Peace Lily Fertilizer: Do You Need It And Other Tips

The beauty of peace lilies is really something to behold! This might surprise you given their fragile appearance, but they are hardy plants that can survive in a range of lighting conditions, including semi-darkness. Even a small bit of carelessness on the part of busy or neglectful indoor gardeners won’t kill peace lilies.

But do peace lilies need fertilizer? Many people opt to forego fertilizer, and their peace lily plants thrive without it. However, if you want to promote flowering, fertilizing a peace lily on occasion is crucial.

Let’s get into everything you need to know about fertilizing your peace lily.

What is a Peace Lily?

Any species of the Spathiphyllum genus that produce spectacular white blooms are known as peace lilies, and they make lovely interior foliage plants. They belong to the Araceae family, which also contains caladiums, elephant ears, and anthuriums, despite not being real lilies. The peace lily is one of the few foliage plants that will bloom in dim light is this one.

Peace lilies are one of the best options for air-purifying indoor plants since they are popular houseplants and simple to cultivate. Do be aware that calcium oxalate crystals exist in peace lily plant cells and can poison children and pets if swallowed. The mouth, throat, and tongue burning is the most frequent adverse effect. But when kept away from children and pets, these plants make really show-stopping aesthetically-pleasing houseplants.

The Benefits of Fertilizing Peace Lilies

The term “food for plants” is frequently used interchangeably with fertilizer. Fertilizer is still crucial for the plant, even if the sugars they make when photosynthesizing in reaction to sunshine are what truly nourish them.

Consider fertilization as providing your plants with vitamins and essential elements that they wouldn’t otherwise receive. These nutrients encourage healthy plant growth by bolstering stems, promoting the development of new foliage, and aiding in the resistance to common pests and diseases.

Even a properly positioned peace lily plant receiving ideal light, temperature, humidity, and water levels would struggle to thrive without at least some fertilizer naturally contained in the soil. Some plants can begin to grow perfectly well with the modest amounts of nutrients that are already present in the soil mixture. However, the soil mix gradually loses nutrients over time, necessitating the occasional addition of fertilizer, even for peace lily plants.

Just as well, many plant owners desire the peace lily because of its unique spathes and flowers. Your peace lily will likely not flower if it does not have an adequate amount of fertilizer in its soil. So, fertilizing is important!

Common Types of Peace Lily Fertilizer

Peace lily plants generally need fertilizers with a greater nitrogen content than the other two plant fertilizer nutrients (phosphorus and potassium) since they produce a lot of leaves. However, too much nitrogen can also stop flowers from blooming.

Choose a fertilizer with a low value so that a typical dosage won’t put the plant in danger of burning. Products with a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium ratio of 20-10-10 or a similar ratio will provide the peace lily with a sufficient amount of nutrients without endangering its health. Consider using a diluted dose if you must use a product with greater fertilizer levels. It’s important to note that some horticulturists will utilize a 20-20-20 ratio; if your plant is exhibiting symptoms of nutrient shortage, you might want to give this ratio a try.

For peace lily plants, fast-releasing fertilizers are typically advised since they reduce soil buildup and benefit plants that are displaying indications of nutrient insufficiency. When selecting a slow-release product, opt for something that will dissolve in no more than a month or two. If you have compost on hand, you may add it to the top of the soil around the plant to provide a constant supply of organic fertilizer. Consider a liquid fertilizer with a low ratio that is greater in nitrogen for commercial fertilizer products. The majority of tropical houseplant fertilizers will provide the balance you want in an easy-to-apply form.

Signs That Your Peace Lily Needs Fertilizer

Plants in the genus Spathiphyllum need a steady supply of nutrients to develop healthily, just as they need the correct amount of sunlight and hydration. However, feeding them calls for a delicate touch. Applying too much fertilizer has its own set of issues and may be just as harmful as using too little. However, most plant parents tend to not fertilize their peace lilies enough.

It is essential to act before a peace lily displays symptoms of nutritional deficiency. However, until the issue is fairly serious, these dark green plants frequently don’t signal they may need some more nutrients. Despite their reputation as “dramatic” plants, they don’t actually exhibit symptoms of a problem until it has become quite serious.

Instead of trying to spot problems, stick to a simple routine of consistently administering a low-dose fertilizer during the months of active development. It could be time for extra fertilizer if you discover that your plant hasn’t produced any blossoms in the previous several months. If the leaves are glossy and healthy-looking, but no new growth is showing to replace the fallen foliage, then nutritional deficiency could be the culprit.

New leaves may remain curled and fail to fully unfold if the plant goes for an extended period of time without fertilizer. Without any real loss of new leaves, this results in a thin, leafless appearance. Don’t use a slow-release fertilizer at this point. To improve the plant’s health at this point, you’ll need to use a fast-absorbing solution.

Don’t assume that the plant requires fertilizer because of brown tips, fading leaves, or drooping when the soil is moist. In many situations, overfertilizing is the real culprit behind these symptoms. For a healthy peace lily, try to supply less fertilizer rather than more.

How Often Should You Fertilize a Peace Lily?

Restrict feeding your Spathiphyllum peace lily between spring and summer, when plants are actively developing, for the healthiest specimens. The species and species varieties of this genus that can be grown indoors don’t completely enter a period of dormancy, although the lessened light of autumn and winter usually causes development to sluggishly slow to a standstill.

This indicates that plants don’t use a lot of energy during the winter and don’t need extra nourishment for development. The nutrients that are provided at this time will remain in the soil. Just as well, an aggregation of mineral salts from excessive fertilizer can damage the plant’s roots and have a negative effect on a plant’s capacity to absorb water.

Starting your feeding regimen when the days start to noticeably grow longer in your location, between late winter and early spring. This is the most efficient approach to fertilizing your peace lily. When the days begin to significantly shorten around mid-October, stop feeding your peace lily.

As a general rule of thumb, peace lilies are not the heaviest feeders. Fertilize your plant from spring to summer, about every six weeks starting in late winter.

Fertilizer Tips for Peace Lilies

There are a few best practices to keep in mind when fertilizing your peace lily. Always apply fertilizer to damp soil for nutrition absorption to happen quickly. In early spring and early summer, spread slow-release pellets for outdoor growing in USDA hardiness zones 10 to 11.

After using liquid fertilizer, sparsely water the area to ensure that all of the roots are covered by water and soil. A common sign of overfertilization is browning leaf tips, yellowing leaves, or drooping, so avoid this by not being too heavy-handed with your fertilizer. If a crust of minerals appears on the soil’s surface, properly water the area and stop fertilizing until the next growing season. If your peace lily is exhibiting symptoms of mineral salt stress, try repotting with significantly less fertilizer or a different type of fertilizer.

Fertilizing your peace lily isn’t a difficult process, and it doesn’t need to be done very often. However, when you first receive your peace lily or plan to repot it, fertilizing its soil can have some serious benefits.

Want to learn even more about this amazing plant? Check out our complete guide to peace lilies here.

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The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/Larisa Stefanuyk