Anthuriums are flowering plants indigenous to America. They are well-known for their vibrantly colored flowers, which aren’t actually flowers but are modified waxy leaves.
The more indirect sunlight this house plant is placed in, the more blooms it can generate. Like other blooming plants, Anthurium will go through blooming cycles and blooms throughout the year.
But these beautiful plants are vulnerable to several problems.
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What Are Some Common Problems for Anthuriums?
Typically Anthurium plants are very easy to grow, but occasionally you may face a few of these common problems when cultivating them. Most of the troubles you will encounter when developing Anthurium will result from mistakes in watering, fertilizing, temperature control, or improper light levels. When growing Anthurium plants outdoors, pests and diseases can also be a concern.
Common Problems with Anthurium
Improper Watering
Improper watering can enable the fungus to damage your Anthurium. Fungus and other anaerobic bacteria develop when air is not allowed to get to the roots of your plant.
Anthuriums need water to survive, but too much of it can be bad. Anthurium roots can develop root rot, and roots can choke if they are flooded with water. Even getting leaves wet during watering is a major contributor to leaf blight.
On the other hand, it is also essential to make sure your Anthurium is getting enough water and not entirely drying out.
Fertilization Problem
You can utilize fertilizer to enhance the development of your Anthurium, but too much fertilizer can cause trouble. When you add excess fertilizer, the soil becomes alkaline.
Over-fertilization triggers leaf burn, which starts as browning all around the fringes and eventually destroys entire leaves.
Excess nitrogen is a common issue. In addition to possible leaf burn, an overdose of nitrogen promotes abundant leaves but prevents flower production.
Improper Temperature
Tropical Anthurium plants favor summer temperatures between 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 32 degrees Celsius) and can get serious damage or death outside those temperatures.
If Anthuriums are outdoors and encounter temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 degrees Celsius), they will start to fall off, and the leaves will turn yellow and droop.
Improper Light
The more light the Anthurium plant gets, the more flowers your plant will generate – but direct sunlight will affect your leaves by drying them and killing the plant.
Even though Anthuriums have fairly thick leaves, too much contact with direct sunlight leads to sunburnt leaves.
It is possible too much direct sunlight may be the issue If the leaves of your Anthurium are turning yellow. Bleached and brown tips also indicate that it is receiving too much light.
Also, if the plant seems to be expanding slowly and generating few flowers, this could mean that it is getting too little light, especially if its leaves are dark green.
Pests
Pests are a recurring issue, particularly when you are cultivating your Anthurium outdoors. Mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and aphids are all prevalent predators that can be reported in tropical plants.
Mealybugs
Mealybugs are Hemiptera insects that are white and generate a white protective powder to hide. They like living in safe zones of the plant, where branches join or on the undersides of leaves.
They consume the nutrition from plants, use the cell walls, and deplete the fluids and organic matter of Anthurium. If your plant appears to be withered, and you’ve often attempted watering without any fortune, it might be largely related to mealy bugs.
Foliage beginning to turn yellow is yet another symptom, as leaves are deprived of food and water. Undiagnosed mealybugs will destroy your plant.
Aphids
Aphid pests may be brown, green, red, white, or black in color. They are trailing insects that put their feeding mouthparts in the plant’s body and pull out sap.
Yellow and altered leaves, slow growth, and an unpleasant black sticky substance on the Anthurium may indicate that you have aphids. As they feed, they produce a sticky element called honeydew, rapidly infested with black sooty mold.
They also spread viruses, many of which are untreatable. In severe cases, the plant fails to prosper.
Thrips
Thrips are so little it may be difficult to spot them with the naked eye. Blotchy reddish-brown discoloration can be a signal that a thrips infestation is present.
You can find black specks on the plant, which are actually the feces from the thrips. Dappled leaves or flowers that die before opening indicate that your Anthurium has thrips.
Another sign of thrips is white stripes or scarring on the front and back of the spathe, deformed spathes, and with gradual maturing, tanning of injured tissue.
Spider Mites
Spider mite destruction will appear as small yellow or brown spots on the leaves of the Anthurium. If the plant is severely infected, the plant’s well-being will suffer. It may develop entirely yellow leaves and stop growing.
Spider mite damage may also involve spider webbing on your plant. Spider mites are arachnids and are associated with spiders. They generate webs to defend themselves and their eggs.
If not taken care of timely, the spider mite infestation can kill your beautiful Anthurium.
Common Anthurium problems: Diseases
Bacterial Blight
The bacteria contaminate Anthurium by appearing near the leaf edges. The principal side effect of bacterial blight is yellow spots along the leaf edges that develop quickly to frame dead V-molded sores.
Bacteria may likewise affect the leaf if it is harmed during trimming or if bugs demolish the leaf tissues. When blossoms are reaped, these microbes can penetrate through the injuries.
Rhizoctonia Root Rot
Rhizoctonia outbreaks in roots and lower stems of Anthurium but it can also damage and spread in the upper leaf canopy under wet conditions. Young, delicate stems are weak, become water-soaked, and are incapable of supporting the weight of the plant.
Bacterial Wilt
Leaf yellowing is, for the most part, the main cause of bacterial wilt. The disease moves very quickly through Anthurium, changing the color of stems and leaves to an earthy-colored, bronze tone.
Solutions to Common Anthurium Problems
Adjust your watering schedule
Only water your Anthurium when the top one to two-inch of the soil is dry. Anthurium requires a moderate amount of water.
During the hot summer season, water it every 2 to 3 days. While in the cold season, water less, probably once every week.
Limit the application of fertilizer
Anthurium plants do not require too much fertilizer as it leads to the problems mentioned above. Only fertilize the plant with a one-quarter-strength fertilizer once every 3-4 months.
For good blooms, feed your Anthurium with a fertilizer high in phosphorus.
Make sure you get the temperature right
Your Anthurium favors temperatures between 65-80 degrees Fahrenheit (18-26.6 degrees Celsius) throughout the daytime.
At night it prefers a temperature no less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.5 degrees Celsius).
Adjust light levels
Anthurium plants can endure all levels of indirect light. As mentioned above, direct light burns the leaves of your Anthurium, so move it away from direct sunlight.
Put it near a window where it receives indirect bright light, not direct sunlight.
Pests
Depending on the pest, it might be difficult to get rid of them completely. But don’t worry, we have in-depth articles on most plant pests that could threaten your Anthurium:
- Mealybugs
- Aphids
- Thrips
- Spider mites
Make sure to give these articles a read, and you will know exactly what needs to be done to eliminate these pesky pests altogether!
Diseases
You can control the bacterial blight with a combination of copper and mancozeb-containing fungicides. Apply this mixture 2-3 times at 7-10 days intervals.
Rhizoctonia root rot can be avoided by not stressing your plant. You can also use fungicides containing strobilurin to treat this disease. Eliminate diseased plants and plant remains from the potting mix to avoid the further spread of the disease.
Bacterial wilt is very bad during hot, wet weather, and wilting is very rapid. Do not harvest infected soil during summer.
Fungicides containing phosphorous have also proved to be effective in treating this disease.
Frequently Asked Questions on Common Problems with Anthurium
Why is my Anthurium dying?
Improper watering can prompt root decay or other parasitic issues and make your plant’s leaves turn brown. If you don’t treat it immediately, your plant will die.
How do you eliminate dead leaves from Anthurium?
Investigate your Anthurium plant and start pruning from the top. Dispose of any stained or dead leaves.
Daniel has been a plant enthusiast for over 20 years. He owns hundreds of houseplants and prepares for the chili growing seasons yearly with great anticipation. His favorite plants are plant species in the Araceae family, such as Monstera, Philodendron, and Anthurium. He also loves gardening and is growing hot peppers, tomatoes, and many more vegetables.