How to Grow Anthurium

Your indoor plant collection doesn’t have to be a sea of green! Add some floral pizzazz with Anthuriums. Also called flamingo flowers, they have rich burgundy, bright red, pretty pink or white heart shaped flowers with an interesting waxy appearance and a distinctive yellow ‘spadix’ growing from the base. The flowers are long lasting and together with the glossy green leaves, add a tropical feel to indoor spaces.

Indoors, out of direct sunlight

Water when the potting mix is dry

Good quality potting mix

Suitable for all climatic zones

Growing to around 60 cm tall, anthuriums prefer a warm, brightly lit spot indoors, out of direct sunlight and protected from draughts. In warm climates you can also grow anthuriums in a shady garden, or in pots on a sheltered deck or patio.

How to grow anthurium in a pot

Step 1

Choose a pot that’s at least 20 cm wide, with good drainage holes.

Step 2

Fill with a good quality premium potting mix like Yates Specialty Potting Mix Plants & Ferns. It’s a perfect foundation for indoor plants like anthuriums and contains controlled release fertiliser that will feed plants for up to 6 months. It’s also boosted with a biostimulant for extra plant and root growth.

Step 3

Water the new plant in well, but then allow the potting mix to dry out slightly in between future waterings. Anthuriums do not like to be over watered. Check moisture levels in the potting mix by inserting your finger into the top few cm of mix.

Step 4

Feed anthuriums every two weeks from spring to late autumn with Yates Thrive Indoor Plants Natural Plant Food Spray. Made from 100% naturally derived ingredients, it’s an easy to use fertiliser that is sprayed onto the potting mix, feeding plants with a gentle blend of natural minerals and nutrients. Spray onto the potting mix and water in afterwards.

Step 5

Indoor plants like anthuriums can often be affected by fungus gnats. Adult fungus gnats are annoying tiny black winged insects that fly around the house. They lay eggs in potting mix which hatch into larvae that can damage plant roots. Create a barrier against fungus gnats by applying a 3 cm layer of Yates Gnat Barrier, made from specialised abrasive granules, over the surface of the potting mix.

Step 6

Remove any spent flowers to keep the plant looking tidy and promote more flowers. Anthurium flowers can also be cut for a vase display.

Growing tips

Flamingo flowers like humidity and will enjoy having their leaves misted with water when it’s hot and dry. You can also sit the plant on a saucer filled with pebbles and then add water to the saucer. This helps to increase the humidity around the plant. Remove old, dry leaves by pulling them off at the base of the plant.
Anthurium leaves can attract dust, so regularly gently wipe the leaves to keep them clean. And remove any dead leaves or spent flowers to help keep the plant looking tidy and encourage fresh growth and flowers.
Very little sunlight or lack of nutrients will cause leaves to yellow.
Remove any spent flowers to keep the plant looking tidy and promote more flowers. Anthurium flowers can also be cut for a vase display.
Flowers can sometimes change colour as genetics kick in and cause it to revert back to its original form. It means you won’t get the colour you bought, but hey, it feels like a new plant!
Green thumb tip: indoor plants like anthuriums can be affected by mites, which are tiny sap feeding pests that cause leaves to yellow and mottle and large colonies of mites can create spidery webbing. Control mites by spraying plants each week with Yates Nature’s Way Vegie & Herb Spray, which is an insecticidal soap that’s made from natural vegetable oils.