First crucial hack to complete after bringing peace lilies home as it boosts plant's lifespan and growth
Peace lilies are more likely to waterlog in the wrong soil
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The peace lily's popularity is partly owed to its air-purifying properties and attractive price points. It is also easy to find.
The flowers start flowering in Spring, but without the appropriate soil, they can wilt within weeks of arriving in their new home.
A green-thumbed enthusiast recently told followers that a well-draining and aerated mixture is best for the houseplants, as this lessens the risk of waterlogging.
Many plant owners presume that the plants that they buy in greenhouses are adequately prepared for life indoors.
Peace lilies love soil with peat moss, lime, perlite and sand
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This is not always the case, as a content creator named Anna recently pointed out on YouTube.
"You need to always repot your plant into fresh soil, that [is] the best mixture," she explained.
Green-thumbed experts at Lively Roots explain that peace lilies thrive in a soil mix that has both drainage and water-retention properties.
"It should contain peat moss, lime, perlite and sand, as do great in partially sandy soils," they explained. "If you get a universal indoor plant potting mix, you can always add some sand to avoid waterlogging."
"When you bring the plant from a greenhouse, where it was grown in a very bright area, [where] the air humidity was very high, you don’t [necessarily] have these conditions in your place," added Anna.
"This is why your plant needs to have a couple of days to get used to, and to get adjusted to your environment, your air, your humidity.
"Basically, wait for maybe one to two weeks, if you see that nothing is going on and your plant seems to be doing okay, then you can repot it. You’ll need to remove the soil and plant it in fresh soil."
Naturally, repotting your plants while they're in full bloom is not advised, because this causes flowers to wilt earlier and stop producing buds.
"But in this case, if I wait, I may lose the plant," explained Anna, holding up a plant with browning leaves.
The signs of overwatering can be easy to spot if you know what to look for, with main signs including wilting, yellowing and slime.
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Waterlogging is a major cause of houseplant deaths
GETTY“When you see brown tips and yellow lines growing into the centre of the leaf, this is a sign that it’s overwatered," noted Anna.
Placing the plants near an east-facing window will also prevent the flowers from fading too soon, another expert explained.
The tip comes from the content creator of the YouTube channel Sheffield Made Plants, who offers all sorts of gardening tips to fellow green-thumbed enthusiasts.
"Peace lilies look stunning in the shop when they’re in full bloom with those big beautiful white flowers and dark green foliage, and this is why they are such a popular houseplant with so many people," he told viewers.
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