Anthuriums Add a Taste of the Tropics to Your Indoor Garden
Healthy HouseplantsJune 17, 2012About Anthuriums
Want to grow a houseplant that flowers nearly year-round, attracts attention and makes you feel like it’s time to put on sunscreen and order a mai tai? Add an anthurium to your indoor garden collection. Known for its colorful tropical flower bracts and floral spikes, these exotic-looking houseplants are easier to grow indoors than you might think.
Anthurium flowers eye-catching
Anthuriums come in a variety of colors, including red, pink, salmon, pale yellow, green and orange. These flowers are so stunning—they almost look like wax. With proper care, each flower spike can last four to six weeks, and you almost always have blooms to display.
Anthurium indoor growing tips
To have success growing anthuriums, keep the following tips in mind:
- Light
. Proper lighting is critical to getting your anthurium to bloom indoors. Bright light is best, such as near a southern or eastern window. Western windows also work, but make sure that there is some protection from harsh afternoon rays with sheer curtains or blinds. Or place the plant a couple of feet from the window. When conditions are dim, use full-spectrum lighting.
- Provide humidity
. Anthuriums originated in tropical climates and therefore require additional moisture in the air. If you live in a dry climate, put them over a pebble tray and mist on a daily basis.
- Watch watering
. Anthuriums like to approach dryness in between waterings and should not be kept continually moist. Promote quick drainage by using a potting soil that is heavy on pumice or orchid bark. As a plant ages, it will mound itself out of the pot, exposing stem. Spraying the stem helps keep the plant well hydrated.
- Watch for pests
Anthuriums tend to be relatively disease resistant. They can occasionally fall victim to spider mites, which can be prevented by regular misting.
