Repotting a peace Lily
Marsha Moody
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (10)
Karen S. (7b, NYC)
7 years agoRelated Discussions
?'s about repotting my Peace Lily
Comments (4)You seem to be on the right track,but I'm a little confused as to where you are seeing the roots. In the insert? Are they coming out of the bottom of the pots dainage holes? I would take the plant out of the pot and look at the roots. If they are really entwined and obviously root bound, then I'd say yes repot it. But don't go up any more than 1 size, there should me a fingers space between the side of the pot and the soil. I use MG soil as well and it seems to work well, I do ammend it with perlite for more loose soil. I do this with all my plants. If you get the kind w/fertilizer in it, don't feed your PL for 3 months, when the fert is gone from the soil. Good Luck,...See Morerepotted peace lily is dying
Comments (3)EOwego, Look at this link on soils. It's helped me with the my peace lily. http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0701092420048.html?10 I recently split my lily into 3s and put them in new pots. They were wilty for a while but they are starting to perk up. My experience over the past several years is that the potting soil sold has too much peat and holds to much water. Also, I've noticed if I forget to water for a while, the soil becomes hydrophobic and water will go right through the pot when watered. HTH. Chris...See Moreno new growth on peace lily
Comments (10)The best time to repot your PL is in summer, when blooming is waning or stopped altogether. How large the pot can/should be is not dictated by the rote formula 'one size larger', but by the three-way relationship between plant size, container size, and the physical characteristics of the soil. If someone uses a blanket statement to suggest that you only pot up one size, without knowledge of all three factors, it speaks to a lack of understanding of the 3-way relationship mentioned. You can grow very, very small plants in very, very large pots if the soil is appropriate. We should also try to understand that no plant will "do well when it's pot-bound" if you are using a plant with plenty of room for its roots as a comparison. If plants did better growing under root-bound conditions, Mother Nature would have arranged for in situ plants to grow with their roots in tight little cones or cubes, yet we never see that occur. While it's true that we may be able to use the STRESS of our plants being root-bound to bend plants to our will and achieve OUR goals, the fact is that this serves US well, and not the plant. Growth - increase in biomass - is the measure of how "well" a plant is doing. Tight roots restrict growth and reduces the potential increase in mass, so even if we THINK plants are doing well because we use the stress of tight roots to get them to bloom or grow in a particular habit, the truth is they would rather have plenty of room for their roots to grow so they could grow as mother nature intended. No one is more aware of the negative influence tight roots has on growth than the bonsai practitioner who uses that tool extensively to bind down the plant's growth habits so the will of the grower, not the plant, prevails. Al...See Morere-potting a peace lily
Comments (5)You can cut the plastic away. But, for me, it's easier to turn it upside down and tap it on the edge of a counter, porch, deck, something that won't squash the leaves, and allows room for it to come out of the pot. Put some of your potting soil in the bottom of the new pot that will be its new home and tamp it down. Put the plant in and see that the top is at about 1-2" from the top. You don't won't to put soil above the original soil line. You want it to be at the same level it was in the original pot. Then fill in soil around the sides, tamping it down as you go. Then water. If the soil on the sides sinks down a bit, add some more around the perimeter. Sometimes I add a little Osmocote (time-release fertilizer) to the soil mix, or you can fertilize it with super bloom afterwards to minimize the shock to the plant of being repotted. You'll probably notice that you won't need to water it as much as when it was root bound in the old pot, although peace lilies can grow in water. Susan...See More
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agoDrainage layers almost always limit drainage and cause water to perch (suspend) in the soil immediately above the drainage layer. So, if you have a soil that supports 4" of sogginess at the bottom of the pot after a thorough watering and add a "drainage layer" to enhance drainage, you end up with the 4" of saturated soil above the drainage layer. Compare the middle image to the one on the left for visualization.
What determines how large your next plant's pot can or should be is the size of the root mass when you change pots and your soil choice. Choosing your pot size when repotting or potting up varies from 'critical' if you're using a very water-retentive soil to 'inconsequential' if you're using a soil that supports little or no perched water. In the picture above, 'PWT' denotes the position of the perched water table. A PWT is water that won't drain from the pot when acted on by gravity. It 'perches' in the soil because it's tendency to stick to soil particles and itself is stronger than gravity.
I have no idea how interested you are in expanding your knowledge base as a method of improving your efficacy as a grower, but if you ARE so inclined, This Should Be Helpful.
Al
Marsha Moody thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)Marsha Moody
7 years ago
The pot I have to put it in, the ola ya as is now. I guess I won't use the rocks but everything I read suggests clay pots for peace lilies due to standing water.
Dave
7 years agoMarsha Moody
7 years agoDave
7 years agoMarsha Moody
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoCan anyone tell me what is growing in my peace lily?
litterbuggy (z7b, Utah)
7 years agoMarsha Moody
7 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING11 Garden Retreats for the Creatively Inclined
Finally finish that novel, opera or oil painting you’ve been working on by drawing inspiration from these peaceful retreats
Full Story
HOUSEPLANTSMeet a Houseplant With Excellent Communication Skills
It droops when thirsty, revives quickly and thrives under fluorescents. You may want to hire this hard worker for both home and office
Full Story
FEEL-GOOD HOME6 Design Ideas for Happy Pets
Keep your dog or cat feeling safe and in high spirits, and you'll all feel more at peace. Here's how
Full Story
BACKYARD IDEAS7 Backyard Sheds Built With Love
The Hardworking Home: Says one homeowner and shed builder, ‘I am amazed at the peace and joy I feel when working in my garden shed’
Full Story
PRODUCT PICKSGuest Picks: A Healthy and Happy Modern Nursery
Organic fabrics and natural materials give you peace of mind without sacrificing style
Full Story
GARDENING GUIDESA Mom, a Garden and a Gift for the Neighbors
Gardening can be therapeutic in unexpected ways. See how one gardener found peace and purpose in a patch of Florida soil
Full Story
NEUTRAL COLORS8 Great Color Palettes: Surprising Bedroom Neutrals
Peaceful plum, relaxing black and many shades of gray show an unpredictably neutral nature in the bedroom
Full Story
HOUSEPLANTS8 Essentials for Healthy Indoor Plants
Houseplants add so much to our homes — and can thrive when grown in the right conditions. Keep these tips in mind
Full Story
TASTEMAKERSTake a Behind-the-Scenes Tour of Netflix’s ‘Grace and Frankie’
Set decorator Beauchamp Fontaine explains the design decisions behind the home sets featured in the new Netflix series
Full Story
50 Fabulous Finds for Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day Gift Guide: Hearts, Flowers, a Zebra Chair, and Thou
Full Story
Dave