Ask the Expert: Where do I cut off spent blooms on a peace lily?
Hi there,
I took home a beautiful peace lily plant from my father’s funeral back in October of 2008.  Since then its been full and green and has had lots of blooms.  My question is when you say follow the bloom stalk to the to the base of the plant and cut it, does that mean to cut the leave that it is attached to as well?  I have cut off spent blooms only at the base of the stem that is attached to the leaf, as the leaf is green and healthy, by cutting the stem of the flower there I have had no damage to the leaf and the plant has been blooming more flowers.  My concern is that since cutting it there it has had no more blooms in the same spot.  Right now I have a bloom that will soon have to be taken off and this particular one is attached to a leaf that its stalk is attached to two other big and healthy leaves.  In a nut shell: should I see blooms in the same spot where I cut the dead ones off? And am I cutting in the right spot?  If I cut at the base of the plant, I dont get any more growth in that same spot the stem turns yellow and is easily pulled out. Melanie

Plant Expert Reply:

The proper place to cut the spent peace lily bloom is at the base of the plant and only the bloom stalk.  Whether you cut the leaf off or not, a bloom will not develop from exactly the same spot as before.  Now I am a little confused as to “stem turns yellow and is easily pilled out”.  Do you mean the bloom stalk or the leaf stem?  You should cut the bloom stalk so that nothing is left to turn yellow.  That is why you go all the way the base of the plant where the bloom stalk orginates to cut it off.  If the leaf stem is turning yellow then, you may be damaging the leaf when you cut the bloom stalk off.  If the leaf stem looks damaged in any way, you need to remove it for the health of the plant. Sometimes because the way the blooms is positioned, I have to cut a leaf off as well.  Trimming your peace lily will not damage it.