Peace lilies are celebrated for their striking white bracts – the part mistaken for a flower, which is actually a modified leaf encasing tiny blooms on a stem. Once this flower has been in bloom for some time, it will naturally begin to turn green and wilt. This is perfectly normal and simply indicates the plant has finished its cycle. At this point, gardening experts at The Healthy Houseplant recommend pruning peace lilies.
They noted: “Peace Lilies don’t need regular trimming, but removing spent blossoms and leaves improves your plant’s health. If you take the leaves off once they start to wither, your peace lily can put its resources into producing new growth instead. You’ll get a fuller, more vigorous plant this way.” Just as removing old stems encourages a peace lily to produce new ones, eliminating old blossoms can “nudge it into flowering again”.
The experts added that “you’ll get more blooms if you’re proactive about taking off the spent ones”.
Along with the health benefits, you may want to prune your peace lily for aesthetic reasons or because it’s growing too large for its current space.
How to prune a peace lily
Gardeners don’t require many tools to prune a peace lily, but the “most important thing” is to use a quality set of bypass secateurs or trimming scissors, according to the plant specialists. Ensure you have some disinfectant available as well.
Cutting the plant can leave it vulnerable to bacteria, so it’s essential to clean the blades with a 10% bleach solution or some rubbing alcohol. Gardeners may also require sturdy garden gloves, as the sap the plant releases contains sharp, microscopic crystals of calcium oxalate, which can irritate sensitive skin.
Whether trimming a leaf or flower, experts advise it’s “best to clip as close to the soil as you can get”. They cautioned: “The stem won’t grow anything new if you leave it in place, and the more you remove, the more energy you’re freeing up for your peace lily.”
Cut through the stalk at approximately a 45-degree angle. This prevents water droplets from collecting on the cut end, which could potentially allow a fungal infection to develop.
Wipe the blades with disinfectant again before making the subsequent cut. Continue until everything that needs to be removed has been taken away.
Be sure to dispose of the trimmed stems. Leaving them in the pot raises the likelihood that fungus gnats will take up residence.
If the aim is to thin out a peace lily, begin with the outermost leaves, which should also be the most mature ones. These plants generate new growth from the centre unless they’re producing a new rhizome away from the main plant.
The specialists urged: “Avoid removing more than one-third of a peace lily’s leaves in one go. You may not be able to avoid this if you’re cleaning up after extensive damage from sunburn or pests, but it will be a major setback that will seriously stress your plant.
“If you’re just trying to downsize, do it in stages, with a few months’ rest in between. Don’t hack off a huge chunk of foliage all at once.”