span> Fri, 11/14/2014 - 21:53
I took a friends peace plant home to help revitalize it. The plant was from his grandfathers funeral. He knows nothing about caring for plants and has been trying to keep it alive. I have two peace plants of my own that are very healthy. Over the years Ive been successful with plants. However, Im stuck on what to do with my friends, I don't want it to die, especially as it came from his grandfathers funeral. I replaced the plants soil with the exception of soil around the roots. It was root bound so I cut away some of the roots. (Im now reading I shouldn't have done that). The plant has 4 leaves all doing well, however the stalk it is growing out of a pale yellow stalk and other small stalks within the same pale yellow one are pale yellow. I water when the soil is dry. The stalk with the healthy green leaves is green. Do I cut those stalks down? If so, what will happen to the healthy part of the plant? I fertilized it in the past few days as I doubt my friend has in the last two years.