One of the best things about the peace lily is that it blooms twice a year if you provide it with the right conditions! That equates to months of gazing at the beautiful flowers that brighten up any room.
Its white flowers stand out against its green leaves, creating a contrast that works in almost any setting.
Therefore, seeing the white flowers turn green and disappear into the foliage may raise concerns about the health of the plant.
Is it normal for lilies to turn green? If not, what can cause this color change and how can you prevent it?
It’s normal for a variety of peace lily to have green leaves at some point in its life, which you can expect in the development phase and late in bloom.
Other reasons your lilies turn green are due to poor lighting, overfeeding, transplant shock, and aging.
I go on to explain why lilies turn green, including why some of these changes are completely normal.
But to help you maintain that frothy white hue on your flowers, I’m also including what you could do to damage the aesthetics of the plant. Some causes include overfeeding or excessive shading of the plant. Let’s go into detail:
Are there varieties of peace lilies with green flowers?
To understand why peace lily flowers turn green, we need to understand what the flower entails. What do I mean by that? There are two essential parts of the peace lily.
The first is the spathe, a leaf-like structure attached to the stem, and the second is the spadix inside the bract. The spadix contains flowers.
As the peace lily grows, it undergoes countless changes. Initially, it remains hidden in the spadix, surrounded by the bract.
Then it emerges and begins to develop. And at this stage, the spathe appears green. The more the flower develops, the more the color changes, eventually taking on a sparkling white hue.
The flower remains white until the end of flowering. At this time, the flower does not turn into a modified leaf and acquires a green tint.
It then begins to help the peace lily produce food to support plant growth. Eventually, this modified blade ages, turning YELLOWWhat brownbefore falling from the plant.
So yes, all varieties of lilies have green flowers at some point. And you can expect your flower to be green during the development phase and again when flowering is over.
However, these changes are gradual. If you notice the green tint suddenly starting, there is probably something wrong with the plant.
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Why are my peace lily flowers turning green? (+Solutions)
Green flowers are the norm for peace lilies during the development and aging stages.
However, if the flowers stay green or do not turn white, this indicates that your plant is not getting what it needs. We’ll cover all the possible causes of flower color changes:
bad lighting
Peace lilies do well in shady conditions, as they resemble what they get in their natural habitat. However, there is a limit to the amount of shade they can take.
If you put the plant in too much shade, you deprive it of light and the plant cannot produce enough food to grow.
So what are you doing to compensate for this loss? It transforms its bracts into modified leaves to make even more food. And as a result, it no longer expends energy to bloom, resulting in green flowers. Next, you will notice that the flowers:
- Go green early on and stay that way until they die, or
- It comes out white but quickly turns green and stays that way until it dies.
How to deal with bad lighting
If you’ve noticed your plant’s flowers turning green early on, lighting may be the problem.
What you need to do is move the plant to a place that gets more light. Ideally, it should be medium indirect light or bright indirect light. I recommend placing the plant near (not against) an east or west facing window.
Do not expose the plant to direct sunlight, as this will damage the leaves. It will then transform its bracts into modified leaves to compensate for this loss of leaves. It’s a matter of balance.
To learn more about how to fix your peace lily’s lighting conditions, read our article on Peace Lily Light Requirements.
overeating
Could you be going too far when feeding your peace lily? If the answer is yes, this may explain why the plant’s flowers turn green.
Macronutrients like nitrogen stimulate the production of chlorophyll. And some of that ends up in the bracts, hence the color change. So while you might think the green tint is due to a lack of nutrients, it could be quite the opposite.
Coping with overeating
Overfeeding is not only the fault of green flowers. It can also cause other problems, such as root damage and leggy growth.
It is advisable to feed the plant sparingly and only during the growing season. If you use a houseplant fertilizer, the peace lily can do well even with two feedings per year.
If you need to give more food, top it up three times a year and spread out the ration.
Suppose you have overfed your plant. You can approach this as follows:
- Replant the peace lily,
- Rinse the potting soil with water to remove mineral buildup, or
- Reduce food.
The best approach depends on the extent of damage to the roots of the plant.
If you need more information, see our article on Peace Lily Fertilizer Guide.
transplant shock
You can always expect plants to react to new environments. Some fall off, some turn yellow, and some, like the peace lily, turn green.
What causes this? This is usually due to the change in lighting and temperature. In nurseries, gardeners focus on giving peace lilies the best possible care.
And when you get your plant, the flowers will be moss-white and attractive. But do you have the same conditions at home? – Not pleasant. This change affects the plant and causes the color change.
Can you solve it?
The best way to deal with the stress of transplanting is to give the plant what it needs. Provide adequate lighting, moderate watering, optimal nutrition, and allow time for acclimatization.
Even if all the flowers turn green this year, you can expect better results next season. Sometimes a plant just needs patience from you.
Aging
I said that as the peace lily flower ages, the bract takes on a green tint, which helps it produce food for the plant.
Why does this happen? Well, the purpose of the flower is to attract pollinators to pave the way for reproduction.
And once that happens, the plant no longer needs flowers. Instead, it requires more food production and thus turns your existing older flowers into leaves.
Can you do something about this?
Of course, we prefer the white flowers of peace lilies to the modified green leaves. But you can’t stop aging.
Instead, you can only buy peace lilies with new flowers and avoid those whose flowers have already faded.
However, if you already own the plant and the aging process has begun, adopt it. Give the plant what it needs and wait for the next bloom.
If you like this article, check out our article on if you feed coffee grounds to your peace lilies.
Can your peace lily return to its original color after turning green?
Here’s the thing. Once a lily turns green, there is no turning back. After that it stays green and no remedy can change that.
Thus, if a flower has turned green due to poor lighting, it is enough to move the plant so that future flowers do not suffer the same fate.
I should also add that there is nothing you can do to prevent the peace lily from turning green. This is part of the process when older flowers turn into modified leaves. However, you can slow down the process by:
- Water the plant regularly when the top centimeter of soil dries out. Be careful when watering, as too much can damage the roots, causing the leaves to turn yellow. It would be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
- Make sure the plant stays within the temperature range of 65 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. As it is a tropical plant, cold temperatures will not help it thrive.
With these measurements, you can have white flowers for about one or two months.
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Do you need to cut the green flowers of the peace lily?
The green flowers act as modified leaves that serve as food for the rest of the plant. But if you prefer not to have them on the plant, you can cut them off. The size has several advantages:
- Encourages more blooms during the growing season. So if the first bloom was unsatisfactory, you can prune the green flowers, paving the way for better blooms.
- This allows the plant to spend its energy in its leaves. And that results in healthy, bushy leaves.
- Protects the plant from pest invasions. Green flowers are older and more vulnerable to pests. By removing them, you remove a weak point.
In addition, it improves the appearance of the plant. To prune green flowers, take a sharp, sanitized tool and cut the flower at the base of the stem.
final thoughts
Now that you know what causes a peace lily flower to turn green, you know how to deal with the following flowers. Happy gardening!
Before you go, here are some other related articles that I encourage you to read below to solve more of your gardening problems:
How big is a peace lily?
How to Care for a Peace Lily in Winter
7 Great Benefits of Having a Peace Lily in Your Home
What is the best pot for a peace lily?