If you have recently purchased a peace lily, you will want to take care of your new plant in the best way possible. You may be wondering whether you should mist your peace lily and how – in general – to keep it hydrated.
You should mist your peace lily about once per week. In general, peace lilies need humidity to mimic their natural environment of tropical rainforest floors. The soil should never be fully saturated with water but never completely dry.
In this article, we will show you the best way to provide your peace lily with the humidity it craves, how to determine the soil saturation, spot an overwatered or underwatered plant, and more. Let’s dig in!
Misting Your Peace Lily
In nature, peace lilies are found in tropical rainforests. In this climate, there is high humidity but also high temperatures. High temperatures cause the water in the soil to evaporate quickly and for there to be increased competition between plants. Peace lily has adapted to have constantly moist soil, which is never wholly soaked
We can learn from the natural habitat of peace lilies and apply this to our houseplants:
- Misting is beneficial to keep your tropical plants hydrated. Spritz your peace lily’s leaves with water about once per week.
- Gently water the plant, once the top layer of soil starts to dry out.
- The water should be room temperature or slightly warmer.
- If the tap water in your area is heavily chlorinated, it is recommended to use filtered or distilled water when misting and watering your plant.
How Often To Water Your Peace Lily
It is most common to water your peace lily about once per week. However, I recommend you use the chance also to mist the plant so that you don’t forget.
Depending on your plant maturity, how much sunlight it gets, the temperature, and the humidity, you may need to adjust your watering schedule accordingly. For example, you may find that your peace lilies need more water in the summer than winter due to the increased sunlight.
You can tell if your plant needs water by sticking your finger into the soil, at about one inch (3 centimeters) deep. If the soil feels dry, you should thoroughly mist and water your plant. On the other hand, if it feels damp and moist, the peace lily does not need to be watered yet.
Signs Of Overwatering A Peace Lily
If you have been watering and misting your peace lily too much and too often, it may show signs of overwatering. The most common symptoms of an overwatered peace lily are yellowing foliage, drooping, spots on the leaves (leaf spot disease), mushy roots, and/or brown leaf tips.
Many people incorrectly assume that if a plant is drooping, it must be underwatered, but in peace lilies, this could actually mean that it is overwatered! If you continue to saturate an overwatered peace lily, the problem will only worsen.
How To Help An Overwatered Peace Lily
First, you must recognize the signs of overwatering and analyze your previous watering schedule. If you spot the above signs of overwatering, you will need to carefully repot your plant in new, dry soil. This will kickstart the prevention of root rot, caused by oversaturation of the soil.
Next, you will need to remove any damaged leaves. If your plant was in low light, you might want to move the plant towards a window or brighter light. If your soil was compacted, it might be good to use chopsticks or your fingers to create tiny holes in the soil. This will create channels of aeration.
Follow the guidelines above to properly water your peace lily and pay attention to the changes within the plant after periods of dryness.
Signs Of An Underwatered Peace Lily
Although your peace lily might actually be more prone to overwatering, underwatering can still occur. The telltale signs of underwatering include dry soil, thinning leaves, wilting and drooping, inward curling of the leaves, leaf scorch (crispy, dry leaf tips), falling flowers, dropped leaves, and stunted growth.
How To Help An Underwatered Peace Lily
If you’ve forgotten to water your peace lily for a while, your plant may have signs of underwatering. To help an underwatered peace lily, you should water the plant and mist the leaves.
If you try to counteract underwatering too quickly, you may overwater your plant, creating more damage. Instead, only trim the mostly or entirely damaged leaves and allow those that are just minorly damaged to remain on the plant.
Final Words
You should mist your peace lily with a spray water bottle about once per week. They love humidity. Keep the soil moist but not soaked. If you notice signs of overwatering or underwatering, make adjustments accordingly.