The peace lily plant is a stunning tropical species that is highly popular for indoor display. The plant features large, shiny, oval leaves with tall stalks holding single blooms of white or yellow flowers.
Peace lilies are easy to grow and maintain. They do well without full sun exposure and prefer partial shade, making them excellent indoor plants. When pruning these plants, there are a few things to remember.
Should Peace Lilies Be Pruned?
When properly cared for, a peace lily can bloom twice a year. Part of this care includes mild pruning. Pruning can help your plant bloom more and encourage more growth. Cutting them back can also minimize the risk of disease and pests.
When Should I Prune My Peace Lily?
Peace lilies require targeted pruning based on the patterns of the plant. After a peace lily blossoms, its flower will naturally and slowly fade away, eventually wilting. Pruning not only maintains the appearance but also encourages new growth.
It generally takes about a month after a bloom has opened for it to fade and wilt. After this period is when you should consider pruning. However, you can also prune in the late spring, regardless of if your blooms have drooped yet or not.
Prune dead or browning leaves as you see them, too.
Pruning a Peace Lily
There are two ways you can approach pruning a peace lily: deadheading and pruning the stalk. The first will clean up the appearance of the plant. While the other will encourage new growth.
Deadheading
Once a stalk on your peace lily plant has bloomed, it will no longer make any more flowers. Deadheading will clean up the appearance, but it will not cause the stalk to bloom again.
Deadheading is effective for aesthetic purposes. If you have a lot of stalks in one place, deadheading can be a good method to use so as not to overcrowd the location.
Pinch the stalk just below the base of the dead flower to trim it off. You can do this for as many wilted flowers as you’d like.
Re-blooming Pruning
If you want to encourage new growth on your peace lily, take a different approach to prune. Instead of pruning at the base of the flower, find the base of the stalk holding the dead bloom.
Cut the stalk as close to the bottom as you possibly can. You can do this for any dead blooms on your plant. The stalk will eventually wilt, so this helps speed up the regrowth process.
Pruning Leaves
Prune brown or yellow leaves from your peace lily as well. Take note that yellow leaves usually indicate an issue with overwatering. Cut off any leaves that are entirely yellow or brown. You can also trim the tips of leaves that begin to turn brown to revive the rest of the leaf.
Final Thoughts
Peace lilies don’t continually bloom, but when they do, they are serene and add a beautiful touch to your home. Practice seasonal pruning to ensure they stay beautiful for years to come.