Peace Lilies produce beautiful white flowers, generally speaking, the healthier the plant is the bigger the flowers will be. Although there could be other reasons than health issues that also dictate the size of the Peace Lily flowers, like stress for example. As long as your Peace Lilies are flowering they should be healthy, sick plants will rarely flower, and usually, the small flowers are not due to some disease.
The main reason for small Peace Lily flowers is insufficient sunlight. Ensure that the plant receives at least 6 hours of bright, indirect light each day. Inadequate watering or overwatering can also result in stunted flowers. Additionally, check if the plant requires fertilization or if it needs to be repotted due to limited space for growth.
If your Peace Lily flowers are somewhat small then my personal recommendation is to use a fertilizer that is specially made for Peace Lilies Click here to check it out on Amazon.com
Usually, the small Peace Lilies flowers appear in the second year, in the first year when you brought the plant home the size of the flowers was normal. This tends to happen because most plant nurseries grow Peace Lilies under ideal conditions, this includes humidity, fertilizers, lights, and pest control. Once you bring the plant home, you take it out from its ideal growth condition, and the plant will struggle after a while.
Plants that are in full bloom are easier to sell, and most plants are forced in one way or another to flower, usually, this is also the case for store-bought Peace Lilies as well. If you want to know the dangers of overwatering your Peace Lilies then check out my recent article Overwatered Peace Lily ( Top 9 Symptoms & Treatments ).
Why Are My Peace Lily Flowers Small?
Small peace lily flowers can be an indication of several factors that may affect their development. Insufficient light is a common cause, as peace lilies require bright, indirect light to produce larger blooms. Lack of proper fertilization can also contribute to smaller flowers, so ensure you are providing a balanced houseplant fertilizer according to the recommended dosage. Additionally, overcrowding of the plant or being pot-bound can restrict the growth and size of the flowers.
Consider repotting your peace lily into a larger container if necessary. Inconsistent watering practices, such as allowing the soil to dry out completely or overwatering, can also impact flower size. Maintain a regular watering routine, allowing the top inch of soil to dry before watering again. Lastly, temperature fluctuations or exposure to drafts can affect the flower size, so ensure your peace lily is placed in a stable environment with consistent temperatures.
Fertilizers Can Cause Small Peace Lily Flowers
One of the main reasons why Peace Lilies have small flowers is the lack of nutrients. The more nutrients there are in the potting mix the more of these nutrients the plant can use to produce flowers. If there are not enough nutrients in the soil then the flowers will be smaller. In certain cases, the plant can actually skip flowering for a year, if there are not enough nutrients in the soil. In this case, you should fertilize your Peace Lilies, during the spring, and make sure to use a fertilizer that is made for Peace Lilies.
Too Much Nitrogen In The Soil
There is a delicate balance that you should achieve when it comes to nitrogen in the potting mix. Usually, most fertilizers are jam-packed with nitrogen as plants need it to grow strong and healthily. However, too much nitrogen in the soil will make the plant either not flower at all or the flowers be smaller. This happens because once the plant notices the excess nitrogen in the soil it will focus all of its energy on growing leaves rather than flowers.
In case the Peace Lily has already started to flower and you feed it with more nitrogen the plant can simply stop growing the flower as big as it could, and focus all of its energy on growing leaves. So if your Peace Lilies are either not flowering or are having small flowers then you could have a nitrogen issue. In this case, the solution is to repot the Peace Lily into a new potting mix, and simply do not fertilize for a while. If your Peace Lily flowers are turning green then check out my recent article Peace Lily Flowers Turning Green ( Top 6 Reasons ).
Root Bound Peace Lilies Have Small Flowers
Peace Lilies that are root bound are already stressed out, the more severely root bound the plants are the less likely they are to actually flower. On occasion, root bound Peace Lilies that have everything they need in order to flower will produce small and weak-looking flowers. If you are growing your Peace Lilies in the same pot for a couple of years already then the chances are high that they are root bound.
To see if your Peace Lily is root bound, simply pull it out of the pot and if you see its roots growing in circles then the plant is definitely root bound. In this case, you should repot the plant into a larger pot, and you will see that the next time your Peace Lilies bloom the flowers will be larger than previously. If you do not have time to repot the plant then cut off some of the roots that are going in circles, this method buys you some time until you have to repot them.
Too Much Light
Peace Lilies are used to grow in shade, and they will definitely struggle under direct sun. A lot of people when they notice that their Peace Lilies are starting to flower, place the Peace Lilies next to a well-lit window, thinking that this will be beneficial for the plant. What usually tends to happen is that the plant gets stressed out when it gets too much sunlight, and its flowers will not grow as large as they should.
So if you have your Peace Lilies next to a well lit window, then simply move it into an area where it doesn’t get direct sunlight.
High Temperatures
Peace Lilies can grow in hot temperatures rather well, as long as they get plenty of water. The problem comes when the plant actually loses more water than it gets, and if a heatwave hits while the plant is flowering then the flowers will stay relatively small. The smaller the Peace Lily flower is the less water it will need, if the plant also gets direct sunlight then you might even notice that the flower will turn green.
If the plant loses more water than it gets due to evaporation and transpiration then sooner or later it will start to wilt, and if the plant is in full bloom when this happens then odds are that the flowers aren’t going to get bigger even if the plant bounces back.
Too Much Water
Usually what tends to harm Peace Lilies is too much water, not only it can stunt the growth of the plant but cause significant problems like root rot for example. Peace Lilies do like moist soil, but not stagnant water in the soil, if the roots stay for a long time in water then they will sooner or later develop root rot. As the roots of the plant are starting to rot away, it will have a difficult time providing all the nutrients to the flowers, and usually, the flowers stay either very small or they die off in a matter of days.
To see if the small Peace Lily flowers are caused by root rot due to excess water, simply pull the plant out of the pot. If the roots are mushy and brown then the plant has root rot, in this case, cut off all the rotten roots and simply repot the plant. If the Peace Lily is already in full bloom then it might get bigger once repotted, but this is not always the case. For more information check out my recent article How To Repot A Peace Lily With Root Rot ( In 11 Easy Steps ).
Key Takeaways
- Peace Lilies having small flowers is usually caused by nutrients or water, not enough or too much of them. If the Peace Lilies do not have enough nutrients in the soil then their flowers will be small. On the other hand, if there is too much nitrogen in the soil, this can also cause small flowers. If the Peace Lilies get too much or too little water, then this can stunt the growth of its flowers, in more severe cases the flowers can simply die off in a matter of days.
- Nutrient deficiencies can cause small Peace Lily flowers, but usually, it is a combination of several things that results in the Peace Lilies having small flowers.
- Overwatering Peace Lilies can cause more serious problems than just small flowers like root rot for example.
