Anthurium plants are native to tropical region and their watering needs are little. Climatic conditions, potting soil and plant location are to be considered to determine how much water does anthurium need.
If you’re growing anthurium indoors, then watering once in a week will let the soil to stay moist. Outdoor plants depending on the climate you must water anthurium plants every 2-3 days.
Anthurium is a flowering house plant known for its waxy heart shaped leaves called spathes.
The plant looks beautiful giving an impression of being a very well maintained plant, however it happens to be an easy to care for, an easy to maintain plant.
When the plant is grown indoors with all the attention it needs it is bound to give a beautiful bouquet look all through the year. These plants are usually grown as ornamental plants.
As anthurium is of a tropical origin, it prefers a humid environment for its healthy growth and hence it can thrive very well when grown indoors.
The plant has fleshy roots and has a tendency of getting easily waterlogged. Anthuriums are like most other house plants which are easily vulnerable to root rot due to waterlogging which is generally caused by overwatering. The plant may also suffer from yellow leaves and green flowers if they are under-watered.
Hence, the plant needs to be watered with low to medium amounts of water.
In the rest of the article let us discuss more on why and how often you should water anthurium.
Watering Requirements of Anthurium
Anthuriums are known to grow well in a well aerated soil with a good water retention ability.
Anthuriums need mediums with good drainage as the roots of the plant should be able to maintain the required moist levels around them for a healthy nourishment of the plant but at the same time the roots don’t like to be soggy.
If the plant is placed in a pot, just ensure the pot has drainage holes.
Anthurium likes a humid environment. So it is a good practice to keep misting the leaves of the plant with droplets of water with a spray bottle everyday..
As discussed earlier, Anthuriums require low to medium amounts of water. During warmer seasons, the plant may require watering once or twice a week.
The best way to determine how often does anthurium need to be watered is to check the moist levels of the topsoil before watering. You can do this by sticking your finger 1-2 inches into the soil near the roots of the plant. If you find the soil to be dry, you can add enough water to make the soil moist.
Anthuriums can handle dryness around their root balls. They need to be watered thoroughly and also let dry in between watering.
On average, anthuriums need to be watered once every 2-3 days in summer and spring seasons.
In a hot dry climate area, you can pamper the plant with some misting everyday as the plant thrives well in a humid environment.
In the rainy season, they can be watered only when necessary depending upon the moisture content in the soil..
It is a good practice to keep the moist levels of the soil under check everyday.
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Importance of water for house plants
Water is responsible for all life on earth.
As we need energy to live a healthy life, plants also need energy to happily grow and live a healthy life. Plants receive all the energy required for their growth from water, sunlight and from the soil in which they are growing.
The plant needs water for photosynthesis which is a very important food production process in a plant. Every cell in a plant needs water for its proper and healthy functioning.
A plant gets all the nutrients required for its healthy growth from its soil. Only if there is enough water in the soil can a plant absorb all the required nutrients from the soil for its happy and healthy growth.
There are some microorganisms present in the soil. They play a vital role in delivering some of the important nutrients to the plant. So, proper watering of soil balances the microorganism growth in the soil that helps plants absorb the nutrients from the soil by converting them from unabsorbable forms to absorbable forms.
Water gives plants very good mechanical support. If a plant is not watered well, the plant will lose its shape and will lose its ability to stand straight.
A particular schedule cannot be followed in watering different house plants. Watering requirements vary for every house plant depending upon the type of the plant, the plant size, the weather and humidity conditions in the environment and the growth stage of the plant.
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How Often Should I Water Anthurium?
Anthuriums require very moderate amounts of water.
In summer and spring seasons, they will need to be watered once or twice a week depending upon how hot the weather is and how quickly the soil is getting dried up around the roots of the plant.
In rainy or winter, anthuriums will need to be watered just once in a week or two weeks depending upon the dryness of the soil.
The best practice to determine how often does anthurium need to be watered is determined by keeping a check on the moisture content in the topsoil near the root of the plant. This can be done in 2 ways:
- It can be done manually by inserting your finger 1-2 inches into the soil near the root of the plant.
- You can use a moisture meter for more precise identification of the moisture content in the soil.
Overwatering
If an anthurium is overwatered, it causes the roots of the plant to rot and may lead to various diseases gradually. The symptoms of an overwatered anthurium may be seen as a change in color of the foliage of the plant from green to yellow (but not brown or withered).
Underwatering
When an anthurium is underwatered, it starts looking droopy and wilted. Leaves start becoming crispy in nature. They start turning yellow and brown as well. A severe lack of water may cause the plant to droop to the soil level.
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How to Avoid Overwatering and Underwatering?
Avoid Overwatering Anthurium
When an anthurium happens to be overwatered, it shows some signs such as foliage turning yellow from green(not brown and withered). Under such circumstances, it is advised to stop giving water to the plant and let the soil around the roots dry.
Once the soil is dry you can add only enough water to make the soil around the roots moist. When this practice is repeated over a period of time, the plant life starts improving and the foliage starts restoring its green color.
Avoid Underwatering anthurium
When an anthurium is underwatered, the foliage starts turning yellow and brown. The leaves slowly starts to droop and wither and gradually they tend to become crisp in texture.
This being the sign of an underwatered plant, make no delay in bringing the plant back to life by giving it the water required to revive back.
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How Often to Water Anthurium in Winter?
During winter watering your anthurium plant will need some slight adjustments. Meeting the seasonal needs of Anthuriums is crucial for ensuring healthy growth for these plants known for their striking flowers and glossy foliage.
As a rule of thumb, it’s ideal to water them less often compared to other times in a year. Often plants go under dormant stages and see no growth in colder months. So, your houseplants won’t require regular watering or fertilizing.
The amount of watering needed for your anthurium during winter is dependent on environmental conditions and plant-specific requirements
For healthier plants, it’s better to wait until the top inch of soil gets dry before watering them again. To steer clear of root rot and other related issues it is best to avoid overwatering.
Frequent checking of soil moisture can be done by inserting a finger inside, and having a slightly dry feel is a sign that it’s time for watering your anthrium. It’s advisable not to water immediately in case there are signs of moisture in the soil
The lessened sunlight exposure along with colder weather can have an effect on a plant’s watering schedule as well as overall growth. However, a healthy anthurium throughout the winter can be achieved by carefully monitoring soil moisture and adjusting watering accordingly.
Tips to Grow Anthurium Plant
- Place the plant in an area where the daytime temperatures do not fall below 270C. Anthurium thrives well in the temperatures between 270C and 320C.
- Anthuriums can also survive indoors where temperatures do not fall below 150C.
However, the warmer the environment, the better it is for growing a healthy and bright anthurium.
- It is advisable not to keep the plant near heaters, any heating devices or vents which produce hot dry air. Anthurium likes humid air.
- It is a good practice to maintain a tropical humid environment for the plant by misting the plant as and when required. If you are living in a hot dry climate area, you may pamper your plant with some misting once every day else misting once every week will work wonders on your plant.
- Water your plant enough to keep the soil underneath moist. Do not over water your plant. In other words, it is not a good practice to soak the soil in water for anthuriums.
Conclusion
On the whole, an anthurium is an easy to grow ornamental plant. It gives a great ambience to the place it is growing in with its foliage and bright rare flowers.
The plant needs very moderate amounts of water too. It requires misting and watering twice or thrice a week only in the hot dry climate, else it can thrive well in humid environments with just once a week watering and misting.
So, it is one of the most beautiful plants to have either indoors or outdoors. Go for it!
Khaja Moinuddin, a computer science graduate, finds joy in gardening and homesteading. Join him on this blog as he shares his experiences in homesteading, gardening, and composting