How to get your Peace Lily to flower again (and again)
At war with your Peace Lily? Here are the top 5 reasons your Peace Lily won’t flower and the best ways to win the battle of the blooms…
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#1 Not enough light
There are other reasons, but the top spot goes to light. Yes, Peace Lilies are more low-light tolerant than most BUT that can come at the expense of flowers. First thing to try when your Peace Lily won't flower is to shift it to a new position with brighter, but still indirect light. Their thinner leaves tend to scorch easily in direct sunlight. At my place, the perfect lighting is what I'd call medium to bright indirect light.
Ever got a confused flower that’s green or variegated? That’s because what we think of as their flowers are actually a modified leaf (their flowers are actually microscopic!). It’s normal for them to start green, turn white, then brown, but if your flowers stay green that’s a common sign the plant is getting too much light.
#2 The wrong time of year
If your Peace Lily is an over-achiever like some of mine, you’ll get flowers in both spring and autumn. And because their flowers can last a good 1 to 2 months with the right care, it can feel like they flower all year-round. Although a Peace Lily can technically flower any time of year in the right conditions, reason #2 your Peace Lily isn't flowering is it may just be the wrong time of year.
#3 Not mature enough
Reason #3 for a Peace Lily not to flower is it might not be old enough yet. Yes, even if it was flowering when you first got it. Some growers use a combo of carefully controlled conditions and growth hormones to induce flowering. Don’t be fooled. Just because your Peace Lily was flowering when you bought it doesn’t mean it’s old enough. Peace Lilies often won't flower until they're 1 to 3 years old. Give it time and the right conditions, and your Peace Lily may just start flowering with age.
#4 Too cold
Peace Lilies really do tolerate a wide range of conditions, including handling cooler temperatures better than a lot of our favourite tropical indoor plants, but once it gets below 18 degrees on the regular, that can prevent flowering. Aim for mid to high 20's during the day (75 to 85 °F) to help trigger flowering and keep your Peace Lily blooming.
#5 Hungry
Peace Lilies are not heavy feeders, but flowering takes a lot of energy! If you haven't been feeding your Peace Lily at all, or have had it on a high-nitrogen formula (for foliage), both may prevent your Peace Lily from flowering.
Fertiliser helps fuel flowering but some fertilisers are made to encourage foliage growth not flowers. Shifting to a flower or bloom fertiliser will help encourage flowering. Keep in mind though - no matter what the fertiliser companies might claim - no fertiliser or bloom booster can make your plant flower like magic.
Feeding 'little and often' (also called the Weakly Weekly Method), is a great approach for Peace Lilies. It doesn't literally mean once a week, just to feed lightly, every time you water.
See if you can find a low-salt fertiliser also (no urea, sodium or chlorides), as that helps avoid brown leaf tips that Peace Lilies are more prone to than most. For my New Zealand plant buddies, the foliage fertilisers I use for mine, depending on what I have on hand, are either Plant Runner Indoor Plant Food or GT Foliage Focus, but for my overseas plant friends another good one that's available both in NZ and overseas is Dyna-Gro Foliage Pro, available here in New Zealand or here from Amazon.
Those are all goodies for foliage. But come Spring-time, I shift from a foliage formula to a flower formula, which you can also stay on right through the season until flowering finishes. For that my go to is GT Flower Focus (in NZ), but overseas you should be able to find Dyna-Gro Bloom as another option.
I'm a HUGE fan of the Peace Lily family. I have multiple varieties in my own indoor jungle and love how easy they are to care for (once you know what they love). I hope these tips get your Peace Lilies blooming again (and again), like mine do. And no, in case you're worried, your Peace Lily won't kill your cat! You're thinking of a different Lily. Here's what to watch out for with lilies and cats >