Most commonly called a Flamingo Lily or Laceleaf, Anthurium andraeanum is a beautiful evergreen plant that is most known for its gorgeous flowers. According to the NASA Clean Air Study, the Flamingo Lily was incredibly effective at removing airborne formaldehyde, ammonia, toluene and xylene in your home or office.
Proper care for anthurium is easy to do as long as you provide a few key elements for the plant.
Basic Anthurium Care Anthurium plants can tolerate all levels of indirect light, but anthuriums growing in low light will have fewer flowers and will grow slower. These plants cannot tolerate direct light, however, as this can burn the leaves. It grows best in bright, indirect light. Anthurium care also requires that the soil be free draining but hold some water. If you are growing this plant as a houseplant, half and half mix of potting soil and orchid soil or perlite will provide the kind of soil anthuriums prefer. Outdoors, plant in a well-drained location. Anthurium plants don’t like continually moist soil.
Make sure to water your anthurium plant regularly, but don’t over water. Only water your anthurium when the soil is dry to the touch. The plant is susceptible to root rot, so too much water can cause the roots to die. If you allow the plant to become too dry in a pot, it will slow down its growth and the rootball will be difficult to re-wet. If the rootball becomes too dry in the pot, soak the pot the anthurium plant is in for an hour to rehydrate it. Care of anthurium plants does not require too much fertilizer. The plant only needs to be fertilized with a one-quarter strength fertilizer once every three to four months. To get the best blooms, use a fertilizer that has a higher phosphorus number (the middle number). Proper care for anthuriums is not hard. Once you have the plant in the right soil and the right location, watering is simple. An anthurium growing in your garden or home will reward you with wonderful, long-lasting flowers.
The hard part about this houseplant is that it prefers high-humidity environments. If relative humidity falls below 50%, your plant may start to die. Having a humidifier in your home is the easiest way to avoid this. You also want to make sure the soil stays moist at all times.
Please note, Anthurium andraeanum is poisonous to both humans and animals. Caution must be taken with small children and pets. If they ingest any part of this plant, they will immediately start to have difficulty swallowing, hoarseness and blistering in their mouth and throat. If you experience any of these symptoms, please seek medical help immediately
