Peace lilies are one of the most popular houseplants around, but it can sometimes be tricky to get them to bloom – one expert has shared the ‘most important’ tip for getting them to flower
Peace lilies are a favourite among houseplant enthusiasts, thanks to their striking white blooms.
However, coaxing these beauties into flowering can sometimes prove challenging. It’s disheartening when your peace lily shows no signs of blooming, but the first thing green thumbs should check is the plant’s light exposure.
Vladan Nikolic, an indoor plant care specialist with over a decade’s experience, points out that insufficient light is often the culprit behind a non-flowering peace lily. On his website, Mr Houseplant, Vladan advises: “The most important thing is that the more light you provide it with, the faster the plant will develop and reach that flowering level of maturity.
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“Regardless of its natural flowering season, with enough light, you can get your peace lily plant to bloom indoors any time of year.”
How to encourage a peace lily to flower
Light plays a crucial role in getting a peace lily to bloom. For optimal results, position your peace lily in a well-lit room where it can enjoy indirect or filtered sunlight. Vladan explains: “One of the most common reasons for peace lily plants not flowering is low light.
“If a peace lily doesn’t get enough light, it will not flower. This is easy to fix. Provide your peace lily with 10,000 lux (1,000 foot candles) of light and in a few months, it should flower. Not only that but it will grow beautiful green leaves much faster.”
Keep your peace lily away from direct sunlight as they have exceptionally delicate leaves prone to scorching. An ideal position for your peace lily is near an east or north-facing window where the soft morning rays can gently caress it, without the harsh glare of the afternoon sun.
And if you’ve got a window draped with a sheer curtain, that’s spot on for diffusing the light just right. But it’s not all about location when it comes to encouraging peace lilies to flaunt their blooms. Vladan explained: “Peace lilies need proper watering, a well-draining soil mix, balanced houseplant fertilizer, proper repotting, warmer temperatures, and humidity. All of these factors need to be good in order for Peace Lilies to bloom.”
Don’t let the peace lily’s low-maintenance reputation deceive you – it’s communicative about its hydration needs. Simply sticking a chopstick into the potting soil tells you precisely when to water it. Vladan advised: “Once the potting soil is fully dry (use a chopstick to check it) and the plants become slightly droopy, they need water.
“Water the plants, count the days until the plants become droopy again, then water again. Next time water 24 hours before they get droopy.”
Remember that peace lilies like their soil consistently moist but well-drained, coupled with nourishing fertiliser to help them grow robustly. Fertilising can be done anytime, allowing for flexible care throughout the year. Vladan advised: “Fertilize your Peace Lily plant if it’s actively growing new leaves, regardless if it’s spring, early summer or winter.
“Use a houseplant fertilizer with a good N-P-K ratio, such as the Sill fertilizer. This fertilizer has an excellent N-P-K ratio of 9-3-6. Follow the application frequency on the packaging.”
After positioning the peace lily in the ideal location and grasping the best methods to help it flourish, you should soon be enjoying beautiful white petals.