Anthurium: General Care

What is an Anthurium?

Anthurium is a genus of flowering plants in the family Araceae. The genus Anthurium is derived from the Greek ‘anthos’ for flower and ‘oura’ meaning tail; 'flower-tail', which probably refers to the tail-like spadix. The specific epithet comes from the Latin ‘crystallinus’ meaning ‘crystal-like’.

How to Care for Anthurium

Anthurium are not difficult to care for, but certain species can be quite delicate. They thrive in the right conditions and produce excellent quality plants that make great features in your home!

Watering: Anthurium are from humid tropical rainforests, which means that in the wild they are rarely found in completely dry soils. Keep the soil temperately damp but never soaking wet. They are somewhat drought tolerant but will suffer from over-watering, so it is best to water little in small amounts to achieve the right conditions. Be sure to make adjustments based on your light conditions and potting mix. In the winter, Anthurium in the UK will enter dormancy, and watering should be reduced to as little as possible to compensate.

Potting: Anthurium like well draining soils. A chunky mix of coir, perlite and pine bark would be an ideal mix, as the perlite and bark stop clumping and allow water to drain through, and the bark will store excess water and allow access to stored water if ever the soil is too dry.

Light: Being under-canopy growers in the wild, Anthurium do not require huge amounts of sunlight in order to grow successfully. In fact, direct sunlight would likely scorch their delicate leaves. Instead: bright, indirect to medium light is recommended for ideal growing conditions! Those with larger foliage can typically deal with more light. Some people like to adjust the position as the plant matures to give it more light.

Feeding: It is best to feed Anthurium when they are exhibiting periods of active growth, to help to strengthen the new growth. Their leaves get very vivid nutrient burn if overfed, so it is best to feed only when needed. During dormancy it is recommended not to feed at all, and allow the plant to rest.

Pests: Anthurium are particularly susceptible to thrip invasions and the stems can also be a nice feeding ground for scale insects and mealybugs! Keep your eyes out for warning signs and if discovered, treat accordingly

Things to look out for in Anthurium:

Underwhelming Growth: As plants with striking foliage, it is easy to tell that when a new leaf comes out shriveled, small or underwhelming. This is usually as a response to a lack of sufficient light.

Yellow leaves: This can indicate multiple things. As a general rule, if there is new growth but old, smaller leaves are yellowing, this is just a natural process of prioritizing more productive foliage. If the yellowing is widespread, then the likelihood is there is a more sinister problem, such as: overwatering, drought, pests or nutrient burn.

Anthurium species to check out:

Anthurium adreanum

Anthurium clavernivum

Anthurium luxurians

Anthurium plowmanii

Anthurium baloanum

Anthurium warocqueanum

Anthurium wendlingeri