Find Your Ask the Expert: I purchased a peace lily a little over a year ago. It turned yellow and I thought it was dead. I trimmed off all the leaves, but left the roots in the pot. I planted a new plant in the pot, and just figured the peace lily was dead. A few days ago I noticed that the peace lily is starting new growth. I removed the new plant I planted in the pot, and am going to see what happens. Could there be a reason the peace lily died off and now is starting to grow again? Obviously the roots were not dead, it’s as if it just went into hibernation for the winter. – Kevin
Kevin,
Your peace lily (Spathiphyllum clevelandii) was under some form of stress, either too much light or too much water. As a result, the plant seemed dead, but was actually in a mode of conservation – storing its resources to produce a new flush of growth. When you placed the new plant in the pot, it must have corrected the problems that caused the peace lily’s leaves to turn yellow. With the problem corrected, the peace lily was able to take it’s store energy to produce the new growth. Now that your plant is actively growing again, take a look at our Peace Lily Plant Care Tips. These tips will help you keep your peace lily healthy.
I was bought a lpeace lily 8 weeks ago and it seemed really healthy with 2 new flowers growing. Unfortunately the older flowers have turned green and i wondered if you could advise me what to do.
Debbie
Spath (peace lily) blooms like all blooms have a life cycle. So, the blooms may just be in the down hill stage of the blooms cycle. If the bloom started out white and became light green, then the spathe (hood around the spadix) is simply deteriorating. However, some people believe that the spathe (what looks like the bloom) will turn green when the plant has been pollinated.
I am not sure what causes the greening. Light levels, fertilizer and water could all contribute to this problem. Give it a light fertilizer every week from spring to fall. Keep it moderately moist throughout the year; except winter when water can be reduced a little. If the light level it receives is extremely low try a little more light. De-heading may help. Remove any blooms that are spent. Following the bloom stem to the base of the plant and cut it off.
The most important thing is to make sure the foliage is healthy. This will ensure that the plant itself is healthy. Good Luck