How To Divide Peace Lily Plants

Dividing peace lilies every few years helps to keep the plants healthy and it’s a great way to increase your indoor plant collection without buying more plants.

In this article I’ll show you step by step how to divide peace lily plants and keep them healthy after they’ve been separated.

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peace lily plants in pots

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) can live happily in the same pot for many years but eventually they’ll outgrow the pot.

You’ll know it’s time to divide your peace lily when:

  • You can see multiple crowns in the pot
  • The plant produces less flowers or stops flowering altogether
  • The soil dries out very quickly after watering
  • Roots begin growing out the bottom of the pot

Repot or divide?

If your peace lily has outgrown its pot but it only has one stalk or crown you won’t be able to divide it, so in this case just repot the plant into a larger pot.

Some people are concerned about damaging their plant by dividing it and prefer to repot it in a larger container and that’s ok, but bear in mind that peace lilies can get quite big after five to 10 years of growth.

One of my peace lilies had been in the same pot for more than 10 years so it was well overdue to be divided.

As you can see in the photo below it was getting too big for the pot and it hadn’t bloomed for a couple of years so it was really time for division.

dividing peace lily plant

HOW TO DIVIDE PEACE LILY PLANTS

Things you’ll need:

Give your plant a thorough watering the day before you divide it to ensure that it’s in good condition before you start separating it.

Check how many crowns or offsets the plant has and make sure that you have enough containers to pot them all up. You can add more than one offset to each pot if you don’t have enough.

Gently remove the plant from the pot by turning the pot to the side and giving it a slight squeeze.

If the plant is severely root bound you may have to pull gently on the stem to get it out of the pot.

Once the peace lily is out of the pot you can cut back any brown leaves or stems around the base of the plant to tidy it up.

pruning peace lily plant

The next step involves separating the crowns and you can use your hands to gently pull the roots apart or if the root ball is very tight you can use scissors or a knife to cut through the roots.

Ensure that each crown has at least three leaves and some roots attached.

separating peace lilies

Pot up the new plants in pots that are large enough to fit the roots and accommodate the plant.

splitting peace lilies

Water the new plants thoroughly until the water runs out the bottom of the pot. It’s best to do this outdoors or in the bath to avoid making a mess.

Place the plants in a cool spot with indirect light to allow them to settle into their new pots.

Transplant shock is common after dividing peace lilies so you may notice that the leaves are droopy for a few days after repotting. [1]

Keep the soil moist and they’ll perk up again in a short amount of time.

repotting peace lilies

My plant had three large crowns and some smaller offsets but I only had four pots so the largest pot has quite a few offsets and I can divide them again in a year or two.

Hopefully they’ll be happy in their new pots.

When is the best time to divide peace lilies?

You can separate peace lilies just about any time of the year, but it’s best to avoid doing it during very cold or hot weather so you don’t stress the plant.

Can you divide peace lilies while they’re blooming?

I prefer to wait until the plants have finished blooming before dividing them to avoid the flowers wilting.

So there are my tips for dividing and repotting peace lily plants.

With the right care you can propagate peace lilies every few years and they make excellent gifts.

Here’s a quick video that shows step by step how to divide a peace lily plant. I hope you’ll find it helpful.

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Have you tried splitting or dividing peace lilies at home? Let me know in the comments below.

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Kelly Martin

Hi, I'm Kelly Martin, a landscape gardener and designer with over 10 years experience. I have a passion for small space gardening and I love designing and creating beautiful outdoor spaces that maximize the potential of small urban gardens. Read more

This Post Has 8 Comments

  1. Habee

    I have peace lily planted in water, but now not sure how to divide it since the root already bound together. Wish I can send u the photo, really need help here.

    1. Kelly Martin

      Hi Habee, you can gently cut the roots to untangle and separate them before planting.

  2. Paula

    I have worked at the same office for 6 years watering the same plant. I just recently started an interest in gardening and plants in general and today decided to look a bit deeper at this mysterious plant. I noticed it has about 12 different sprouts in it. I brought a couple home and will bring the pot home this weekend to seperate it. My question is, it’s in a very wide 6 inch deep pot. Would it do better in deeper less wide pots if I split it?

    1. Kelly Martin

      Hi Paula, yes you can separate each of the crowns and plant them in individual pots. They should do well in pots that are deeper than 6 inches. Good luck with dividing the plants!

  3. Roxane Harrison

    I have kept my Peace Lily alive for almost 2 years. I have never kept a plant alive this long. We got it from my Mother-In-Laws funeral. She past away March 28 2020. I think I will be in bloom about that time this year. It has 4 or 5 baby plants. I want to divide it so our kids can have one of Grandma’s plant. I am little worried about doing it. I am open for any extra help on dividing it. Please and thank you

    1. Kelly Taylor

      Hi Roxane, it’s nice that you have the beautiful peace lily to remember your mother in law and dividing it for your kids is a great idea. I think the most important things to remember when separating the sections of the plant is to water it deeply the day before and try to divide it on a cool day so the roots don’t dry out too much.

  4. John MacLaughlin

    Have just started to be interested in indoor plants so look forward to reading replies and advice on this page.

  5. Kaia D.

    Thanks for the clear advice. I had two giant peace lilies inherited from a friend a couple of years ago. It was clear they both needed more space as they wilted quickly after watering (they were outdoors in shady yard). At your suggestion, I waited until they were done blooming, and it was the day after a heavy rain day, so tonight two peace lilies have become 6 peace lilies. I watered them thoroughly as the sun was going down, and while they may be droopy in the morning, I think they will all grow into their new pots and then I can gift some of them and keep the chain going.

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