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Why Is My Peace Lily Flower Turning Green? | 3 Sneaky Reasons!

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Peace lilies are known world over for their breathtaking white flowers. These white blooms stand for purity and peace and make a perfect gift for any occasion.

Though they can be grown outside, the contrasting colors of white flowers and green foliage provide a scenic decor for indoors, as peace lilies are primarily used as indoor house plants.

Sometimes, you may notice that your peace lily flowers are turning green which can destroy the contrasting beauty of the blooms and leaves. It can leave you with one question—why is my peace lily flower turning green?

If you have seen the white hue disappear from your white peace lily, this article will help you know why.

Keep reading as we explore more.

Let’s dive in!

Green flowers on peace lily—why is my peace lily flower turning green
Why is my peace lily flower turning green? – Image via Reddit.

Peace Lily Flower | Initial Development!

The appearance of green color can be due to a natural change such as aging or initial development, or it can be a symptom of unfulfilled requirements such as insufficient light or overfertilization.

Before we answer, “why is my peace lily flower turning green?” let us understand the flower development.

How Does the Peace Lily Bloom?

While the blooms of the peace lily are called flowers but those are technically modified leaves.

There are two parts of the flower of these plants—one is a spathe, and the other is a spadix.

The spathe is a leaf-like structure that protects and folds around the spadix. A spathe acts as a leaf which means that it is capable of photosynthesis for producing food, and it also has chlorophyll to carry out photosynthesis.

The presence of chlorophyll is one of the reasons the spathe of the peace lily turns green. The spathe folds over the spadix, which is a small flowering development. These flowers are initially green, and as they grow and bloom, they turn white.

Gradually, the blooming process comes full circle to an end, where the spadix or the flowers turn green along with the spathe.

Like all flowers, the peace lilies have a life cycle.

It starts with a green spathe, becomes white at the peak of the process, and eventually turns green again as the flower’s life cycle ends. The flower will soon turn brown and die. At this point, you can pluck the dying peace lilies or wait for them to fall off on their own.

That is the development process of a peace lily.

Now that you know how these gorgeous white flower forms, let’s look at some reasons to answer your query!

Aging and Development

Now that you know about the peace lilies’ natural life cycle and development process, it is easier for you to understand that the turning green of the peace lily’s flower can be a natural process.

It is bound to happen!

The peace lily flower is green when it starts blooming and at the end of the cycle. In this case, you cannot do much to save them from turning green.

The good news is that peace lilies grow all year round. They flower in the spring and fall, and they bloom heavily during the winter as well. So, once the dead peace lilies are off, you can look forward to another round of beautiful blooms. 

Why Is My Peace Lily Flower Turning Green? | Causes & Solutions!

Here are the three main reasons:

1. Improper Lighting Conditions

Peace lilies need a balance of lighting to thrive.

They do well in the shade, but if there is not enough light, the peace lilies will not be able to carry out photosynthesis and make food.

They will transform the spathe into modified leaves to make more food to fill this void. Since the spathe will be busy making food, it won’t be able to provide energy for blooming. So, you may notice the flower turning green.

It could be due to improper lighting conditions if you see green flowers.

To counter this issue, you must ensure a proper light balance. The peace lilies need indirect sunlight with medium to bright intensity. You should avoid placing them in direct, bright sunlight for too long, or the leaves will burn down.

2. Excessive Fertilization

While you may think that adding fertilizer helps the peace lilies, it could be causing damage to the plant.

Overfertilization leads to excessive production of chlorophyll, which is a green pigment. So, adding more fertilizer than necessary can cause the flowers and the spathe to turn green.

You should note that adding fertilizer is suitable for peace lilies when done in a controlled manner.

  • Keep fertilization at a maximum of three rounds in a year.
  • Try to feed the plant only when it is in its growing phase and not in between.
  • Fertilization should be done with a gap and not consecutively.
  • Ideally, the peace lilies will do just fine with only two rounds of fertilization a year.

If you have overfed the plant, you can deal with it by washing away the minerals in the soil through leaching, transplanting the peace lilies, or changing the potting soil.

Related article: Why Does My Peace Lily Have Brown Tips & How to Fix Them?

3. Changing Locations

If you have recently transplanted the peace lilies, the green flowers could be a shock reaction to the change in location.

When you change the location of a plant, it is possible that the conditions there are not as ideal. Thus, sudden environmental changes can lead to the flowers turning green under stress.

If you are transplanting the peace lilies, ensure the conditions are appropriately met in terms of lighting, temperature, watering, etc.

A peace lily flower turning light green—why is my peace lily flower turning green?
Why is my peace lily flower turning green? If you’ve recently transported your peace lily to a place with unsuitable growing conditions, the flowers can turn green under stress—Image via Reddit.

That’s all!


Conclusion

I hope this answers your question—why is my peace lily flower turning green?

There could be several reasons for the peace lilies changing colors.

The most common one is aging and development. These flowers turn green at the end of the blooming season and also when they are in their initial stages.

Other reasons include improper lighting conditions, giving too much fertilizer, and changing the plant’s location.

Make sure you take proper care of the peace lilies, and you will be able to enjoy these flowers in full bloom and their original color.

Regards!