Also known as the Closet Plant, the peace lily is one of the most popular houseplants for offices as well as for most rooms in the home. Not only do they survive in low light and are easy to care for, but they also produce brilliant white flowers that can captivate the onlooker. Although they are relatively easy to care for, peace lilies, like all other plants, have certain care requirements. If the plant is denied proper growing conditions, it will stop blooming, and in worse cases, stop growing altogether.
With over 500,000 followers on social media and over 10 years of experience in houseplants, Vladan Nikolic shares his top tips for encouraging peace lilies to keep blooming.
Indoor plant advocate Mr. Houseplant shares his experience owning a peace lily on his blog. He said: “I’ve had these big peace lilies for two years and they’ve been blooming non-stop. Every three to four months they put out a new set of white flowers, five to 12 flowers at a time.”
According to Mr. Houseplant, light is the main factor in encouraging peace lilies to bloom. He added: “Most importantly, the more light you provide it, the faster the plant will develop and reach that flowering stage of maturity.
“Flowering requires a lot of energy from the plant, so it needs a lot of light to bloom.” Vladan suggests that peace lily owners get a light meter so they can be certain of how much light it receives.
Read more: How to avoid ‘root rot’ – the ‘huge mistake’ when caring for peace lilies
According to the experts at Blooming Backyards, watering peace lilies can also encourage them to bloom and not enough can cause them to fail to flower.
He said: “Peace lilies like humidity. They need to be watered two to three times a week, preferably with distilled water as they can be sensitive to certain tap water chemicals and compounds.
If distilled water is a stretch, filtered water will work too. Try to avoid tap water where possible.
The experts added: “These plants will tell you when they need water by their wilting leaves.
“Some people use this as an indicator of when to water. But, it can be one of the main reasons your peace lilies aren’t flowering.
“If the leaves are drooping or turning yellow or brown at the tips, the plant needs water a few days earlier. These signs are the result of stress, and a stressed plant is unlikely to produce many flowers.
Yellowing peace lily leaves are one of the most common peace lily problems. Don’t let the soil dry out between waterings, but don’t let water stand in them either.
For those who notice that their peace lilies are developing black stems, it could be a sign that they are being over-watered. This can be caused by watering too soon, lack of drainage, or leaving the pot in a tray full of water.