Flamingo Flower Care Guide

Anthuriums are beautiful garden plants which grow indoors with beautiful colours in green foliage and red fruits. The Anthurium Andraenum, commonly known as the Flamingo Flower is no exception to this. It really has that tropical jungle with beautiful, distinct leaves. Their highly ornamental bracts are popular with florists the world over. They have a large family with stunning foliages, some of my personal favourites being the Anthurium Clarinervium Crystallinum, Anthurium Scherzeria ‘Christine’ and Anthurium Lilli. 
 
Originally called the Flame flower palette, the flamingos add upscale touches to an indoor room. Anthuriums can be very healthy in a warm climate if properly treated. Fortunately for us all, Anthuriums are not hard to care for, making them an ideal houseplant for those starting their plant sanctuary.

Fun fact: This plant is typically grown for the cut flower market, where the unusually shaped leaves and flowers make a great contrast to the flowers in the bouquet but, we think the Anthurium is beautiful in its own right. It will look really amazing in any room in your home, adding splashes of colour and tropical vibes! 

Light

As spoken previously, it is extremely exciting when getting a new houseplant especially a beautiful Anthurium with bright colours. However, to keep these Anthuriums looking at their best, positioning your houseplant is super important! Almost all Anthuriums will prefer bright but indirect light. They can adapt over time to medium and low light levels however, the more sunlight it receives, the more it will grow! As a caution, do not place in direct sunlight as it will scorch the leaves. We suggest placing your houseplant around 3 feet away from a window.

Watering an Anthurium

Like most houseplants, the key to success is identifying the moisture levels of the soil prior to watering. When starting your houseplant journey, it is good to have a routine, however, do not rely on this routine as there are numerous factors in our homes that determine how often our Anthuriums need watering. When 50% or top few inches of soil are dry, your Anthurium needs watering. Ensure your pot as drainage holes so water does not puddle at the bottom and cause root rot. Overwatering your Anthurium will turn the leaves yellow and underwatering will make the Anthuriums’ leaf edges brown and crispy, listen to the signs your houseplant shows you!

Humidity

Anthuriums are native to the Americas, specifically Mexico and South Americas. In these locations, there tends to be high humidity. Thus, ensuring we supply enough humidity to our Anthuriums is just as important as placing them to receive enough light. Mist the Anthurium leaves every other day, group other houseplants close by or use a humidifier to increase the humidity in the room. This is the most effective way as you can control the exact humidity levels in the room. The recommended humidity needs to be around 65%, quite high! Brown, crispy edges are a sign that your Anthurium needs more humidity, often misjudges as underwatered, so try increasing humidity before increasing the watering frequency.

Soil for Anthurium

Anthuriums have large, epiphytic roots that need to be catered to with a good, premium soil mix. This can contain coconut coir, bark, perlite and activated charcoal. These ingredients are chosen due to their abilities to promote drainage, so your houseplant does not sit in water leading to problems down the line. Anthuriums also like feeding which we will get into a bit later but, adding some worm castings into the soil mix will act as a natural fertiliser which will slowly be broken down by your Anthurium roots.

Temperature

We have identified that Anthuriums are native to the Americas, more specifically South America. This means that our beloved houseplants enjoy warmer temperatures of around 18-27°C which is about 60-80°F. It is highly advised to place your Anthurium away from heating sources such as radiators, windows due to draughts and air conditioning units. 

Fertilising Anthurium

We all love the amazing blooms that these gorgeous houseplants can grow, making our living spaces turn into something both tropical and colourful. Fertilising these plants can help us encourage growth of these spathes and attractive colours. Like most houseplants, it is key to fertilise during their growing season as they utilise the nutrients in the fertiliser when growing. Their growing season like most plants is during spring and summer.

Using our proven Vegan Plant Food, fertilise your Anthurium every 90 days during the growing season of spring and summer. You will find no chemical supplements in this 100% cruelty-free vegan product. Seaweed, harvested sustainably, is its secret sauce with a delicate blend of growth hormones and micronutrients that is perfect for houseplants. If you have been searching for alternatives to blood, bone, and other so-called “organic” fertilisers then our Organic Vegan Plant food is for you and is sold exclusively through our website here.

Common Pests for Anthurium

As with all houseplants, they are not immune to pest infestations. However, some houseplants are more susceptible to common pests. Anthurium common pests are Mealybugs, Thrips and Spider Mites. It is important that Spider Mites in particular are treated as soon as possible as this infestation can be quiet the challenge to eliminate, even leaving scaring on the precious Anthurium leaves. To avoid them, regularly mist, use Neem oil, and inspect your Anthurium weekly to identify possible infestations before they become a problem. If the infestation if further down the line, using a good insecticidal soap will help eliminate majority of common pest infestations on your Anthurium and other houseplants.

Are Anthuriums Toxic?

These houseplants are toxic to both humans and pets. If eaten you may feel burning in the mouth, pain in the stomach and other possible symptoms. If eaten, seek medical advice as soon as possible.