Spathiphyllum Domino Peace Lily Care (Variegated Peace Lily)

Last Updated on December 4, 2021 by Admin

The Variegated Peace Lily is commonly known as the Domino Peace Lily. Although you’ll likewise hear or see some people call it the Spathiphyllum Domino.

It is the variegated version of the very popular Peace Lily plant (Spathiphyllum).

As such, the two look very similar in shape appearance. The biggest difference are the beautiful white blotches on the leaves of the Domino Peace Lily.

That said, the Variegated Peace Lily is a Spathiphyllum hybrid. And it is a hardy houseplant that is very easy to care for with little maintenance involved.

It likewise purifies the air making it a good option to keep in the living room or bedroom.

Table of Contents

Variegated Peace Lily Plant Care

Domino Peace Lily Light Requirements

The Variegated Peace Lily thrives when given moderate to bright, filtered light. This makes an east, north or west facing window ideal as long as you keep it away from direct sunlight.

The goal here is avoid the sun’s rays, especially for more than 1 or 2 hours a day.

This is why if you decide to position the plant facing south, you want to keep it some distance from the window. Anything between 5 to 10 feet away from the window will keep the plant happy and healthy as long as the room is well-lit.

Too much intense light or direct light can dry out the plant or cause its leaves to bleach. In very hot conditions you may see burn marks as well or the leaves fall.

On the other hand, the Variegated Peace Lily will likewise be okay in low light.

However, I don’t recommend doing so for 2 reasons.

In low light, the Domino Peace Lily will lose its variegations. This is a gradual effect based on how little light there is. It happens because the white sections of the plant don’t collect light nor do they contribute in photosynthesis. That’s okay with good lighting. However, lack of light means the plant will struggle to get sufficient light to support itself. So, to survive, it will reduce the white variegations and turn them green to collect more light and participate with photosynthesis. Thus, the less light there is, the greener the leaves will become.
The domino peace lily will not bloom without bright, indirect light. Unfortunately, the plants flowers are a big part of its beauty muck like that of its sibling, the regular Peace Lily.

Thus, try to avoid conditions with too little light that will cause either or both these issues.

Finally, while the Variegated Peace Lily prefers natural light, it will grow well under grow lights or fluorescent lighting. Therefore, you can use these alternatives if you don’t get a lot of window light.

Domino Peace Lily Temperature

The Variegated Peace Lily enjoys warm, tropical weather. Therefore, try to keep it somewhere the temperature consistently stays between 65 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit.

This will keep it happy and healthy. And it will grow well and produce beautiful colors.

Like other tropical houseplants, the cold is its enemy.

Try to avoid conditions that are below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. It will struggle in this environment. And the longer you leave it there the more problems it will encounter.

This means that your Domino Peace Lily cannot tolerate the winter weather. Thus, if you leave it outside during the summer, make sure to take it back inside before the climate gets colder around late fall.

Humidity

The Variegated Peace Lily enjoys moderate to high humidity (ideally 50% or higher). It can likewise tolerate average room humidity although you want to try to keep things at 40% or higher.

The drier the air gets, the less likely the plant will bloom. Additionally, its growth can slow down when humidity gets too low.

The main thing you want to look for are brown leaf tips. This is a sign that the air is too dry for the plant’s liking.

If this happens, move your Variegated Peace to somewhere with more humidity like the bathroom or kitchen. In case you don’t want to do that, other options you can go with are:

Invest in a humidifier
Mist the plant a few times a week
Place it on a pebble tray
Group it with other plants

Something I’ve found to be helpful is also to clean the leaves with a damp cloth every now and then. You don’t have to do this once a week. But try to do it when you start seeing dust collect on its foliage.

By wiping the dust off, you clear all the pores allowing the plant to transpire and regulate its internal temperature. This also lets it absorb more sunlight.

How Often to Water Variegated Peace Lily

Your Variegated Peace Lily enjoys evenly moist soil. However, avoid watering it too often as this is the most common cause of domino peace lily death.

Too much water will case its roots to stand in water for prolonged periods of time which can eventually lead to root rot if it happens long enough or often enough.

Therefore, make sure there is ample soil and pot drainage. I’ll talk about the former in the next section. With the latter, all you need to do is use a pot with drainage holes.

In general, once a week watering is more than enough. The only exceptions are if your plant lives under very bright light and the weather is very hot and dry.

Other than that it is not a good idea to water more than once every 7 days.

If your Variegated Peace Lily gets thirsty, it will likewise tell you via drooping leaves. Ideally, you want to get ahead of this and water before leaves start to droop or wilt.

That’s because drooping is secondary reaction. By the time this happens, the roots would have already been dry for a little while. If this happens too regularly, the roots will sustain damage.

Needless to say, try to avoid letting the soil completely dry out.

One last thing to noted is the that Variegated Peace Lily is sensitive to certain minerals like chlorine. This makes highly mineralized tap water a bad fit for the plant. It can turn its leaves’ color.

Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell how high the chlorine content in your tap is unless you have it tested or ask your local government.

So, you have a few options here.

Rain water – if you get a lot of rain just collect the rain water and use it to water your plants.
Filtered water – purifying tap water will get rid of excess minerals
Let the tap water sit at room temperature – it needs to do so at least overnight in order for the chlorine to evaporate by morning so you can use it on your domino peace lily without any risk.

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Variegated Peace Lily Potting Soil

Your Domino Peace Lily does well in standard potting mix that Is well-draining and nutrient rich. Thus, try to cheap low quality products.

If you already have regular potting soil at home, you can use that as well and observe how well it drains. In case it holds too much moisture, just add perlite or sand to increase drainage.

You add as needed based on how the plant is responding.

Or, you can just start with equal parts of potting mix, perlite and coarse sand if you don’t want to do any trial and error.

Make sure the pot you’re using also has drainage holes to let the excess moisture drip out. It you put a saucer under the pot, don’t forget to throw out any water that pools on the saucer.

If you don’t, the soil will suck that back up eventually.

Fertilizer

The Variegated Peace Lily is not a heavy feeder. And you can get away with not feeding it.

However, I don’t recommend that as it will grow slower. Also, it can experience some nutrient deficiencies.

Ideally, apply a balanced houseplant fertilizer with an N-P-K ratio of 20-20-20 once a month during its growing season. I like to use a liquid fertilizer because it is easy to dilute the dose. This lets you reduce the concentration to 25% or 50% during each application.

When buying fertilizer for your Variegated Peace Lily, check to make sure it contains magnesium and iron. Both are important nutrients and deficiencies can result in yellow leaves.

On the other hand, watch out for leaves and blooms that turn brown. Although, there are other causes for this, overfertilization is one of them.

Pruning

The Domino Peace Lily usually grows to about 1 to 2 feet high indoors. This makes it a relatively small plant you can keep on desktops or counters.

Because its leaves and flowers are the most beautiful part of the plant, pruning is not really needed. The plant only produces a few leaves. And their beautiful white variegations are part of its attraction.

Meanwhile, each stem will only produce one bloom. However, once the flower dies, you’ll want to cut it off near the base of the stem. This removes it and helps bring about new growth.

If you see damaged leaves or discoloration prune those off as well.

Other than that, there’s really not a lot of trimming that needs to be done.

How to Propagate Variegated Peace Lily

The Variegated Peace Lily can be propagated via stem cuttings or division. More often that not, division is the more common way of propagating the plant.

Not only are you able to already have a semi-grown plant, you can likewise create several new plants from the parent plant.

It is also worth noting that the Domino Peace Lily will produce new crowns at the base beside the parent plant. You do need to allow these crowns to grow until they’ve developed at least 2 or 3 leaves.

After that, you can cut the crows away from the mother plant and repot them. These will eventually grow to new plants.

Here’s how to propagate Variegated Peace Lily via division.

Carefully take the plant out of its container.
Check the root ball and roots to make sure the roots are healthy. You can untangle any roots that have wrapped around the root ball.
Prepare a new container and fill it about halfway with potting mix.
Replace the soil in the plant’s current pot as well with fresh potting mix.
Now choose the sections of your Variegated Peace Lily where you can separate into segment. How many segments you can get will depend on the size of the plant and how many new plants you want.
The key is to pick out stems with leaves and match them up with their corresponding roots. Each segment should have enough roots to support the plant. You also want them to have enough stems and leaves so they don’t look bare in the beginning.
Then separate the root ball according to the segments you’ve decided on. You can use your hands or a sterile knife.
Once you have the segments, plant each one of them into their own pot.

How to Repot or Transplant Variegated Peace Lily

The Domino Peace Lily will need repotting once every 12 to 18 months. But only do so when you start seeing roots come out of the drainage holes under the pot.

This is a sign that the plant is root bound. And it roots want more space to grow.

To prepare for this, get a pot that is 2 inches larger then the current container. Also have some fresh potting mix on hand.

Then follow the steps above in division.

Repotting and division are very similar which is why the best time to divide your Variegated Peace Lily is when you repot.

This way, you don’t need to keep taking the plant out of its pot.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

The Variegated Peace Lily is toxic to cats, dogs and humans. It contains calcium oxalate crystals which can sue mouth, throat and stomach irritation. It can also cause vomiting. So, please keep it out of reach of young children and pets.

Variegated Peace Lily Problems & Troubleshooting

Brown Leaves and Tips

Brown leaf tips often mean a moisture issue. While lack of humidity can cause this, the problem is usually overwatering or too much fertilizer.

Thus, it is important to check each of these before diagnosing the problem.

Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves on your Variegated Peace Lily can be caused by natural aging, too much sunlight or overwatering. Therefore it is important to eliminate the potential causes before coming to a conclusion.

Drooping & Wilting

A drooping peace lily can be caused by a few issues. The most common are too much or too little watering. Although, between the two overwatering can lead to more serious issues.

On the other hand, once you water the plant, it will bounce back fairly quickly.

Pests

Pests are not a common problem that the Variegated Peace Lily has. Although, spider mites, mealybugs and aphids will try to attack the plant.

If you regularly clean your plant’s leaves and give it proper care (while avoiding too much or too little of the requirements above), pests should not be an issue.

Diseases

Like pests, the Domino Peace Lily rarely experiences diseases. However, it susceptible to different kinds of root rot. All of these are caused by overwatering which let the roots sit in water for too long.

Therefore, it is very important to have good soil and pot drainage to remove excess moisture.

On your part, you want to avoid watering too often.