Peace lily
Spathiphyllum wallisii, herbaceous, evergreen
Water a peace lily when the soil is dry a few centimetres down, which indoors means every 4–11 days in summer and every 7–18 in winter. It wants partial shade, 2 to 6 hours of sun a day, and starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F).
Updated 12 October 2026. How we write these pages
Peace lily at a glance
Water, indoors
4–11
days in summer
7–18
days in winter
When the soil is dry a few centimetres down.
Month by month
Minimum temperature
10–15 °C
It starts to suffer between 10 and 15 °C (50–59 °F).
Cats and dogs
Toxic to dogs and cats.
Chewing the leaves can make them ill: keep it out of their reach.
Repotting
When the roots fill the pot.
Pruning
No regular pruning needed. Remove dead leaves.
Where does your plant live?
Pick its place and see what changes.
What changes
- Indoors, near the window. Fine, as long as the hot midday sun doesn’t fall straight on the leaves.
- Indoors, away from the window. With less light it grows more slowly. If you can, move the pot closer to the window.
- Outdoors, in the shade. Fine, as long as it gets at least 2 hours of sun a day.
- Outdoors, in the sun. Full sun all day is too much. Move the pot where the hottest hours are in shade.
- Indoors, summer. In July it usually needs water every 4–11 days. Heat dries the soil faster, so feel it more often.
- Indoors, winter, heating on. In January it usually needs water every 7–18 days, and more often near a radiator, because warm air dries the soil.
- Indoors, winter, cool room. In January it usually needs water every 7–18 days, and less often in a cool room, where the soil stays damp for a long time.
- Indoors, winter, cool room. It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F), so the room has to stay warmer than that.
- Outdoors, summer. Outside the soil dries faster than indoors, where in July it needs water every 4–11 days, so in the sun feel it often.
- Outdoors, winter. It starts to suffer below 15 °C (59 °F). Bring the pot indoors before the first cold nights.
How often to water a peace lily
Indoors, month by month. Tap a column.
In October
Every 6–15 days
Usually every 9 days. Feel the soil first, and water when it is dry a few centimetres down.
Every month in a table
| Month | Usually | Usually between |
|---|---|---|
| January | every 11 days | 7–18 days |
| February | every 11 days | 7–18 days |
| March | every 10 days | 6–16 days |
| April | every 9 days | 5–14 days |
| May | every 8 days | 5–12 days |
| June | every 7 days | 4–11 days |
| July | every 7 days | 4–11 days |
| August | every 7 days | 4–11 days |
| September | every 8 days | 5–12 days |
| October | every 9 days | 6–15 days |
| November | every 10 days | 6–17 days |
| December | every 11 days | 7–18 days |
Typical intervals indoors in the northern hemisphere: light, the pot and the season stretch or shorten them. How to tell when to water, with a finger and the weight of the pot.
Peace lily: good to know
The white "flower" is a modified leaf, a spathe.
A thirsty peace lily droops, and usually recovers soon after watering.
Few flowers often means not enough light.
Brown tips can come from strong sun, thirst or dry air.
Peace lily: questions and answers
How often should you water a peace lily in winter?
Indoors in January, usually every 11 days (between 7 and 18), compared with every 7 in July. The longest gaps run from December to February.
How can you tell when a peace lily needs water?
When the soil is dry a few centimetres down, not just on the surface.
How much light does a peace lily need?
Partial shade: 2 to 6 hours of sun a day, without the full midday sun. Indoors that means near a window, out of the sun in the middle of the day.
Is a peace lily toxic to cats and dogs?
Toxic to dogs and cats. Chewing the leaves can make them ill: keep it out of their reach.
How much cold can a peace lily take?
It starts to suffer from the cold somewhere between 10 and 15 °C (50–59 °F). If it spends the summer outside, bring the pot in before nights drop below 15 °C, and in winter keep it away from cold glass and draughts.
When should you repot a peace lily?
When the roots fill the pot. If needed, the best time is when it starts growing again.
How do you prune a peace lily?
No regular pruning needed. Snip off fading leaves and spent flowers at the base of the stem. Wear gloves: the sap can irritate skin.
How can you tell if a peace lily is getting too much water or too little?
Too much water often shows as leaves turning yellow, soft brown patches on the leaves and leaves drooping even though the soil is wet. Too little shows as leaves still drooping in the morning and leaves starting to curl or fold.
Why does my peace lily have brown tips?
Often it’s dry air, for example near a radiator. Direct sun, thirst and the fluoride in tap water can brown them too. Move it away from the heat, stand the pot on a tray of wet gravel and water with rainwater or filtered water if you can.
Why are my peace lily’s leaves turning yellow?
If the soil is still damp, it’s often too much water: empty the saucer and wait until it’s dry a few centimetres down before you water again. An old leaf yellowing now and then is normal. Cut it off at the base of the stalk, wearing gloves, because the sap irritates skin.
How do I make my peace lily bloom?
Give it more light. When it won’t flower, it’s usually too far from the window. Move it near a bright window, out of direct summer sun, and give it a liquid feed from April to October. It flowers mostly in spring and summer.
Why is my peace lily flower turning green?
That’s normal. The white part you call the flower is a spathe, a modified leaf wrapped around the spike of true flowers. It lasts a few months and then turns green. Once it has faded, cut it off at the base of the stalk.
Read next
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It looks at the light where your plant stands, its pot and the season, and tells you when to check it.
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