Grass Lily (Chlorophytum Comosum)

The easy and graceful Grass Lily

Originally, the Grass Lily (or Chlorophytum comosum) comes from South Africa where it grows as a ground cover. As many as 65 different species of this hardy plant exist in South Africa. Since the 19th century, the Grass Lily has been found in living rooms around the world. The Grass Lily also has several nicknames such as; Zebra Grass, Flying Dutchman or Sprite Plant.
The leaves of the Grass Lily are spiky (just like grass), and they can grow up to 45cm long. The leaves have green edges and a white centre. Apart from being a nice houseplant, it will also do well as a hanging plant.

Watering the Grass Lily

As mentioned, the Grass Lily is an easy houseplant to take care of. You should water it two or three times a week during the summer months and once a week during the winter months. This houseplant likes a moist soil, but be careful not to water it too much. It is better to keep it a little too dry than too wet. If it gets too much water, its feet will get wet and this increases the risk of root rot.
The amount and frequency of watering is different for every Lilium and depends on various factors such as ambient temperature, light intensity and pot size. We advise you to keep an extra eye on the Lilies during the first weeks after purchase and check the potting soil regularly. If you notice that the soil already feels a bit dry three days after watering, it's best to give more water next time. However, if you notice that the soil is still very wet after 5 days, it's better to give less water next time.

Watering the Lilies

The grass lily likes slightly higher humidity. If the humidity is too low, it will lose its ornamental value. Its leaves will develop brown tips and its colour will fade. You want to prevent this, of course! It is therefore a good idea to give the Grass Lily a helping hand by watering it regularly.

Air-purifying effect of the grass lily

The Grass Lily is one of the best air-purifying plants around. According to NASA, the Grass Lily removes 95% of bad substances from the air. Without you having to look after this houseplant much, it is always working for you to improve air quality.

The best location for the Grass Lily

The Grass Lily likes the necessary light and warmth, but full sunlight is just too much for this houseplant. We recommend placing the Grass Lily near a north-facing window or else in a place with indirect sunlight.

Help! My Grass Lily's leaves are discoloured

Although the Grass Lily is an easy houseplant, it can sometimes show signs of stress. Are the leaves drooping? Then it probably has too little water. If so, don't give it a lot of water at once, but small bits scattered around. Are the leaves turning pale? Then it is getting too much sun. Does the leaf pattern disappear and growth stop? Then it has too little light. Move it to a better spot, and it will recover quickly.

Is the Grass Lily a poisonous houseplant?

Another nice thing about the Grass Lily is that it is not poisonous.
However, the grass lily's spiky leaves are inviting to cats. So if you have cats and you want to keep the leaves beautiful, we advise you to place the grass lily out of reach of your cat(s).

Pruning the grass lily

The leaves of the Lawn Lily can develop yellow tips as well as brown tips. Many people think this happens when you touch the leaves, but this is not true. These yellow tips are unfortunately part of the game and difficult to counteract. Feel free to cut off leaves that are ugly or discoloured!

Feeding the lily of grass

The Lawn Lily is a houseplant that likes to get a ‘food boost’ every now and then. Especially in the summer months, it likes to get a capful of plant food. Add this capful of plant food to the water you give it during a watering. Don't do this too often, once every fortnight at most, but once a month will do.
We advise against giving the Grass Lily extra nutrition in the winter months. This is because this houseplant uses less energy in the winter months and then it will not be able to absorb the nutrition and it will remain in the soil. The nutrition is quite acidic and if it is not absorbed by the plant, it will damage the roots.

Repotting the Lawn Lily

We recommend repotting the Grass Lily once every two years. The Grass Lily will probably grow to a height of about 30 centimetres in your living room. By repotting this houseplant, it will also grow in width and get a fuller appearance. If you repot your Grass Lily, we recommend doing so in spring. Any damaged roots can recover better during these seasons. We recommend a pot with a diameter at least 20% larger than its predecessor. When repotting, simply use universal potting soil and if you have a high container/pot, we recommend using an insert sleeve. This insert sleeve prevents the water at the bottom of the pot from rotting, which can eventually lead to root rot.

Grass Lily diseases

The Grass Lily is somewhat susceptible to pests such as spider mites and aphids. If you notice this, you could initially spray the plant with a harder jet. If this does not work, we recommend treating the lily with a chemical or biological pesticide.

Propagating the grass lily

Grass Lilies are known to be easy to propagate, there are three different methods to do this. However, tearing is the most successful method of propagating the Grass Lily. Tearing can be done when the Grass Lily has grown to the size of a cauliflower. We recommend propagating in spring when the Grass Lily has a lot of vigour and its roots can recover well. Remove the plant from its pot and tear off a piece of the root ball, this can take quite some strength and sound ‘painful’ because of the tearing roots. Don't worry, if you then put both plants in their own pots and look after them as always they will recover completely.

Buya Grass Lily at Green Bubble

Are you looking for a beautiful, healthy and strong Grass Lily as a houseplant? Then you've come to the right place at Green Bubble! When you buy one of our Grass Lilies, of course you want a beautiful and fresh plant. At Green Bubble we work directly with growers so we can guarantee the freshness of our houseplants. We strive to deliver healthy and high-quality plants to our customers every day. This ensures that you get your houseplant delivered as fresh and good as possible!
Want to buy a Grass Lily but don't feel like going to your local garden shop? We understand that, which is why we ship your Grass Lily directly to you, free of charge! Buying a Grass Lily is easy in our webshop, where you can buy various types of the highest quality Grass Lilies!
Easy ordering and great houseplants, that's what Green Bubble stands for. Want to buy a great Grass Lily? Join the Green Bubble!