Peace Lilies are one of the most common houseplants, there are easy to care for, and most importantly they thrive under low light conditions. This is an ideal plant for beginners, however, you might find that it kind of takes a while until it actually flowers. Even if you have done everything correctly you might still find that for some reason or another your Peace Lilies simply refuse to flower, but luckily for you, I will list the main causes for it.
For peace lilies to flower, they require a consistently moist soil environment. Proper watering, along with sufficient light and warmth, creates the optimal humid conditions needed for flowering when the time is right. In addition, maintaining good watering practices ensures that nutrients can be effectively transported throughout the plant, supporting its overall health and the development of flowers.
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Peace Lilies can grow extremely well under low light conditions, but what you need to understand is that low light in the northern and southern parts of the US are two completely different things. There is a delicate balance that you have to figure out, provided that you are caring for your Peace Lilies correctly, you might want to reposition the pot from time to time as the odds are relatively high that the position where the Peace Lilies are is simply not suitable for them to flower.
Generally speaking, the older the plant is the higher the chances are that it will actually flower. Peace Lilies that you buy online or in a garden center have been grown under ideal conditions, and once you bring them home you might not see them flower for a long time, simply because Peace Lilies need some time to adjust to the new environment. If you want to know why your Peace lily flowers are turning green then check out my recent article Peace Lily Flowers Turning Green ( Top 6 Reasons ).
Peace Lily Not Flowering
If your peace lily is not flowering, there could be several reasons behind it. One common reason is insufficient light. Peace lilies thrive in bright, indirect light, so make sure your plant is placed in a location with adequate light exposure. Another factor to consider is watering. Overwatering or underwatering can hinder flowering. Keep the soil slightly moist, but avoid letting it sit in standing water. Additionally, peace lilies may require a period of rest to initiate blooming. They may enter a dormant phase where they naturally stop flowering for a period of time before resuming blooming. Lastly, check the overall health of the plant. Ensure it is receiving proper nutrients and is free from pests or diseases.
Due To Insufficient Light
Although Peace Lilies tend to grow well under low light conditions, they still need some indirect light. A lot of people tend to place their Peace Lilies in one of the corners of a room, although they do look good in this area as they brighten up the place a bit but they might not get enough light to actually flower. There is a delicate balance between providing enough and too much light for the Peace Lilies, so try to place it near a window that doesn’t have direct sunlight and it should flower.
It is extremely important to not allow any direct sunlight to reach the plant, although the plant can survive under higher light conditions, they are really not meant to be grown that way. In this case, you might find that the plant will grow a lot of leaves but not flowers. If you want to know why the flowers of your Peace lilies are turning brown then check out my recent article Peace Lily Flowers Turning Brown ( Top 10 Reasons ).
Due To New Environment
Peace Lilies are big business, and the faster companies can grow them the higher their profit will be. If they can also force the Peace Lilies to flower then they will sell them a lot easier. This means that your average Peace Lily that you bought from the store is jam-packed with fertilizers and Gibberellic acid that force it to flower. The light conditions will also be ideal for this plant, as they are growing on a relatively large scale.
Once you bring the Peace Lilies home, you basically take it out from its ideal growing environment and place it in the corner of one of your rooms. The plant will definitely feel this shock and will take some time until it actually flowers, provided that it will simply not wilt away. If you want to transplant your lilies in the spring then check out my recent article Can I Transplant Lilies In The Spring? ( Top 7 Tips ).
Due To Overwatering
One of the most common problems with houseplants is simply too much water, and overwatering Peace Lilies is extremely common. Overwatering Peace Lilies stress them out and they will not flower under such conditions. If you have overwatered your Peace Lilies you will notice brown leaf tips and that the leaves are slowly turning yellow. If your Peace Lilies are not flowering due to overwatering then simply cut back on watering.
There is no specific schedule when you have to water your Peace Lilies, just stick one of your fingers into the soil and if the top inch is dry then you can water it, if it is still moist then hold off with the watering for a while. It can take a couple of months until the negative effects of overwatering fade away, once they do the plant will be healthy enough to flower.
Due To Root Rot
Peace Lilies love to have some moisture in the soil, but too much water around the roots will eventually cause root rot. Once a small part of the root starts to rot it will eventually spread through the entire root system and kill off the plant. If your Peace Lilies are suffering from root rot they will not flower, the plant has bigger problems than flowering like trying to survive. In this case, simply pull out the plant from the pot, and give the bottom of the plant a good sniff.
If the bottom of the plant smells rotten and it is soggy, then simply remove the soil and add new soil to the pot. Carefully wash down the roots with lukewarm water and remove the rotten root parts. It will take a couple of weeks until the plant bounces back but it should flower again.
Root Bound Peace Lilies Will Not Flower
Using a small pot for Peace Lilies is not a good idea, a healthy plant will constantly grow its roots. Once these roots reach the bottom of the pot, they will start going in circles intertwining with their own roots. At that point, the Peace Lilies will start to get stressed out, and the likelihood that a root bound Peace Lily flowers are relatively low. The good news is that you can fix this problem relatively easily.
Simply take out the plant from the pot, and if you see a clump of roots at the bottom then your Peace Lilies are root-bound. Remove the soil from the roots and cut off the roots that are intertwined with each other, then simply use a new and well drain potting mix.
Due To Too Much Fertilizer
When it comes to fertilizing Peace Lilies there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. A lot of people tend to go overboard when it comes to fertilizing their Peace Lilies, in most cases the plant will simply not flower, but in the worst case scenario, too much fertilizer can actually damage the plant. Most fertilizers contain a lot of nitrogen, which is beneficial for plants. The problem with nitrogen is that Peace Lilies are not used to having too much of it as they come from relatively poor soil.
If you feed your Peace Lilies with too much nitrogen then the plant will start focusing on growing as many leaves as possible, and will simply refuse to flower. As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons make lemonade, and this is the same principle behind the Peace Lilies focusing on growing rather than on reproducing once there is too much nitrogen in the soil. The simple fix for this is to stop fertilizing, it will take a while until the nitrogen levels are low enough that the plant will start focusing on flowering.
The good news is that with all this excess nitrogen the plant is stronger and healthier, which means that you are almost guaranteed to have a lot of beautiful flowers the next year.
Due To Transplant Shock
Transplant shock for plants is extremely stressful, plants are not used to being transplanted, this is why most plants that have a dormancy period are transplanted when still dormant. Peace Lilies do not have a dormancy period so no matter when you transplant them, they will get stressed out. It can take a couple of weeks for the Peace Lilies to recover from the transplant shock, and if the shock has been fairly high then the plant will not flower.
If you make the transplant while the Peace Lilies are in full bloom, then you will notice that the flowers will start turning brown prematurely, this is because the plant is too stressed out and its main goal is to survive.
Due To High Temperatures
Temperatures do affect when and if the Peace Lilies will flower, generally speaking, if the temperatures are too high the Peace Lilies will not flower. Wild Peace Lilies grow under low light conditions, sheltered by larger plants from the sun and high temperatures. Once the temperatures are too high the plant will sweat out a lot of water through its leaves, at this point, the plant will not flower until the temperatures drop a bit.
Sick Peace Lilies Will Not Flower
Although Peace Lilies tend to be relatively disease free, but they can still get sick from time to time. The most common diseases for Peace Lilies are Dasheen Mosaic Virus, Leaf Blight, Pythium Root Rot, and Cylindrocladium Root Rot. Once the plant gets any of these diseases it will not flower, as it will focus all of its energy to fight off the diseases. Even after the plant gets healthy it can still take a while until it actually flowers.
Due To Age
Generally speaking, Peace Lilies will be mature enough in around 2 years to flower, although this time can be longer if the plant is not cared for properly. If you are growing your Peace Lilies from seeds then it can take up to 3 years until you see the first flowers. If you are buying your Peace Lilies from a local store, then pick one that is in full bloom, as you are guaranteed to get a plant that is mature enough to flower.
Peace Lilies Do Not Flower In Winter
Peace Lilies flower in the spring, although depending on your local climate and environment they can flower at random periods. It is relatively rare for Peace Lilies to actually flower in the winter, so if your plant doesn’t flower in the winter but it does in the spring, then don’t worry about it, this is just the natural life cycle of your plant. On the other hand, if you are lucky enough your Peace Lilies might actually flower in the spring and in the autumn as well.
If you absolutely want your Peace Lilies to flower in the winter, then you can force the plant to do so.
Key Takeaways
- The most common reason why Peace Lilies are not flowering is due to improper light conditions. Although Peace Lilies will grow well in low light, but if the light is too low then they will simply stop flowering. In addition to this overwatering and overfertilizing will also stop Peace Lilies from flowering, so only water once the topsoil is dry and use a fertilizer that is made for Peace Lilies.
- Peace lilies do not flower because of low light, root rot, root bound, too much fertilizer, transplant shock, high temperatures, and because they have been overwatered.
- Sick Peace Lilies will not flower.
- If the Peace Lilies are stressed out due to overwatering, sickness, or being root bound they will not flower.
