to get the old soil off use a basin full of tepid water and swish the root ball around. divide or not to divide, not sure what would be best at this point but if you do divide it remember to put into smaller pots. how is the drainage? I have one that has similar issues. I have been spraying it occasionally with a solution of baking soda and water. I intend to re pot it with clean potting mix as I believe my issue is bacterial. There is an article on houseplants.about.com on using the baking soda spray.
Fred

I grow mine in a fast draining potting mix and I never let it dry out. In fact, right now it's getting drenched outside in my backyard by some thunderstorms rolling thru. The problem with growing these isn't "over-watering" them, but rather, using a potting mix that drains away any excess water and allows the roots to breathe. In their natural habitat, these plants grow along the banks of rivers. So they're no strangers to water. Just so long as their roots still have access to plenty of fresh air as well.

It gets direct morning sunlight throughout most of the morning, up until noon. Then it gets dappled sunlight for the rest of the day. I just bought this plant earlier this year, when my local garden center started stocking up on new plants. I repotted it into a larger container and it has since doubled in size already. I've recently noticed that it's just beginning to send out multiple spathes. At first, I only noticed one, but now several are springing up. I can't wait until they open up for me. Not once have I let this plant dry out even slightly, but the soil never stays soggy and it drains away water very well.

When I repotted mine, I removed it from its old pot and then blasted away all of the old soil with my garden hose sprayer. This does a wonderful job of washing away everything, leaving the roots untouched and undamaged. Then you can get in there and prune away any dead material before potting it up in an appropriate potting mix.

The only source of accurate information that I rely on comes from Exotic Rainforest's website. The late Steve Lucas really knew his stuff... --> Caring for Spathiphyllum <--

There is a wealth of information on this website about growing Peace Lilies and other Aroids. It is most definitely worth combing thru and studying. Even now, I still go back and reread it whenever I wanna refresh my knowledge of these wonderful plants.

I have grown mine in Miracle grow with some bark and perlite mixed in. I've had mine for almost 15 years. I let them get almost dry before watering. Sometimes they go bone dry and wilt which reminds me to water. I never lost any of them and mine are huge.

Your plant looks healthy to me. I would leave it alone. Maybe you are fertilizing too much. I rarely fertilize and when I do, its with orchid fertilizer. But I rarely fertilize them (maybe 2x a year). Make sure you water until the water drains out and check the water you are using. I think they are sensitive to hard water and other things in tap water. I use rain or RO water but they do get hosed with tap water.

Jane

Fred, the drainage now is pretty good, I made a mix with 5 parts pine bark: 1 part sphagnum peat moss: 1 part perlite.

Photo Synthesis, I found a link to that site after I had posted this...seems like a really great resource on tropical plants. I need to take an afternoon to read the entire website soon.

I have moved my PL closer to a window that gets bright indirect light in the morning, and plan on watering a bit more frequently. I want to repot again to really get all of the old soil off of the root ball and to check to see if there is any root rot. I want to try to put some coarser bark into the soil mix to help aerate the roots more. I want to get into the habit of misting more, or possibly adding a pebble tray to the bottom to increase humidity.

Jane, I have not fertilized since getting it, and will invest in some orchid fertilizer or something similar. I'd like to have a fertilizer to use on all of my house plants, but don't know if I can get away with using one for all of them. In the beginning, I used tap water and all of my plants, but have since switched to using rainwater only.

Thanks for the advice guys, I will update in the future with more pictures.

Tonight I removed the PL from its pot and checked for root rot. The roots were white and have seemed to be growing a lot. They have started to form to the shape of the bottom of the pot, which is I believe means the plant is beginning to become potbound. I washed the oil soil out from the roots and cleared away some of the dead woody material that has accumulated over the years. Maybe I should try to repot altogether in a few months?

I have been misting everyday in the morning around 7 and then again at night around 7. The PL seems to have improved because of this and also more light and more frequent watering--from once a week to twice/three times.

I didn't add coarser bark, as the soil seems to be evenly moist, not saturated, even after watering it this morning.

I would not wait "a few months" to repot, now is the best time. A few months will bring you into the fall when most plants start to slow down growing, others will have more advice for you, by the way, it looks really healthy !!!

That's true Christine, now is the growing season. I guess I'm just afraid I'm going to stress the plant out too much by fussing around with it too much, but I am planning on repotting today.

Here's an updated pic. Last year it did put out a spathe when I moved it to a lower light area of the house--didn't get a pic. Right now it's residing in my kitchen, which gets bright indirect afternoon light from three west facing windows. Planning on repotting next month to check roots and maybe get a more attractive pot!

Looks really good, you did a great job. Thanks for the follow up....