Peace Lilies are lovely houseplants famous for their air-purifying properties and the cupped white flowers.
Once the blooming season is over though, you need to figure out what to do with the dead flowers.
But don’t worry, Plantophiles got you covered!
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Do You Cut Off Dead Peace Lily Flowers?
Once the blooms on a Peace Lily plant turn brown, they need to be trimmed for better growth. This will encourage your plant to bloom frequently. You should remove the dead flowers by cutting the stalk at the base. But remember that flowers can die due to an underlying issue as well.
Peace Lily Flower Cycle
With proper plant care, your Peace Lily will start blooming in spring or early summer. The flowering is triggered by short day/long night photoperiods in the cold months.
The white bracts on a Peace Lily are a modified version of the leaves. The bracts have tiny white flowers attached to the stalk in the middle. The delicate but magnificent flowers will eventually die.
As the blooming season comes to an end, the white bracts turn green and start to droop.
You should perform deadheading to get rid of these spent flowers and improve the appearance of your plant.
Deadheading can be defined in simple words as the removal of dead flowers to make room for new ones.
The color of Peace Lily flowers can help you decide when your plant is ready for deadheading.
New blooms are pale green, but they turn creamy white as the flower unfurls into a single hood.
The white color on the Peace Lily flowers lasts for about ten days only. However, the spadix can last for about one whole month.
The flowers can also turn brown before dying. If the spadix starts browning, it does not mean your plant is dying. Brown flowers cannot recover, and the only solution is to cut them from your plant.
Remember, each stalk can produce flowers only once, so after the flowers fade, the stem will also brown and wither.
You have to prune the dead stalks near the base of the plant. This will also help your Peace Lily produce more stalks.
Steps to Cut Off the Dead Peace Lily Flowers
Pruning yellow or shriveled foliage is a common practice in the gardening world. But for blooming plant varieties like Peace Lily, the flowers should also be pruned.
If you want the blooms to stay longer, you should provide excellent care to your plant during the blooming season.
The faded flowers on a Peace Lily plant require careful removal. I have compiled the steps below to make sure you do not damage any other healthy part of your plant.
- First things first, avoid picking or twisting the dead flowers by hand as this can injure your plant.
- Also, because pinching can be time-consuming if your plant has several blooms, for plants with 1 or 2 blooms, pinching is acceptable.
- I always recommend using pruning shears or gardening scissors. Make sure you do not damage or prune the healthy blooms under the faded ones.
- Always ensure your gardening tools are disinfected before and after every use. You can use a bleach solution (1:9 ratios for bleach and water) or isopropyl alcohol.
- Locate the base of the stem attached to the faded flowers and cut the stem right above the leaves. You can make a straight or slanted cut, but my personal preference is to make a cut at an angle.
- While removing the flowers, inspect your Peace Lily for any dying leaves. If you find any, trim them as well. You should also remove the old leaves in the outer area.
- The location of the cut matters a lot while deadheading a Peace Lily. Instead of trimming at the flower end, cut the entire stalk.
- For Peace Lilies planted in garden soil, you should trim the stem near the crown of the plant. This is the part where the roots join the stems above the ground.
- All the pruned parts should be disposed of immediately since the plant is toxic, and you cannot take the risk of your pet munching on the leaves.
Tips for Long Lasting Peace Lily Blooms
To help your Peace Lily bloom better, do the following.
- If your plant resides in a low-light area with little or no sunlight, you should immediately move it to a new location. Peace Lily plants should be grown under bright filtered sunlight. An east-facing window is a perfect spot for this plant.
- Avoid direct sunlight exposure as it can cause the flowers to turn brown or black even before the blooming period is over.
- If the flowers unexpectedly turn black, your plant has humidity issues. This is a tropical plant so maintain humidity accordingly (usually above 50%).
- Fluorides in the tap water can also be the reason behind the browning or blackening of the Peace Lily blooms.
- Use a fertilizer designed for blooming plants that have high phosphorus content.
- Remove the stems attached to dead flowers will encourage more blooms.
- A temperature of about 60-65 degrees Fahrenheit (15 to 18 degrees Celsius) during winter will initiate the blooming. Whereas temperature of about 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 23.8 degrees Celsius) during spring will help you extend the blooming period.
Peace Lily Pollen
If you want your plant to remain white for longer, remove the spadix (the inner part) from the bracts.
This will prevent the pollen from dropping, which is a common reason behind the greening of the spathe.
This will help you harvest the seeds of your Peace Lily. If the pod or spadix is green in color, the seeds are not ready for harvesting. As the flower ages, the pod will change color from brown to black.
When the pod is black, use scissors or a clean knife to separate this pod from the flower.
You can carefully scrape the seeds from the spadix using a small spoon or knife. These seeds should be stored in a dry location in envelopes until you plan to sow them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do commercial gardeners increase flowers on a Peace Lily?
They use gibberellic acid, an expensive chemical, to increase the rate of flowering on a Peace Lily plant. But this acid acts like a steroid for your houseplant, and it may cause distorted flowers. The Peace Lily plants that are younger than 12 months will start blooming within two months after the application of gibberellic acid.
Why should I cut the stalk of the dead bloom?
Gardeners always recommend trimming the stalk of the faded bloom to make sure nothing is left behind to turn yellow or brown.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.