An In-Depth Guide to Anthurium Care

Does the sight of silver-veined Anthurium clarinervium foliage make your heart beat faster? How about the rippled “abs” of Anthurium veitchii? Like Philodendrons and Alocasias, the Anthurium genus is a major star in the houseplant scene. This post contains an in-depth guide on general care for Anthuriums.

Soil

Any potting mix that you use for Anthuriums should be airy and well-draining with plenty of chunky bits like perlite, vermiculite and orchid bark. Use a good aroid mix; you may have to create your own like I do with this recipe.

Anthuriums are okay being slightly root-bound, so avoid planting in too-large of a pot. Repotting can be performed every 1-2 years, ideally in early spring when the temperatures start to warm up, and increase the pot size by no more than two inches each time. A pot that is too large can increase the chance of root rot.

Watering

A good watering technique would be to water when the top two inches of soil is dry. This can be assessed by sticking your finger into the soil and feeling for moisture. If you’re a truly exceptional plant parent, you can pick up the pot and determine if a watering is necessary based off of weight. Another option would be to use a plant watering spike.

If you want to be extremely precise, you can also use a moisture meter to help determine how how much moisture is left in your soil and if a watering is due.

In the winter, when temperatures drop and growth slows, allow your soil to go dry between waterings.

Here are some signs of incorrect watering:

Leaves that start to wilt and droop means that you need to water NOW! If your leaves start to brown at the edges, crisp up, and fall off the plant then your plant is severely stressed. It takes a decent amount of time and increasing severity for their thick, almost leathery leaves to show signs of stress. However, I do not recommend waiting around for that to happen if you can help it. This will likely be the death of your plant.

If you see leaves turning yellow and falling off, and your soil is always sopping wet, then this is indicative of overwatering. This can be accompanied by root rot or crown rot if you do not immediately correct your watering habits. Do note that regular leaf senescence is perfectly normal; older leaves turn yellow and fall off and are replaced by new, fresh leaves. But if your new leaves are the ones dying, then you have a problem.

In general, it’s better to err on the side of having the soil run dry briefly between waterings rather than keeping it constantly wet. Anthuriums hate having wet feet!

Light

As with many tropical plants, Anthuriums are quite tolerant of low light. However, while a plant can survive in low light, it won’t thrive and will likely do nothing until conditions improve. It is best to grow Anthuriums in medium to bright indirect light. Avoid direct sunlight; if you move your plant to a brighter location and multiple leaves start to bleach and turn yellow at the same time, then it is receiving too much light and getting sunburned.

Humidity

Anthuriums can grow in the normal humidity levels of an indoor setting, as long as there is no heating or air-conditioning. However, if you want your plants to thrive and do well, 60% humidity or higher may be best. Some species can possibly go as low as 40%, but likely not for long periods. As a FYI, Anthuriums can tolerate low humidity but may not thrive. If you give your plant ideal humidity conditions, they will grow more quickly overall. Their leaves will grow larger, appear glossier and unfurl faster.

The best way to achieve this if you don’t want to be misting your plants constantly is to use a humidifier. Besides, misting by hand only raises the humidity very briefly.

“But how do I even measure the humidity around my plants?” you might ask.

With a hygrometer. They are readily available and very affordable. If you want to keep indoor tropical plants, investing in one may be a good idea, especially for those who live in regions that require near-constant use of heaters or air-conditioning for most of the year.

Temperature

Ideally, keep them warm, around 70-85 degrees F (20-30 degrees C). They can tolerate intermediate temperatures between 60-70 degrees F (15-21 degrees C) quite well, but growth will be much slower. Anything under 55 degrees F (12 degrees C) or lower for the long term and your plant will suffer and begin to drop leaves.

Fertilizing

They can benefit from a monthly feeding at regular strength (make sure to check the instructions on whatever commercial fertilizers you use), or a “weakly weekly” diluted feeding. However, it is generally unnecessary to constantly fertilize indoor houseplants. Too much fertilization in a potted plant can quickly cause a build-up of salts and minerals, which can be detrimental. I would recommend a slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote. No fertilizer is necessary during the winter months when plant growth naturally slows.

Propagation

There are various ways that Anthuriums can be propagated: by seed, stem cuttings, layering and offsets.

Growing by seed is difficult, and I would not recommend it. It can take years before your Anthurium is mature enough to flower, and most plants can’t do it under normal indoor conditions.

When propagating from offsets, look for the developing babies outside the crown of a mature Anthurium. For better success, I would recommend letting the offset grow until it’s about 1/3 of the size of the mother plant and has developed a sufficient root system before removing it from the mother and potting up. The rootlets of the baby plant should be at least one inch long. Separate the offsets from the base of the mother plant with pruning shears or a sharp knife and plant into aroid soil.

Stem cuttings are another method that can be relatively successful. I would only recommend doing this if you have a good length of stem to work with and plenty of nodes on the stem. Trying to propagate your Anthurium too early and taking too much material can stunt the growth (if not outright kill) your plant. For this propagation method, cut a length of the stem and then cut the stem up into several 2-3 inch pieces, making sure that each piece contains a leaf and a node. These can then be placed in water or soil.

Pruning

Anthuriums generally do not need to pruned. Some situations where you may need to would be the following: To remove damaged, infected or diseased leaves; to remove dying leaves that may be unsightly; to increase air circulation if your plant is growing too thickly; and to remove pest infestations.

Toxicity

Like most aroids, Anthuriums can be toxic to humans and animals due to the calcium oxalates that they contain. The severity of symptoms does depend on the amount ingested. Typically, ingestion will cause mouth and abdominal irritation and swelling, nausea and possible vomiting. Either way, it is best to keep these plants out of reach of animals and children.

Extra tips

Keep the leaves of your Anthuriums nice and squeaky clean by inviting them to a pool party! (But don’t actually take them to the pool, that would not be good). All you have to do is take them to the bathroom and wash the leaves down in the shower. This will remove dust and grime and dislodge any pests. You can follow up the shower with a spray of warm soapy water every few weeks. This will help prevent pests from establishing themselves.

So, are you ready to start your botanical lifestyle journey with Anthuriums? If you have your own tips on how to care for these plants that I haven’t covered, shoot them down in the comment section so everybody can learn!

Always Keep Growing,

Heather (a.k.a. The Botanical Chick)

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