When it is time to repot your peace lily, you might not be sure exactly what to do. So today, I will walk you through the steps to ensure your plant is repotted correctly. It should be a quick and easy process!
When Should A Peace Lily Be Repotted?
Peace lilies like to be repotted about once a year, preferably in the spring. Even if your plant does not need a larger pot, it will appreciate being given a fresh helping of soil and a nutrient boost for the coming summer.
It’s a good idea to check if your peace lily is getting too big for its pot. If it is, either find a larger pot or divide up the root stalks and plant it into several smaller pots.
Peace lilies like to be a little crowded, so don’t put one into a larger pot until it has outgrown its current container.
A Quick Video
If you want to see a quick video of the repotting process, you can check out the following video from “Hall’s Flower Shop and Garden Center.”
Below, I will describe the process in more detail.
Preparation
Before you start the actual process, you should know that it can get a bit messy, especially if you are clumsy like me. So you might want to cover an area of the floor and table. You can use newspapers or something similar. It is also a good idea to cover your pot’s drainage hole with a coffee filter, so pick up a few from the kitchen.
Now it is time to find an appropriately sized pot. If necessary, your new container should be a little bigger but not a lot bigger. I’ve found that if you put plants in pots that are much too big for them, the excess soil holds too much water, which can cause the plant’s roots to rot.
Cover the drainage hole with one of the coffee filters.
Now water your peace lily and let it soak in the water for about an hour.
Steps To Repot Your Peace Lily
Now it is time to go through the steps to actually repot your peace lily.
Step One: Fill New Pot With Potting Soil
Fill the bottom of the new container with potting compost. You don’t want to fill it to the brim, or you won’t have room for the plant, but you don’t want the plant to be placed too low either. Instead, aim to fill the bottom to a level where your plant will be placed with the same distance to the rim as before the repotting.
Step Two: Lift Your Peace Lily Out Of The Old Pot
If your peace lily is in a plastic pot, gently flex the pot to loosen the soil. Once this has been done, tip the pot. Make sure you support the plant with your hand as you slide it out, so it doesn’t get damaged.
Please take a few minutes to tease out the roots to encourage them to spread out in the new container. You don’t want the roots to keep growing in on themselves. This is particularly important if the peace lily was getting root bound in its previous pot.
You can knock away excess soil, and if you need to split up your peace lily, this is a good time to do it. Pull apart clumps of the plant, trying not to break the root stalks. Leave a few leaves on each clump so that the plant can make food for itself and start growing quickly.
Step Three: Transfer To The New Pot
Grab your new container and gently set your peace lily in the pot on top of the fresh potting compost.
Again, make sure that your peace lily does not sit too low in the pot. If it is much lower than before, lift it back up, and add more compost underneath to give it a bit more height.
Next, get some more fresh compost and pour it in and around the peace lily’s root ball. As you work, lightly press on the compost to push it down firmly around the plant’s roots, but don’t pack it; compacted compost isn’t good for a plant to grow in.
Step Five: Water Lightly
When you are happy with the soil level and the positioning of your plant, please give it a little bit to drink. This helps to wash the soil in and around the plant’s roots and ensures they are hydrated while they settle into the new environment. Make sure you don’t flood the plant. When taking care of peace lilies, you should always strive for moderation.
Step Six: Put It In The Shade
The peace lily might look a little sickly for a few days, as you have disturbed its roots, and it will be shocked. It is a good idea to place it in a reasonably shady (but not dark) location to recover.
This is it! You have now repotted your plant, and after a few days, it should perk up and look much happier. To make sure this happens, I will quickly mention a few things to consider after the repotting.
Do’s And Don’ts After Repotting
After repotting your peace lily, there are a few things you should and shouldn’t do.
First of all, it is important to give your plant time to recover. Don’t do anything drastic!
- Keep the soil moist, but make sure not to overwater.
- Keep the plant out of direct sunlight. Give it indirect light instead.
- Don’t fertilize your plant for two months. It will have plenty of nutrients in the new soil.
Final Word
Repotting a peace lily should be a fairly quick and easy process. They are tough, tolerant plants and won’t mind being moved, although they may take a while to get back to their full glory.