How to Propagate a Peace Lily by Cutting

Prepare a rooting container before gathering a crown cutting from the peace lily. Fill the bottom half of a 4-inch plastic pot with sterile potting soil. Shake the pot to settle the soil into the bottom.

Water the peace lily plant before gathering the crown cutting. Pour water onto the soil until it feels moist in the top 2 inches. Let the water soak in for 15 minutes before working with the plant.

Push the leaves of the peace lily to one side to reveal the surface of the soil. Remove soil from around the edge of the plant to reveal the tops of the roots and the crowns, which are swollen portions of flesh at the base of each stem that contain a high concentration of growth cells.

Sever a crown at the edge of the peace lily plant. Cut the thick root that connects the crown to the rest of the plant using a utility knife. Dig around the severed crown with your fingertips to reveal the roots beneath it.

Work the blade of the utility knife underneath the crown to detach it from the soil. Lift the crown cutting from the soil as you sever the roots underneath. Fill in the hole left by its removal with soil.

Place the peace lily crown cutting onto the soil inside the prepared rooting container. Cover the crown with soil until just the top eighth-inch is still exposed to the light. Firm the soil well.

Cut back the leaves on the crown by half using a pair of pruning shears. Do not leave the foliage intact, since the cutting will lose more moisture through transpiration than it will be able to replace through its limited root system.

Mist the soil and foliage of the crown cutting with a water-filled spray bottle. Saturate the top inch of soil. Maintain moderate moisture in the soil at all times while the cutting puts down roots.

Set the peace lily cutting in a warm, bright spot out of direct sunlight. Place a 1-gallon plastic bag over the top of the pot to help hold moisture and warmth around the cutting. Remove the bag for a half-hour or so whenever it accumulates too much condensation on the inside.

Watch for growth four to six weeks after potting the peace lily crown cutting. Remove the plastic bag as soon as the new growth emerges. Transplant the cutting into a permanent planter filled with potting soil three months after it roots.