Few houseplants enjoy the same popularity as the peace lily, but once a bloom fades, it may take months - if not years - to flower again.
The good news, according to a green-thumbed expert at Botanical Heaven, Kaylie, is that dormant peace lilies are not a lost cause.
Once the plant’s first flush of flowers has faded, finding the right spot is necessary to ensure it can photosynthesise properly and produce flowers.
“[If] you’re struggling to get your peace lily to flower again - these are the top two things you could do to make the biggest difference,” Kaylie declared in her recent video.
Light may be the single biggest factor in coaxing a peace lily back into flower
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“The first one is to move your peace lily to brighter indirect light. Peace lilies can survive in low light, but they won’t flower there. So place it closer to a window but out of direct sunlight.”
Light may be the single biggest factor in coaxing a peace lily back into flower, but direct sunlight can prove a big problem for the plant’s thin, delicate leaves.
When the foliage becomes scorched, brown patches and bleached spots may surface - and this is completely irreversible.
So positioning the plant behind a sheer curtain, or a few feet back from a sunny window, is often a good way to get the right balance.
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Once lighting is sorted, feeding will be the second factor likely to make a real difference to your plant's appearance.
“The second thing is fertilising," Kaylie said. “It’s super important to fertilise your peace lily during the growing seasons, which are spring and summer.
“It’s very energetically expensive for a peace lily to produce flowers, so you want to make sure you give it all the nutrients it needs to do that.”
A monthly dose of balanced, water-soluble fertiliser through the spring and summer months is optimal.
Plant lovers searching for a pantry-based approach can dissolve Epsom salts in water (around two tablespoons per gallon) or coffee grounds sprinkled over the soil every couple of months. With consistency, this approach could provide enough nitrogen to promote new growth.
Gibberellic acid - a plant hormone associated with flowering - can also greatly increase the odds of a peace lily blooming again, if it can be sourced.
Repot your peace lily every two years to give it more root space
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Finally, it's worth considering the plant's root space. Repotting every year or two into a slightly larger container with good drainage and a high-quality potting mix.
Cramped roots are a common and easily fixed cause of stalled flowering.