Alright, I posted not too long ago about the proper light and water conditions for my dying fittonia (see at http://www.gardenstew.com/about5481.html). I now would like to know the same info for my peace lily. It's not dying, but it would be nice if I could coax it to bloom. I'm guessing it needs more light for that to happen, but I wanted to check and see how much it should be watered to make sure I'm not doing that part incorrectly. I don't let the top of it dry out, keep it moderately moist all the time, watering about every three days. Is this ok? Thanks, Zoe
If the plant looks good and glossy and is growing well, then your watering schedule is probably just fime. One of the most important factors in getting a Spath to bloom is keeping it pot-bound, believe it or not. So maybe yours just needs a bit more time to fill it's pot? I like to grow mine outside in the summer months, in filtered shade.
The newer leaves look great: bright green and glossy. But many of the older leaves have brown tips. This could be a remnant of an unhealthy period in its past, occurring after my cat chewed it all up while I was gone for a week. Some of the chewed leaves are still on -- should I cut them off near the base of the plant? I'm pretty sure it's not filling its pot yet, since I repotted it to a much bigger pot last summer in the hopes that that was why it was hardly growing. The bigger pot hasn't seemed to make much of a difference so far. I may move it directly onto my windowsill. As I explained in that other thread, my office window only gets a couple hours of filtered sun in the morning. Right now the lily is on my desk and gets a touch of sun on it very briefly in the morning. I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing, and be patient.
It sounds like you are doing things right. The good condition of the new growth is a good sign. You can cut off any browned foliage if you think it spoils the look of your plant, sometimes I trim away the brown leaf edges (or just the tips) with a pair of scissors. As far as blooms, my Spaths almost always stop blooming when I give them a bigger pot. The foliage starts to grow like crazy, but the flowering drops way off, :-? and doesn't start again until they are pot bound once more. That may be what's going on with yours.
