Handbook for growing peace lilies indoors with diffused light

Pea lilies like humidity and diffused light, but still need a pot with drainage and a pot that is not suffocating. This article provides instructions on choosing plants, repotting them, placing them, and monitoring drooping leaves in your apartment or office.

Summary: Peace lily is suitable for growing indoors because of its green leaves, soft shape and can produce white flowers when conditions are met. But the plant does not like the two extremes: if it's too dry, the leaves will drop quickly, and if it's too wet, the roots will rot. If you want the peace lily to last in an apartment or office, you need to place the plant in a place with scattered light, use a moderately moist medium and check the water before watering further.

Applies to: Apartments, offices, small hallways, diffused light window corners and areas without direct noon sunlight.

Duration: 30-60 minutes to set up a new pot, monitor for the first 1-2 weeks.

Difficulty level: Basic to moderate. It is necessary to distinguish between leaf drooping due to lack of water and leaf drooping due to waterlogging of roots.

Estimated additional costs: 100 thousand to 500 thousand VND depending on the tree, pot and substrate.

What conditions do peace lilies need

Peace lily prefers more moisture than tiger tongue and succulent, but still needs airy roots. Indoors, plants grow well when they have:

• Light is clearly scattered, not harsh sunlight.
• The substrate retains moderate moisture but can drain water.
• The pot has drainage holes.
• Light air circulation.
• Stable temperature, avoid direct air conditioning wind.

If the plant is placed in a corner that is too dark, the plant will still live but will slowly leaf out, flower less and will droop easily. If placed close to a glass window in the midday sun, the leaves may burn at the edges or develop brown patches.

Choose plants when buying

You should choose a tree with:

• The leaves are evenly green, the leaf stalks are strong.
• Canopy stands up, not completely drooping.
• The root has no brown patches.
• The air is soggy or has a sour smell.
• Young leaves do not curl, disease spots spread.

If the plant is in flower, check the leaves and stem, not just the flowers. The tree has beautiful flowers, but waterlogged gourds can easily fall quickly after being brought indoors.

Choose a pot

Pot with peace lilies needs drainage holes. If you use a pot to cover it beautifully, you must take it out when watering or throw away excess water after watering.

Do not choose a pot that is too large for the root ball. Large pots stay moist for a long time, easily causing the roots to lack oxygen. Just need a pot a little larger than the current pot, enough for the plant to grow new roots.

Hint:

Potting medium for peace lilies

The peace lily needs a more moist substrate than the snake's tongue, but it cannot be squashed. Can combine:

• Clean land.
• Processed coconut fiber.
• Hun Husk.
• Perlite or pumice.
• A little decomposed organic fertilizer.

Reference formula:

If the room is less windy or the pot is large, increase the amount of airy material so that the medium dries more evenly. If the balcony is airy and dries quickly, the coconut fiber ratio can be kept a little higher.

Plant placement

The peace lily merges with the scattered light:

• 0.5-2 m from the window depending on the sunlight direction.
• Behind thin curtains.
• Bright corner of the room, with natural daylight.
• Lobby or office with steady lighting and no direct air conditioning.

Avoid:

• Direct noon sun.
• The air conditioner blows on the leaves for many hours.
• The place is too dark, there is no natural light.
• Close to heat sources such as stoves, hot glass doors, heat-emitting devices.

After bringing the plant indoors, it should be kept in a stable position for 1-2 weeks to let the plant adapt. Constantly changing places makes it difficult for plants to balance water and light.

Water the peace lily

Water-deficient peace lilies often lose their leaves quickly. But it doesn't mean that every time you shake it, you water it more. If the soil is still wet and the plant is still drooping, the roots may be waterlogged.

How to check:

1. Touch the surface of the substrate 2-3 cm.
2. If the surface is dry but underneath is still slightly damp, you can water it.
3. Water thoroughly and let the water drain to the bottom.
4. Discard excess water.

If the plant is drooping due to lack of water, the leaves will usually recover after a few hours to a day when watered properly. If there is no recovery, check the roots, light and temperature.

Monitor after repotting

In the first 1-2 weeks, monitor:

• Do the leaves droop during hot hours and then recover when cool?
• Are the leaf edges burnt brown?
• How many days does it take for the substrate to dry?
• Are there leaves that quickly turn yellow from the base?
• Are there new young leaves after a period of stabilization?

If the leaves droop even though the substrate is still wet, do not water any more immediately. Lift the pot to check the drainage, the smell of the medium and the condition of the roots.

How to condition the peace lily to flower

The peace lily produces flowers when the plant is strong enough, bright enough and has moderate nutrition. If the plant is only green but does not flower for a long time, it is often necessary to increase the scattered light first.

Hint:

• Place the plant closer to the light source but avoid strong sunlight.
• Do not fertilize too much nitrogen.
• Fertilize lightly when the plant is producing new leaves.
• Keep the plant stable, don't repot too often.
• Cut off spent flowers so the plant doesn't waste energy.

Do not force plants with strong fertilizer when the roots are weak or the substrate is wet.

Checklist for growing peace lilies

• [ ] Choose a plant with evenly green leaves and not mushy roots.
• [ ] Use a pot with drainage holes.
• [ ] The medium keeps moisture but has airy materials.
• [ ] Place in a place with diffused light, away from midday sun.
• [ ] Avoid direct air conditioning wind.
• [ ] Keep a stable position for the first 1-2 weeks.
• [ ] Check the substrate before watering.
• [ ] Record the time the plant sheds its leaves and the humidity of the pot.

Mistakes to avoid

If you see the plant drooping, water more immediately: if the roots are waterlogged, watering more will make the situation worse.

Potting too large: the substrate takes a long time to dry, the roots easily lack oxygen.

Put it close to the air conditioner: leaves lose water quickly, leaf edges easily brown.

Put the plant in direct sunlight to stimulate flowers: leaves burn easily, plant shocks.

Let water stagnate in a covered pot: the bottom of the pot is always wet, the roots gradually rot.

Related articles

• Taking care of peace lilies: moisturizing, restoring drooping leaves and stimulating flowering
• Handbook for growing betel leaves in urban apartments
• Handbook for growing snake tongue for townhouses and offices