The very reason peace lilies are so popular as houseplants is that they are elegant and require very little maintenance. But the truth of the matter is that it can be a bit complex to care for them. Of all the mistakes made in growing peace lilies, proper watering is perhaps the most common.
Overwatering and underwatering can both lead to brown tips on the leaves, yellowing and ultimately root decay. Here, we will give you an insight into the best practices for watering peace lilies to help you raise a healthy and thriving plant.
1. Check For Drainage Holes
The drainage system in a peace lily is arguably one of the most important things to watch when it comes to watering. At the base, peace lilies are highly susceptible to root rot. To avoid this, you must make sure to watch out for your pot to have some drainage holes at the bottom.
These will permit excess water to drain out from the pot, so the roots are not sitting in water for too long. If your pot doesn't have drainage holes, you can either transplant your plant into a container that has them or drill some into the current pot.
2. Water Sparingly
Peace lilies do not like overwatering due to underwatering. Therefore, good care should be taken to balance these characteristics. They like their soil to be always in a moist condition, but not sodden. Water only when the top inch of soil has dried out.
Overwatering causes root rot, characterized by yellowing leaves and brown tips, and your plant just tends to look sick overall. Droopy leaves will result in under-watering, which becomes crispy in texture. Normally, a peace lily should be watered every week.
The best time to water the peace lily is in the morning. This way, the plant will be able to take the water when it is photosynthesizing. Morning watering allows the needed time for the plant to dry out before evening temperatures dip.
If you water your peace lily in the evening, the water can just sit in the soil overnight, which makes it a perfect environment for root rot. By watering in the morning, you're helping to keep your peace lily happy and healthy and avoiding any possible issues from excess moisture.
4. Mist Your Peace Lily Daily
Peace lilies hail from tropical climates where they have to live in humid environments. This means that, for similar conditions to prevail at home, you should mist your peace lily daily. The spraying helps add a bit more moisture into the surrounding area of the plant, preventing the leaves from drying out if you live in a dry climate.
Use a spray bottle filled with distilled or filtered water because tap water might have traces of chemicals that could harm the plant. The leaves ought to be misted only lightly, and care should be exercised not to over-saturate them. It serves to clean the plant too, by washing away dust and dirt from the leaves.
5. Weekly Plunge In Water
Besides the watering in a routine, subjecting the pot to a sink and allowing it to have a plunge after a week will go even an extra mile to ensure your lily of peace gets sufficient water. This is a method where the pot is dipped in water for about 10-15 minutes in such a way that the soil in the pot is well-moistened.
To ensure that one has properly dipped, it is important to make the necessary efforts to ensure that excess water is drained after one has dipped before taking back the plant to its desired position.
In case your peace lily is planted in a bark-based potting mixture, you will need to accord your watering schedule to that. Bark mixtures seem to dry out faster than normal soil. Thus, you will have to water your peace lily more frequently.
However, do make sure you find a balance excess water still ruins roots. When you water a peace lily in a tree fern fiber mixture, really drench the tree fern fiber to let it soak down.
7. Watering In Tree Fern Fiber Mixture
Another potting medium that calls for special watering is tree fern fiber; it holds moisture very well and allows very good drainage. Thus, it is quite suitable for a peace lily. In other words, you should keep the peace lily potted in tree fern fiber consistently moist but not soggy.
Water the plant thoroughly, with the extra draining out. This means that, because of the moisture-retentive aspects, you'll probably water a peace lily in tree fern fiber less often than if it were planted in bark or a soil mix.
8. Watering In Perlite Mixture
Perlite is an ultra-light, porous material mixed mainly for providing improved aeration and drainage in potting mixes. If your peace lily is planted in a perlite-based mix, you will need to adjust your watering pattern to consider this medium. Perlite drains fast; you may need to water a little more often.
Take care not to overdo the watering, since the roots of the peace lily could still become overwetted. When watering in a perlite mix, make sure the water soaks into the pot, saturating all parts of the root system.
A mix of gravel or charcoal has really good drainage properties; hence, it would work well with a peace lily. It dries out very fast, so water only as needed based on an altered schedule. If you are growing your peace lily in gravel or charcoal mixtures, water generously, carefully soaking all active roots.
Thereafter, check whether the excess water has been drained out. Since their mixes are well-draining, you might probably find yourself watering your peace lily more often, especially in times of excessive heat or dryness.
10. Watering In Moss Mixture
Moss is a moist retaining material. Now, this can be used as a potting medium, just like what is commonly followed by peace lilies. If you are using a moss mix, your watering strategy has to be quite different though.
When you water a peace lily potted in a mix containing moss, you aim to have the medium moist but not soggy. Water the plant well, then let excess water drain. From then on, the plant itself would indicate its needs, and you could adjust your watering schedule accordingly.
When To Water Peace Lily?
Proper watering is essential to a healthy peace lily, yet the frequency of watering seems to be a guessing game. Overwatering can lead to root rot while underwatering may mean that the plant wilts.
Determine the amount of water your peace lily needs, considering the climate, by performing a finger test, checking the weight of the pot, or evaluating the status of the potting mix. By using any of these methods mentioned below, it will be easy to determine the right time to water your peace lily and have it lush and healthy.
Consider the Climate
This greatly goes in line with the climate. In warmer areas, a peace lily will need watering more frequently, unlike in parts of the world where the temperature is considerably high or during summer since the heat dries up the soil quickly.
Conversely, in cooler climates, the plant's water needs drop significantly during winter, and therefore, it risks overwatering. Excessive humidity can cause a change in how frequently you water your peace lily, which naturally likes lots of water. If the air in the room is particularly dry, it may require more frequent watering.
One of the easiest ways to check if your peace lily needs water is by performing a finger test. This is the process of inserting your finger into the soil by an inch or so, checking for moisture in the soil.
If the soil at that depth is dry to the touch, it is time to water your peace lily. If the soil feels like it still contains moisture, give it a few days before trying this test again. Fingers can provide a direct indication of the moisture level, therefore preventing both over- and underwatering. This practical method comes in handy for a new plant owner.
Check the Weight by Lifting the Pot
Another great way to know when to water your peace lily is by lifting the pot to check its weight. A pot filled with dry soil is much lighter than that filled with moist soil. This method works well if you have a good idea of how heavy the pot feels when the plant is adequately watered.
After some time, you will gauge the difference in weight and learn when it is time to water. This also works if your peace lily is in a bigger pot and getting your finger to the right depth is difficult. By occasionally lifting the pot, you get an idea of when the plant needs watering or not, therefore preventing over- or underwatering your plants.
Check The Status of the Potting Mix
The appearance of the potting mix is one more useful index to check whether you require watering your peace lily or not. Again, as different potting mixes have different potentials for holding water, so knowing yours might indicate the best watering schedule.
To check your potting mix, dig an inch or so below the surface to figure out if the lower layers are still holding on to the moisture or not. If the top layer feels dry, but the bottom layer remains a little damp, you could wait a few more days before watering again.
The watering needs of peace lilies place them among the other plants categorized by their somewhat temperamental watering schedules. Essentially, peace lilies are low-maintenance plants with somewhat demanding water requirements.
Interestingly, these beautiful tropical plants prefer well-soaked soil but will die off if waterlogged or held in standing water. So, the key to maintaining a healthy peace lily lies in understanding its specific water needs.
Watering Frequency
The amount of watering for a peaceful lily truly depends on the season, the indoor environment, and what the plant requires. For the most part, it is good to water your peace lily once a week—whatever routine you may follow.
In spring and summer, a peace lily will most likely need more water because of the growth phase and natural tendencies of evaporation. Whereby during the fall and winter, when growth has much reduced, you may at times have to cut back watering to as little as every 10-14 days.
Method of Watering
The way you water your peace lily is key just as how often is done. The proper way to water a peace lily, hence, is to pass enough water directly through the soil until it seeps out of the holes at the bottom. By this means, the roots have a good soaking, which promotes plant growth. Just make sure not to let the plant stand in standing water.
If you're using a saucer under the pot, ensure that you empty it of standing water after watering. A better strategy would be to bottom-water your peace lilies by placing the potted plant in a tray of water, allowing the plant to soak water by the roots through the drainage holes.
Humidity
Peace lilies are hybrids originating from the tropics and therefore do best in environments with higher levels of humidity. That way, if you live in a high-desert country or you're keeping your peace lily in a very dry room, your plant doesn't have to suffer for it.
One easy way to generate more humidity around the plant is to mist its leaves now and then. Just be careful not to overmist it. Way too much moisture can lead to issues with fungi. Or, set a tray near the plant filled with water and gravel. The optimum humidity range should lie between 50-60%.
Temperature
These plants prefer a stable temperature range of 65-80°F (18-27°C). If your indoor temperature drops too low, your peace lily's growth will be stunted, and it will require less water accordingly. On the other hand, if the temperature goes up, especially during summertime, it may require more frequent watering to not let the soil dry up too fast.
In addition, keep it away from drafts, as well as from air conditioning vents or sources of direct heat, because these sudden temperature changes could stress the plant and lower its efficiency in taking up water. This constant temperature enables your peace lily to control the water consumption and so remain healthy all year round.
The size and type of potting medium you use for your peace lily can significantly impact its water needs. The best potting medium for a peace lily is one that is loose, well-drained, and holds some water. A mix that includes materials like perlite, bark, or peat moss allows excess water to move away but retains enough for roots to absorb.
The size of the potting medium matters too; larger particles, such as bark, allow for more aeration and drainage, reducing the risk of rot to the roots. If your peace lily is planted in a compacted, tight earth mix, this only allows the surface to dry just a little before it collects a lot of water, which may make the overwatering problems worse.
Best Water for Peace Lily
The quality of water you use to water a peace lily is very important to the plant in general. While peace lilies can put up with various conditions, poor quality water may lead to more damage than good, such as browning leaves, stunted growth, and mineral buildup in the soil.
As a result, choosing the right water to use for your peace lily can make a really big impact on how it turns out. This includes using water of good quality, rainwater, or distilled water; the temperature of the water; and regular flushing of your potting media to give your peace lily the best hydration.
Water quality is an important component in the life of your peace lily. If it comes to tap water, this is often treated with chlorine, fluoride, and other chemical treatments; therefore, it can boil the tips of the peace lily leaves brown.
If your tap water is hard, it also can be high in mineral content such as calcium and magnesium, which will accumulate in the soil over time and cause problems for your plant in terms of nutrient uptake. For these reasons, it is best to water your peace lily with water that has been filtered or distilled.
Use Rainwater or Distilled Water
For watering use, it should be rainwater or distilled water. It is free from chemical and mineral contaminants of tap water. Since rainwater is naturally soft and contains some beneficial components that would encourage healthy plant growth, using this kind of water for your peace lily would supply the required hydration.
Distilled water would also work well, for it is pure and free from any impurities that could hurt your plant. While distilled water would not have the natural cereals found in rainwater, its hydration would still be kept clean because it would not implant undesired substances into the ground.
Another essential fact to consider is the temperature of the water used for watering. The sensitivity of the peace lily to the degree parameter in water can be due to the use of water that is extremely cold or very hot, which could shock the plant, cause stress, and potentially damage it.
The optimum temperature of the water you provide for your peace lily should be room temperature or slightly lukewarm, in that way. So, the plant can inflict water without causing any harm to it. Cold water can shock the roots and thus the plant, leading to wilting and slowing growth.
Flushing Potting Media
Over time, minerals and salts from fertilizers and water can accumulate in the soil of your peace lily, leading to poor quality and nutrient imbalances. To maintain the health of your peace lily, it's important to flush the potting media periodically.
Water the plant thoroughly until it drains out of the bottom, which helps wash away excess salts and minerals. Doing this every few months, especially if you use tap water or fertilize regularly, refreshes the soil, improves root health, and ensures your peace lily stays vibrant. Let the soil dry slightly before resuming your normal watering routine.
