How to Care for Your Flamingo Lily Plant – A Complete Growing Guide

These Anthurium care and growing tips will help you out. This may not be the easiest houseplant, but it’s well worth it.

A long time ago, before the internet took over our lives, I saw an Anthurium for the first time in a magazine. I had never seen anything like it before. After some time, when I was living in New York City, I went into a bank with a big bouquet of them. I touched one of the waxy blooms and was in floral heaven.

The plants are sold in the houseplant trade but can be tricky to grow indoors. They are tropical plants that grow outside in places like Hawaii, Florida, and the tropical rainforests of South America and the Caribbean where it is hot and humid most of the year.

There are many species and varieties of them, and these anthurium care tips apply to them all. The one I’ve seen commonly sold as a houseplant is the Anthurium andraeanum. That’s the one I have.

Botanic Name: Anthurium spp. Common Names: Anthurium, Flamingo Flower, Little Boy Plant, Red Peace Lily, Red Heart Plant.

Anthurium Care and Growing Tips

If you’re only growing Anthurium plants for their flowers, which last about six weeks, like some people do with orchids and bromeliads, you can skip most of this. Just make sure they get enough light and water them regularly. They won’t be tricky to keep alive for a couple of months.

I prefer to keep them as long-lasting houseplants because I love the foliage as much as the flowers. Here’s what I’ve learned about growing anthuriums over the past 20 years.

Anthuriums prefer moderate or medium light and need this exposure to bloom. Near but not on a sunny windowsill is good. In lower light levels, your plant will show little (if any) growth, and there won’t be any flowering.

If in too much light (direct sunlight like a hot, south, or west exposure close to a window), your plant will burn. Anthuriums are epiphytic, just like orchids and bromeliads. In their natural environments, they grow under the cover of other plants.

Mine lives on a tea cart in my dining room 4′ away from a trio of east-facing windows. It gets plenty of bright indirect light and has repeat-bloomed several times. Because of the low humidity here in the desert, the blooms have gotten smaller.

If you are growing it next to a wall or in a corner, turn it over every two months so that all sides get the same amount of light. You may have to move it to a brighter spot in the darker, colder months.

There are things to know about caring for indoor plants in winter. This guide to Winter Houseplant Care will help you out.

Watering is a big part of anthurium care. Mine gets watered once a week at the moment. I take it to my kitchen sink for watering and spray the foliage. Just like a brief tropical rain!.

Now that it’s warmer here in Tucson, I’ll water my plants every five days until August. I water it every ten to fourteen days in winter, depending on the temps and light levels.

Your anthurium might need more or less depending on the conditions of your home. The more light and warmth, the more often yours will need watering. I let mine go almost dry before watering again.

One thing: back off on the frequency in the winter. Plants take a break at this time of year because it’s cooler and there is less light.

This plant doesn’t like to be completely dry for long periods of time, but it also doesn’t like to be drenched or sit in a saucer of water. Before putting it back on the saucer or in the pretty pot, make sure the water has gone through.

Because they’re epiphytes, don’t keep your Anthurium constantly wet. They’re subject to root rot. I let mine almost dry out before watering it again.

Another thing to watch out for is moisture on the leaves. Mine dry out fast here, but fungus on the foliage can be an issue.

This guide to Watering Indoor Plants will shed more light on houseplant watering. This one produces deep maroon flowers, seen at.

If your home is comfortable, it’ll also be so for your houseplants. Anthuriums like warm temperatures in the growing months and cooler in the winter.

Keep them away from any cold drafts and air conditioning or heating vents.

Anthuriums love higher humidity levels! They’re native to the rainforest regions, after all. If the leaves show tiny brown leaf tips, that’s a reaction to the dry air in our homes. I live in hot, dry Tucson. Some of my leaves have tiny brown tips, but you have to look closely to see them.

I have a large, deep kitchen sink with a faucet water filter. When I water my Anthurium, I take it to the sink, spray the leaves with water, and then leave it there for about an hour to temporarily make it more humid. I avoid spraying the flowers, just the foliage.

I have this humidity meter in my dining room. It’s inexpensive but does the trick and still works fine after five years. I run my Canopy humidifiers when the humidity reads low, often in the Arizona desert!

If you think yours look stressed due to low humidity, fill the saucer with pebbles and water. While putting the plant on the pebbles, make sure that the drain holes and/or the pot’s bottom are not wet.

Misting a few times a week should help out too. I like this mister because it’s small, easy to hold, and puts out a nice amount of spray. I’ve had it for over four years, and it’s still going strong.

Are you interested in Plant Humidity? We have a whole guide on it that you might find useful.

Anthuriums like a phosphorous-rich fertilizer. It’s good for the roots and flowers of a plant and the overall growth and health. The letters on a bottle or box of fertilizer are N-P-K. Phosphorous is the middle number, so having a high ratio for anthuriums is best.

Because anthuriums flower yearly, I feed mine once a month, from March through October. We have a long growing season here. I used Eleanor’s VF-11 in the past, but it’s been out of stock for almost two years.

I now use Sea Grow for my anthurium. The formulation is 16-I6-16. It’s one of the fertilizers I use to feed my 60+ houseplants.

Don’t over-fertilize yours because salts build up and can burn the plant’s roots. This will show up as brown spots on the leaves. Avoid fertilizing a stressed houseplant, i. e. , bone dry or soaking wet. You don’t want to fertilize houseplants in the late fall or winter because that’s their time for rest.

I give my houseplants a light application of worm compost with a light layer of compost on top every other spring. I use a 1/4″ to 1/2″ layer of each for a larger-sized houseplant. If you’re new to anthuriums, this 4″ size is a good one to start with. You can see how dirty the leaves are. There’s a chapter below on cleaning the foliage.

Anthuriums prefer a mix suited for epiphytes. Something coarse, porous, and rich with good drainage. They’re subject to root rot and won’t tolerate sitting in soggy soil.

Mine was growing in sphagnum moss when I bought it. I put it in a new pot with 1/3 moss, 1/3 coco coir, and 1/3 of my DIY Succulent Mix.

1) 1/2 peat moss or coco coir and 1/2 orchid bark is an alternative mix. 2) Cymbidium orchid mix is another option.

This is best done in spring or summer; early fall is fine in a warm climate. The faster your plant grows, the sooner it’ll need repotting into a larger pot.

Go up one pot size. If yours is in a 4″ pot, then a 6″ pot is what you want. Make sure there are drain holes on the bottom so the excess water can freely drain out.

Repotting your anthurium every two to five years will be fine.

An anthurium houseplant is one which I’ve never propagated. It can be done by division, cuttings, and seeds. Some growers use a method called tissue culture. You can see how good the foliage looks clean & glossy!.

Not much is needed. When you prune your anthurium, you should mostly get rid of the dead flowers and the odd yellow or brown leaf.

Make sure your pruners are clean and sharp before you do any pruning.

Mine have never gotten any. They can be susceptible to spider mites and mealybugs, especially deep inside the new growth.

Mealybugs are white, cotton-like pests that hang out in the nodes, on the stems, and under the leaves. I use the spray to get rid of them (gently!) in the kitchen sink. That works for a small infestation.

Also, keep your eye out for scale and aphids. It’s best to take action as soon as you see any pest because they multiply like crazy.

Pests can travel from houseplant to houseplant fast, so make you get them under control pronto.

Anthuriums are considered to be toxic. I consult the ASPCA website for my info on this subject and see in what way the plant is toxic. Here’s more info on this for you.

Most indoor plants are toxic to pets in some way. I share my thoughts on Houseplant Toxicity and our list of 11 Pet-Friendly Houseplants.

Oh yes, plants breathe through their leaves. It’s a good idea to keep them clean. Plus, they’ll look much better!.

Both anthurium flowers and foliage are naturally shiny and don’t need any leaf shine product. It blocks their pores and hinders the respiration process.

I cleaned mine before doing this post and video, so it was nice and pretty for you. This is the best way I’ve found to clean their leaves: put some diluted castile soap on a damp, soft cloth and wipe them down. I wipe each leaf for the best results. It brings out the natural shine of this plant.

I do the cleaning twice a year or as needed. Any mild, natural liquid soap (like Dr. Bronner’s) is fine.

Yes, we all love those flowers that last a long time! Depending on how warm and bright your home is, each one will last between 5 and 7 weeks. Not all the flowers open at once, so you’ll get a nice long bloom time.

Most anthuriums sold as houseplants have red flowers. Different species and varieties also come in white, purple, pink, and bi-colors like pink/green and red/green.

The red part is the spathe; the flowers are tiny and found on the spadix. Technicalities aside, the whole thing is called the flower.

Mine started to set blooms at the end of winter and is still in bloom in mid-June. It has five open flowers, two of which are freshly open. Because of the low humidity here in the desert, the blooms (and leaves) have gotten smaller each year.

If yours is in low light, it will get fewer, if any, flowers.

When the spadix starts turning green, the flower starts its decline. I always leave them on until they start turning brown and look bad.

Go all the way down the stem until you reach the base of the plant. That’s where you should cut off the flower stem. Cut at that point to remove the whole thing.

Anthurium Plant Traits The waxy flowers rise above heart-shaped leaves. Red anthuriums are the most commonly sold, but you might be able to find other colors.

They’re typically found in 4″ and 6″ pot sizes. The height ranges from 10″ to 20″.

Anthuriums are slow to moderate growers. If the conditions are to their liking, they’ll grow faster. When light levels are too low, the growth rate will be slow to none. It’s almost summer when I write this, and mine has a lot of new growth at the base.

The most common use for anthuriums is as a blooming tabletop plant. The smaller ones (4″ pot size) are often used in dish gardens.

The red anthurium plant is the most common. Other colors include white, pink, maroon, green, purple, and bi-color (pink/green and red/green).

I’m adding these in for fun because I also have them growing in my home. Well-known houseplants like the Pothos, Monstera deliciosa, Arrowhead Plant, and Peace Lily are all in the same plant family as the Anthurium.

Ultimate ANTHURIUM (Flamingo Flower) Care Guide — Ep 195