How to Grow and Care for Anthurium

Anthurium is a genus of around 1,000 perennial plants native to Central America, northern South America, and the Caribbean. They can be grown outdoors in tropical climates, but are more often kept as houseplants or in greenhouses due to their specific care needs. Growth rate is slow or moderate and dependent on ample light but susceptible to sunburn.

Also called flamingo flowers for their unique, bright red, green, and white colors, they can bloom repeatedly for long periods. Blooming varieties are distinctive with heart-shaped waxy spathes (i.e., modified leaf around the flower) and red or yellow spikes. Many anthuriums are climbers, and all need high humidity and warmth to thrive. Anthurium is toxic to humans and pets.

Anthurium Care

• Plant in a well-draining pot with a 50-50 mix of orchid and houseplant potting media.
• Place anthurium in a warm, brightly lit room but out of direct light. An area with high humidity such as a bathroom is a good choice.
• Allow anthurium's soil to dry out between waterings.
• Feed weekly during the growing season with a diluted liquid houseplant fertilizer.
• Provide a stake or small trellis to support plants with aerial roots.
  

Many anthurium plants are epiphytic in natural settings—they grow on other plants instead of in soil. If leaves and flowers tend to fall over, give the plant a stake or small trellis to climb on.

Light

Anthuriums prefer sun over shade but too much direct light can scorch the leaves. Inadequate light causes poor growth and few flowers. The ideal location for your plant provides six hours of bright, indirect sunlight daily.

Soil

Anthuriums grow similarly to orchids, so potting material needs to be coarse and drain well to provide adequate air circulation around the roots. Mosses, cocoa coir, or a 50-50 combination of orchid and houseplant potting medium make a good mix. You can also add sand and peat moss to orchid mix for a coarse well-draining soil.

Water

Keep soil slightly moist and never allow it to dry out completely. Water indoor plants about once a week or when the top of the soil is dry to the touch. Grown outdoors plants may need water every two to three days. Water your plant until it runs from the pot's drainage holes but do not leave it to sit in water. Anthuriums are vulnerable to root rot.

Temperature and Humidity

All species are native to the tropics, and prefer high humidity and temperatures between 65°F and 85°F. These plants can be grown outside in zones 11 to 12. They'll be damaged in temperatures below 60°F, and die off when temperatures dip to 40°F.

In dry climates or during dry winter months, set it on a pebble tray to keep humidity levels high. You may find it necessary to run a humidifier constantly during dry months.

Fertilizer

Feed a high phosphorus liquid fertilizer throughout the growing period. Dilute to 1/4 strength and feed every week. Phosphorus-rich fertilizer encourages your anthurium to flower.

Types of Anthurium

• A. andreanum: Common species; heart-shaped leaves that grow a little over 1 foot with red, white, pink, and variegated flowers; distinguished by a straight flower spike
• A. scherzerianum: Common species; most forgiving of anthuriums, features a curling orange flower spike and arrow-shaped leaves
• A. crystallinum: Less common species; deep green, velvety leaves with pronounced white ribs; leaves grow around 2 feet across
• A. faustomirandae: Less common species; monster-sized plant with cardboard-stiff leaves, grows over 5 feet; almost exclusively a greenhouse plant
  

Pruning

Remove older leaves and flowers as they fade and begin to die back. Pinch them off at the base or use a sterile hand pruner to cut them from the main stem. Pruning to shape your plant can be done any time during the year. Remove extra tall stems and any that grow at odd angles.

Avoid over pruning always leaving at least three to four leaves on the plant. Damaged leaves can be partially removed with the bad parts cut out. If your plant has just a few leaves it's better to keep a partial leaf until a new one emerges.

Propagating Anthurium

Anthuriums are propagated using side shoots (pups) and stem cuttings, though side shoots are the fastest and safest method. (Stem cuttings require removing the top of the main stem and should be undertaken only when one or more new buds can be left on the main stem.) Starting with seed, plants take four years to mature to flowering stage so this method is not practical for home growers.

You'll need a clean pot, fresh well-draining soil, and a sharp, sterilized knife or pruners. Here's how to propagate anthuriums with side shoots:

1. Look for a well developed side shoot growing off the main stem. Ideally it will have at least one mature leaf and several aerial roots that can be easily removed along with the side shoot.
2. Use your sterile, sharp implement to remove the side shoot making a clean straight cut where it joins the main stem.
3. Choose a pot wide and deep enough to accommodate the main stem and roots and fill it 1/3 full with potting mix.
4. Set the side shoot on top and fill in to cover the aerial roots, keeping the junction of any leaves or new leaf buds above soil level.
5. Water thoroughly and place in a warm spot that receives indirect light. New growth appears in about 4 to 6 weeks.

Potting and Repotting Anthurium

Repotting is necessary every two years or so. Transfer the plant to a pot that is no more than 2 inches larger than the old one.

Pots made of plastic, ceramic and terracotta are all good choices. Keep in mind that terracotta tends to dry out more quickly than plastic and ceramic. Multiple drainage holes are required.

To repot an anthurium, fill the new pot with about 1/3 potting mix, then set the plant onto the soil and lightly pack additional soil around the base, up to the level the plant was buried in its old pot.

Overwintering

Anthurium will not survive outside in non-tropical zones over winter. If your plant lives outside bring it in as soon as the temperature drops below 60°F. Place your plant close to a sunny window with high humidity and temperatures that hover around 75°F. A bathroom environment is perfect.

Common Pests

These plants are subject to the same pests that commonly affect most houseplants: mealybugs, spider mites, whiteflies, and scale. Aphids leave distorted mottled leaves over time. Ants are a also sign of aphid infestation and feed on the aphid's sticky residue.

Spider mites, thrips, and mealybugs also feed on new growth causing yellow stippling and mottled leaves. You can often control insects naturally with blasts of water, which dislodge and drown the pests. Stubborn insects may respond to horticultural soap or oil sprays, which are natural and don't harm the plant.

How to Get Anthurium to Bloom

Anthuriums are picky, but their uniquely beautiful flowers make them worth the extra effort. Anthuriums grown indoors in ideal conditions often bloom year round.

How Long Does Anthurium Bloom?

Each anthurium bloom lasts between two and three months.

What Do Anthurium Flowers Look and Smell Like?

Anthurium flowers are actually modified leaves called spathes. They appear atop single spikes emerging from a central stem and each spathe has a pencil-like structure in its center where tiny white, red, or yellow flowers appear.

Spathes on most anthuriums grown as houseplants are red but varieties include white, pink, purple, and bicolors. The spathes are heart shaped and waxy with some types featuring a slightly crinkled appearance.

Not all anthuriums smell good, but those that are fragrant can range from sweet and fruity to outright unpleasant.

How to Encourage More Blooms

Give your anthurium plenty of humidity and feed it weekly with a 1/4 dilution of liquid, high phosphorus fertilizer. If the plant continues to refuse to bloom, try adjusting the amount of light and check to see if it has become rootbound and needs to be repotted. You can also try changing the potting mix.

Deadheading Anthurium Flowers

Leave anthurium flowers on the stems until they start to turn brown. Then use a sharp, sterile cutting tool to remove the entire flower spike where it emerges from the main stem.

Common Problems With Anthurium

This plant has some special needs, but once you find a good spot and nail down a routine, anthurium is an easy plant to keep.

Yellowing Leaves

Too much direct sunlight may cause anthurium leaves to turn yellow. Bleached and brown tips also indicate too much light. Move the plant a little further away from the window. Yellowing leaves can also result from bacterial wilt.

Floppy Leaves

Rhizoctonia is a fungus of roots and lower stems. It causes young, delicate stems to become weak and floppy and is usually due to overwatering.