Hello. I love this plant. It needs to be repotted. I need to know what it is in order to look up its requirements as far as soil, drainage, etc. It's about 7 years old. It has a philodendron in it also. Thank you. Linda
Problem is, I just went to Google images for Spathiphyllum and mine has never flowered. No flowers. So, I need more help! By the way, it is extremely pot-bound, so if stress makes plants flower, this plant is not paying any attention to it.
mine tends to set flower a couple of weeks after I forget to water it (then realize it and water it of course).
Not in my case. I water this plant only when it begins to droop. Then it comes right back. So, no flowering. A few days ago it looked extremely fried over night, like I had lost it. Watered, it came back, gratefully. But, you keep trying to identify it. Logging off! The Detroit Tigers are ahead, 8-4. Linda
There were several good responses regarding spathes on another question just yesterday. This species is not fond of bright light and excess water. Since you didn't say what kind of light you give the plant I'm curious. Most commercial growers only water them when they are "thirsty". Excess water tends to make the roots rot. A good way to avoid that is to use a fast draining soil mixture. Something like a moisture control mix works well but we add extra peat and Perlite™ to that. I also mix a good helping of orchid bark into the mix to keep the soil from compacting. Since it is found in Venezuela and countries of that region some people believe it is a rain forest plant. Instead, it grows on the edges of the forest and as such does not receive as much water. I have an office window filled with them and they are in constant bloom. All are near a west window with the shades partially closed. Another trick I learned from a Florida commercial grower is to use a very dilute liquid fertilizer every time you water. Hope this helps.
Prone to wilting readily if not watered frequently, obviously hates to dry out. With a collection of house plants under ordinary conditions this is the one that will keep getting away from you (collapsing) if you are less than diligent about watering. Many tropicals have rather high minimum temperature requirements. Rotting of potted plants generally due to low temperatures and decomposed potting mix. Common system used for production of potted crops, including hardy stock for outdoor planting is a coarse, often soilless potting mix kept copiously watered. Away from the intensive production system of the grower such items may be prone to frequent drying out and wilting - until the high organic content of the mix used decomposes and becomes airless, at which point excessive damp at the roots may then become the main issue.
In our "rain forest" atrium (you can see it in the April/May issue of Birds and Blooms Magazine) we have about 6 of these plants growing against the south wall. None ever bloom due to the excess water from the system that keeps the rain forest damp most of the year. These receive approximately the same light level as the ones in my office. Virtually all of our extremely rare specimens, and there are close to 250 species in there, grow far beyond what is normally expected of house plants. In my office I water our 5 spathe specimens once each week and they are in constant bloom. As I stated earlier, I use a very dilute liquid fertilizer each time I water. Obviously, there are many methods that work well for a variety of growers. Every grower will have to determine what works best for them, but I've learned very quickly that many methods have a variety of outcomes depending on the grower, climate, and many other factors. Since I maintain a large website for tropical plant growers I try to seek advice from professional growers and botanists every week. Most of my articles are written using a botanical journal as a source. My suggestions, as to soil mix, have been developed by other highly successful growers with large collections of rare species. Certainly, spathiphyllum is not rare, but the methods I describe on the website work very well for us. Others will need to determine what works for them.
I have had mine for 18 yrs now sitting just under a west window with a few trees out front, so in a day it gets bright indirect light, dapple light, and little bit of direct sun before it goes down., It used to flower more when it was younger, then not for many years. Last year all of a sudden it threw out one flower, why? I have no idea. It's being fed a little more fertilizer to see if that will help it flower again, but I must admit, for years I really didn't care if it did or not, because the leaves where nice enough. I have read that if these healthy plants all of a sudden just stop flowering, should be divided into smaller groups into their own pots, but I don't know if that would really help get them to flower or not. I wonder if age has anything to do with how often they do flower. And if they are lucky enough to live in atrium, or greenhouse, that maybe age doesn't matter because the environment is so much better, more natural than living inside of a stuffy house? Bluewing
My friend Randy King of King Nurseries in Homestead, FL grows tons of these plants (several hybrids) for the hotel industry. It has been awhile since I asked Randy about the species but I do recall he always grew them under about 60 to 70% shade cloth. He also watered them when they appeared to need water. Every grower I have ever asked about the plant says not to over water. Just keep it damp, never soggy. A lot of growers recommend allowing the soil to dry just a bit between watering. I've given that advice to many people who ask about the species. Water only when it begins to let you know it is "thirsty" by beginning to droop the leaves. You seem to be doing about the same thing I've done for a long time with mine. Right now there is only dappled light coming through the blinds and I can count 6 spathes on one plant with more coming up. I've been told by other growers in South Florida (we used to live there) they prefers to give the plant just a little fertilizer when they water. Many only water (very well) about once a week. And you should see the spathes above all the plants at many of the big growers out west of Homestead and Krome Ave.! However, some growers do successfully grow under bright light. I have no idea why it works for some and not others. Randy used to divide his plants often. That is basically how he kept a constant supply to sell! Since the plants are known to become root bound if not repotted I'd suspect that would be a deterent to good growth after a while. It is also likely why the major growers divide them all the time (besides wanting more plants to sell)! We used to have a bunch of them I bought from Randy growing in shade in our yard south of Miami I watered those by hand and they always had blooms provided I didn't soak them too much. You appear to be doing OK with your's. But if it stops blooming again it would hurt nothing to divide it into several smaller plants and give away any you don't want to keep. Better than spending $10 for one at a nursery! In the meantime, I looked up some information given by a very good South Florida grower. Compare what he advises to other things you read: http://mgonline.com/spathiphyllum.html
Thank you for the replies. I will go through them. My roof shingles are flipping up in high winds, which takes precedence over my beloved plant. Linda
Thanks for posting the site. I knew there were a few different kinds of Spathiphyllum's, but never realized there were so many!
Those are just the hybridized versions! According to TROPICOS, which is a service of the Missouri Botanical Garden, there are at least 103 species! I know a fellow in Florida who is attempting to collect most of them!
WOW! 103? Isn't that something. I'd love to collect most if not all of them too, along with a million other plants! There is a variegated form I'll be bringing home soon from a local nursery that has LOTS of white in the leaves, more like white smears rather than dots called "Domino" I'm sure your familiar with it, it's really nice! I don't see that one named on the list of the site you posted, but it might be called another common name.
Sounds like a very interesting form. Actually, I'm a bit out of the old school when it comes to plants. Although I do have few hybrids, I have very few. For most of the 20 odd years I have collected I chase species, mostly aroids. And just in case you didn't know, the spath is an aroid. Aroids as a group produce a similar inflorescence (flower) to the ones found on spathiphyllum species. The study of the flowering of aroids is an avocation unto itself. But those spathes can take on a lot of forms and in most species the spathe is the final factor to determining the species. When I ask people like botanst Dr. Tom Croat "what is this" he often asks if I have a photo of the spathe! My principal interest is unusual aroid species from South and Central America with a few from SE Asia and Polynesia. Like you, I'd love to own about a "million" species. But the space to house them would be enormous! Our little "rain forest" is only just over 600 square feet so the next step will be to build a bigger one! But collecting these things can be very addictive! The only spathiphyllums I currently own are hybrid varieties that are donated, often left over from weddings and funerals. Seems half the people in town know I collect and the things end up on my front porch regularly! I just wish they'd bring me some of the really rare one!
Yes, I was surprised to see that the spath was actually an aroid when searching an aroid forum one day.They are really nice and so many! I'm not sure how long the 'Domino has been around, something that seemed to surface in the last year maybe. Actually, I think the animated spath posted the other day was variegated, but the picture wasn't real clear. I can appreciate all kinds of plants, and you are right about plant collecting it can be VERY addictive! So many plants, sigh, so little time! I'll bet your collection is a nice one! I have a couple rare hoyas in a small collections of hoyas, some Avs, couple citrus, cactus, succulents, and all kinds of stuff in between, whatever catches the eye and calls out! The Atrium sounds wonderful, what a great place to hang out in all day! I think most people would want to live there! And the orphans you get on your porch, how nice that is! Yes, it's too bad some nice people didn't drop off a few rare ones, but hey, that would be WAY too easy! Thanks for all the information!
Glad to try to provide accurate information. That is the whole purpose of my website. I spend a ton of time reading botanical journals and trying to confirm information with six qualified botanists before opening my mouth! I'm certainly not an expert, but my goal has always been to provide accurate information rather than just my opinion. It is regrettable, but the internet is filled with bad information regarding plant species and care. Largely just unresearched opinion. Enjoy your plants! And if you find yourself in NW Arkansas you're welcome to come and sit on our park bench. Most people are very surprised to see what is growing in my backyard.
