Propagating Peace Lilies is fairly easy, even beginners without any experience can do it. With that being said, there are a few things that you should watch out for when doing the propagation for the first time, most importantly do not under any circumstances allow the roots to completely dry out.
To propagate a peace lily, one method is to divide the clumps of the plant during repotting. This can be done throughout the year, although it’s recommended for more experienced gardeners. Peace lilies grow in clusters, with leaves emerging directly from the soil in bunches. When repotting, carefully separate the clusters into smaller sections, ensuring that each section has healthy roots and leaves. Plant the divided sections in separate pots with well-draining soil, keeping them adequately watered and in a suitable environment to encourage new growth.
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By far the easiest way to propagate Peace Lilies is by dividing the clumps. Propagating the Peace Lilies by seed is also possible, although the germination rate of the seeds tends to be on the lower side and it will take years until the seedlings will actually be able to flower.
As for stem cuttings, some people say that it is impossible to propagate Peace Lilies this way, while others say that it is possible. As always the truth lies somewhere in the middle, Peace Lily cuttings will only grow roots if they have a growth point, without it they will not be able to root. If your Peace Lily is dying after repotting then check out my recent article My Peace Lily Is Dying After Repotting ( Top 5 Reasons & Remedies ).
How To Propagate Peace Lily
Propagating a peace lily can be done through a few different methods. One common way is by division, which involves separating the plant into smaller sections with their own roots. To do this, carefully remove the peace lily from its pot and gently separate the root clumps into smaller sections, ensuring each division has a good amount of roots and foliage. Then, plant each division in its own pot with well-draining soil and provide appropriate watering and lighting conditions.
Another method is by stem cuttings, where you take a healthy stem with a node and place it in water or moist soil until roots develop. Once the roots are established, you can transfer the cutting into a pot. Additionally, peace lilies can produce offshoots, or small plantlets, which can be separated from the main plant and potted individually.
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Dividing The Clumps
Peace Lilies tend to grow in clumps, this is why it is so easy to propagate them by simply dividing the clumps. Another big benefit of this method is that the flowers of the divided Peace Lilies will look like the flowers from the parent plant. So if the parent plant has mostly green flowers then the divided ones will also have green flowers. Peace Lilies that are propagated by seed, will not always look like the parent plants, especially their flowers because most Peace Lilies are hybridized.
To propagate Peace Lilies by dividing the clumps, the first thing you need to do is to water the plant. The water will ensure that during the dividing process, the root ball will not dry out. After this, you simply turn the pot upside down and hold the potting mix with your hands, the entire plant with the potting mix should slide out fairly easily.
You will notice that on top of the soil, the leaf stems will be in small clumps, try to divide between these clumps. Each of these clumps can become an individual plant. You can easily divide these clumps with your hand, and use a sharp knife to cut off the roots that are entangled.
Once you have divided the Peace Lilies into smaller clumps, it is time to repot them and give them some water. As you can see dividing Peace Lilies is just repotting them with a couple of extra steps. If your peace lily looks like it is dying then check out my recent article How To Save A Dying Peace Lily Plant ( Top 6 Methods ).
By Seed
Propagating Peace Lilies by seed is a bit more difficult than dividing them, but this mostly is because of the time investment. The ideal time to harvest Peace Lily seeds is in the summer when the flowers have dried out. The Peace Lily seeds will germinate in about 2-4 weeks, but this germination period depends on a lot of factors like humidity for example.
When germinating Peace Lily seeds, the first thing you need is a good potting mix. Just sprinkle the seeds on top of the potting mix, and cover the seeds up with Sphagnum Moss or vermiculite. This extra cover will protect the seeds from drying out as the Sphagnum Moss is excellent at retaining water. The Peace Lily seeds will start the germination process after a couple of days, until then keep the soil moist, if the seeds dry out during this time, they will simply die. Make sure to plant more seeds than you will need.
While the seeds are germinating make sure they don’t get too much direct sun, Peace Lily seeds do not actually need sun to germinate, they only need water. Once the first leaves start to emerge then they will need some sun although partial shade is highly recommended. Just keep in mind to keep the topsoil moist until the first leaves emerge, after this you can start cutting back on watering them every day.
Choose seedlings that have a dark green color and that are not thin and leggy. The thin and leggy seedlings tend to die right after you repot them. Once you have chosen which Peace Lily seedlings to keep, simply repot them and care for them as you would for a mature Peace Lily plant.
Remember that most Peace Lilies tend to die because of overwatering, so once their true leaves have come up you do not have to water them every day anymore. If your peace lily flowers are small then check out my recent article Why Are My Peace Lily Flowers Small? ( Top 6 Reasons ).
Stem Cuttings
Propagating Peace Lilies by stem or leaf cuttings is only possible if they have a growth point, from where the roots will grow out. Peace Lily stems and leaf cuttings will not survive and will not be able to grow roots if they do not have this growth point. Usually, Peace Lilies are propagated by stem cuttings if the parent plant is rather small.
To propagate Peace Lilies by stem cuttings you will have to dig up the entire plant, and choose a couple of stems that already have some roots. After this, you will have to make a decision, either to replant the stem cuttings or to put them in water to allow their roots to grow.
My personal recommendation is to place the stem cuttings in water for a couple of weeks. During this time the stems will have plenty of time to grow new roots, and they will survive the transplant shock once you repot them.
You can put some rooting hormones in the water to accelerate root growth, but you can achieve the same results by placing cinnamon in the water. Cinnamon in the water will make the stem cuttings grow new roots, I can personally vouch for cinnamon as I tend to root all my stem cuttings with it, not only for Peace Lilies but for all of my plants.
Once the stem cuttings have 2-3 inches of roots, it is time to replant them. It will take a couple of days until the plant gets used to growing in the soil, during this time make sure to keep the soil moist but not soggy and the plant will thrive.
Key Takeaways
- Peace Lilies can be propagated by dividing the clumps, by seed, and by stem cutting. In most cases dividing the clumps is the way to go, simply take out the plant from the pot and divide the clumps after which you can repot them. Propagating Peace Lilies by stem cuttings is only possible if the stems have a growth point from where roots can grow. Propagating Peace Lilies by seed is also possible, but not even commercial growers use this method because it takes too much time.
- If you want to divide your Peace Lilies by stem or leaf cuttings then make sure that they have a growth point and ideally at least a couple of roots.
- Propagating Peace Lilies by seed is fairly easy, but it will take several years until the seedlings grow large enough to actually flower.
