How to Plant Anthurium in Pots? (It's Easy)

Thanks to the vibrant flowers and the lush foliage, anthuriums are competent to add a touch of elegance to our décor.

These exotic beauties are one of the most popular choices among gardeners around the globe. So, once they are in your vicinity, it is worth providing a better habitat for them to live their lives to the fullest. We hope that by reading this article, you will figure out how to How to Plant Anthurium in Pots.

How to plant anthurium in pots

When it comes to potting anthurium, there are some important things that you should consider, including the size of the pot, the growing medium, and the proper place to keep the pot.

Finding a suitable pot is the best start to pot your anthurium plant. Indeed, this is the foundation where your plant will thrive.

Keep in mind that improper pot selection can end up with negative consequences. So, be careful about the pot size. In the second chapter of this article, we have highlighted the preferable pot sizes for anthuriums.

You can go for any kind of pot material such as plastics, fiberglass, terracotta, or ceramics for anthuriums. Each of these materials have pros and cons. Make sure the pot has enough drainage too.

Next, you can prepare the potting mix for your plant. The anthurium growing medium should be coarse, loose, and well-draining. We have discussed more about the suitable soil types in the third chapter of this article.

Once the pot and the growing medium are ready, it is time to pot your anthurium. Fill one-third of the pot with the potting mix.

Then you can place your anthurium plant on the potting mix and fill the sides around the plant with additional potting mix. Anthuriums tend to have the growth of aerial roots.

The roots continue to grow on the potting mix with time. You can delay the transplanting of the anthurium, in case you begin with a little amount of soil. Once you fill the pot with soil add a little slow-release fertilizer to encourage the plant growth.

Finally, water your plant. It helps the plant get hydrated, and settle the potting mix. Keep your anthurium pot under a shade for a few days.

Then spot it where it exposes to indirect bright light, high ambient humidity, and to desirable warmness. Do not keep the plant near any heat-generating elements.

Generally, plants get stressed once they are newly potted. So, in such situations, they are very much vulnerable to wrong environmental conditions. Make sure that the place does not interfere with healthy plant growth.

Do anthuriums like small pots?

The pot size for anthurium is influenced by the growing stage of the plant and the species. You can use a small size pot for tissue culture plants, but if you use a top cutting anthurium, probably a small size pot won’t work well.

There are some giant anthurium varieties like A. faustomirandae (Faustino’s giant), which need a relatively large pot.

Some might think that since anthuriums like to be root bound, they can be grown in small spaces. Actually, anthuriums can be grown in small pots but up to some extent. If the pot is jammed with roots it will affect the plant growth.

In most cases, pot sizes of 5 to 12 inches are commonly used for anthuriums. However, the pot should be switched from a small pot to a larger pot with the plant’s growth.

You are supposed to repot anthuriums with a quite larger pot than the previous one once the plant has outgrown it. Since it can shock the plant, make sure not to use a much larger pot when repotting your plant.

Be mindful that if the pot is too small for the plant, it will only hold a little amount of soil. Because the soil may not retain enough water for the plant you may need to water the plant frequently which can ultimately end up in overwatering issues.

Does anthurium need soil?

Anthuriums do not prefer dense soil to grow. They are epiphytes. It means that anthuriums are climbers. In the wild, rather than root in the soil anthuriums grow on other plants. Their roots pierce plant debris in tree cavities or hang in the air.

Anyway, when you grow anthuriums in your home you have to provide a suitable substrate for them to grow. Usually, they prefer a soilless medium to grow. Remember that anthurium roots crave oxygen.

So, it is essential to use a medium that can trap plenty of air for the roots. In this sense, the use of normal garden soil for your anthuriums is not advisable. Instead, you should use a proper blend of soil in a way that boosts the healthy growth of the plant.

Nowadays raising anthuriums in water with no soil at all is getting much more popular. However, this is supposed to be done with care. Anthuriums can adapt to growing in water, but they won’t perform as well as they would in a solid medium unless you tend the plant properly.

What kind of soil does anthurium need?

Soil for anthuriums is not just muck. It should possess the right structure, provide nutrients, retain enough moisture, and facilitate aeration for the optimum growth and development of the plant.

The acidity (pH level) that can influence nutrient availability, microbial load, and soil toxicity is also an important parameter. For anthuriums, the optimum pH level of the soil lies at pH 5.5 to 6.5.

Most common potting soil ingredients include perlite, sand, peat moss, wood chips, coco coir, compost, vermiculite, pine bark fines, and pumice will do a better job for anthuriums.

A blend of these ingredients will make a perfect potting mix for your anthurium plant. Other than that, you can combine a potting mix intended for orchids with a coarse substance to create the growing medium for anthuriums.

As mentioned earlier, anthuriums prefer a loose and coarse medium that drains well. So, you can add ingredients that impart porosity to the growing medium.This improves aeration and, at the same time, drainage.

Waterlogged soil encourages microbes to grow, which can severely damage your plant. Root rot is one of the most commonly occurring microbial infections resulting from excess water in the soil. These microorganisms can kill your plant, so you should prevent the medium from holding too much water.

Where does anthurium grow best?

In fact, the spot where you choose to place your anthurium pot has a great impact on the growth of the plant. Pay your attention to light intensity, temperature, and humidity in the environment. For the best performance, these factors must be compatible with the plants’ requirements.

Anthuriums are native to tropical rainforests. There they grow in an environment such that they get constantly exposed to warmth, ample sunlight, and moisture.

If you expect to see a nice display of stunning vibrant flowers with your anthuriums, you definitely have to mimic these conditions in your plant surroundings.

In terms of warmth and humidity, anthuriums prefer to grow where the ambient temperature is around 15 to 20 ^oC and there are high humidity levels.

In addition, unmasking anthuriums to bright indirect light gives you the best chance for success. Cold, dark, and arid environments around anthuriums delay plant growth.

Keep your anthurium plants away from radiators, including heater vents. Air conditioning units reduce humidity so, you should mist your plants unless you want to see them dehydrated.

Placing the anthurium pot near a window helps receive enough bright light, but do not keep it on the windowsills. Be mindful to use a sheer curtain to filter the light that reaches your plant. The plant will be burned if the strong sunlight directly strikes it.

Can I put my anthurium outside?

Anthuriums are possible to grow outdoors in zones 11 to 12. They grow well outside where the environment is controlled and water drains away freely.

Obviously, unlike growing indoors, the environmental conditions are different when anthuriums are grown outside.

Regulation of ambient environmental conditions is a must since anthuriums are sensitive to extreme environmental conditions. Therefore, once anthuriums are outside they need regular irrigation, consistent temperature, and a shady area.

It is crucial to maintain a temperature of around 15 to 32 ^oC when anthuriums are grown outdoors. Extreme cold temperatures, especially during the winter, can harm your plant.

When you grow anthuriums outside, pay attention to the soil. The soil must not be dry out as well as it should not be soggy.

Plants will be susceptible to bacterial and fungal infections such as root rot and crown rot when they root in waterlogged soil for too long. Ensure that the soil is well-drained.

Anthuriums should be grown in a partially shaded area to avoid direct exposure to sunlight. Direct, harsh sunlight leads to scorching the plant and turning vivid colors of flowers to white and brown. In addition, if the area is too dark, it will delay the plant’s growth and switch flower colors to green.

Windy areas are also detrimental for anthuriums. Furthermore, in arid climates, plants should be misted daily as a correction for the humidity level. Alternatively, you can use a humidifier during the dry months.

It is a good idea to grow anthuriums in pots if you wish to grow them outside. This enables you to move the plant to a preferable place once the outdoor conditions are not ideal for anthuriums.