How To Care For Your Anthurium

With its striking, dazzling red flowers, it would be hard not to notice this world’s longest blooming plant. Also known as the Flamingo or the Painted Tongue flower, Anthurium is a popular houseplant for seasoned and beginner gardeners alike.    Here’s a secret: Anthurium’s beautiful heart-shaped leathery spades are just one part of its “flowers” called the spathe. The other is called the spadix, the yellow or greenish-yellow inflorescences in the middle of the spathe. Anthurium is known for being relatively easy to care for, here's how:  

Give Anthurium Plenty Of Sunshine

To keep your Anthurium’s spathe vibrant, keep your plant in a warm, well-lit spot. Your plant’s blooms will depend on how much light it gets. However, don’t expose it to direct sunlight as it will scorch your plant’s leaves and flowers.    If notice early signs of sunburn in your plant, move it to a better spot immediately to avoid further damage.   

Watering Tips

One of the common mistakes in taking care of the Anthurium plants is either overwatering or underwatering. Being underwatered will make your plant dry out and lose its luster. To remedy this, soak your plant’s rootball for full rehydration.    However, avoid overwatering your plant as this might cause root rot, fungi infestation, and even death to your plant. Make sure to allow the soil to completely dry first in between watering.    Watering your plant once a week should be enough. During colder months, watering should be more sparse. Another tip is to water your plants with ice cubes. This will ensure that your plants are getting the right amount of hydration. Six cubes per watering may just do the trick.   

Humidity

To ensure your plant’s health and steady growth, you must keep it in optimal conditions. Anthurium loves a humid environment. You can place it in a plant arrangement with other plants to trap the moisture or use a pebble tray or humidifier. During drier months, mist your plant often to keep its leaves moist.    The plant thrives at 65-80℃, and it shouldn’t be colder than 60℃ especially at night. Therefore, you should avoid placing your plant near air conditioning vents and fans. This will freeze the water content in your plant’s cells and will cause them to burst. This will result in bruises and damage to your plant.   

Fertilizer

Anthurium doesn’t need frequent feeding, but it wouldn’t hurt to assist its growth during spring and summer. Use a balanced fertilizer, diluted to half the recommended amount. Feed it once a month to encourage growth and blooms. Don’t overdo this as too much fertilizer can do your plant more harm than good.    Red flag! This beautiful plant is unfortunately poisonous if ingested. Its sap can also cause skin irritation. Make sure to keep it away from pets and small children.    Keeping your Anthurium happy and blooming isn’t hard. With the right amount of sunlight, water, and fertilizer, you can keep this eye-catcher vibrant and lustrous all year long. Plus, you can find Anthurium plants for your home in colors like white, red, and purple here at PlantX!