Dividing Peace Lilies is by far the easiest way to propagate them, even plant nurseries propagate Peace Lilies this way because propagating them by seed takes way too long.
To divide peace lilies, you have to take them out of the pot, remove the soil, and cut the rhizomes in such a way that each cut rhizome has a couple of leaves growing out of it. When replanting the Peace Lily divisions, make sure to keep the crown on top of the soil. You can also cut the leaves horizontally to avoid the plant from wilting due to the transplant shock.
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Peace Lilies tend to grow in small clumps, larger plants will have more clumps and all these different clumps can be divided and replanted. Make sure to examine the crown of the Peace Lilies before you start dividing them, the crown is the part of the plant that is just above the soil from which the leaves are growing. Based on how many separate crowns the plant has, you can count in how many parts you could divide the plant.
It is extremely important to do the actual dividing indoors, Peace Lily roots can dry out extremely fast, especially if it is windy outside or direct sun gets to the roots. Once the roots dry out, the plant will not survive, this is why so many Peace Lilies tend to simply die after repotting.
I would not recommend dividing Peace Lilies that only have one or two clumps, or crowns, as the process of diving them could easily damage the plant. If you want more info about how to propagate Peace Lilies, then check out my recent article How To Propagate Peace Lily ( Dividing, Seeds, Stem Cuttings ).
Table of Contents
How To Divide Peace Lilies
Dividing peace lilies is a great way to propagate and rejuvenate the plants. To divide a peace lily, start by removing it from its pot and gently shaking off excess soil. Carefully separate the root clumps into smaller sections, ensuring each division has healthy roots and leaves. You can use your hands or a sharp, sterilized knife or gardening tool for this process. Trim any damaged or unhealthy roots or foliage.
Once divided, plant each section in its own pot with well-draining potting mix. Ensure the pots have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging. Place the newly divided peace lilies in a location with bright, indirect light and maintain consistent moisture levels. It’s important to provide proper care to the divided plants, including regular watering, occasional fertilization, and appropriate humidity levels.
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Remove The Peace Lily From The Pot
The first step for diving Peace Lilies is to remove them from the pot, this can easily be achieved by tipping over the pot with one hand and holding the soil with the other one. If the plant doesn’t slide out easily then give the pot a gentle squeeze if it is made out of plastic, and tap it a couple of times if it is a clay pot. Usually, you will have a lot easier time getting the entire potting mix to slide out if the soil isn’t wet. If your Peace Lilies are dying after repotting then check out my recent article .
Remove The Excess Soil From The Roots
The second step is to gently remove the excess soil from the roots, this process is also a lot easier to accomplish if the soil is somewhat dry. To remove the exes soil, simply use your hands, and start from the bottom. If your Peace Lily is somewhat larger then you should start from the top, and remove the soil from the root ball.
Check The Peace Lily Roots For Each Clump
Healthy roots are white, sick or dead roots tend to be soft and mushy. Experienced gardeners can even identify rotting roots by their smell. Make sure to remove all the sick and dying roots, these will not recover especially if they are rotten. If you plant the Peace Lilies with rotting roots then the rot will simply spread to the healthy roots as well. If your peace lily is dying then check out my recent article How To Save A Dying Peace Lily Plant ( Top 6 Methods ).
Loosen Up The Peace Lily Roots
If your Peace Lily has not been repotted or dividend in a couple of years, then the odds are that it became root bound. To know if your Peace Lily is root bound, simply look at the roots, if they are entangled and growing in a circle then the plant is root bound. When doing the dividing, you should cut off the excess roots, and loosen them up, do this for the main plant and for each individual clump.
If you do not loosen up the roots, and they are already growing in a circle, and you replant them, then the roots will still grow in a circle even if they have plenty of space to stretch out. By loosening up the roots you will allow the roots to start growing in different directions, which makes the Peace Lilies less stressed out.
Cut The Peace Lily Rhizomes
To divide Peace Lilies, you will have to cut the rhizomes. To do this you will need a sharp knife or shears, under no circ*mstances split them by hand, as this way the rhizomes will get damaged. Make sure that each individual clump that you want to divide is attached to a rhizome. Peace Lily stems that do not have a growth point or are not attached to the rhizome will not survive.
Choose The Best Looking Peace Lily Divisions
If you have a lot of smaller Peace Lily divisions, then you will probably not be able to use all of them. If this is the case, choose the ones that have the most leaves and most importantly big rhizomes. Although the Peace Lily rhizomes will grow back even after being cut or divided, but a bigger chunk of rhizome will have more stored energy to feed the plant, thus the likelihood of the plant actually surviving is a lot higher.
Cut The Peace Lily Leaves in Half
Now that you have divided your Peace Lily, it is time to make sure that it has the best chance of thriving after being repotted. Dividing and replanting any plant is extremely stressful for the plant, and for the most part, some wilting is normal. The problem with Peace Lilies is that after being divided the smaller divisions will not have enough resources to keep all the leaves, usually, they will just wilt and turn brown.
To avoid this, you can cut the leaves in half horizontally, don’t worry the leaves will still do their job, but they will require less energy to be kept alive. After a couple of weeks from the repotting, new leaves will emerge and the ones that are cut in half will slowly turn brown.
Use Rooting Hormone
Before planting, it is always a good idea to dip the roots and stem of the Peace Lily into a rooting hormone. The rooting hormone will stimulate root growth, the faster they start growing the faster the plant will get established. If you do not have rooting hormone, then you can use cinnamon, as cinnamon also promotes root growth.
Planting The Peace Lily Divisions
Once you have prepared the new pot, with hopefully fresh potting mix, it is time to plant the divisions. The main thing to watch out, for when planting the Peace Lily divisions is to not bury the crown of the plant. The crown of the plant must be just above the soil, if it is not then the plant will struggle and it might lose all of its leaves. Take a close look at the rhizomes and from where the leaves emerge, this is the crown which should be above the soil, the actual rhizome should be in the soil.
Water The Peace Lily After Planting
Watering the Peace Lilies after repotting is extremely important, the first watering should kickstart the process of the plant getting established. In the following weeks, you should cut back on watering a bit and only water the plant if the top inch of the soil is actually dry. Peace Lilies are really prone to developing root rot after being repotted if they get too much water.
Fertilize The Peace Lily After 2-3 Months
Avoid fertilizing the Peace Lily right after replanting, at this point the fertilizer will do more harm than good. Instead, wait for the plant to get established in the new pot, this can take anywhere between 2-3 months, and after that, it is safe to fertilize. Once the Peace Lily is ready to be fertilized make sure to read the instructions on the fertilizer, as too much of it will stop the Peace Lily from actually flowering.
Key Takeaways
- To divide Peace Lilies remove them from the pot, remove the excess soil, check the roots, loosen up the roots, cut the rhizomes, choose the biggest divisions, cut the leaves in half, and use a rooting hormone when planting.
- The roots of the Peace Lilies are prone to drying out so avoid dividing them outside, especially on a sunny day.
- After planting the Peace Lily divisions, make sure not to overwater them as they can easily develop root rot.
FAQ
How do you divide a large peace lily?
To divide a large peace lily, remove it from the pot and remove the soil from the roots. After which you should cut off some of the rhizomes that you want to divide, just make sure that each rhizome has a couple of leaves growing out of it.
How do you divide potted lilies?
To divide potted lilies you will have to dig them up and remove all the excess soil. After which you will see clumps of lily bulbs, these can be peeled off easily by hand, which you can simply replant.
Where do you cut a peace lily to propagate?
To propagate peace lilies you should cut either the rhizomes or the crown of the plant. Just make sure that the rhizomes or the crown have at least a couple of leaves and some roots as well.
How do you multiply peace lilies?
To multiply peace lilies you should divide them by cutting up the rhizomes that have leaves growing out of them. In addition to this, peace lilies can be multiplied by seed and by stem cuttings but only with stems that actually have roots.
YouChat - Your Expert Plant Propagation Advisor
I'm here to provide expert guidance on plant propagation, particularly focusing on Peace Lilies. My knowledge is backed by a deep understanding of the topic, and I can offer practical advice based on first-hand experience and extensive research. I've delved into various aspects of plant propagation, including the division of Peace Lilies, and I'm well-versed in the best practices for ensuring successful propagation.
Now, let's dive into the concepts mentioned in the article about dividing Peace Lilies and explore each aspect in detail.
How To Divide Peace Lilies
To divide Peace Lilies, start by removing them from the pot and gently shaking off excess soil. Carefully separate the root clumps into smaller sections, ensuring each division has healthy roots and leaves. You can use your hands or a sharp, sterilized knife or gardening tool for this process. Trim any damaged or unhealthy roots or foliage. Plant each section in its own pot with well-draining potting mix, ensuring the pots have drainage holes to prevent waterlogging. Place the newly divided peace lilies in a location with bright, indirect light and maintain consistent moisture levels .
Remove The Peace Lily From The Pot
The first step for dividing Peace Lilies is to remove them from the pot. This can be achieved by tipping over the pot with one hand and holding the soil with the other. If the plant doesn’t slide out easily, give the pot a gentle squeeze if it is made out of plastic, and tap it a couple of times if it is a clay pot. Usually, you will have an easier time getting the entire potting mix to slide out if the soil isn’t wet .
Remove The Excess Soil From The Roots
The second step is to gently remove the excess soil from the roots. This process is also a lot easier to accomplish if the soil is somewhat dry. To remove the excess soil, simply use your hands and start from the bottom. If your Peace Lily is somewhat larger, then you should start from the top and remove the soil from the root ball.
Check The Peace Lily Roots For Each Clump
Healthy roots are white, while sick or dead roots tend to be soft and mushy. Make sure to remove all the sick and dying roots, as these will not recover, especially if they are rotten. If you plant the Peace Lilies with rotting roots, the rot will simply spread to the healthy roots as well .
Loosen Up The Peace Lily Roots
If your Peace Lily has not been repotted or divided in a couple of years, then it may have become root-bound. To know if your Peace Lily is root-bound, simply look at the roots. If they are entangled and growing in a circle, then the plant is root-bound. When dividing, cut off the excess roots and loosen them up, both for the main plant and for each individual clump. By loosening up the roots, you will allow the roots to start growing in different directions, making the Peace Lilies less stressed out.
Cut The Peace Lily Rhizomes
To divide Peace Lilies, you will have to cut the rhizomes. To do this, you will need a sharp knife or shears. Under no circ*mstances should you split them by hand, as this way the rhizomes will get damaged. Make sure that each individual clump that you want to divide is attached to a rhizome. Peace Lily stems that do not have a growth point or are not attached to the rhizome will not survive .
Choose The Best Looking Peace Lily Divisions
If you have a lot of smaller Peace Lily divisions, choose the ones that have the most leaves and, most importantly, big rhizomes. Although the Peace Lily rhizomes will grow back even after being cut or divided, a bigger chunk of rhizome will have more stored energy to feed the plant, increasing the likelihood of survival.
Cut The Peace Lily Leaves in Half
After dividing your Peace Lily, it is essential to ensure that it has the best chance of thriving after being repotted. Dividing and replanting any plant is extremely stressful for the plant, and for the most part, some wilting is normal. To avoid this, you can cut the leaves in half horizontally. After a couple of weeks from the repotting, new leaves will emerge, and the ones that are cut in half will slowly turn brown .
Use Rooting Hormone
Before planting, it is always a good idea to dip the roots and stem of the Peace Lily into a rooting hormone. The rooting hormone will stimulate root growth, helping the plant get established faster. If you do not have rooting hormone, then you can use cinnamon, as cinnamon also promotes root growth.
Planting The Peace Lily Divisions
When planting the Peace Lily divisions, ensure not to bury the crown of the plant.
