How to Grow a Peace Lily? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions

The peace lily is not only a festive greeting for the New Year and holidays, but also the name of a plant. Its leaves are long, elliptic-lanceolate, tapering at both ends, with prominent veins. It is one of the plants widely grown in courtyards or indoors. So how do you grow a peace lily? What precautions need attention during cultivation?

1. Propagation

Division propagation: Best done in May to June; lift the entire plant out of the pot, cut the rhizome apart from the base of the clump, with at least 3 to 4 leaves per clump, and after replanting place in a semi-shaded spot to recover.

Seed propagation: After flowering, hand pollination can produce seeds. After collecting the seeds, they must be sown immediately. The germination temperature is 30°C, and germination occurs 10 to 15 days after sowing.

Tissue culture propagation: Use young inflorescences and lateral buds as explants. After disinfection, inoculate them on MS medium supplemented with 10 mg/L 6-benzylaminopurine and 2 mg/L indoleacetic acid. After 40 to 45 days, callus tissue and adventitious buds grow. Then transfer the adventitious buds to MS medium supplemented with 2 mg/L indoleacetic acid, and after about 30 to 40 days roots are induced, forming complete plants.

2. Light

The peace lily is relatively shade-tolerant, so it is suitable for growing in a semi-shaded environment. Direct sunlight must be avoided. According to experiments, about 60% scattered light is enough to meet the growth needs of the peace lily, so it can be kept year-round indoors in a spot with bright scattered light. If it is placed under strong light, the leaf surface will turn yellow and may even be directly sunburned. In northern winter greenhouse cultivation, shading may be omitted or reduced. If the light is too dim for a long time, the peace lily will be unlikely to bloom.

3. Temperature

The peace lily likes high temperatures and is especially afraid of cold. Its most suitable growth temperature is 20—28°C. Once winter arrives, it must be brought indoors. The lowest temperature it can withstand is 10°C, so attention is needed in winter. Relatively speaking, cultivation conditions in the north are too poor. If the peace lily is kept at low temperatures for a long time, it will cause root rot, leaf drop or scorching, and in severe cases may even lead to death.

4. Soil

Soil is the foundation of cultivation. Potted peace lilies require loose soil with good drainage and aeration, and heavy clay soil must not be used. Generally, leaf mold, peat soil mixed with a small amount of perlite can be used as the substrate, and a small amount of organic fertilizer can be added as a base fertilizer when planting.

5. Watering

The peace lily has a relatively high water requirement and the potting soil must often be kept moist. However, water must not accumulate. Once watered too much, a large amount of water accumulates in the pot, which easily causes root rot and yellowing of the plant. In summer and during drought, frequently spray water on the leaves and ground to increase air humidity, which helps its growth. In winter, watering should be controlled, and the potting soil should preferably be slightly moist.

6. Fertilizing

Because the peace lily grows quickly and has a relatively high fertilizer requirement, liquid fertilizer must be applied once every 1-2 weeks during the growing season. Fertilizer should be applied thinly. Do not apply concentrated fertilizer or raw fertilizer, and after applying solid fertilizer, water once with clear water. It is best to use dilute fertilizer water instead of clear water for watering. In this way, fertilizer damage generally will not occur, and the plant will grow luxuriantly.

7. Diseases and Pests

This is a common problem for home-grown plants, and it can be avoided as long as care is proper. If harmful mites cause damage, the leaves will show adverse symptoms such as wilting, faded luster and yellow withering. Specialized acaricides can be sprayed for prevention and control, such as dicofol, hexythiazox, pyridaben and others.

Precautions for Growing a Peace Lily

1. The peace lily needs relatively high growing humidity. If the air is too dry, the leaves will wilt.

2. Master the appropriate light level. Generally speaking, growing a peace lily requires at least 73% shade. In summer, 80% shade is better. If the light level is too low, the leaf color of the peace lily will become lighter, and growth will also be inhibited.

3. The peace lily is easy to grow, but its demand for magnesium is much higher than that of many other foliage plants. When magnesium supply is insufficient, the edges of the old leaves of the peace lily will turn dry and yellow.

4. Controlling root rot is very critical; if the plant is infected with root rot, its root system will turn black and cause old leaves to wither and die, and in severe cases will lead to plant death.

5. Spraying gibberellic acid to artificially induce flowering: different varieties bloom at different times. Note that too high a concentration of gibberellic acid will cause the plant's flowers to become deformed.

6. Choose a container of appropriate size according to the variety.