Peace Lilies are among the easiest houseplants to care for and are renowned for their lovely white blossoms. Although taking care of them is rather easy, the most fundamental tasks—especially watering—are the ones that people seem to get wrong the most. A delicate balance is needed to maintain these plants’ happiness throughout the year since they enjoy wetness but also cannot be allowed to languish in damp soil. Read on and find out how much and how often to water peace lilies.
Because peace lilies like their soil to be evenly wet, water them often with a deep soak. To prevent a peace lily from drooping or developing root rot, watering it once a week usually suffices to fulfill its moisture needs. To boost humidity, mist some water on the leaves.
Fortunately, we’ve included all the information about watering Peace Lilies that you could possibly need. You’ll be scheduling your watering in no time, from timings to variables that may affect it.
How Frequently Must Peace Lilies Be Watered?
Many indoor gardeners like to water on a regular basis, particularly beginners with few houseplants in their collection. However, this method raises a number of problems. Plants do not follow a certain timetable, despite how much we would want them to. This includes your Peace Lilies. They are effected by changes in their habitats, much like people, and these changes may affect how much water is in the soil.
The real moisture levels in the soil are ignored by employing a timetable, despite the fact that it might be quite beneficial if you neglect to water your plants. How rapidly the soil dries out will depend on a number of elements that will be covered later, and it may vary day to day. A timetable will ultimately result in underwatering or, worse, overwatering, which will cause a number of growth-related issues.
Instead, what you can do is to observe the soil carefully every several days. It’s important to water once again as soon as you see that the top layer of soil is becoming dry. You run the danger of withering and ` if you wait too long. In a similar way, avoid watering plants while the top layer of soil is still damp since this might cause root rot.
Of course, this only holds true if the soil and container both have adequate amounts of drainage. Water that is in excess should be allowed to readily pass between soil granules and out of the container’s drainage holes. This keeps the vital airflow around the roots flowing, supplying oxygen and warding off illness.
Even watering your plants at the ideal time won’t be enough to prevent harm without this drainage. When repotting indoor plants, use a container with drainage holes at the bottom and use an airy houseplant potting mix comprising a few handfuls of perlite and coconut coir.
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Do Peace Lilies Need Much Water?
You may question how much water to give to your Peace Lilies when it’s time to start watering. However, the procedure is not a precise science, and no particular quantity is needed. Jugs used for measuring won’t take into account the size of your plant, its rate of development, or the soil’s present moisture content. In other words, the query “how much water” is incorrect.
Instead, keep hydrating the soil by adding water until it is totally saturated. Water coming from the drainage holes is often an indication that all areas of the potting soil have been watered since it might be difficult to detect what is happening at the bottom of the plant pot.
Watering properly also requires good technique. Always distribute the water uniformly across the whole pot as opposed to focusing the stream in one spot. In this scenario, water may only flow from the drainage holes on one side of the container, which means the roots on the other side are probably still dry.
Water pouring from the drainage holes is no longer a reliable measure of saturation if you keep your soil dry to the point of being compacted. This is because compacted soil develops a hydrophobic coating that repels rainwater. Without any penetration of the top layer, water will flow out the bottom of the pot and down its sides.
Bottom watering is far more effective than top watering when the soil is compacted. Allow the soil to absorb moisture from the drainage holes at the bottom by leaving the pot in a container or sink full of water. As liquid gently permeates the dry soil, it will eventually cover the whole container. Replace the plant and drain any excess water after around 30 minutes.
Some Factors to Consider When Watering Peace Lilies
The best times to water your plants are never fully fixed since they depend on the environment. Look at these elements that might affect the soil’s moisture content. Keep a watch out for any adjustments, since they may affect the watering schedule day by day.
1. Light Conditions
One of the most often suggested plants for locations with limited lighting is the peace lily. With the exception of direct sunlight, they can adapt to most lighting conditions, although they thrive best in strong indirect light inside.
One of the main factors influencing how often you should water your plant is how much sunshine it receives. The moisture in the soil will evaporate much more slowly in low light than it would in higher sunlight. Additionally, the plant will grow more slowly and use much less water for photosynthesis. This implies that you’ll need to water significantly less often to keep the soil’s moisture content constant without overwatering.
Moisture will evaporate significantly more quickly in locations with greater light levels. Your Peace Lily can need watering more often than once per week if it is exposed to a full day of brilliant indirect light or even just an hour or two of morning sun. Everything relies on how much light is being emitted and how that affects the soil’s moisture content.
After you’ve chosen the best location for your plant, wait a few weeks to see how the light levels affect the soil’s moisture level. This should help you determine about when you should start thinking about watering each week.
Testing the soil before to watering is essential, even if you have an approximate estimate. Wait a few days before watering again if the top layer still feels damp to the touch.
2. Temperature
Watering frequency is also influenced by temperature and season, usually over a longer period of time. For peace lilies to thrive year-round, warm temperatures of about 75F are required. However, as we all know, interior temperatures aren’t always as neatly predictable.
The soil will dry out much more quickly during times of greater temperatures, which are often in the summer. In order to minimize the negative effects of overwatering, you will need to water more frequently—possibly twice weekly or more, depending on how well the plant is doing.
Temperature changes abruptly will impede evaporation. The plant will also drastically limit its development and take far less water than usual if temperatures fall below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
The seasons usually bring about these alterations. Your plant may only need watering once every two weeks or so in the autumn and winter when temperatures are lower. As temperatures rise in the spring and summer, when growth is stimulated, this will rise. Pay attention to your thermometer’s readings and how they may affect the soil.
3. Plant’s Growth Rate
One of the key elements in the photosynthetic process is water. Rapidly growing peace lilies will take significantly more moisture than slow-growing ones, necessitating more frequent watering.
Light, fertilization, and other factors, among others, may all have an impact on how well your plant grows. To estimate how rapidly moisture is sucked out of the soil, use your best judgment and do periodic soil tests.
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Symptoms of An Overwatered Peace Lily Plant
Unfortunately, particularly for novice plant owners, peace lilies often suffer from overwatering. Many people feel that since they like wetness, the earth must always be damp. These circumstances eventually suffocate the roots, which causes an issue called root rot.
Yellowing peace lily leaves, withering, and soft, mushy stems are symptoms of root rot. The roots will also rot and soften below the soil’s surface. This induces difficulty for the plant to absorb moisture and nutrients. No moisture is taken up by the plant, therefore the soil will most likely remain wet or squishy for prolonged periods of time, aggravating the issue.
Leave the soil to dry out further before watering again at the first indication of overwatering. Repot the plant right away into new, well-draining soil if it’s still withering. To prevent the fungus from spreading, cut off the rotting roots.
Additionally, check to see that the new container has adequate drainage holes to prevent the issue from recurring in the future. Make sure that you never let your plant sit in soggy soil.
Symptoms of An Underwatered Peace Lily Plant
Peace lilies, when underwatered, have considerably more obvious symptoms. The first sign will be when the leaves start to droop and collapse. This is a result of the absence of water in the plant cells that support structure.
The margins of the leaves will start to turn yellow or brown if the issue continues. Any flowers already in bloom will likely also wilt and turn brown. Before you consider your watering plan, check and make sure the problem is not a lack of humidity. Peace lilies will have brown leaf tips as a result of this issue.
An further warning indication of underwatering is compacted, dry soil. In these circumstances, water the plant well from the bottom to saturate the soil. Within a few hours, the leaves should begin to grow straight again if the injury has not damaged any of the roots.
Keep on reading about fixing Peace Lily with browning foliage.
Important Watering Advice for Peace Lilies
A tropical plant, just like your Peace Lily, likes warmth. Rainfall is frequently much warmer than your home’s tap water in Columbia, where it originated. Therefore, because peace lilies’ roots, in particular, are sensitive to cold and lower temperatures, watering with cold water may give a little shock to them.
Prior to watering, it is best to wait until the water in the container is about at room temperature.
Furthermore, the presence of chlorine and fluoride in water can result in the crackling and browning of the leaf tips on peace lilies. The chlorine will evaportate if you let the water stand overnight before watering your peace lily.
The effects of fluoride, which can build up and harm the plant, can be lessened by sometimes watering your peace lily plant with either filtered or rainwater.
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Watering a Peace Lily During the Winter
Although they don’t fall dormant in the winter, peace lilies can grow quickly all year. But during the winter, development tends to become slower due to the reduced number of daylight hours and the weaker light intensity.
Reduced water loss and evaporation from the leaves brought on by cooler average temperatures may also aid to reduce the need for water. Because of this, you might need to water and spray mist to your peace lily more frequently in the winter to combat the drying effects of air and radiator heating.
Increase watering if the peace lily seems to be quickly drying out. To test for moisture, feel the soil’s top inch. If the soil is excessively dry, you may tell by the drooping leaves of the peace lily. The plant benefits from a nice soak in water after experiencing dry soil and drought stress.
Can Peace Lilies Be Planted in Self-Watering Pots?
While we usually advise not watering peace lilies until at least the top half of the potting mix has dried, they may thrive in uniformly damp soil as long as it is not waterlogged. Due to the capillary action of the majority of self-watering devices, self-watering pots often produce evenly moist soil.
There are a few things to keep in mind, but it is possible to grow peace lilies in self-watering containers. The plant has to be well-established in the container and the roots need time to spread out and develop throughout the potting mix before the self-watering system can function well.
Additionally, to drastically lower the chance of overwatering, use a self-watering container that is only slightly larger than the plant.
Final Thoughts
We hope this article has clarified the appropriate way to water peace lilies for you. Just keep in mind to water your peace lily after evaluating the plant and the potting soil’s level of dryness. Every time you water, make sure to do it properly.
If you are having issues, make sure you are giving your plant the finest circumstances possible by going through each tip in this article.
Now that you know how much and how often to water peace lilies, check out our other articles on how to take care of peace lily:
Here Is Why Your Peace Lily Flowers Are Turning Brown & How To Fix It Fast!
Hold Your Peace: 15 Types Of Peace Lilies
How To Save An Overwatered Peace Lily From Dying? A Comprehensive Guide
