When repotting anthuriums, you have to know when to repot, be careful with the roots as well as choose the right type of potting mix. Don’t worry, repotting these Araceae family plants is very easy as long as you stick to the proven methods.
If you’d love to learn how to repot your anthuriums without making any mistakes, read this article.
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How to Repot Your Anthurium Plants in 7 Simple Steps?
To repot anthurium plants in seven simple steps you have to know when to do so, prepare the new pot and substrate, remove your anthurium, work on the plant and transfer it to its new pot. After you are done you should water it and keep it somewhere cool.
1. Know When to Repot the Anthuriums
Repot your anthuriums in the spring or summer months. Repot them in their active growing season so that they can have enough time to heal and grow new leaves before the dormant period of winter comes. If you repot your anthuriums in the fall or winter months, they may not survive the period of dormancy.
Repotting plants is a very stressful activity for the plants and they need a lot of nutrients to repair their roots or grow new ones. If this happens during very cold months, the root-repairing process cannot happen and this might leave your plants exposed to different forms of harm.
If you repot the anthuriums after their dormancy period in early spring, they’d have the whole year to grow. If you want to repot them in summer, repot them in early or mid-summer.
2. Prepare the New Pot and Substrate
The anthurium new pot should be one step larger than the current one. If there are no holes in the pot already, make some holes in the bottom. The more holes you make, the better. However, ensure that the holes are not too large.
The major purpose of repotting these plants is usually to transfer them into larger pots. However, changing their potting mix is another good reason to repot them. If your plants grow in a substrate for a long time, the substrate will become nutrient-depleted and unsuitable for your plants.
The best soil for repotting anthuriums is one that is well-drained. You can make use of the same type of substrate that you’ve been using. However, use a new substrate so that you do not expose your anthuriums to harmful microbes.
3. Remove Your Anthurium From Its Current Pot
After you prepare the new pot and potting soil for your anthuriums, it is time to remove the plants from their current pots. You have to be extra gentle and careful in this step so that you do not harm the roots of your plants. Note that the more roots you harm, the less likely your anthuriums will heal after you repot them.
If the soil in the current soil is stiff or difficult to dig, flood the plant first. When the soil is soft, dig out the roots of your anthuriums. Removing your anthuriums from the substrate by watering them is a recommended method to safely remove them. Just try as much as you can not to break the roots.
4. Work on the Plant
Now that you have removed your anthuriums from their previous pots, you can work on them if you like. Note that this step is optional. Some ways to work on your anthuriums are:
- Inspect the roots: Inspecting the roots can help you know if your plants are healthy or not. If you see dead or discolored roots, prune them.
- Divide the plants: Dividing anthuriums is a method of propagation. If you want more anthuriums, now is the time to start.
5. Transfer the Anthurium to Its New Pot
Your plant is still bare and exposed to the dry atmosphere. You do not want the plant to get dehydrated, so quickly transfer it into its new pot. This step is quite easy, just make sure that you are very careful with the roots and stems of your anthurium.
Holding the base of your anthurium’s stem, place the plant inside its new pot. Using your other hand, cover the roots of your anthurium with fresh soil. Continue pouring soil into the new pot until the anthurium can stand on its own in the new pot.
If the substrate seems too weak to hold your anthurium, shake or pat the pot to remove air pockets from the substrate. Also, ensure that the substrate covers the entire root system of your anthurium.
6. Water the Anthurium
After transferring your anthurium into its new pot, water it. Watering the plant will help to remove every air pocket in the substrate. It will also encourage the roots to start adjusting to the new substrate.
Continue watering your anthurium until you see water dripping off the holes in the pot. Do not stop watering the plant until you are sure that every part of the substrate is wet. Remember that the substrate must be well-drained.
7. Keep the Anthurium in a Cool Spot
Congratulations, as you have successfully repotted your anthurium. However, the journey is not over, especially for the plant. Your anthurium still needs extra time to adjust its roots in the new substrate and heal.
To help your anthuriums adjust quickly after repotting them, keep them in a cool spot with a moderate amount of sunlight. Taking them to a spot that is exposed to the hot afternoon sun will stress them and they may not heal quickly.
Leave them in a cool spot for a few hours. When you see that their leaves and stems are now firm, you can move them to their permanent spot with access to full sun.
How To Know When Your Anthuriums Need Repotting?
To know when your anthuriums need repotting you should first check whether they are root bound, whether they get waterlogged easily and whether growth is stunted. Also check for yellowing of your plant’s leaves and cracks on the pot.
– Ensure Your Plants Are Not Root Bound
The roots of plants should stay inside the substrate. Anthurium roots above soil signify that the plant is most likely root-bound. A root-bound plant has roots encircling or entangling each other, as there’s no more space to spread on the pot. This means that your plant needs a larger pot.
You may not notice that the roots are above the soil if there is mulch in the pot. This means that you have to check your plants regularly. Check under the mulch to see if some roots have emerging tips.
– Make Sure You Are Not Overwatering
When you water your plants, how long does it take for water to enter the substrate? How long does it take for water to drip off the bottom of the pot? If water does not flow into and out of the substrate as quickly as it did in the past, it means that the substrate is now waterlogged. In this case, you have to change the substrate and not necessarily the pot.
– Check for Stunted Growth
Are you no longer satisfied with the growth rate of your plants? It could be because they are root-bound or the substrate is nutrient-depleted. In this case, you have to change both the pot and substrate.
Note that stunted growth could happen for a lot of reasons. Your plants might have stunted growth if the temperature and humidity are not in optimal conditions. It could also be because your plants are sick.
This means that you don’t want to quickly repot the plant without knowing the exact cause of your plants growing slowly. Know the cause of the problem first so that you can know the best way to fix it.
– Check for Yellowing of the Anthurium Leaves
When the leaves of your anthurium are turning yellow or have brown spots, it could be because of root rot. This disease is not a pot problem. However, repotting the plant is one essential step to fixing it.
When you consistently overwater your anthuriums, they will lose some of their roots. In the process of these roots decaying, fungi and other microbes might attack the healthy roots. This makes your anthuriums look very weak and sick.
When repotting your plants because of this problem, opt for a new substrate. Also, work on the plant by removing the discolored leaves and rinsing the healthy leaves with clean water.
– Check for Cracks on the Pot
When an anthurium grows large, it will need more space for its roots to spread. If there is no space, the plant will become root-bound. However, if the plant continues to grow, the pressure of the roots can create cracks in the pot.
Repot your anthuriums when there are cracks in their pots and these cracks are caused by pressure from the roots. In this case, use a pot that is two steps larger than the current pot. The anthuriums might already be larger than a pot that is one step larger than the current pot.
Conclusion
Repotting anthurium plants is super easy, right? Here are some reminders from this article:
- You can propagate your anthuriums while repotting them. Simply divide them when you remove them from their pots.
- Make sure that you use only clean tools when handling your plants. Also, use a new substrate.
- A suitable anthurium potting soil is well-drained yet retains a moderate amount of moisture for the plants.
- When you see the leaves of your anthurium turning yellow or brown, consider repotting the plant.
- After repotting your anthuriums, water them and keep them in a cool spot until they adapt to their new environment.
So long as you stick to this plant care guide, you’d repot anthuriums without problems. Remember to water your anthurium plants regularly.
