The peace lily is a beautiful evergreen perennial herbaceous plant of genus Spathiphyllum. Flower of these plants has a unique shape which makes this plant more extraordinary looking in their appearance. The flowers are basically small and arranged in a stem-like structure which is known as a spadix. Furthermore, the spadix is covered by a white or greenish-white leaf-like long curved bract scientifically known as Spath. Therefore, it is very interesting to note that the flowers which appear white color is not a single flower but is a group of many flowers which is arranged in a special inflorescence form known as a spadix. Benefits of peace lily are beyond normal decorations, as per NASA’s study on indoor plants, peace lily also purifies indoor air.
Benefits Of The Peace Lily
Great Indoor Plant
The peace lily is a wonderful indoor plant with a beautiful flower. Indoor plants not only give a soothing touch to the rooms but also makes the surroundings more sophisticated. So, decorating the house with plants reflects the hobby and interest towards nature. And hence this is a great way to make nature closer to oneself. The peace lily is a perennial plant and simply potting the plant in an attractive ceramic pot makes it a huge statement decoration to the room. A small peace lily plant can be kept anywhere like to the corner of the rooms, on the tables or shelves.
Air Purifying Plant
Besides an indoor beautiful houseplant, one other property of peace lily is that it also purifies the indoor air. As per studies were done by NASA it was found that peace lily keeps surrounding air clean by removing benzene and formaldehyde from the environment. Therefore, peace lily adds beauty along with clean air to our indoor environment. The harmful effects of formaldehyde and benzenes are as follows.
Harmful Effect Of Formaldehyde
According to WHO (World Health Organization) studies, indoor wooden furniture with formaldehyde resin paints is the main source of formaldehyde pollution. Smoking, heating, cooking, candle and incense burning, cosmetics, paints, wallpapers, etc. are the other source of formaldehyde (2). Formaldehyde is considered a carcinogenic that is on the exposure that may cause cancer, irritation of nose, and eyes. Experiments on certain animals also prove the genotoxicity of formaldehyde.
Harmful Effect Of Benzene
According to WHO, major sources of benzene are automobiles from the attached garage, heating and cooking systems, and solvents (3) (4). Exposure to benzene causes nausea, headache, and vomiting. It’s also considered as a carcinogen, long-term exposure to benzene causes leukemia in adults. In the case of pregnant women, prolonged exposure also leads to miscarriage.
How To Take Care A Peace Lily Plant
1. Proper watering: Depending upon the moisture level of soil the plant requires about three-time water a week. It is most important to note that the soil should be well-drained in order to avoid waterlogging.
2. Soil type: Soil preferentially with proper aeration is most important for peace lily growth. Sand and coco peat 1:1 ratio is best for peace lily planting.
3. Cleaning of the leaf is necessary as the dust accumulation may cause leaf necrosis that is the leaf get damage or dry due to hindrance in photosynthesis. Therefore, spraying water weekly or cleaning the leaf with the sponge keeps the plant healthier.
4. Indirect sunlight is required for the proper growth of peace lily. The complete dark place is not suitable for the plants as it causes pale pigmentation of the leaves. Direct sunlight is also not preferable for the plant.
5. Houseplant fertilizers fortified with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (N:P: K 20:20:20) is enough for good growth. Water-based fertilizers should be used for a peace lily. Proper irrigation is necessary after fortifying the soil with fertilizers for its uniform distribution.
Propagation of Peace lily
The peace lily propagation is done both by seeds and rhizomes. Rhizome propagation is comparatively the most widely used method than seed propagation. Peace lily propagation is therefore very simple basically divide the mother plant along with roots and grow in a different pot.
References:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Clean_Air_Study
- https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/guidance-benzene-residential-indoor-air.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK138708/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK138711/
Important Notice: This article was originally published at https://foodthesis.com by Dr. Asha Jyoti where all credits are due.
