One of the most popular and well-known indoor plants for beginners is the Peace Lily. It impresses with its many, long-lasting flowers and low maintenance. How to care for it properly, we show you in this article.
Origin of the Peace Lily
The Peace Lily (lat. Spathiphyllum wallsii) has many names. The most common are sheath leaf and peace lily. It belongs to the arum family (Araceae). There are over 50 known species. Among the most popular species is Spathiphyllum wallsii.
The peace lily is native to the tropics of South America. There it grows in the shade of large trees. That should be taken into account when choosing a location.
Appearance and Characteristics
The Peace Lily grows up to 31 ¹/₂ inches high. It reaches a diameter of up to 9 inches.
It captivates with its large, dark green glossy leaves. Depending on the species, the flower is white, yellow or greenish.
This consists of a petal, which is curved around the cob.
Air purifying
The Peace Lily has been shown to filter formaldehyde from the air, improving the indoor environment.
Caution, toxic
Although the Peace Lily is captivating with its beauty, caution is advised. The Peace Lily is toxic to both humans and animals.
The calcium oxalate crystals and oxalic acid contained in the sap, stems and leaves are irritating to the mucous membranes.
Poisoning can be recognized by the following symptoms:
- Strong salivation
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Difficulty swallowing
In addition to the obvious symptoms, increased doses can cause gastrointestinal bleeding as well as damage to the kidneys.
If a pet has eaten from leaf lint, it is imperative that a veterinarian be consulted.
Foliage and pollen also have the potential to cause allergies.
Location of the sheath leaf
The peace lily likes to stand in light to partial shade. This reflects its natural habitat under large trees. If the exotic stands in direct sun, leaf damage is often not far away.
This manifests itself as brown leaves and sunburn.
It tolerates north and northeast windows. However, it should not be placed below 500 LUX. If you place it against the west or east, you should keep a distance of two to three meters. In the case of a south-facing window, the distance is even three to four meters.
To thrive properly, the peace lily needs high temperatures and high humidity. It is best if the temperature never falls below 65 °F. Optimal is 66 °F to 77 °F.
If the air is too dry, I recommend placing bowls with water near the houseplant. If you want to adjust the humidity more precisely and keep it at a level, I advise you to use a humidifier.
Besides indoors, you also have the possibility to put the Peace Lily outside from June. The prerequisite is that the temperatures are above 65 °F.
The location should be semi-shaded and protected from rain. It is also important to gradually accustom the houseplant to its new environment. The dark leaves are particularly susceptible to sunburn.
You can tell that your plant is not getting enough light by the long shoots that grow towards the light. This is coupled with a larger leaf spacing and pale and lightened foliage.
In advanced stages the light even shines through the leaves. In addition, the shoots become soft and new leaves grow much smaller.
In this case, you should move your plant to a brighter location.
You can determine how much light actually reaches the houseplant by using a luxmeter*.
Substrate
Houseplant soil* and an aroid mix the plant make love you. Compost-based potting soil is also fine.
The soil must be slightly acidic. That corresponds to a pH of 5.0 to 6.0.
Watering the Peace Lily
When watering the Peace Lily, it is vital to keep the root ball moist at all times. To achieve this, you can use a self-watering pot or periodically finger test.
It is important that the water can drain away. Waterlogging is very detrimental to the houseplant.
It is also possible to immerse the root ball. In this method, the root ball is kept underwater until no more air bubbles rise. After that, let it drip off and then put the plant back in its place.
However, this method is suitable only for a pot with adequate drainage and a substrate that does not retain water for a long time.
For watering should be used lukewarm, low-calcium water.
In addition to watering, it is also recommended to spray the houseplant once or twice a year. This helps to remove dust and possible pests from the leaf surfaces. If the plant is too large to be blown off, a damp cloth can also be used.
Optimal humidity is between 60% to 75%. Especially in the winter months, dry heating air can quickly cause brown leaf tips.
In winter, the amount of watering should be reduced, because during this time the metabolism is slowed down. This also means that fertilizing should not be done during this period.
Fertilizing a peace lily
The Peace Lily is one of the houseplants with high nutrient requirements. If you use a high-quality substrate (high content of potassium, magnesium, nitrogen and phosphorus), you have the possibility to fertilize every six to eight weeks.
If you are using a household substrate, you should fertilize every one to two weeks.
In the dormant period from October to January, you should pause fertilizing.
The best fertilizer to use is No products found.. This is added to the water and dosed according to the package instructions.
Overfertilization can be recognized by brown leaf tips and root damage.
Repotting
Every two to three years you should repot the sheath leaf. The best time to do this is from spring to the beginning of summer.
Summer marks the beginning of the growing season. During this time, wounds that may have occurred during repotting heal more quickly.
The new pot should be 15% to 20% larger than the previously chosen container. During repotting, it is also possible to replace the substrate if it is used up.
You can tell that the pot for your houseplant is not too big by the fact that the root ball lifts out of the pot. In addition, the plant may show symptoms such as pale leaves or brown leaf tips.
Cutting
Pruning is not necessary with this plant. However, dead or withered parts of the plant, such as leaves or flowers, should be removed.
When doing this, it is important not to leave any dead material. A sharp, clean cutting tool should be used for removal.
Propagating a Peace Lily
If you want to propagate your Peace Lily, there are two ways to do this. First, there is propagation by division as well as propagation by seed.
Propagation by division
- Take the plant out of the pot and remove the substrate from the root ball.
- Use a sharp and clean blade to remove shoots with at least three leaves from the root ball, including the root. If desired, wound sealant can be used here to aid in the healing process.
- Plant the cuttings in substrate and water it.
- Place the small plants in a semi-shaded location with high humidity. The temperature should be around 72 °F.
Root formation will start again shortly after pruning. However, the mother plant may not produce flowers this year. This is due to the weakening caused by propagation.
Propagation by seed
If you want to grow the peace lily from seed, you should do this in the spring. Before you put the seeds into the soil, you should check which seeds can sprout. To do this, place the seeds in a glass with water. The seeds that sink to the bottom are suitable for propagation.
- In spring, place the seeds on growing soil.
- Sprinkle a thin layer of soil over the seeds.
- Moisten the soil and continue to keep it moist. The key here is to prevent waterlogging.
- In addition to humidity, keep the temperature at 77 °F.
After a few weeks, you should already be able to see small plantlets. Keep the conditions the same for the first time. When they have grown up, you can take care of them like a big Peace Lily.
Diseases, pests and care mistakes
Diseases
The Peace Lilyhas only in rare cases to fight with diseases. If small ring-shaped spots appear on the leaves, this may be leaf spot or eyespot disease.
In this case, you should immediately remove all affected leaves. This may result in radical pruning or even disposal of the beloved houseplant.
Pests
The leaf flag is also hardy here. Only spider mites appear from time to time in warm and dry air. Especially in winter the plants are infested.
Spider mites can be recognized by the white spider web-like threads they produce in the leaf axils and under the leaves. They can also be identified by yellow spots or dots on the leaves.
If you recognize an infestation, the leaf plume should first be rinsed off. In this way, you remove some of the pests.
Then you can use a home remedy, such as a water-rapeseed oil mixture. Mix one liter of water with 250 ml of rapeseed oil. This remedy should be sprayed on the plant twice a week.
If this does not help, I recommend resorting to No products found..
Care Mistakes
With the leaf flag you can not do much wrong. If something does not suit her, she usually expresses this with brown leaves or leaf tips. We explain what the houseplant wants to tell you!
Brown leaves
If your Peace Lily gets brown leaves, this often has two causes: too much water or too little.
If the water in the pot is like this, waterlogging can develop. That often leads to root rot. At this stage, the plant has water, but can no longer absorb it through the damaged roots.
In this case, you should place the exotic in fresh substrate as soon as possible and water less in the future. Make sure that the water has a chance to drain.
The other cause may be that the plant simply does not get enough water. To fix this, you should adjust the amount of water and water more frequently if necessary.
Brown tips of the leaves
If your sheath leaf develops brown leaf tips, in most cases this is due to humidity. The plant is accustomed to humidity levels between 60% to 75%.
This humidity is not easy to maintain without tools. There are several ways you can increase the humidity. However, if you want to accurately hit and maintain the humidity, a humidifier is the way to go.
Let me answer your questions!
Is the Peace Lily is poisonous?
Yes, the Peace Lily is toxic to humans and animals. This is due to the calcium oxalate crystals contained in the plant, as well as oxalic acid. Therefore, it irritates the mucous membranes.
If symptoms of poisoning occur, I advise you to contact your doctor.
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Letzte Aktualisierung am 2023-03-20 / Affiliate Links / Bilder von der Amazon Product Advertising API
