Growing Picasso Peace Lily

 

When we hear the name “Picasso” it right away reminds us of none other than the world-famous artist Pablo Picasso. But for plant lovers specially those who enjoy growing house plants, it is a variety of Peace Lily plant. I have been successfully growing my Picasso Peace Lily for a year now. I got it from a local shop. It was a tiny cute plant with a single white lily and beautiful leaves. I am going to share my experience of growing this plant while addressing some major questions that pop in our heads before buying one.

Facts on Peace Lily

Peace Lily plant belongs to the Araceae family and grows under canopy of the tress in the tropical rainforest regions where the climate is warm and humid. There are approximately 47 species and several distinct varieties of Peace Lily. I had no idea before owning it that a Peace Lily has got so many varieties. The chief benefit of growing Peace Lily as an air purifying plant has contributed a lot to the rising popularity as an indoor house plant. These plants with dark green leaves and white “flowers” has the ability to brighten up any space. Their beauty lies in the feelings of serenity, innocence, purity and hope that takes over our mind just by looking at it- a reason why public places, especially hospitals grow this plant. According to Feng Shui growing peace lily plant can even remove negative energy from our room.

Difference between Picasso Peace Lily and a regular Peace Lily

Their characteristic variegation on the leaves is what sets them apart from the rest of the varieties. The Picasso Peace Lily grows leaves with stunning white markings and patches which pretty much looks like white brush strokes.

Sunlight

Peace Lilies in their natural habitat grows under shades of big tall trees. So, they do well in dappled sunlight. Exposing them to direct sunlight can burn their leaves turning them brown and crisp. Initally I had placed my plant out in the roof in the shade of taller plants that I have. Something that I noticed is that, if they receive intense sunlight for long hours the markings tend to fade away, though they adjusted well outdoors. My Picasso Peace Lily started showing more variegation and whiter patches on their leaves once I shifted it from the roof to a little space beside bedroom window. It still gets bright indirect sunlight for six to eight hours a day but since the window has nets installed for mosquitoes, the plant is growing under net.

 Water Requirement

Any variety of Peace Lily loves moisture. It needs a lot of watering. During the scorching summer days in India, when temperature rises to around forty degrees, I water it twice a day. I find it very easy to keep track of the plant’s water requirement. The leaves usually droop down and become mushy when plant is thirsty. You can water it right away and it will get back to it’s old self in no time. But it is always advisable to maintain a watering schedule or water if the top soil feels dry to touch. Too much of watering can lead to root rot which gets reflected as leaves turning yellow with hints of black.

Soil Composition and Fertilizer

The potting soil I use is pretty much the same for all the house plants except for a few. The soil mixture of my Peace Lily has equal proportions of vermicompost, coco peat and regular garden soil. The nature of soil needs to be well drained yet moist. Again, if there is too much water retention in the soil due to the composition it can lead to root rot. So, adjust your watering schedule and amount accordingly. 
I do not find this plant to be too much demanding when it comes to fertilizer with a balanced N-P-K. This year I started fertilizing from the end of February.

Blooming Period

The white Peace Lily “flower” we all admire so much is a spadix hooded by a curved white leaf like bract called spathe and hence the name Spathiphyllum.  They start blooming around spring and continue to produce more till July – August in India. Ususally in the nursuries people use Gibberelic acid, a growth inducing hormone to make the Peace Lilies bloom. I have not used any on my plant and it took a long time to produce those flowers. It kept growing completely green leaves outdoors under shade. A few months after moving it indoors it slowly grew new leaves with a bunch of white patches. Finally, it started to bloom with the onset of spring. I am elated that my plant in a six inches terracotta pot is having six  Peace Lilies at the same time. I am happy that my patience paid off.

Hope you found this blog post informative. Leave comments if you feel encouraged to grow a Peace Lily yourself.