Peace lilies have beautiful flowers that bloom throughout the summer months. They are known to attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
However, peace lily plants (spathiphyllum) and its flowers are also prone to turning brown, green and black. Not to worry too much though as that’s the peace lily telling you that its care needs aren’t being completely met.
Whether the issue is from water, sunlight, fertilizer, or the soil, the color is giving you an indication that something’s wrong.
Read on to see what the colors mean and what to do to get back to the beautiful white flowers you should be seeing.
Peace Lily Flowers Turning Brown
The most common reason peace lily flowers turn brown is that they receive too much direct light. Direct sunlight can scorch the leaves of a plant, causing them to burn up.
This will cause the leaf tips to turn yellow and then eventually brown. The browning process may take several days depending on how intense the sun exposure was.
If this happens, remove all affected parts of the plant including the roots. You don’t want any part of your peace lily dying, so make sure to keep it watered until new growth appears.
Other reasons for peace lily flowers turning brown include:
- Too little water
- Fertilizer not applied properly
- Poor drainage in the garden bed
- Lack of air circulation around the base of the plant
- Insects feeding on the foliage
- Disease such as powdery mildew
Peace Lily Flowers Turning Green
If you see the peace lily flowers turning green, it’s most likely too much fertilizer. Other signs of over fertilization include excessive blooms with no stems, wilting leaves, and stunted growth.
You’ll need to stop applying fertilizer immediately if these symptoms appear. If you’ve been using high nitrogen fertilizer like fish emulsion, try switching to one containing lower levels of nitrogen.
Once you have stopped adding fertilizer, wait at least two weeks before reapplying. This gives the plant time to recover and grow strong again.
Other reasons the peace lily flowers turn green:
- Excessive watering
- Waterlogged soil
- Low humidity
- High temperatures
- Drought stress
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Root rot
- Parasites
- Diseases such as bacterial wilt
Peace Lily Flowers Turning Black
When peace lily flowers turn black, the most common reason is due to the age of the flower. They usually have a lifespan that lasts between a week and a month. As soon as the petals start falling off, the stem starts drying out which causes the rest of the flower to shrivel up and die.
It doesn’t matter whether the flower has just opened or already started opening; once the petals fall off, the life cycle ends.
To lengthen the peace lily lifecycle of the blooms, proper care of the peace lily is required.
Keep the peace lily well-watered during dry periods. Water deeply enough to ensure there isn’t standing water near the root zone.
Avoid overwatering because excess moisture encourages disease development. It also promotes fungal diseases that attack the roots.
Prune the Damaged Flowers and Leaves
After the flowers turn brown, black or green, they unfortunately won’t recover. What you will want to do is to prune away the colored parts from the plants.
When cutting, be sure to use a good pair of clean, pruning shears
Cut back the damaged portions by about half their length. Don’t cut right down to the ground but rather leave some stubby pieces remaining. These are called “stubs” and should be left intact.
Make sure to clean up any debris after cutting back the damaged areas. Remove weeds and other unwanted vegetation from the area where the peace lilies were growing.
Prevent Discoloration of Peace Lily Flowers
Excellent care of your peace lily plant will allow for the white color of the flowers.
When the weather gets hot and humid, the flowers can become discolored. The best way to prevent this problem is to grow them indoors until cooler days arrive. The average peace lily likes temperatures around 70°F. But if you live in colder climates that can get under 40°F
The easiest solution is to move the peace lily into an indoor pot. You may even consider putting the pots inside a larger container so that the temperature remains constant throughout the day.
When it comes to sunlight, the peace lily likes bright indirect light the best.They especially like dappled sunlight.
For soil, keep it moist and well-draining. They will also enjoy a slightly acidic soil with a pH level in the 5.8 to 6.5 range.
Peace Lily Flower Discoloration Final Thoughts
In conclusion, we hope our article on how to stop peace lily flowers turning brown, green and black helped answer all of your questions regarding why these types of colors appear on your peace lily flowers.
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