Anthurium or flamingo flower is appreciated as a houseplant mainly for its colorful flowers – which are actually colored bracts. With clever plant selection and proper care, you can enjoy the pretty leaves all year round.
Anthuriums, which are offered to us as houseplants, are actually Anthurium hybrids, which were created mainly from the two species Anthurium andreanum (Large Flamingo) and Anthurium scherzerianum (Small Flamingo). They are particularly well suited for indoor culture.
Contents
- 1 Our tip for buying
- 2 This is what makes the anthurium so popular as a houseplant
- 3 The ideal location for anthuriums
- 4 The care of the flamingo flower
- 5 The right substrate: soil or hydroponics?
- 6 How to water anthuriums correctly?
- 7 Fertilize anthurium properly
- 8 Is it necessary to prune the anthurium?
- 9 Propagate anthurium
- 10 Common diseases and pests
- 11 Author
Our tip for buying
When buying your anthurium, make sure you know which hybrid it is: Anhurium Andreanum hybrids, after all, bloom all year round if well cared for, while Anhurium Scherzerianum hybrids only show their magnificent flowers from May to June.
This is what makes the anthurium so popular as a houseplant
The evergreen anthurium grows between 60 and 100 centimeters tall and displays strikingly pretty bracts. These are stalked and lance-shaped in the Anthurium Scherzerianum hybrid, and also stalked but more heart-shaped in the Anthurium Andreanum hybrid.
They show up in fancy white, soft pink, wild pink or deep red. The “real” flower of the flamingo flower is the yellow, orange or red spadix that rises from the center of the bracts. The fruiting spikes, which are studded with small, poisonous berries, also develop on it.
The ideal location for anthuriums
If you want to enjoy your flamingo flower for a long time, it needs a suitable location. As a plant originally native to the rainforests of Central and South America, it prefers a tropically humid and very warm place indoors. Temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius and high humidity are ideal.
In addition, the anthurium should be placed in bright to maximum partial shade, without being exposed to full sun or drafts. In winter it likes it cooler. Especially the Anthurium Scherzerianum hybrids should then be placed in an unheated room with 16 to 18 degrees Celsius, because this stimulates the formation of flowers.
The care of the flamingo flower
The right substrate: soil or hydroponics?
With the anthurium, both are possible: humus-rich potting soil that is slightly acidic to acidic, nice and loose and, above all, permeable, or pure hydroponics.
Hydroponics makes it easier to water properly – and the flamingo flower needs to be repotted less often. If you keep them in soil, young plants need a new pot every spring, but with older anthuriums it is enough to renew the top layer of substrate annually.
How to water anthuriums correctly?
The most difficult thing in the care of the flamingo flower is to find the right measure when watering. The root ball should never dry out completely – even in winter, when watering is less.
It must therefore be kept constantly moist. However, waterlogging must never be allowed to form, otherwise the roots of the anthurium will rot. So excess water should always be removed from the planter or saucer.
Also important: Use only decalcified water or rainwater to water the plant – never tap water. This is because the houseplant does not tolerate lime and also wants to be watered only with room-warm water.
To keep the room air moist all year round, however, you should spray the houseplant over again and again, especially in winter, even several times a day if necessary.
Use lime-free, room-warm water for this purpose as well. When spraying, make sure that no water gets to the flower – the flamingo flower doesn’t like that at all. The large leaves should be dusted regularly, so the plant can “breathe” better.
Fertilize anthurium properly
As far as fertilizing is concerned, add some liquid fertilizer to the watering once a week during the summer. Be content with half the specified amount, because the anthurium is sensitive to too high a concentration of salt in the substrate.
In winter, you should fertilize no more than once a month. If the flamingo flower is kept in a cool place, do not fertilize it at all.
Is it necessary to prune the anthurium?
The anthurium does not require regular pruning. Good to know: The anthurium is a member of the arum family (Araceae), which means that it too is poisonous in all parts of the plant. It is therefore not recommended without restrictions for households with small children or pets.
Propagate anthurium
Anthurium is very easy to propagate by division. The best time for this is spring, when you are repotting the houseplant anyway.
To do this, carefully separate rooted sections from the root ball that already have a leaf. Put them in their own pot and place them in a bright and very warm place with temperatures between 25 and 27 degrees Celsius.
Because the young anthuriums need particularly high humidity at this stage, it has proven useful to cover the planter with a glass bell or a transparent plastic hood. The cover should be lifted at least once a day for ventilation – otherwise there is a risk of mold.
Common diseases and pests
When kept in suitable conditions, the anthurium proves to be very persistent and long-lived. If the air is too dry for them, you can usually tell quickly by the curling edges of the leaves. In this case, reach for the spray bottle more often.
If the flamingo flower does not want to bloom despite cold stimulus and good care, it is probably lacking nutrients: increase the fertilization a little. Especially in winter – typical for houseplants – spider mites and scale insects occasionally appear. If you regularly check the flamingo flower for them, you will avoid major damage and spread throughout the house or conservatory.
