Anthurium plants are very beautiful, and if you are here, you are probably keen to grow them. However, firstly you have to make sure they can be grown indoors successfully.
In this article, I will tell you if Anthuriums make good indoor plants and give you all the tips in order to grow them successfully.
Firstly, Are Anthuriums Really Considered Indoor Plants:
Yes, Anthuriums are considered indoor plants, because they require warmth and generally grow easier in household conditions. You can only grow Anthurium outside if you live in a warm, humid climate. That’s why most people can only grow them indoors.
Brief Introduction To Anthurium Plants
Anthurium plants are sometimes known as the Flamingo Flower, and they come from tropical regions in central and South America.
It is a very beautiful plant, with long-lasting “flowers” that are actually formed when the plant modifies its leaves and turns them flame red.
Is Anthurium Toxic?
Yes, Anthurium plants are very toxic. If eaten, they will create a sharp sense of burning in the mouth and digestive system, and they can cause nausea, vomiting, and swelling.
If you have pets or young children, make sure that the Anthurium is kept far out of reach.
Is Anthurium A Lily?
No, an Anthurium is not a true lily. It is closely related to the Peace Lily in some ways, and both are members of the Araceae family. Lilies however are members of the Liliaceae family, and therefore entirely different.
Is Anthurium A Annual Or A Perennial Plant?
Anthurium is a perennial plant that you can enjoy year after year. It is also an evergreen, so even when it is not in flower, it will provide you with lush foliage to admire year-round.
Are There Different Anthurium Varieties?
There are a lot of different kinds of Anthurium plants – over a thousand varieties. They differ significantly from plant to plant, with different leaf shapes, leaf colors, and “flowers.” Some have long, narrow leaves, while others have wide, fat ones.
Each Anthurium looks a little different from its fellows.
Is Anthurium A Good Indoor Plant?
Yes, Anthurium is a good indoor plant because it is very beautiful, all the while being reasonably easy to grow in your home. They do have a few basic requirements, such as warmth, humidity, and a decent amount of light, but they are not enormously complicated.
Besides that, Anthurium is often grown indoors because it will not tolerate low temperatures or cope through a cold winter.
The Anthurium likes bright, indirect sunlight, and soil that is allowed to dry out a bit in between waterings. It prefers to be planted in rich, organic matter that drains very quickly.
Anthuriums are generally pretty easy to look after, but you should note that they are vulnerable to root rot and should not be watered too heavily.
How Long Do Anthurium Plants Live Indoors?
Most Anthurium plants should live for more than 5 years if they are kept in suitable conditions. It is unusual for an Anthurium plant to die sooner than this, so if yours has not lived for very long, you should check if you made a mistake in terms of its care.
Vase Anthurium usually lives from 4 to 6 weeks, so there is a misconception that Anthuriums live much less, but that’s not true.
Outdoors, Anthurium plants usually live in between 5 and 10 years. Similarly to their indoor counterparts.
How Fast Do Anthuriums Grow Indoors?
Plants can vary significantly in terms of their growth speed, but the Anthurium is generally considered to be a moderate grower. In the right conditions, it could put on as much as two feet of growth in one year, but some will not grow this quickly.
To encourage your Anthurium to grow faster, you will need to ensure that it has the correct levels of light and fertilizer, as these provide the energy and nutrients for new growth.
How Big Do Indoor Anthuriums Get?
An Anthurium plant will get up to around 18 inches tall in some cases, but many only reach around 12 inches. The plant should spread to about 9 inches wide, and sometimes, if pruned it can spread up to 12 inches.
This makes it a good size for a houseplant. It is large enough to be attractive and noticeable, and to make a difference to the room that it is placed in, but you do not have to dedicate enormous amounts of space to it.
Do Anthuriums Flower Indoors?
Anthuriums will happily flower indoors, just as they would outdoors. Their flowers are actually modified leaves and last around 3 months. With proper care, Anthuriums will flower year after year.
A lot of plants will not flower indoors because they don’t get enough light, but this is not the case for Anthuriums.
You will need to provide the right conditions, of course.
The happier you can make your Anthurium, the more likely it is to produce flowers. It likes rich growing medium, and a well-draining peat based mix is a good option.
You should also make sure that it has sufficient light by placing it near a window, but shading it from any direct sunlight that might fall on the foliage.
Regularly water the plant, but allow it to dry out in between waterings.
On average, your plant will only produce around five flowers in a year, but these should last for a long time, so you will get maximum enjoyment from them.
Do Anthuriums Like To Be Misted?
Yes, as tropical plants, Anthuriums love to be misted. You will need to mist your Anthurium several times a week, especially if your home is dry, or its leaves will become dull and lose their shine.
You can mist your plant using a simple plant sprayer, lightly spraying the foliage and soil with water every few days.
Alternatively, install an electric humidifier, or create a humidifying tray.
You can find great tips about misting and which humidifiers to use in this article.
Where Should You Put Anthurium In Your House?
You should place your Anthurium in a warm, bright room. It will do best with lots of indirect sunlight. It should not be near a heater or an air conditioner.
Any room will do, provided it meets these conditions.
If your bathroom gets enough light, this may be a good option for keeping the humidity levels up, but you might want to put your plant somewhere you can see it better.
A living room is another great choice. Because Anthuriums are so beautiful, you want them in full display.
How Much Light Does Anthurium Need?
Anthurium plant prefers medium or even bright indirect sunlight, and it will need this to produce flowers. However, you should not place it in the direct sun, because it will start to burn.
Also, If you put your Anthurium in a dark room, it will still grow, but it is very unlikely to flower.
You may wish to install a grow lamp to help your Anthurium get everything that it needs to create flowers, but natural sunlight is better if it’s available.
Can You Propagate Anthurium Indoors?
Yes, you can propagate Anthurium indoors. You will need to take a stem cutting with two or more nodes, and some aerial roots.
Place the cutting in perlite or clean water so that it can start to grow roots.
You will need to water perlite cuttings, and refresh the water of the other cuttings every few days to prevent algal growth from damaging your plant.
Don’t be concerned if your Anthurium seems to be growing very slowly; it is normal for cuttings to take a long time to get established.
Do Indoor Anthurium Plants Require Fertilizer?
Usually, fertilizing Anthuriums isn’t required but it is a good idea to lightly fertilize your Anthurium every few months. However, these plants do not like a lot of fertilizer, so you should dilute it and not do this too frequently.
Many people dilute their fertilizer to a quarter of its normal strength, and fertilize the plant every three months.
This should be enough to promote healthy growth, without the risk of over-feeding the plant.
Choosing a fertilizer with a high ratio of phosphorus will promote more foliage.
Can You Repot An Indoor Anthurium?
Yes, you can safely repot your Anthurium. You should always choose a pot that is only one or two sizes up from the one that your plant is currently growing in.
You should transfer your plant to a new container every couple of years, or when it outgrows the current one.
Provide new, loose potting medium, rather than using the depleted stuff it was in before. An Anthurium prefers to be kept in a reasonably small pot, although not a tiny one.
As a rough rule of thumb, the diameter of the pot should not be smaller than a quarter of the plant’s height.
Can Anthurium Plants Be Potted Together With Other Indoor Plants?
Yes, Anthurium plants can make great companion plants. Growing it with multiple houseplants in one container is a great way to make an interesting and unusual display in your home, but it can be tricky.
You need other plants that like the same conditions in terms of soil density, pH, watering, and humidity.
Select some other rainforest plants and pot them up with your Anthurium for a great display.
Some examples of good companion plants for Anthurium are African Violet, Aglaonema and even Bonsais.
Can Indoor Anthurium Be Pruned?
You don’t have to prune your Anthurium on a regular basis, but you can safely do so when you feel the plant would benefit. It is fine to trim off dead or dying foliage, or to tidy up your plant every now and again if you need to.
Pruning can also stimulate new growth and make your plant appear lusher, as it will encourage wide growth.
Indoor Anthurium Plant Problems (And Solutions)
Leaves are turning yellow
This can happen for a number of reasons, including that you have watered the plant too much, or it is burning in the sun. It may also be too hot or too cold, or it may be running low on nutrients.
You should also check that it is humid enough.
You can fix this problem by identifying which of these issues is causing the yellowness.
When did you last mist your plant? When did you last feed it? Correct this, and the leaves should turn green again.
Anthurium with yellow leaves can be tricky to identify, so just make sure everything mentioned above is on point.
The plant is turning green
If your plant’s flowers have turned green and you only recently purchased it, it is likely that the grower forced flowering.
The Anthurium was not ready to flower, and it is now struggling because it has not rested properly or had the right conditions to flower.
You can fix this by providing the plant with everything it needs and waiting for it to flower naturally.
There are roots above the soil
These may be aerial roots, which the plant produces naturally. You can leave them alone; they are not doing any harm, and they may help your plant to gather moisture.
If your plant’s subterranean roots are coming out of the top of the pot, check whether it is rootbound.
You can re-bury these roots using more growing medium, or put the plant in a larger container if the container is too small.
The leaves are cracking
This is usually due to lack of humidity, so it is reasonably easy to fix.
You should give your Anthurium plant a good mist for a few days, refreshing the foliage.
Final Thoughts
Anthurium plants are actually indoor plants and they are wonderful to grow in the home.
You should find them reasonably easy to look after.
They do require a bit of care, with good light, fairly frequent watering, and an occasional addition of fertilizer, but they are generally hardy plants that don’t need hours of your time.
