Key Takeaways

  • Pruning a peace lily is necessary to maintain its stunning blooms and remove dead or wilting leaves. It's best to prune during the active growing season.
  • Pruning promotes new blooms and growth by removing dying flowers and encouraging the production of new foliage. It also helps control the size and shape of the plant.
  • When pruning, disinfect pruning shears and remove any dead flowers or leaves. Dispose of the cuttings and clean up the area afterwards to keep the plant healthy and tidy.

Peace lilies (Spathiphyllum) are one of the most popular and common houseplants that you will find. These flowering plants truly catch your eye with their glossy, rich green foliage and dainty white blooms that resemble flags of peace. But, to see their stunning blooms, learning how to prune a peace lily is a necessity. For the most part, pruning is minimal, but there are certain circumstances when your plant might benefit from a decent trim.

Discover how to prune a peace lily, including when to prune, and how exactly to do it. Find out the many reasons why your plant may need pruning and how to make the perfect cut!

Peace lilies also purify the air inside your home and are not finicky houseplants. They thrive in all different kinds of lighting conditions, from bright light to low light, and don't require much maintenance and care.

Materials Needed:

Gather the following tools

repotting a peace lily plant

There are a few tools you will need to prune this beautiful plant.

  • Peace lily plant
  • Sharp pruning shears
  • Gardening gloves
  • Rubbing Alcohol
  • Paper towel or cloth

Why Prune Your Peace Lily?

A few signs your houseplant needs pruning

peace lily blooms up close
Image credits: Nika_Akin via Pixabay

Peace lilies don't require regular pruning, and for some, yours might not need trimming at all. This type of houseplant typically grows well with minimal pruning. But, under certain circumstances, yours might need a trim. The most ideal time to prune your peace lily is during its active growing season — which is spring through fall. However, if at any point you notice decaying foliage on your plant, it's best to remove it right away.

Discover a few tell-tale signs that you need to prune your peace lily.

1. To Remove Any Dead Leaves

Are your peace lily leaves turning brown? One of the main reasons people choose to trim their peace lily plant is because of dead or wilting leaves.

  • Dead leaves occur naturally as the plant ages, but they can also be caused by overwatering or improper care. Whatever the reason, remove these leaves promptly as the plant will continue to use its energy to maintain these leaves.
  • When it comes to growing a peace lily, brown tips are often a regular problem. Look for any leaves that appear brown at the tips, are yellowing, or wilting and remove these right away. Trimming away the older leaves allows the plant to focus on new growth.

Peace lilies are sensitive to the chemicals in tap water, in particular chlorine. A build-up of chlorine in the soil will eventually cause damage to your peace lily, like brown leaves and tips. To avoid this, water your peace lily with filtered water or rainwater.

2. Promote New Blooms and Growth

Another reason to consider pruning your peace lily is to promote new blooms!

  • Peace lilies bloom for anywhere from one to two months. When the flowers have lived out their life cycle, they begin to wilt, turn green, and then brown before eventually falling off.
  • Trimming these dying flowers encourages the plant to produce new blooms and foliage.

3. Your Plant is Growing Unruly

If your peace lily grows too large, prune it to control its overall size.

  • Trimming back the leaves of your plant allows you to keep it the exact size you want. Also, it gives you the opportunity to shape the plant to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
  • To do this, remove any straggly or leggy growth that is stretching out of the container.

How to Prune a Peace Lily

Time to start pruning your plant

Now that you know why you should trim your peace lily, follow the step-by-step directions below.

Step 1: Prep Your Pruning Shears

gardening tools
Image credits: ivandzyuba via Canva

Before you start, disinfect your pruning shears to prevent bacteria from getting on your plant.

  • Pour rubbing alcohol onto a paper towel or cloth and wipe down your pruning shears or scissors before using. In between cuts, don't forget to wipe your shears again.

Step 2: Prune Dead Flowers and Leaves

Next, put on gardening gloves and prune any flowers or leaves that appear unhealthy.

  • To get rid of your peace lily's brown leaves, depending on the damage, trim the entire leaf back to the soil level or a leaf node.
  • Trim the stem at a 45-degree angle at the soil level. Get as close as possible to the base of the plant and take as much of the stem as possible. However, if the leaves only have brown tips, trim off the tips and keep the rest of the leaf intact.
  • Peace lily flowers grow on long stalks, and once they produce a flower, the same stalk won't produce another one. When trimming a dead flower off your plant, cut the entire stalk back at the base.

Peace lily flowers, stems, and leaves contain calcium oxalate, which is a skin irritant. Always wear gardening gloves when pruning this type of plant to protect yourself.

Step 3: Throw Away Cuttings and Tidy Up

Once you finish pruning the dead foliage off your peace lily, clean up the area and throw away any cuttings.

  • Unfortunately, you cannot propagate peace lilies by cuttings. They can only be propagated by division. If you are removing healthy leaves to control the size of your plant, you'll also have to throw away these cuttings.
  • Lastly, it's a good idea to disinfect your tools again to prevent accidentally spreading diseases between plants.

Get Trimming Your Peace Lily

While peace lilies don't need pruning often, they do benefit from a good trim every once in a while. If you notice spent flowers, or brown leaves and tips on your plant, remove them to keep your peace lily looking neat and tidy. Not only will it look better in your home, but your plant will be much healthier too!