One of the most important skills when growing an Anthurium is managing its need for moisture. Overwatering and underwatering are both common errors for inexperienced growers, so we’ve put together a list of tips to help you know when to water your Anthurium. By the end of this guide, you’ll be well-equipped to quench your plant’s thirst.
The most important indicator that it’s time to water is when the upper portion of the soil has dried out. This might sound like a no-brainer, but the trick is to wait for this to happen rather than proactively continuing to add water to the soil. Anthuriums are very susceptible to root rot, which means that too much to drink can be worse than too little.
However, if your Anthurium’s growth seems to be lagging, or it’s becoming wilted and shriveled, it’s possible you’re being too cautious about watering. In this case, you should start monitoring the soil more often to see if it’s drying out more quickly than you thought. Anthuriums may also require more frequent watering during the hot summer months.
How Much Water Does An Anthurium Need?
Although Flamingo Flowers aren’t especially difficult houseplants, it can be surprisingly tricky to get their water and humidity requirements right.
In the wild, Anthuriums grow in lush, moist rainforests. But rather than rooting in the earth, they often drape themselves over the trunks of tall trees, taking most of their water directly from the humid air by way of specialized aboveground roots.
Even when Anthuriums do grow in the ground, they prefer rich, crumbly humus, which drains well rather than staying soggy for long periods. So although they do prefer moist air around their leaves and limbs, they’ll be miserable if their feet are always wet.
What this means for houseplant growers is that Anthuriums will be much more tolerant of underwatering than overwatering. You can easily kill your Flamingo Flower by acting like an overeager server who tops off your water every time they come by the table!
Swampy soil is a fertile environment for the opportunistic microorganisms that cause root rot. This condition is as scary as it sounds: once it sets in, it can quickly chew through most of your plant’s root system before you even notice there’s a problem.
Signs It Is Time to Water Your Anthurium
While overwatering is bad news, giving your Anthurium too little water will cause its health to suffer as well. As with everything in nature, balance is critical. We’ve assembled a list of signs that will let you know it’s time to water your Anthurium.
1: The Soil Is Dry
The best way to tell if your Anthurium needs a drink is to keep a close eye on the vessel you’re serving it from: the soil.
About once a week, poke your finger a short depth into your Anthurium’s potting mix. If it feels dry and crumbly, it’s time to water. If it feels damp, give it another day or two and check again.
If you’d rather not get your hands dirty, invest in a moisture meter. These small devices can be inserted into the soil and will give you an accurate read on how wet or dry your soil really is. When the meter indicates that the soil is dry, it’s time to water.
When you do water your Anthurium, don’t be stingy. Pour until you can see that liquid is escaping from the drainage hole in the base of the pot and into the tray.
While we’re on the subject of soil, it’s worth noting that Flamingo Flowers prefer a fluffy bed to a firm one: coarse potting mix with good drainage will provide the best environment for your plant to thrive.
An orchid mix heavy on peat moss makes a good base. Many Anthurium lovers will mix in extras like perlite, compost, gravel, and pine bark to boost the drainage even further.
2: Its Growth Is Sluggish
Anthuriums aren’t the fastest growers, but if you’re in the height of summer and notice that your plant is adding little or no new growth at the base, it could be a sign that it’s not getting enough water.
As with many plant problems, several issues could cause this symptom. Even if an Anthurium is watered correctly, it will grow less vigorously if it’s too cold or doesn’t receive enough light.
So you’ll have to do a little differential diagnosis. Consider all the variables in your Anthurium’s growing conditions before you increase its water rations.
3: Your Anthurium Is Drooping
Like all flowering plants, Anthuriums only stay upright when their cells are plump and rigid with water. They’ll wilt if they’re not taking in enough moisture to replace what they exhale through the surface of their leaves. So you can often revive a sagging Anthurium by giving it a little more to drink.
However, you should always check the soil first! If it’s damp despite the plant wilting, then the problem is probably too much water.
Waterlogged roots don’t function properly, which means that your Anthurium can suffer from thirst despite having more than enough water available. Its overstressed roots can’t take enough in to keep the plant upright.
It’s also worth examining the plant for signs of sap-sucking pests like mites or thrips, which can also cause wilting. For more detail, you can read our guide on what to do about a droopy Anthurium.
4: The Leaves And Stems Feel Dry
Another way to spot an Anthurium in need of refreshment is to feel the surface of its leaves and stems. An underwatered plant will often develop a dry, brittle, crispy texture. It will feel more like a dead leaf than a living plant, and the leaves may also shrivel and crumple. These indicators will often be accompanied by wilting.
So if your Anthurium is beginning to feel like parchment, there’s a good chance it’s parched! Check the soil first, and then give it a drink!
5: Leaves Are Turning Brown
Brown leaves is essentially a more advanced stage of sign #4. When your Anthurium has been underwatered for long enough, it will begin sacrificing some leaves to stretch its limited resources a little further.
After these leaves have turned brown, they will not return to their former green color. If you see dead or dying leaves on your Anthurium from underwatering, go ahead and prune them off. This will free up your plant to use the energy it was trying to push into that leaf elsewhere. Then, water your Anthurium until the excess moisture runs out through the drainage hole.
Once again, we’ll caution you to tread carefully. This is yet another symptom that can result from both too much and too little water-plus a few other possibilities I’ll list below.
Excess water can actually burst the cell walls of plants, causing brown blisters on the leaves. And failing or rotting roots can produce the same prolonged thirst that causes leaves to turn brown with underwatering.
You’ll also want to check for patterns in the locations of brown spots. If they’re all clustered on one side of your Anthurium, check to make sure the plant isn’t near a source of heat or direct sunlight. These plants are susceptible to sunburn, and excess heat can dry them out.
If only the tips of your Anthurium are turning brown, the air may be too dry even if the roots are getting enough water. Periodically misting your plant with a spray bottle can often correct this issue. But when misting regularly, you should monitor carefully for any signs of fungal infection on the plant’s surface.
Another solution to dry air is a humidity tray: place the Anthurium’s pot on a shallow dish filled with smooth gravel or pebbles and a small amount of water. The rocks keep the roots elevated above the standing water, which evaporates to keep the air around your plant moist.
One last possibility: if you’re fertilizing your Flamingo Flower, nutrient excess can also cause leaf browning.
Place the plant on a diet for a bit and see if the problem goes away. You may also want to flush the soil to wash away any salts that have built up after leaching out of the plant food.
Above All, Pay Attention To Your Plant
Proper watering for Anthuriums may sound complicated, but most problems can be avoided by simply checking on the soil periodically. The most common mistake that growers make is assuming that their houseplants will need the same amount of water every week.
But a plant isn’t clockwork. Its needs will fluctuate with the ambient humidity, temperature, and light levels. It’s very common for Anthuriums to be thirstier in the summer than in the winter or to require more moisture in the air and less in the pot.
The best way to tell is to do what gardeners have done throughout human history: get your fingers into the dirt. When your soil is dry, it’s time to add water. If you still feel dampness in the top two inches, wait a few days and check again.