Anthurium

Family. Araceae.

Homeland. South America, the plants come from the South American rainforests, where temperatures range from 20 - 25 ° C and air humidity is 80 - 100 percent. Anthurium in nature develops under the forest canopy and is not exposed to direct sunlight.

Description. It is an evergreen herbaceous perennial, forming a low stem with age. The petioles of the leaves are long and thin.

The leaves are dark green, glossy, heart-shaped, with deep leaf veins diverging from the base. In some varieties, the leaf veins are highlighted with a lighter shade. The edges of the leaf blades are whole.

During the flowering period, low thin peduncles are formed, at the top of which inflorescences are located - cobs with small yellow, orange or greenish flowers.

The main decoration during the flowering period is the covers surrounding the inflorescences. In different varieties, the covers can be colored red, pink, purple, greenish or white.

Height. Up to 50 cm; more compact forms have modest dimensions and reach 30 cm; develop slowly. Tall stems may need to be cut.

Home care

Transplant

The best time to repot is spring; repot only as needed into a larger pot with larger drainage holes. It is best to use gentle transshipment, preserving the root ball.

The bushes are replanted when the pot becomes cramped - this is indicated by the tips of the roots emerging from the drainage holes or the roots appearing on the surface of the soil.

For planting, you can use a pot that is 3-4 cm larger in diameter than the previous one. When planted in a pot that is too large, the bush stops growing its above-ground part until the root system absorbs the entire volume of the container.

1. The pot should have large drainage holes; it is better to plant in shallow and wide containers.
2. When replanting, you should be careful - the roots of the flower are fragile and easily break off when touched.
3. Try not to replant flowering specimens.
4. During transplantation, the root system must be inspected and old and rotten roots are cut off with a sharp sterile instrument.
5. The wound surface is treated with crushed charcoal.

After transplantation, watering is stopped for 3-5 days, giving the root system time to adapt to the new soil. Also, stopping watering is necessary in order to heal possible wounds on the roots that could appear during transplantation.

Good drainage is important to prevent root rot.

Always plant anthuriums at the same depth they were in the previous pot - burying the seedlings in the ground will lead to rotting.

After planting, lightly compact the soil around the root system with your fingers to fill in any air pockets.

Pests and diseases 

• Why do anthurium leaves dry out? Brown tips of leaves, drying and turning black leaves are a sign of dry air.
• Do not leave water droplets on the leaves as this may cause brown spots on the leaves.
• Anthurium in the house turns yellow at low temperatures - less than 10 ° C.
• Leaves and even flowers turn black if the watering regime is incorrect.
• When flooded, dry brown spots of irregular shape appear on the leaves, surrounded by a wide yellow areole.
• If overwatered, the flower rots.
• Flowering does not occur with insufficient or too bright lighting, as well as with sudden changes in temperature.
• If direct sunlight hits the leaves during the daytime in spring and summer, burns may occur.
• When there is a lack of nutrients in the soil, the buds, and sometimes the leaves, become smaller.
• Chlorosis occurs when there is a lack of iron and magnesium in the soil - water the plant with iron chelate.
• Anthurium cries at high air humidity - small droplets appear on the leaves. Often such phenomena occur after watering in cloudy and rainy weather.
• When exposed to direct sunlight, the leaves may curl into a tube.
• The bush dries up when infected with anthracnose or attacked by aphids.

Sometimes insects - pests - appear on the flower. Signs of the presence of aphids on the plant are twisted, spotted leaf blades. Signs of the appearance of spider mites can be yellowing edges of leaves and cobwebs stretched between them. Thrips also cause leaf blades to become spotted and are often found on young leaves. Sometimes the plant is attacked by scale insects. 

Reproduction 

Propagated by dividing large adult specimens during transplantation, new seedlings bloom for the first time at the age of 1 year. Each division should have several leaves and a sufficiently developed root system.

Old specimens that have dropped leaves at the base of the stems can be replaced with new ones - to do this, cut off the apical cutting and root it in water or vermiculite.

1. The cuttings are separated with sharp pruning shears and most of the leaves and buds with flowers are removed from them.
2. The bases of the cuttings are sprinkled with rooting agents.
3. Cover the seedlings with clear plastic or glass to maintain high humidity.
4. Young bushes are placed in a warm place with a temperature of about 22 - 24 °C with bright lighting, but without access to direct sunlight.
5. From time to time, if necessary, the flower is sprayed with water at room temperature from a spray bottle.

The successful completion of the rooting process will be indicated by the appearance of new leaves - within approximately 1.5 - 2 months.

Also, for rooting, you can wrap the base of the cutting with well-moistened sphagnum moss and cover it almost hermetically with plastic film - after a while new roots will appear in this container.  

Propagation by seeds is also possible, but it is a long and labor-intensive process, and the resulting daughter specimens may not inherit the varietal characteristics of their parents.

1. First, pollination is necessary - anthurium flowers are pollinated by hand and wait for fruit to form. The ripening process of berries can last up to six months.
2. When the fruits turn orange, they are separated and the seeds are removed.
3. The planting material is washed from the pulp and dried on a paper towel.
4. Freshly harvested seeds are lightly pressed into vermiculite.
5. Pots with seedlings are placed in a warm place with a temperature of about 22 - 23 ° C, away from direct sunlight.
6. Seedlings are covered with transparent plastic or a piece of glass on top to maintain the required level of humidity.

The crops are ventilated daily, gradually increasing the ventilation time, and condensation is removed from the glass. With the appearance of the first shoots, the shelter is removed.

Seedlings love frequent picking into small cups.

Soil 

A coarse fibrous mixture of leaf soil, sphagnum and light turf, the pH value is slightly acidic - ranging from 5 to 6.  The presence of large pieces of pine bark in the substrate is welcome.

The soil should easily allow air and water to pass to the roots of the bush.

To improve drainage, coarse river sand or perlite, as well as a small amount of charcoal, are mixed into the ground.

Watering

Keep the soil evenly moist during the warmer months, when the growing season begins, and reduce watering to a minimum in winter.

The top layer of soil can dry out between waterings to a depth of about 1–2 cm.

In the warmer months, these flowers will appreciate a warm shower with water temperature of about 40°C.

Representatives of this genus have large roots that can store a certain amount of water and tolerate short-term drought better than flooding.

Excess moisture accumulated in the tray after watering must be drained. For watering, use only water that has settled for 24 hours at room temperature.

Flowering time

Blooms almost all year round with proper care.

Fertilizer

Plants are fertilized 2 times a month during the growing season to produce a large number of flowers. Fertilizers for anthurium should contain sufficient amounts of phosphorus and potassium.  The solution is diluted to half the dose recommended on the package.

Bushes overfed with nitrogen build up green mass at the expense of flowering.

For feeding, you can use fertilizers for azaleas or hydrangeas - they do not contain calcium, which will help maintain the necessary acidic pH of the soil.

Feeding is carried out only on moist soil - after watering, since in dry soil the nutrient solution can burn the root system.

In the winter months, feeding can be reduced or completely stopped and resumed only in the spring, when new growth begins.

Since anthurium is an epiphyte, it will be useful to apply foliar feeding directly to the leaf blades using a sprayer.

Spraying

 Prefers high humidity; cold drafts are detrimental to the plant.

Use a tray with damp pebbles, sphagnum moss, or a humidifier.

Spraying anthurium with tap water is undesirable - it can leave unsightly whitish spots on the leaves. If you still cannot do without spraying, do it in the morning so that the moisture has time to evaporate from the leaves before dark.

Content, pruning

Caring for and maintaining anthurium after purchase is not particularly difficult - agricultural technology does not contain requirements that are difficult to fulfill.

After purchase, give the bush time to adapt to new living conditions - about 2-3 weeks - and transplant into fresh, nutritious, coarse-fiber soil.

If the plant still feels bad, remove the buds and flowers, this will save energy and direct them to adapting to indoor conditions.

Shiny leaves should be periodically wiped from dust.

Do not allow water to get on the leaves, as this can lead to a fungal infection. Do not place flowers near radiators - the edges of the leaves will dry out.

In warm months, take the pot out into the fresh air.

Sometimes sanitary pruning is required - discolored and old leaves are cut off at the base with a sharp sterile instrument.

Sometimes plants change the color of the cover - it turns green, often this happens due to errors in cultivation - insufficient lighting or excessive amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, non-compliance with the temperature regime.

If anthuriums stop growing for a few months - this usually happens in winter - this is a normal process. Rapid growth of leaves will occur in spring - when long daylight hours come.

Withered buds are removed with twisting movements at the base of the peduncle - this way it will come out completely, without a trace.

Lighting

The indoor location should be such that the leaves and shoots receive at least 4 hours of bright light every day - but only in the morning and evening hours.

Without exposure to direct sunlight, in more shaded conditions, anthurium does not bloom and slows down growth, but direct rays hitting the leaves at midday can cause sunburn.

To prevent the bush from leaning towards the light source, rotate the pot around its axis by a quarter turn every week.

In the autumn-winter period, artificial supplementary lighting with fluorescent or phytolamps may be required for successful cultivation - this will provide a 12-14-hour daylight.

Temperature

Representatives of this genus are thermophilic, the optimal temperature at night is about 21 °C, during the day ​​25 °C. Wintering, if possible, should take place in a cool room at a temperature of about 15 °C for 1.5 - 3 months - during this time the bush will gain strength for subsequent abundant flowering.

Purpose

An ornamental flowering plant with long and abundant flowering, anthuriums are often given to men.

Strict and elegant flowers do not lose their attractiveness for a long time when cut.

Note

The leaves are poisonous. They contain calcium oxalate, which causes severe burning of the mucous membranes. Keep the flower away from pets who may play with or chew its leaves. Wear gloves when handling the plant to avoid skin irritation.

The flower is able to purify the indoor air from harmful impurities.

If, with age, the old anthurium has stretched out and exposed the lower part of the stem, it can be renewed or replaced with a new plant obtained using cuttings.

Its appearance resembles spathiphyllum, which also belongs to the Araceae family.

Hydroponics

Grows well in hydroponics. 

Varieties of anthurium:

Anthurium Andreanum

A very common spectacular tropical plant. This type is often used in compositions and wedding bouquets. Very decorative in warm periods. Long-term flowering, almost all year round. The flowers are glossy red, pink, white or orange, heart-shaped, actually a spathe, with a white spadix densely covered with tiny flowers. The leaves of this large anthurium are dark green, long, leathery and located on a vertically growing stem. Bedspreads can maintain an attractive appearance for several months. Pollination of flowers significantly shortens the flowering time - in this case, the bedspreads will also lose their decorative effect ahead of time.

One of the most spectacular varieties of this subspecies isAnthurium Amalia Elegance is a beautiful low plant with emerald green leaves and flowers collected in inflorescences - pink or lilac-colored cobs. The main attractiveness of the plant is the elongated white blanket with a pink tip and veins surrounding the flowers.

Anthurium Dakota - belonging to the same group, has large, glossy, rich burgundy blankets with pronounced veins and yellow inflorescences - cobs, and is distinguished by its gigantic size - it can reach a height of 1 m.

Anthurium Cavalli - is a plant with delicate pink or lilac glossy covers and dark - often even purple - ears on tall leafless peduncles. Looks like him in appearancelarge-flowered anthurium Fiorino, which is also distinguished by an unusual purple hue of the bedspreads, however, the bedspreads of this variety are more glossy and oblong, without pronounced veins on the surface.

Anthurium Andre Leganza is a beautiful lush small-leaved bush with dark green leaves and beautiful spathes, painted in delicate pastel colors - a combination of light green and pink. Inflorescences - cobs are painted in a bright orange or pink hue.

Anthurium Picasso is a plant distinguished by its unusual, bright yellow color of the bedspreads, perfectly contrasting with the matte dark green leaves.

Often on the Internet you can find photos of blue or blue anthurium - such plants do not exist; the bright shade of the bedspreads is given by dyes that are watered on the bushes or injected directly into the flower stalks.

Anthurium scherzerianum

Also a common species, the flowers have a red oval spathe, with an orange-colored spadix densely covered with tiny flowers. A distinctive feature of this variety is the inflorescence curved in a spiral - the cob. Flowering lasts about 2 months. Large, pointed, dark green leaves, 18 cm long, surround upright stems. Unlike Andre's anthurium, the leaves of these plants do not have a notch where the petiole is attached, and the cylindrical flower stalks inside the spathe are bent in the shape of a pig's tail.

Anthurium crystallinum

A stunning large-leaved decorative anthurium, which is more likely to belong to decorative foliage plants. It has large heart-shaped leaves on tall, thick petioles. The leaf blades are dark green, as if velvety, with a bluish coating. Distinct leaf veins are highlighted in a lighter, silvery tint. The leaves are unusually thick and hard, reaching a length of 50 cm. The flowering is inconspicuous and is not of particular interest. The inflorescences of this species are thin, long, yellow, surrounded by small greenish or white blankets. 

Anthurium Turenza

Medium-sized flowering evergreen bushes with large, dark green, glossy, heart-shaped leaves on long, thin petioles. The bedspreads are large, bright, pinkish-red. The inflorescences - the cobs of a cream or yellow hue - contrast perfectly with the spectacular bedspreads.

Anthurium hookeri

A large decorative foliage variant that forms a basal leaf rosette resembling a bird's nest. The leaves are green, glossy, broadly elliptical, on short, strong petioles. The leaf blades have corrugated edges. During the flowering period, erect, leafless peduncles appear in the rosette, at the top of each there is a narrow, small light green blanket surrounding a purple or cream-colored ear. Flowering is not of particular interest.

Anthurium veitchii

A giant, large-leaved epiphytic plant with narrow, heart-shaped, glossy dark green leaves. There is a wide light stripe along the central leaf vein, and the lateral veins are deeply recessed into the leaf blades. When grown in optimal conditions, the leaves can reach a length of 2 m. The flowers are yellow or light green, collected in cylindrical cobs and surrounded by a small greenish spathe.

Anthurium Sumi

A beautifully flowering variety up to 60 cm high. The leaves are dark green, shiny, heart-shaped, on long petioles. The inflorescences are straight, pinkish, orange or yellow, surrounded by large, wide, white blankets.

Anthurium magnificum

Ornamental deciduous evergreens with wide, attractive heart-shaped leaves. The leaves are painted in a dark, bluish-green tint, while the leaf veins are highlighted in a lighter, bluish color. The leaf blades are velvety to the touch and have a lighter tone on the underside. The leaf petioles are long and tetrahedral. Young leaves may have a brownish or bronze tint. The flowering is inconspicuous - this species probably has the smallest, pale green cover of all anthuriums.

Anthurium Clarinervium

Bright ornamental plants with large, heart-shaped leaves 15 - 30 cm long. Leaf blades are dark green or bluish green, entire, leaf veins are highlighted in a contrasting light shade - light green or bluish. Young leaves are brown or bronze. The lower surface of the leaves has a lighter shade. The flowering is inconspicuous.

Anthurium polyschistum

At first glance, it is difficult to classify this plant as an anthurium - it is so different from them in appearance. This species is not widespread in our country, but in Europe it is a common ornamental foliage plant. The leaves of the plants are complex, fan-shaped, on long, light green petioles; mature bushes form stems. Leaf segments are glossy, dark green, narrowly lanceolate or linear. The edges of the segments are covered with vaguely defined denticles, often corrugated. Flowering is not of particular interest and often goes unnoticed - the long, green ears of these plants are surrounded by light green, narrow spathes.

Anthurium bakeri

An evergreen epiphyte with narrow, long, strap-shaped leaves, gracefully arched. The leaf blades are green, reaching a length of 20 - 60 cm. Adult plants form short erect stems up to 10 cm high. Short, strong peduncles bear at the top a narrow greenish spathe and an inflorescence - a spadix with small white or greenish flowers. The main decoration of the plant will be the bright orange or red berries that appear after pollination.

    You'll find flowering anthuriums growing in the warm, tropical regions of Central America; they prefer bright light, moist soil, and moist air. The new selection varieties are less demanding on humidity, more lush, compact, and will bloom almost all year round, with a short break in winter.