Popular types of anthurium, especially flower care at home

Today in many apartments you can see the anthurium that came to us from the American tropics. Home care for this plant is not at all simple and has certain specifics. When creating optimal conditions of detention, the green "pet" will delight others with bright leaves of juicy green color and colorful inflorescences of an unusual shape. The cut flower retains its attractive appearance for up to three weeks, so anthuriums are often used in the preparation of bouquets. According to popular beliefs, anthurium brings love and happiness to the house, stimulates a creative streak, patronizes active, purposeful natures.

Description of the plant, common and exotic species

Unlike most home plants, anthurium attracts attention not only with flowers, but also with leaves. Depending on the species, they can be whole and notched, large and small, smooth and velvety, plain and veined.

The flower has a special structure. It looks like a cob or tail wrapped in a blanket. Elements can be monophonic or multi-colored, the range of shades is simply amazing. Fading, the anthurium is covered with bright berries.

Among dozens of species, we note the most interesting.

• Andre. Representative of humid subtropics with a short stem and aerial roots. The leaves are bright green, satin, can reach 30 cm in length. Andre blooms with original inflorescences consisting of white, yellowish or creamy cobs with a bright blanket in the shape of a heart. A distinctive feature of Andre is the metallic luster and embossed surface of the bedspread, painted in red.
• Climbing. Unlike Andre, it has thick roots. The leaves are leathery, oval. The length of the stem can reach one meter. Peduncles are represented by green and purple hues, the cover is pale green. He loves shadow and blooms in almost any environment.

• Crystal. It is easy to distinguish by dark green velvet leaves up to 40 cm in length. Moreover, their upper part is pierced by streaks of silver color, which is the reason for the name. The flower bedspread can be green or purple.
• Scherzer. Very dark green leathery leaves are covered with black dots on both sides. Against the background of a bright orange bedspread, a yellow or orange ear is distinguished.

Tip

Caring for anthurium at home is complicated by the fact that the plant is poisonous. It is worthwhile to think over a place for installing a flower in advance. Bright shades of its elements can attract the attention of children and pets, which is fraught with food poisoning and the appearance of symptoms of dermatitis.

Creating optimal conditions for the maintenance of anthurium

The best place to keep anthurium is a closed greenhouse where you can maintain a tropical microclimate. If you care for anthurium at home, you should prepare for an impressive list of worries that take up a significant part of your free time.

• Temperature level. A tropical flower loves warmth, but does not require creating too hot conditions. So that flowering is carried out according to the schedule, and reproduction does not cause problems, in summer it is necessary to maintain the temperature within + 20–25 ºС, and in winter - not below +17 ºС.

Tip

Sharp temperature changes in the room must not be allowed; it is additionally recommended to install reliable protection against drafts. The impact of these factors greatly weakens the plant, provokes the development of diseases, growth retardation, and a deterioration in appearance.

• Lighting. All types of anthurium love bright light, but not direct sunlight. The main thing is to prevent the appearance of burns on leaf plates. For the maintenance of flowering species, northwestern windows are suitable, for hardwood - northern. In winter time, there may be a need for artificial lighting.
• Watering and spraying. High humidity is what anthurium really needs. Home care in this direction involves high-quality watering and regular spraying. In the warm season, the flower is watered at least 3-4 times a week, in the cold - one watering in 7 days is enough. The earth must have time to dry, but not dry. This is reinforced by daily spraying of the plant through a very fine spray. In this case, the jet is directed not at the representative of the flora, but at the air around it. Additionally, you can lay out pieces of sphagnum around the flowerpot on a special pallet, so an optimal microclimate will be created.

• Features of soil preparation. We take a wide pot of medium depth, its volume should slightly exceed the volume of the root system. At the bottom we lay out good drainage. Then the soil is laid, consisting of 4 parts of humus, 2 parts of whole land, 2 parts of peat, parts of sand. It is additionally recommended to introduce charcoal, pieces of moss and cones, then the substrate into which the flower is placed can breathe.
• Top dressing. It is necessary during the period of active growth and flowering. It is introduced once every two weeks and is half the norm of liquid fertilizer for ornamental plants.

It is highly recommended not to depart from the stated standards. For example, an excessive amount of moisture is no less destructive for a flower than its lack. If liquid remains on the pallet, this is fraught with rotting of the root system. The leaves should be regularly cleaned from dust, otherwise the metabolic processes will slow down. When watering and spraying, moisture should not be allowed on the flowers, they can become covered with brown spots.

• Anthurium transplant at home. Young anthurium needs to be transplanted every spring, an adult - every two years. You need to tap on the sides of the pot to separate the earthen lump from the walls. We take out the flower, gently separate the earth from the roots and transfer it to a new pot with a covered drainage layer. We fill the container with a pre-prepared soil mixture, sometimes shaking it to evenly distribute the earth. When working with an adult plant, you can divide the flower, thereby reproducing it.
• Anthurium rejuvenation. Over the years, the flower begins to mutate and lose its appeal. You can stop the process by rejuvenation. You just need to cut off the shoot with aerial roots and plant it in a new pot.

You need to know not only how to care for anthurium at home, but also how to maintain the attractiveness of the plant. Given the fact that it is famous for its leaves, you will have to regularly polish them. This is not such a difficult manipulation, as, for example, reproduction. For half a minute we spray the leaf blades with a phytospray, which we then do not wash off. This will remove traces of water droplets, prevent the accumulation of dust, give the surface a glossy shine.

Possible diseases and pests, methods of control and prevention

Any violation of the conditions of detention of anthurium can lead to negative consequences.

1. Leaves curl into tight tubes as a result of exposure to too bright sun. Need to pritenit flower.
2. Brown spots appeared on the bedspreads. Traces of water on a flower that will pass if you proceed with caution.
3. Rotting stems is a response to excess moisture. We remove the affected areas and establish an irrigation system.
4. Dark spots under each sheet and on their surface appear due to increased humidity. It is necessary to temporarily stop the irrigation of the plant.
5. The appearance of many yellow leaves signals root problems. The flower needs to be transplanted after a thorough inspection of the root system.

If the anthurium does not bloom, this may be the result of all of these factors. It is necessary to radically revise the approach to performing standard manipulations.

Anthurium breeding options, important technical points

At home, the reproduction of anthurium is carried out in one of the following ways.

• Division of the whole bush. Thus, reproduction is carried out at the moment when it is necessary to transplant the plant. You just need to clean the ground from the roots, carefully spread the roots and divide them into two parts. At the place of breakage, the roots are treated with activated carbon powder.
• Seeds Time-consuming and lengthy breeding, which is best left to professionals. Seeds are harvested from berries that have formed after flowering. They are soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate and planted. Sprouts will appear only after a few months, and the first time a flower will give inflorescences only after 4 years.
• Cuttings. Simple and affordable technique. Reproduction is carried out by separating the stem with aerial roots and its subsequent planting.

Full care is not all. Anthurium, like other indoor plants, perfectly feels the mood of the residents of the house. Bright and juicy red, orange, green, purple or violet color of individual elements of a flower indicates its satisfaction with all aspects of external conditions.

We recommend reading the article on how to keep flowers in a vase longer