How To Care for An Anthurium Plant

Like most houseplants, anthuriums love to grow when potted in well-draining soil, having a container with holes in its bottom. Your anthurium plant doesn't want to sit in soggy soil as it can be potentially rotting. If you notice your plant isn't supporting itself like it should, follow these outlined care tips to help it thrive. Anthuriums are great gifts to receive, and you'll want to keep them alive and well!

Watering Your Anthurium Plant

Anthurium plants prefer moist soil but not wet and never completely dry. It's important to avoid overwatering your potted plant by noticing when the water seeps out the bottom. You can tell that it’s time to water your plant again when the top one inch of the soil seems dry to touch. Since a moist environment is good for your anthurium, regular watering is needed but not too much that drowns your plant. If the soil is left wet for a long time, it can cause root rot to your plant. Allowing the soil to dry too much, on the other hand, will slow your plant's growth and make it harder for its roots to wet again.

Soil For Your Anthurium Plant

To build an ideal soil environment for your anthurium plant, you'll want well-draining soil and a container having drainage holes. The perfect potting mix for anthurium is similar to one designed for orchids with additional peat moss and sand. Anthurium requires soil that drains well, but that can also hold some water to stay moist. You can also use orchid mix and a half and half mixture of regular indoor plant potting soil. That will provide you with an environment similar to the one with peat moss and sand, making your anthurium happy.

Best Light for Anthuriums

Anthurium can thrive in all indirect lighting conditions, so even if you live in a low-light area, you have a chance to keep it as an indoor plant. However, in bright, indirect sunlight, your anthurium plant will grow fast and have more flowers than those growing in dimmer space. The only place where you don't place your plant is indirect lighting, as it will easily burn its leaves. Bright, indirect sunlight is best for your anthurium plant.

Propagating Your Anthurium Plant

The perfect time to propagate your anthurium is when you repot it. Take a plant's stem cutting and root it in perlite or water, or you can also directly push it into the soil. Soon you'll notice the new growth in your plant. You can take a small portion of the plant's stem with at least two nodes for better results. This stem cutting might take more time to grow, but with your patience, you'll see results.

Humidity

As the anthurium plant is a tropical plant, it thrives in humid environments. Recreating such growing conditions will provide your anthurium with a great chance of thriving. This is great for more sensitive anthuriums such as the Anthurium plowmanii. In the colder or drier outside environment, you can mist your plant to enhance indoor humidity levels. You can use a humidifier to enhance the humidity levels.

Fertiliser

Fertilise your anthurium occasionally and only once in one or two weeks with a quarter strength diluted fertiliser. A fertiliser rich in phosphorus will work best for your anthurium plant.