Anthurium Plant Problems
Anthurium Plants
Many anthurium plant problems are easily avoidable and can be avoided by following a few simple anthurium care guidelines. Today I am going to talk about the problems that can be caused by giving them too much or too little water, exposing them to incorrect temperature ranges, and providing them too much or too little light.
Watering
Anthurium plants like water but they also like it when their roots can breathe. Water them regularly or they will be stunted or even die. But water them too much and they will experience root rot, have their leaves turn yellow and eventually die.
There are two secrets to watering them.
The first secret involves a lot more work than the second, so it is more prone to resulting in over or under watering. It is to always check the potting media before watering. If it’s soaked, then wait a while before watering. You want to water your plant before the media becomes bone dry and after it is no longer soggy. There should still be a hint of moisture or the roots of your plant will go into shock, and the roots will struggle to absorb water again.
The second secret is to do what we do on the farm, which is to grow them in volcanic cinder. Cinder is a highly porous media that drains exceptionally well. So if you forget to water your plant it probably isn’t the media for you. But it drains so well that your plant can be watered daily without root rot as long as you remember to empty the drip tray that your pot is sitting in. You don’t even have to check if it is soggy; you just wake up in the morning and water your plant. By the following morning the cinder will have dried sufficiently for you to water your plant again, without fear of root rot.
Temperature
Anthuriums like most people don’t like extreme temperatures. Freezing weather will kill them. Hot weather, above 90 degrees, can burn their leaves and damage their flowers. Cold weather below 50 degrees can reduce their rate of growth and cause their leaves to turn yellow. They prefer to be kept at temperatures between 70 to 90 degrees.
Light
Excessive direct sunlight will burn the leaves and flowers of your plant. When left in strong sun, the leaves of your plant will start to turn yellow. If you don’t heed this warning sign, next the leaves will turn brown and die. Anthuriums can tolerate a fair amount of shade, since in their native habitat, they live under the highly shaded canopy of a rain forest, but too little light can cause stunted growth and a decrease in flower production. So if this starts to happen to your plant, give it a little more light.