Don’t miss this chance if you see Anthurium pendulifolium for sale anywhere. Trust us, with its long trailing leaves, and you need this ornamental plant in your Anthurium collection.
Its care needs are not challenging at all. We have compiled all of them in this well-put-together care guide.
Contents
What Is Anthurium Pendulifolium?
Anthurium pendulifolium is a tropical native that is very popular as an ornamental house plant. It is grown mainly for its long, slender, and glossy dark-green leaves. These leaves have a downwards growth, so you can either grow this in a hanging basket or a simple good old pot.
Anthurium Pendulifolium Care
Anthurium pendulifolium care is not as challenging as some other tropical plants. It would help if you had indirect bright light and more than 80 percent humidity. Maintain temperature within a range of 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit even in the winters. Check if the top two inches of the soil are dry; only then water the plant.
– Watering Requirements
Anthuriums need time till the top one to two inches of their soil is dry. Only then should they be water next. In the summer, an indoor kept plant will have to water an average of once per week.
Outside, the soil dries out faster, so you might have to water more frequently. Of course, the soil takes much longer to dry in the winters. You will have to water less often. Remember, the key to watering this plant is: Always check the soil first!
It takes a minute barely to check if the soil is dry. We did our research and asked around, and these are some of plant lovers’ favorite methods. Start by inserting the moisture meter rod in the soil’s top inches. Correspond the reading with the manual that comes with the meter. It will tell you whether it’s time to water or not.
Take a wooden skewer and push it within the soil. If it comes out with dry, crumbly soil, proceed with your watering. Don’t have time for skewers and moisture meters? Just put your finger into the soil.
You will have to feel whether the soil feels wet or dry. Even more straightforward is the lift-up method. Pick up the pot to see if it feels lighter than usual. If yes, the soil is dry and ready to get some water.
– Light Requirements
The good thing about pendulifolium is that it can tolerate and survive in all light conditions. Yes, when grown in low light, it will grow slowly and produce fewer blooms. For the best results, give it the brightest indirect light for seven to eight hours daily.
Some must-do things to give this plant the perfect lighting conditions include placing a room with an eastern window is the most suitable of all. The eastern-facing window receives direct light rays for a couple of hours in the morning. It provides only indirect light to the room for the rest of the day.
You must beware of the southern-facing window in the room. It lets only direct light into the room, which can be pretty harsh during the mid-afternoon hours. The northern-facing window never gets any natural light. This light is often a bit low, but your plant will continue growing nonetheless.
Furthermore, you may keep this plant outdoors if you want to. Just provide it with some shade to prevent sun scorching.
– Soil Requirements
In nature, Anthuriums mostly like to grow on other trees and rocks. So the ideal soil for them at home would be one with lots of spaces for the roots to grow into. The airflow and water retention also need to be the very best.
In our experience, creating your suitable soil mixture is much healthier than using a store-bought one. Trust us; it is not difficult at all. All you have to do is buy the following ingredients and mix them in equal parts. The list below is the best mixture for your plant, since this plant needs airy soil that has space, these are the best ones:
- Peat moss: this is going to be the primary organic constituent of your soil. Peat breaks down and serves to provide nutrients to the soil over time. It also acts as a sponge that absorbs some water when you pour it on the soil. Later, when the soil starts drying, it releases this water back into the soil.
- Pumice: these small inorganic mineral balls help improve the soil’s porosity. Tiny air spaces are created, which keeps your roots aerated. They also contribute a little towards water retention.
- Bark Pieces: moderate pieces of healthy wood barks work wonders for Anthurium soil. They keep the soil from clumping together. Over time, bark composts into food for the roots.
- Mulch and Gravel: These are some additional ingredients we love to add to our soil. Losing the bottom of the plant’s pot with gravel is best. Mulch, on the other hand, can be spread over the soil’s surface.
– Temperature Requirements
70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit is the perfect temperature range for pendulifolium. Because it is native to warm tropical regions, it cannot tolerate cold heat. When the temperatures fall below 50 degrees, it starts to suffer from shock symptoms immediately. This includes rapid leaf drop and growth hindrance.
If your outdoor temperatures drop below 50 degrees during winters, it is best just to move them indoors. Some people wrap their plants up in tarp, sheets, or cardboards outdoors through winters. This method works but is not always recommended.
You will have to take care of the temperature indoors as well. Often, a plant might be placed directly under an air conditioning vent. This cold air will also cause it to lose leaves and suffer.
Similarly, don’t open the windows in the room if the temperature below drops below 50 degrees.
Did you know that your laundry room and kitchen are the warmest rooms within the house? This plant thrives the most there. We think it also looks great above a refrigerator.
– Humidity Requirements
As much as 80 percent humidity is needed for growing the best Anthuriums. This keeps their leaves healthy, plump, and vibrant. Usually, the average humidity levels in most houses are around 55 to 65 percent. This means you need to improve your home’s air moisture level artificially.
There are just some places within your house that are more humid than others. It would help if you moved the pot to the kitchen, washroom, or laundry room.
A humidifier will be a worthy investment if you own several tropical plants with high humidity needs. You can put it in the room with these plants on auto mode. This mode is pretty helpful as it turns off by itself when the right levels are reached.
These days humidifiers come in pretty reasonable price ranges these days. They are also cost-effective, and you can run them at home most of the time.
Furthermore, you may also place a pebble tray under the pot of tropical plants improves humidity levels by as much as 15 percent. Ensure that the water within it is changed every few days for hygiene purposes. The surface of the pot should never come in contact with water. The drainage hole will soak up the water, leading to overwatering.
– Fertilizing Requirements
Pendulifolium is not a heavy feeder at all. Remember how a significant quantity of organic constituents is added to the soil? They should be enough to last your soil for a while. If you must, fertilize only during growing and never in the winters.
A regular liquid fertilizer works ok for Anthuriums. Just dilute it for one-fourth of its starting concentration by mixing it in clean water. First, water the soil copiously and then fertilize right after. Fertilize every month during the growing season. Fertilizing more will not make your plant grow magically. Instead, it will suppress flowering and lead to foliage burn.
With regular use of liquid fertilizers, toxic by-products build up in the soil. The solution is to deep water the soil for five to seven minutes at the end of the growing season. Most of the toxins will dissolve in this water and then flow away.
Slow-release fertilizers are buried midway into the soil. They take three to four months to break down and release their nutrients. This makes them far safer and easier to use. Buy a balanced form of slow-release fertilizer that usually come in pellet forms.
– Pruning Requirements
Pruning means cutting or trimming off the stem or leaves of the plant. One reason why this is healthy is that the cut part encourages further growth. Another important reason is, of course, esthetic purposes.
You cannot cut your plant with gardening tools that haven’t been cleaned. Many plant pests and diseases are transferred via unclean tools during pruning. The healthiest time to prune Anthurium is during spring and summer time. A plant cannot be cut more than one-third of its size during a single growth period.
Propagation
Propagating Anthurium pendulifolium can be easily done via either root division or stem cuttings. Timing is the key when it comes to the propagation of a plant. Only carry out this procedure during the growth period from March till September. You will have a failed propagation during the winter dormancy time.
– Learn To Propagate By Root Division
This method is best for a time when your plant begins to outgrow its pot. Instead of repotting the whole plant by transplanting it from one pot to another, you divide it for propagation.
- When taking the adult plant out of its pot, take extreme care that the roots are not harmed.
- Once out, wash the soil out of the roots. Don’t use very high-pressure water because the Anthurium roots tend to be fragile.
- You will find that the plant can be easily divided into three or more parts by separating individual roots. Each divided part should have at least two or more stems.
- If some of the roots are tangled too much, you might damage them. In this case, cutting them carefully with a knife would be best.
- Plant each divided plant segment within its soil. It may consume some time to adjust to its new home. During this time, be patient and provide the right plant care.
– Learn To Propagate By Stem Cuttings
The good thing with stem cutting is that it is more convenient. You will not have to go through the hassle of repotting the plant.
- Rub 70 percent isopropyl alcohol first on the cutting tool. Cut off a six-inch-long part of a healthy stem by making a sharp, oblique incision.
- This cut should have at least two leaf nodes with leaves still attached. A rooting hormone at the cut end will promote healing and act as an anti-bacterial.
- Fill your new pot with a well-draining potting mix, make a hole, and insert half of the cutting within it. The leaves on the cutting should preferably be above the soil level.
- Right afterward, water the soil thoroughly to saturate it. Afterward, you must maintain a strict watering regime appropriate for Pendulifolium.
- A newly potted stem cutting needs the best care you can give a plant. Take special care that humidity levels are maintained above 80 percent.
Problems
Luckily, this long-leaved plant will give you little, if any, problems while growing at home. Still, you must be careful about overwatering the plant or a pest infestation, particularly spider mites. Find out why these common problems occur and how to eliminate them.
– Overwatering
Anthurium pendulifolium flowers and plants cannot tolerate overwatering. Their leaves swell, turn yellow, and might start falling off. Now, this is only a matter of time before an overwatered plant develops either fungal or bacterial rot.
Three things might contribute to overwatering. First of all, try to recall your watering schedule. This might be the problem if you keep watering at a set time and day without checking the soil.
If that is not it, the soil may not be well-draining enough. In this case, you will have to repot the plant in better soil. If the drainage holes in the pot have been blocked, you can open them up easily or create new ones using a drill.
– Spider Mites
Spider Mites are parasitic pests that make a home under the leaves and stem sheaths. They multiply a lot and increase in large numbers. Soon they will be eating most of your plant’s food instead.
Such a plant will suffer from a lack of nutrients and slow growth. There will appear yellow spots all over the long Pendulifolium leaves. Spider webs woven around the plant are the most tell-tale symptom of a spider mites attack.
People who don’t disinfect instruments before use are always at risk of a pest attack. If a new infested plant has been brought into the house, it will only be a matter of time before these pests spread to all the plants.
The great news is that the most common pest infestations can be treated at home easily. You will just need to take some time out for a serious commitment.
- First, isolate the plant, so the infestation does not pass on further.
- The main thing to do is scrub most of these pests off. You can do this by using a toothbrush to scrape them and wash them away with water or broth.
- This would leave behind eggs and larvae hidden under the leaves and sheaths. Apply neem oil on this area every week for at least a month.
- Don’t worry If neem oil is not easily available. You can instead mix a teaspoon of baking soda in one gallon of water to make an equally effective spray. Again, use it every week.
– Leaves Splitting
If the long leaves of this plant seem to be splitting up, it is suffering from low humidity. Brown edges and a papery texture may also accompany splitting. Take out a hygrometer to confirm whether humidity seems to be falling below 80 percent.
Unfortunately, the leaves that have been affected cannot be saved. You will have just to prune them off yourself. Improve your humidity levels immediately using any of the methods explained above.
– Low Light
If light conditions indoors are not adequate, your plant will find it difficult to make food. At first, the leaves will turn darker as they produce more chlorophyll as compensation. Later on, however, they will begin to lose chlorophyll and start turning yellow instead.
Move the plant immediately to a brighter location. This isn’t always possible in apartments etc. Don’t worry; artificial grow lights are a worthy substitute for natural light. You will not regret this investment.
FAQ
Should I Cut Yellow Leaves Off Anthurium Pendulifolium?
Removing yellow leaves from Anthurium Pendulifolium can help maintain its overall health and appearance.
How Long Do Anthurium Pendulifolium Flowers Last?
Anthurium Pendulifolium flowers typically last for several weeks, adding beauty to your space. If you want your pendulifoliums to bloom throughout the year, ensure their light, water, and humidity requirements are never compromised.
Can Anthurium Pendulifolium Grow In Water Without Soil?
Anthurium Pendulifolium can be grown in water without soil, making it a versatile choice for water-based gardening.
Fertilize every month with a liquid fertilizer that has been double diluted. One or two teaspoons per gallon of water will promote adequate growth.
In the long term, distilled or filtered water is a safe and healthy option. If there is no other option and you must use tap water, leave it exposed in a bucket for over seven to eight hours until all the chlorine evaporates.
Conclusion
Before we wrap our guide up, it is time for a summary.
- Pendulifolium needs bright light but never in a direct manner.
- Make a habit of never watering before checking if the topsoil has dried.
- The soil you make must be able to drain all the extra water out.
- Avoid the use of tap water for this plant.
Anthurium pendulifolium has one of the best leaves among houseplants. It also blooms beautifully in late spring. With a little care but 100 percent commitment, you can make this plant one of your best investments.
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