Anthurium Blight: How To Keep The Deadly Anthurium Blight At Bay
Some but not all anthurium flowers are susceptible to a disease called Xanthomonas blight. The blight is deadly. It doesn’t take any prisoners. When an anthurium plant is infected it will eventually die, unless you manage to remove infected leaves or flowers before the disease has spread. Generally, andreanum are susceptible to this disease, while andrecola, which are andreanum amnicola hybrids are resistant to it. So if you are growing andrecola you probably don’t need to worry about blight, but if you are growing andreanum, you might wish to read on.
Proper anthurium care is vital to keep this threatening menace at bay. Blight is spread by water and proximity. Water can carry Xanthomonas from an infected plant to an uninfected plant.
Obviously if you keep the plants close together, there is a greater chance of infection than if you keep them far apart. So if you are growing these plants in your garden you want them spaced as far apart as possible. But if you are a large quantity of them, you may not have a choice but to keep them closer together.
When growing these plants in close proximity there are several things you can do to reduce the transmission of blight. The first is changing how they are watered. Watering with drip irrigation will reduce the amount of water that gets on the leaves. This will reduce the transmission of blight from an infected leaf to an uninfected one. Second, immediately remove any plants that show signs of infection. Be careful not to let it touch other plants as it is carried away. Third be careful when walking in between your plants, especially if they are wet. You can easily spread blight when they are wet.
Finally, proper sanitation is essential. Make sure that there is no standing water where you grow your anthurium. Sterilize all pots and tools before use. Rubbing alcohol can be used as a sanitizing agent. Clear away any dead leaves. And make sure you quarantine any new plants for a while to make sure that they are uninfected.