Flamingo flowers and how to take care of them properly

Flamingo flowers (Anthuriums) are majestic houseplants with large red flowers and glossy leaves. They are very popular plants, but unfortunately they are not easy to grow, but with proper care you can have healthy plants for your enjoyment all year round. Did you know that flamingo flowers purify the surrounding air? Yes, they do and as an additional benefit they do not require as much light as other household plants.

What should you know about flamingo flowers?

Anthurium is an exotic plant that has more than 800 species. They are popular as cut flowers, but thanks to their impressive flowers people also like to grow them as houseplants. The heart-shaped flower is most often red, but there are other colours too – for example, green and purple, white or yellow or even chestnut brown . Flamingo flowers make excellent interior plants because they bloom all year round.

Flowers last for several months

Once anthurium blooms you will be able to enjoy it for several months – if you take care of it properly. The plant does not like direct light, so feel free to place it in a darker place. It should grow fine even in a bathroom without any windows. We should mention that anthurium is a poisonous plant… It contains a toxic juice that can cause skin irritation, unpleasant rash and burning. So, if you work with this plant, you should use protective gloves to protect your hands. Eyes should be protected as well.

Caring for flamingo flowers

Anthurium needs rather hard temperature and high humidity. The ideal temperature ranges from 20 to 28 °C, and the humidity must not fall below 50%. If you have lower humidity in your room, the temperature should be between 18 and 20 °C. Anthurium cannot tolerate a temperature lower than 14 °C. As mentioned above, it needs moisture, but it does not like water droplets on leaves. If you want to increase the humidity around it, you have to find another way then sprinkling (you may place the plant next to a container with water for example).

Photo: Pixabay

Location

Choose a location with diffused light and away from windows. Bathroom is a great location but if you cut the light too much, you may have fewer flowers. So, if you feel that your plant does not bloom as it should, try moving it to a brighter room. Soil should contain little bit of peat, pine bark, perlite and coconut fibre to increase aeration. . You should be able to buy a special soil in garden centres.

Watering and fertilizing

Anthurium needs fairly abundant watering, but as with most plants no standing water. Standing water always promotes rotting and you do not want that. Use rainwater or boiled water. In summer, you should water about every four days and then about once a week. Wash the leaves regularly with a damp cloth. Anthurium grows best from April to August and you may also fertilize it during this time – every two weeks. Universal fertilizer will do but the concentration should be about three times lower than recommended.

Propagation

Young plants need to be transplanted into larger containers. An older plant may be propagated by dividing its root ball into smaller parts. It is recommended to put a drainage layer on the bottom of the flower pot – coarse gravel, expanded clay, pebbles, crushed stone, etc.. Press the plant down to the substrate to eliminate gaps in the soil.

Source: https://www.ceskestavby.cz/clanky/jak-pestovat-toulitky-neboli-anturie-26723.html

Preview photo: Pixabay