Like nearly all potted plants, if allowed to grow, peace lilies will eventually become too big to comfortably thrive in their original container.  When your peace lily becomes too large for its pot, you may notice that it seems to require increasingly frequent watering and/or that its leaves turn yellow for no apparent reason. You may also be able to see its roots crowd the surface of the soil.  Generally, peace lilies should be re-potted every 1-2 years, so if it's been about this length of time and you notice some of the above symptoms, your plant is a likely candidate for re-potting. When you re-pot a peace lily, you'll obviously want to use a bigger pot than you were using previously so that your plant has additional room to spread its roots and grow. Use a pot about 2 inches (5.1 cm) wider in diameter than the previous pot - a relatively small increase in pot size can give a plant enough room to grow for several years. Generally, peace lily's won't ever require pots larger than about 10 inches (25.4 cm) in diameter, so if your pot is larger than this and the lily is still exhibiting troubling symptoms, there may be another issue.  Almost any pot material is fine - ceramic, plastic, and clay all work well.  Make sure your pot has one or more drainage holes on the bottom. It's essential that water be able to drain from the pot - if not, your lily may become at risk for root rot. As has been alluded to above, peace lilies are native to tropical rainforests. They typically grow under a thick, multi-tiered forest canopy and thus are nearly constantly surrounded by decaying plant matter. When picking a potting soil, choose one that retains this quality. Use a peat-based potting soil that contains composted bark, along with sand or perlite. Ideally, your soil should be light and springy (to allow proper drainage) and have little to no odor. Prepare your new pot by filling it with enough compacted soil so that your plant sits comfortably on top of it. Ideally, you should only need to add dirt around the  sides of the plant, rather than below it or on top of it. Gently pack your soil down so that it will support your plant firmly without sinking downward. Pry or dig your peace lily out of its pot and place it atop the soil in its new pot. Add soil from the original pot around the plant in its new pot - using familiar soil can ease the plant's transition to its new home. Water your plant and add more soil when the water makes the soil in the pot settle. When the transition is complete, the soil in the new pot should be at a level of about 1/2" to 1" (1.3 to 2.5 cm) below the rim of the pot. After it is re-potted, your plant's roots won't immediately have a strong hold on its new soil. This can make it difficult to get your plant to stay upright. If you're having a difficult time balancing your plant, use a sturdy wooden stake  or dowel to hold the peace lily's  stalk up. Bury the stake in the potting soil (taking care not to damage the plant's roots) and use a wire to tie the stalk to the stake. Remove the stake when the plant has established its roots and is able to stand on its own. If, rather than moving your plant to a new pot, you'd like to instead grow an entirely new plant in another pot, remove one of the plant's crowns and pot this in the new pot instead of the entire lily. A peace lily's "crowns" are clusters of two or more leaves that are separate and distinct from the main part of the plant. To separate a crown from your main lily, first, remove the entire plant, crowns and all, from its pot. Work from the top of the crown down to the roots, disentangling the roots of the crown from the roots from the main plant. This can take some time and lead to accidental root breakages - this is common, but try to avoid breaking more roots than necessary. When you've completely separated the crown from the main plant, plant it in its own small pot (no bigger than about 6 inches in diameter) as you would do with a normal peace lily.
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One-sentence summary -- Recognize the signs that signify that re-potting is necessary. Use a pot of suitable size. Use an appropriate potting mix. Transfer your plant to its new container. Be prepared to use a stake to support the new plant. To create two separate plants, pot a "crown" from the old plant.


Most situations which would have you creeping around your own house will likely happen at night. It is recommended that you keep the area as dark as possible as you clear your house. Darkness gives you a few advantages: You surely know your house better than an intruder, and if you have a flashlight with you, you have the ability to completely remove the intruder's night vision. There is also the option to have an additional attached flashlight. Most tactical, or combat, weapons have the ability to attach certain lights to the frame of the firearm. Hand-held light gives you options that the attached light does not, so while an attached light is a great feature to have on a weapon, it cannot always replace the hand-held light. Night sights are a welcome feature because they allow you to line up your sights when there is no light. This isn't a panacea, however: If you can't see your sights you may not be able to see your target, and you will have an even more difficult time identifying your target. (Make sure you're not dealing with your next-door-neighbor's son!) Laser sights are also options.  Laser sights will allow you to see where your firearm is pointed without having to use the sights to aim.  This can be very helpful if you don't have your corrective lenses in.  As always, you must identify your target as hostile before firing, which means that you will want to have a flashlight, even if you are using a laser. Your best "accessory" is your own body. If something happens while you are sleeping, your eyes are already adjusted, but if something happens and you are around light (but you must go into a dark area) be sure you let your eyes adjust before you proceed. It can take up to 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust. You do not want to be silhouetted against the light behind you, or highlighted by light on you. Try to approach danger areas from the shadows or from behind other areas of concealment or cover. Aim the light right at the head and turn it on for only a moment (a flashlight with a temporary-on switch is preferable).  You need a flashlight with at least 50 Lumens to temporarily disorient an attacker at night. This action will also get a reaction which will give you an idea into the intruder's head. They now know you know where they are, and being blinded is not a comfortable situation. The chemicals in his eyes which allow humans to see in almost complete darkness will have been burnt away and will take up to 30 minutes to fully return, which gives you a big advantage.
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One-sentence summary --
Remove light from the equation, if possible, for an advantage. Keep a hand-held flashlight next to your weapon of choice. Consider outfitting your firearm with various sights. Allow your eyes to adjust. Be aware of your surroundings. Identify a possible target and temporarily blind him by flashing your light at their eyes in order to disorient them. Get a good look at the intruder and with a bright enough light, the light-splash should allow you to see if he is holding a weapon. Engage the target as described above.