How to Repot Peace Lilies
Peace lilies are actually quite happy to be a bit crowded in their pots. You’ll know it’s time to repot when your plant begins to wilt more frequently. At that point, its roots will have begun to take up so much of the container that there’s little soil left to hold water. Select a new container that is just a couple inches wider in diameter than the container in which your peace lily is currently growing, and follow the planting instructions above to repot.
Troubleshooting Problems with Peace Lilies
Peace lily care tends to be pretty straightforward, but you might notice a few issues with these plants (in addition to the wilting mentioned above). Keep any eye out for:
• Fungus gnats. As mentioned above, if you grow peace lilies in Miracle-Gro® Indoor Potting Mix, this is less likely to be an issue. But if you’re growing in a different type of potting soil, you may need to fight this battle. First, try watering less frequently and make sure the top of the soil dries out between waterings. If that doesn’t work, you may need to use Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis, an insecticide for home garden use) to kill the larvae in the soil.
• Yellow leaves. Older leaves on peace lilies will turn yellow with age. Remove them, cutting all the way at the center of the plant. Plants that have been overwatered will sometimes develop yellow leaves, too. Let the soil dry out a bit and cut back on watering, and the plant may recover.
• Brown edges. This is usually a sign that your peace lily has been getting direct sunlight. If that’s the case, move the plant out of sunbeams. You can also try elevating the humidity around your plant. Fill the saucer that goes under the pot with small pebbles. Add water, up to about 1/3 inch below the top of the stones. The water will evaporate up around the leaves, raising the humidity.
• Zero blooms. If your peace lily isn’t blooming, move it to an area where it will get more bright (but not direct) light.
• Dusty leaves. Peace lily leaves are large and tend to collect dust. You can put the whole plant in the shower and hose it down. Let the plant leaves dry and apply Miracle-Gro® Leaf Shine for shiny leaves—beautiful!
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