The peace lily is one of the most popular indoor plants. It adapts to places with little light, even better than others (like Begonia). Also, they have a really very decorative flower. Flower that you can contemplate in your indoor pond, if you want to have it as an aquatic plant. But what is it that makes more and more people attracted to her? Without a doubt, your care. She is very grateful and that, as you can see for yourself if you decide to buy one, you will notice it in a short time.
In this article we are going to tell you all the characteristics and care that the lily of peace needs.
Key features
Image – Flickr / Dinesh Valke
The peace lily belongs to the Liliopsida class, Alismatales order and, therefore, to the Araceae family. It should be noted that there are various species of peace lily, although all have very similar characteristics among them and maintain almost the same requirements and care. The main traits that change between varieties are some colors in the flowers and the appearance of the leaves. About 36 species of the peace lily are known.
This plant is perfect to be grown indoors. This is because it is a plant that hardly needs sunlight to grow. It has green leaves and can grow up to a meter in height. The leaves are lanceolate in shape and slope from the center outwards. Its flowers are white. They are born and grow from the stems.
The advantage of this plant is that if it is well cared for for a long timeyou can get to live a long time. It needs a fairly meticulous care so it becomes a challenge for all those people who are fond of gardening. One of the indicators that the plant is being poorly cared for, mainly due to failures in irrigation care, is that it is acquiring a brown color or tone in its leaves.
Naturally we can find peace lilies in Europe and on some Pacific islands in the wild around streams and rivers in places where there is enough shade and high humidity. When we find this plant in the wild, we see that its root is usually very short.
To be able to take good care of the peace lily the brown coloration of its leaves must be completely avoided. It is necessary to supply both the water it needs and the fertilizer to provide the necessary nutrients for its good condition.
Peace lily care
We are talking about a plant that is characteristic of the tropical zone of the American continent and the Caribbean. Therefore, it is not a plant that can withstand frost or cold wind currents well. In this sense, we will look for a place where the plant is protected from any adverse environmental conditions.
To have your peace lily in perfect health you have to provide it with the following care:
Location
Being a plant very sensitive to cold, it must be placed inside the home, at least during the winter. As we said, it adapts well to living in rooms with little light, but it will also live wonderfully in those that are bright. Of course, it must be protected from drafts, both cold and warm, and from direct light, as they could damage its leaves.
It only needs to receive sun exposure for a certain time and during the winter to be able to carry out photosynthesis well and grow in good conditions. The rest of the time you must remain in shade or semi shade and protected from cold air currents.
Irrigation
Watering the peace lily should be occasional. It is advisable to water a maximum of twice a week. If we want to have it in the pond, it will be at the highest point. It is advisable to let the soil be moist most of the time. It is the indicator that we can use to know that we have to water again.
If summer temperatures are quite high and the environment is very dry in our area, we can spray the leaves with a little water to keep humidity levels high. One of the main factors to consider when watering the peace lily is the drainage of the soil. Whether we place the plant in a pot or place it in the garden soil, it needs to have good drainage. In this way we will prevent irrigation or rain water from being stored in the ground and flooding the plant. These puddles can lead to the death of the roots.
Another aspect for which we have to be careful with excess irrigation is due to the appearance of pests and diseases. If this plant begins to have wilted leaves, it is because we are overdoing it with watering. This excess watering can endanger the plant due to the appearance of diseases and pests.
Fertilizer
Compost is very important for all plants. In the case of our protagonist, We will fertilize it with a liquid fertilizer every 20 days throughout the growing seasonthat is, from spring to autumn.
Transplant
In spring we will proceed to transplant it if we see that roots grow through the drainage holes. We will put it in a pot about 2-3cm wider, using a universal substrate for plants mixed with 20% perlite.
Peace lily faq
Some people wonder if peace lilies are poisonous. It should be mentioned that this plant is not toxic as is the case with traditional lilies.. Therefore, there is no need to worry about keeping the plant out of the reach of children and pets. You just have to be careful as they contain microscopic calcium oxalate crystals that, when ingested, cause excessive salivation in the mouth and some discomfort in the throat.
Another one of the frequent questions of the users who sow the peace lily is that the flowers last long or short. Generally, this plant develops its flowers in the spring time and they last several weeks, as long as their care is good. Since the plant is evergreen, it doesn’t always flower when it should. Therefore, we should not worry if it does not bloom at the appointed time.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about the lily of peace.
