Why Is My Anthurium Turning Brown

Brown leaves may indicate your plant isn’t getting enough of the minerals it requires. Anthuriums require nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to grow.

Many anthurium growers use controlled-release fertilizers to prevent this issue, but if your leaves have already turned brown, you might wish to use a liquid fertilizer for a few weeks until your plant recovers. Just remember to dilute the liquid fertilizer to 25% of the advised strength.

How can brown anthurium leaves be fixed?

Why are the leaves on my anthurium going brown? Overexposure to sunshine, a lack of nutrients, or insufficient hydration can all result in brown leaves. Put your plant in bright indirect light—never in the sun—feed it once a month when it is actively growing with a high-phosphorus fertilizer, and water it once a week with six ice cubes or a half cup of water.

How frequently should anthuriums be watered indoors? Anthurium houseplants need only receive one weekly watering, with a brief period of soil drying in between. Six ice cubes placed immediately on the soil and allowed to melt can prevent leaves from getting wet, which can result in bacterial disease. Alternatively, you can directly pour a half cup of water into the soil.

Natural Aging of your Anthurium

How long have you had your plant? The leaves might simply be aging naturally! Old growth will naturally wither and drop to make way for newer growth, especially near the bottom of the plant. Sharp shears should be used to remove wilting, yellowing, or browning leaves or blossoms so that the plant may focus its efforts on maintaining healthy growth.

Leaf blight is the rapid browning and yellowing of your anthurium leaves. Your plant is probably experiencing one of the problems listed below if it is deteriorating quickly and all over.

Your Anthurium is Suffering from Sunburn

However, direct sunshine will cause your leaves to quickly dry out and destroy the plant. The more light the plant receives, the more blossoms it will produce. Your Anthurium should be placed in an area with strong indirect light.

Nutrient Deficiency for your Anthurium

After being depleted from your potting soil, your anthurium may not be receiving adequate nutrients including nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium. Until your plant starts to recover, we advise using a controlled release fertilizer at only 1/4 the amount specified on the package.

Overwatering Leading to Root Rot

If persistently overwatered, tropical plants like anthurium are very prone to developing root rot. During the growing season, which runs from March through September, keep the soil just barely damp. After giving your Anthurium adequate water, wait until the top 25 to 50 percent of the soil has dried up before giving it more.

You should remove your plant from the pot if its health is fast declining so you can check for root rot. Trimming back the rot and repotting your anthurium are the only ways to aid in the recovery of your plant if the roots are slimy or black.

Save your Anthurium by Repotting

You must repot your anthurium in order to save it. You have to use fresh potting soil that drains nicely. To repot your plant, follow these instructions:

  • Select a pot with drainage holes that is about 2 bigger than the existing pot.
  • Your new potting mix should be placed in the new pot up to a third of the way.
  • Slide your anthurium out of the pot slowly. Cut off any roots that appear to be dead or mushy using sharp shears.
  • Then, add the leftover potting soil to the new container, flatten it down, and set the anthurium within.
  • After giving the plant a good soak until the water runs out the bottom, give it some time to dry out.

How does an overwatered anthurium appear?

Root rot can occur if your Anthurium is overwatered. How does that appear? The stems will become brown, and the roots will be mushy. Issues with soil quality or watering frequency could be the cause of this.

Why are the flowers on my anthurium fading to brown?

Various factors might cause anthurium flowers to turn brown. Overwatering, overfertilizing, excessive sunshine, cold stress, and bug infestations are the five main reasons of browning. Each of these can make flowers that were previously vibrant and robust droop, shrivel, or turn brown. Once you identify the source of the browning, you can take action to restore your plant’s health and stop additional harm. Dead leaf pruning helps ensure that your plant thrives in the future.

How are anthurium plants revived?

The best way to revive an anthurium plant

  • Put your plant somewhere brighter, but away from direct sunshine.
  • Only water it once every week.
  • Give it some additional plant food.
  • You can discover how to repot your plant in this article.

How frequently do I need to water my anthurium?

H2O and Humidity

Low to medium water requirements apply to this houseplant. In between waterings, let the soil to dry out. If you reside in a hot climate, water your lawn once every two to three days; if it rains frequently, water as needed. The anthurium needs appropriate drainage most of all.

Is my anthurium in trouble?

The good news is that this plant probably only loses its flowers as a normal part of its life cycle! You may only be in-between blooms because a well-cared-for anthurium blooms at intervals of about three months all year long. If not properly cared for, this tropical plant may also be temperamental, so you may need to make some adjustments if your plant’s blossoms and leaves are fading or wilting.

Sharp shears should be used to remove any wilting or browning flowers to encourage healthy growth so that the plant may focus its efforts on maintaining its healthy blossoms. Here are some typical causes of anthurium blossom loss and tips for assisting your plant in recovering if its health is continuing to decline.

Overwatering or Underwatering Your Anthurium

Anthuriums can lose their blossoms due to both too much and too little water, but too much water might kill your plant completely by causing root rot. You need to make some quick course corrections in your routine for caring for plants if you notice that their leaves are browning or drooping along with the loss of blossoms.

During the growing season, which runs from March through September, keep the soil just barely damp. After giving your Anthurium a good soak, wait until the top couple of inches of soil are totally dry before giving it another drink.

Cold Damage to Your Anthurium

Tropical flowering plants called anthurium need warm temperatures to thrive. While indoor plants are typically kept warm enough, overly aggressive air conditioners or the winter can cause cold damage. Your anthurium enjoys daytime temperatures of 65 to 80 degrees and nighttime lows of no lower than 60 degrees. Your plant will benefit from air circulation, but keep it away from fans and vents for your air conditioner and heater.

Improper Light Conditions For Your Anthurium

The more light the plant receives, the more flowers it will produce; however, never expose the plant to direct sunlight as this will cause it to quickly stop producing flowers as well as die. Your Anthurium should be placed in an area with strong indirect light. They can handle less light in the winter.

Improper Humidity For Your Anthurium

Your Anthurium will benefit from daily spraying because it enjoys a humid environment. Use a humidifier or a pebble tray in the winter when the air is more likely to be dry.

Why is my anthurium plant acting up?

The majority of Anthurium cultivars used for cut flowers are variations of the epiphytic plant endemic to Columbia and Ecuador, Anthurium andraeanum. Consumers can easily identify cultivars of Anthurium andraeanum by their distinctive huge red blossoms (Figure 1). Pink, orange, white, green, purple, and mixtures of these colors are some of the new flower colors that have been introduced through breeding.

The production of flowering potted Anthuriums is currently dominated by Florida. In order to produce potted plants, A. andraeanum has been crossed with dwarf species including A. amnicola and A. antioquiense. The University of Florida Plant Breeding Program has introduced three compact, hybrid types of potted Anthurium: “Red Hot” (Henny, Chen, and Mellich 2008a), “Orange Hot” (Figure 2) (Henny, Chen, and Mellich 2008b), and “Southern Blush” (Henny, Poole, and Conover 1988).

Since anthurium is highly vulnerable to bacterial and fungal infections, commercial output may be significantly hampered. The most dangerous bacterial blight is probably that brought on by Xanthomonas. In the cultivation of anthurium, root rots brought on by Rhizoctonia, Pythium, and Phytophthora also occur. Therefore, being able to recognize and eradicate these diseases is crucial.

Does Miracle Grow benefit anthurium plants?

In a 5-8 inch (12.5-20 cm) pot, bury the top of the root ball 1 inch (2.5 cm) into the dirt. Use a potting soil that is light, permeable, and well-draining. Only repot anthurium plants when they have grown root-bound in a pot one size larger than the one they are now in.

Which soil mixture works best is a topic on which there are many different viewpoints in the gardening community. Perlite, peat moss, moisture control potting mix, and orchid potting mix seem to work best for anthuriums in my experience.

What does an anthurium in decline resemble?

Finding the proper amount of light is another component of Anthurium maintenance that can be a little challenging. They are susceptible to sunburn, like many popular indoor plants. Their leaves will scorch and wither if exposed to direct sunlight for an extended period of time.

Another issue that first manifests as dehydration is sun scorch.

The leaves will start to shrink and get light brown and yellow patches. Your Anthurium undoubtedly has sunburn if these blotches are mostly on the side of the plant that faces a bright window. Another clue can be found in blooms that appear faded and bleached.

Your Anthurium needs a lot of light to develop, even if you shouldn’t let it sunbathe. However, the majority of that light should be filtered using partially opaque materials or indirect reflections off of other surfaces.

Lack of sunlight will cause an Anthurium to grow and flower very little, if at all, and cause its leaves to turn an extremely dark green. If the plant does bloom again, they might be green rather than the vivid crimson that they usually are.

Fixing Lighting Issues in Anthuriums

Move a sunburned Anthurium to a more shady location for a few weeks to help it recover. While you shouldn’t completely shut it out of the sun, do so until it starts to produce healthy new leaves. In the future, restrict exposure to the sun to the chilly early morning hours. Try hanging some sheer curtains to soften the light if you’re intending to place the plant close to a south or west window.

An underlit Anthurium ought to be placed in a more light-filled area, like an east-facing sill or a sunny room with a perch five or six feet away from the windows. We provide some suggestions in this article for useful LED grow lights so that you may give it a boost.

Anthurium: Does it require sunlight?

Anthuriums are known for their enduring, heart-shaped blooms. The colorful, magnificent blossoms add a wonderful pop of color to the house and are quite simple to maintain!

If you have bright shade, anthuriums are a fantastic option for an outdoor summer container as they thrive in the heat and humidity and should bloom all season.

Light:

Anthuriums will grow and survive in low light, but they won’t blossom because they need medium to bright light to bloom. Select a location that receives some sunshine but is not directly in the sun (early morning or late afternoon sun is generally OK).

Water:

Keep the soil barely damp but not drenched. In the spring and summer, the plant will require extra water, especially if it is in direct sunlight. Root disease may result from overwatering and be challenging to treat.

Use any all-purpose fertilizer ideal for indoor plants to fertilize in the spring and summer. You can achieve excellent results by fertilizing at a diluted rate (often 1/4 strength) with each watering, and you won’t need to keep track of when you last fertilized. It also works well to use a slow-release fertilizer like Osmocote.

Heat Index and Humidity:

Regular home temperatures are excellent, but like many tropical houseplants, summertime outdoors brings additional heat and humidity that feels “exactly like home.” If you decide to grow your Anthurium outdoors, just be sure to keep it away of direct sunlight.

Do not place your Anthurium too close to a heat source or in a hot or cold draft. This may cause the leaves to dry out and develop brown tips.

Repotting:

Repot your Anthurium in the spring when the roots are starting to grow if it is outgrowing its container. Any high-quality, well-drained soil mixture will do.

Anthuriums develop an extended stem with exposed root nubs as they get older. These stems can be wrapped in wet sphagnum moss, tied, and covered with a thin piece of plastic to keep the moisture in. The roots should start to develop into the moss if you keep it moist. Once a significant number of new roots have grown, the stem can be severed at the soil line and the newly developed roots potted.

Anthuriums should continue to bloom for nearly the entire year as long as they receive enough light, moisture, and fertilizer during active growth. If your Anthurium isn’t blossoming, it’s probably due to a lack of moisture or light.

Why are the leaves on my anthurium becoming brown and yellow?

Your anthurium plant is receiving too much plant nutrition if its leaves are growing larger, yellow, or brown. So for a while, stick to offering only water. It is preferable to give plants too little nutrients rather than too much. The optimal time of year to fertilize or repot a plant is in the spring. At this time of year, bud production will be stimulated by the warmer days and increased sunshine. Apply a specialized Anthurium fertilizer for this purpose. Never use more than what is recommended on the packing, which will be on the product’s packaging.

Check out the FAQ or the About Anthurium page to learn more about these plants.