Peace lilies will grow better if you fertilize them, but make sure you have a balanced fertilizer and don’t overdo it. Fertilizing should be done every six weeks or so during the growing season, and the plant should be watered before you add the fertilizer.
How Often Does A Peace Lily Need To Be Fertilized?
Peace lilies are not particularly heavy feeders, and they will probably keep growing even if you never fertilize them. However, if you want your peace lily to grow fast and produce lots of foliage and flowers, it’s a good idea to give them some food from time to time.
The nutrients in their pot will get used up, and then they may struggle to grow because they don’t have enough fuel. When you have just repotted your peace lily, it won’t need fertilizing because it will have fresh soil. But otherwise, during the growing season, you should aim to fertilize it around every six weeks.
Can You Fertilize Peace Lilies Too Much?
You might be wondering whether it matters if you fertilize your peace lily a lot. Can a plant have too much food?
The answer is that, unfortunately, they can, yes. Too much fertilizer can burn a plant’s roots and make it sick. In peace lilies, over-fertilization can lead to the flowers turning green. This isn’t an attractive look, and since most of us grow peace lilies for their stunning white flowers, you will want to avoid it!
So, let’s discuss the steps for fertilizing a peace lily correctly.
When Should You Fertilize A Peace Lily?
Peace lilies only need feeding during their growing season.
When is the growing season? Well, it depends on your location. In the northern hemisphere, it will generally be from March to October. You don’t need to fertilize your plant from October onward, although you can start in late winter if you like. If you begin fertilizing in January, your plant will have plenty of food ready for spring. If you live in the southern hemisphere, you should adjust accordingly.
Fertilize Your Peace Lily – Step By Step
Let’s go through it step by step!
Step One: Get The Right Kind Of Fertilizer
One fertilizer is just like any other – right? No, it isn’t.
Different plants need different levels and combinations of nutrients and minerals to thrive!
Peace lilies luckily aren’t too fussy. They will happily grow with the addition of any water-soluble household fertilizer, as long as it is of reasonable quality and it is reasonably balanced. Try to find a 20-20-20 option, or as close to this as you can get. Don’t pick a fertilizer that is much higher in nitrogen than phosphate, for example.
Step Two: Dilute The Fertilizer
You will want to dilute the fertilizer to half or even a quarter strength for watering your peace lily. They do not need or enjoy massive boosts in fertilization, so test both and see which serves your plant best. You may want to do half-strength some of the time and a quarter-strength at other times.
Step Three: Water Your Peace Lily
Next, you need to water your peace lily thoroughly. This protects the roots from a direct hit of fertilizer. Even if you are diluting your fertilizer, this is a good step to prevent the roots from getting burned.
You should not apply fertilizer to your peace lily’s soil when it is dry. Always water first, and follow the water with fertilizer.
Step Four: Add Fertilizer
Pour the liquid fertilizer into the pot, spreading it evenly around to ensure the soil is balanced and doesn’t end up with all the nutrients in one concentrated area. This would cause an excess of nutrients, which could burn the roots. It might also cause deficiencies in other areas, encouraging the roots to grow unevenly, all trying to reach the same spot for the nutrients there.
To keep your peace lily straight and happy, make sure you fertilize all around the roots.
Final Words
Fertilizing a peace lily should be straightforward enough, and it doesn’t need to be done too often. Every six weeks during the growing season should be sufficient to ensure you get plenty of healthy growth and pretty flowers.
You might find it helps to set up reminders, so you know when it’s time to fertilize your plants. If you’re anything like me, you will forget otherwise!