Why does my anthurium looks so sad/down? :(
I allready tryed more light, less light, watered it... Let it dry out more I ahh help
#anthurium #clarinervium #springintosummer
#anthurium #clarinervium #springintosummer
7
@sarahsalith thanks for the tag. @Sxlli Here’s the rundown on Anthuriums and on what May be going on with yours: The leaves on any plant are moving solar panels . They follow the light so find a place where the light is somewhat overhead, bright, and indirect that she can reach for. They also don’t like to be moved a lot. What we never do in an attempt to prevent damage to the roots is never let it’s growing medium entirely dry out. It needs to stay moist (like a wet towel after you bathe) with excellent drainage so that it doesn’t rot or get anthracnose. They are extremely heavy feeders so it’s perkiness - or lack of - may be a sign that it’s hungry. Misting the soil with several pumps of MG orchid mist every time you re-moisten the growing medium helps them perk up and grow. They also love humidity between 60-70% and temperatures should stay above 60.
My suggestion is to get a humidity sensor and set it right in front of your baby. You can also get a small ultrasonic humidifier and place it next to the plant to help it’s humidity requirements. Just make sure the humidity vapor isn’t touching your plant directly. It should rise and fall away near it since anthuriums don’t like getting their leaves wet unless it’s a shower or morning misting of foliage but not on an ongoing basis through the day, all day, all week. This leads to anthracnose which will cause yellowing of the foliage and eventually loss of all foliage until the roots develop a new stem to produce leaves.
For now, get the miracle gro orchid mist and only use it on the base of the plant. Try to give it light from an overhead source and turn your pot 1/4 turn every four days to help it grow evenly. This anthurium will stretch out and up towards the light source if it’s not directly next to it but your leaf doesn’t perk up, don’t worry. She/he is probably working on something you can’t see yet. At this point, I would inspect the plant for any lesions on the stem that looks like a little bit of scorch and see if I can gently pick it off with my fingernails. If so, you’ve had scale and that’s what is causing the stems to not turn upright. Since these plants are heavy feeders and show almost immediate symptoms of any problem, if you have scale and pick them off the stems, you should see it perk up fairly quickly. Once it’s no longer fighting off it’s attackers, it can go back to supporting its leaves.
Just remember that they are heavy feeders. One fertilization dose per season isn’t enough. They need regular feedings at least once per week with a very mild fertilizer. Liquid only. Check for scale every week as you wipe the stems and underside of the leaves before watering.
Regarding soil or growing medium, be cautious. They grow well in long moss but they also need charcoal and pumice as well as orchid bark to prevent compaction and Leca to help them breathe air. They are part of the aroid family so they need a growing medium that mimics their native environment. You can do this by buying premium orchid mix, adding a little tropical plant soil that has bits of Leca in it. You’ll need to water it lightly every 5-7 days because the water runs off fairly quickly in this medium. I soak for five minutes then set it aside to drain. I also tip the pot to let excess water out before moving it to its decorative pot which has slots in it too for added air flow.
I recommend re-potting in a slotted orchid pot so that you can see the water and roots and tell if the plant really needs to be watered and when. I also recommend having a water dish beneath the pot with a little water in it so that if you water, the water is caught there. That same water is also wicked upwards through the chunky medium to help it stay moist rather than wet while still providing good a flow. This helps it stay moist rather than drying out entirely. Don’t put the pot in a bowl, just a shallow dish about 1 inch deep so the roots can always search for both water and air which is what they do as they are above ground creepers. We grow them as upright plants when they are really trailing vines.
This works well if you have a greenhouse or don’t. Monitor the humidity and temperature, let it breathe with a chunky mix, feed it, and make sure it has a somewhat overhead but indirect light source. Check for scale because they love anthuriums. And don’t worry too much over a droopy leaf. It’s probably making way for a new stem in the center and you just can’t see it yet.
Please let us know what happens in the next few weeks. I’m fully invested in your baby now since I love all anthuriums. Feel free to tag me if you need advice. Best of luck with your Anthurium! It’s beautiful!
My suggestion is to get a humidity sensor and set it right in front of your baby. You can also get a small ultrasonic humidifier and place it next to the plant to help it’s humidity requirements. Just make sure the humidity vapor isn’t touching your plant directly. It should rise and fall away near it since anthuriums don’t like getting their leaves wet unless it’s a shower or morning misting of foliage but not on an ongoing basis through the day, all day, all week. This leads to anthracnose which will cause yellowing of the foliage and eventually loss of all foliage until the roots develop a new stem to produce leaves.
For now, get the miracle gro orchid mist and only use it on the base of the plant. Try to give it light from an overhead source and turn your pot 1/4 turn every four days to help it grow evenly. This anthurium will stretch out and up towards the light source if it’s not directly next to it but your leaf doesn’t perk up, don’t worry. She/he is probably working on something you can’t see yet. At this point, I would inspect the plant for any lesions on the stem that looks like a little bit of scorch and see if I can gently pick it off with my fingernails. If so, you’ve had scale and that’s what is causing the stems to not turn upright. Since these plants are heavy feeders and show almost immediate symptoms of any problem, if you have scale and pick them off the stems, you should see it perk up fairly quickly. Once it’s no longer fighting off it’s attackers, it can go back to supporting its leaves.
Just remember that they are heavy feeders. One fertilization dose per season isn’t enough. They need regular feedings at least once per week with a very mild fertilizer. Liquid only. Check for scale every week as you wipe the stems and underside of the leaves before watering.
Regarding soil or growing medium, be cautious. They grow well in long moss but they also need charcoal and pumice as well as orchid bark to prevent compaction and Leca to help them breathe air. They are part of the aroid family so they need a growing medium that mimics their native environment. You can do this by buying premium orchid mix, adding a little tropical plant soil that has bits of Leca in it. You’ll need to water it lightly every 5-7 days because the water runs off fairly quickly in this medium. I soak for five minutes then set it aside to drain. I also tip the pot to let excess water out before moving it to its decorative pot which has slots in it too for added air flow.
I recommend re-potting in a slotted orchid pot so that you can see the water and roots and tell if the plant really needs to be watered and when. I also recommend having a water dish beneath the pot with a little water in it so that if you water, the water is caught there. That same water is also wicked upwards through the chunky medium to help it stay moist rather than wet while still providing good a flow. This helps it stay moist rather than drying out entirely. Don’t put the pot in a bowl, just a shallow dish about 1 inch deep so the roots can always search for both water and air which is what they do as they are above ground creepers. We grow them as upright plants when they are really trailing vines.
This works well if you have a greenhouse or don’t. Monitor the humidity and temperature, let it breathe with a chunky mix, feed it, and make sure it has a somewhat overhead but indirect light source. Check for scale because they love anthuriums. And don’t worry too much over a droopy leaf. It’s probably making way for a new stem in the center and you just can’t see it yet.
Please let us know what happens in the next few weeks. I’m fully invested in your baby now since I love all anthuriums. Feel free to tag me if you need advice. Best of luck with your Anthurium! It’s beautiful!
