With gorgeous flowers and stunning foliage, a well-tended anthurium plant adds elegant beauty to your home. But have you ever thought about watering anthurium with ice cubes? Either Way this article is for you. Learn how well anthurium reacts to ice water and more watering techniques. Anthuriums are native to tropical rainforests. They always prefer to have their roots in moist muck.
Unlike houseplants, anthuriums in the wild constantly gain enough water from their surroundings. In fact, once they are in your home, you should mimic such moist conditions for your anthuriums to keep them alive. It might be a tedious job for you to satisfy the water requirements of your anthuriums unless you have a proper understanding of that. So, we would recommend you to read this article to gain a good understanding of how to satisfy the water requirements of your anthuriums.
Is watering anthurium with ice cubes a good idea?
Yes, you can use ice cubes for your anthuriums. This is an effective way to provide plants with a known amount of water. When the ice melts, it releases water steadily, making the growing medium of the plant moist. So, the anthurium plant is able to absorb enough water. Since ice cubes slowly release water into the soil, the plant won’t be flooded with water instantly.
It is good to use ice cubes for your anthuriums when it is difficult to access the plant or the growing medium is too draining. However, you may not be confident in using cold water for anthuriums. Some research studies have been done to examine the effects of the use of cold water to irrigate some tropical plants, and they have revealed that there are no harmful effects on plant health from the use of cold water.
Anyway, the most important thing is that you should be able to address the timely water requirements of your plant. Watering your plants with a fixed quantity of water is not advisable. The water requirements of your anthurium won’t be the same throughout the year. Plants change their water requirements depending on the environmental conditions and the growing periods .
For example, during warm climates, plants need more water than they do during cold climates. Moreover, the plants need more water when they are actively growing than they are during the dormancy period.
So, if you wish to use ice cubes to irrigate your plants, try to understand the temporary water requirements of your plants first and use a sufficient number of ice cubes with the proper size accordingly. Remember that using the same number of ice cubes daily for the plants is not the best way to go.
How often should I water my anthurium?
As mentioned earlier, the water requirement of anthurium plants is not constant. It varies depending on the ambient environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity, and also on the growing stage of the plant. Suppose you have got anthuriums both indoors and outdoors.
It is likely that their ambient environmental conditions are not identical, so the water requirement. Similarly, the water requirements of your anthuriums may be altered each day.
Therefore, it is important to water your plants when they need it and how much they need it. So, how are you going to determine when you should water your anthuriums? Some home gardeners are used to following a 7-day schedule for watering anthuriums during hot seasons.
However, there is no such rule to water anthuriums every week. The rule is that you should water anthuriums whenever they are thirsty. It is ideal to water anthuriums when the growing medium becomes partially dry. To be specific, to water anthuriums, wait till the first two inches of soil become dry.
Be careful not to immerse anthuriums with water. In general, anthuriums perform well when the soil is moist. If you let the soil become soggy, you will definitely hurt the plant. Once the soil becomes soggy, it impairs gas exchange and invites microbial infections such as root rot, which are capable of severely affecting the plants’ health.
How do I know if my anthurium needs water?
Rather than sticking to a schedule, it would be best if you could water your anthuriums once they demand it. If you are uncertain about when you should water your anthuriums, don’t worry. Follow these simple tips. The wetness of the soil is a good indication of the water requirement of the plant. You can check the soil for dampness.
Just dip your few fingers into the soil (about 1 to 2 inches in depth) and feel the dampness. If you feel the soil is moist and sticks to your fingers, possibly that is not the time for watering your anthuriums. If the soil is cool and crumbly, it implies the soil is starting to dry out. Once it crumbles and falls off, and is warm, the soil has dried out. At this point, you should definitely water your plants.
Other than that, lift your anthurium pot. If it is light, it is a sign that the soil has dried out. It reminds you to water your plant. To be precise, you can use a moisture meter to get an idea of the moisture level in the soil. A moisture meter is a simple, readily available, and inexpensive tool to use.
Dip the probe of the moisture meter into the base of the anthurium pot and get the reading. Therefore, you can get a more accurate measurement of the dampness of the soil. Any signs like discoloration or drooping of leaves imply the necessity for water. Anyhow, you should never wait until your plants give visual indications of dehydration to water them.
Do anthuriums like to be misted?
In the wild, anthuriums grow in a highly humid environment. Remember, they are native to rainforests. So, for the best performance, anthuriums prefer high humidity surrounding them. Unless you use a humidifier or mist the leaves, it will be tricky to create such a high-humidity environment around indoor anthurium plants with the presence of heaters and air conditioning units.
Misting would be an effective and simple way to compensate for the low humidity in the plant environment. However, the necessity of misting the plant is dependent on environmental conditions, mainly temperature and relative humidity.
In cooler months, the ambient temperature is low and the relative humidity is high. Thus, the plant loses less water due to transpiration and evaporation. In such situations, you don’t want to mist your anthuriums. On the other hand, during warmer and drier climates, plants lose water from the plant surface and from the soil.
So, it is crucial to mist your plants every day to create the proper humid environment around them. Often, anthurium plants are kept inside bathrooms to provide the high humidity conditions temporarily. But you can correct the humidity around the plant without changing its location by misting.
You can mist your anthuriums with the help of a spray bottle filled with lukewarm water. Anyway, there is a potential risk of fungal infections on the plant due to frequent misting. Therefore, be vigilant about your plants. If you notice any sign of infection, take immediate action to overcome it.
Is it possible to bottom water anthurium?
Obviously, this is one of the most preferred methods for watering anthuriums. How do you do bottom watering your anthuriums? Place your anthurium pot in a tray filled with water (about 2 cm deep) and leave it for about 10 minutes. Make sure that the water on the tray has access to the soil in the pot. If you feel the soil is moist enough, you can remove any excess water from the tray.
If the soil is dry, you can add some more water to the tray and leave it for a while until the soil absorbs enough water. The plant gets several benefits over bottom watering. Since the soil doesn’t get flooded with water, plants are less susceptible to root rot. You can achieve more uniform watering for the plants with this watering method. Furthermore, this helps prevent the leaching of nutrients in the soil.
Do anthuriums like self-watering pots?
Usually, self-watering planters are ideal for tropical plants such as anthuriums, and obviously, this would be a good option to satisfy the water requirements of the plants if you leave your home for a vacation. Self-watering pots enable you to maintain a proper water level in the soil. Self-watering pots are available in many options on the market. You can go for the most convenient one for you. You should not forget to top up the reservoir of the pot every month.
Can I grow anthurium in water?
An anthurium plant that is grown in a clear glass container filled only with water gives an absolutely marvelous display. But you should make an extra effort to keep your plants healthy while they are grown in the soil. Unlike those grown in the soil, plants won’t receive vital nutrients when they are in the water.
So, it is crucial to fertilize the plant with a weak dose of liquid fertilizer once a month. Furthermore, you should change the water often before it changes color. Unless you maintain proper hygiene in water, roots will become slimy and rot, eventually killing your plant.
If you love to have an anthurium plant in your home, follow these steps. A clear glass container of the proper size is suitable as it enables a view of the roots. Carefully remove your plant from the soil and rinse the soil properly with lukewarm water. Do not damage the plant’s roots.
Place your plant in the glass container and fill it with water. To assure healthy growth, you should give your plant a proper spot. Select a place where the plant receives enough indirect bright light. Probably, near a window would be best.
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