I received a blooming anthurium as a gift last May of last year. In fear that it may be stolen (I live in an apartment), I have kept it inside as a house plant next to the window where it receives southern exposure light every day (Southern California). But after a year, it has failed to bloom again. It has lots of new healthy leaves but no blooms. Now I have receive yet another blooming anthurium in March of this year. I have the second anthurium on my desk with a plant light on it nine hours a day, five days a week. I have many new leaves but no blooms. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to get my anthuriums to bloom? Thanks for any help.
In our rainforest atrium we have numerous anthuriums including some that are quite rare. I suspect your problem is lack of light and perhaps water. According to Dr. Tom Croat the vast majority of anthuriums are epiphytes (tree dwellers). As a result they get a lot of rainwater since they live in rainforests and a great deal of bright yet slightly diffused light. I hang many of the blooming species and hybrids in hanging baskets where they get quite a lot of sun. Right now I have an Anthurium 'obake', an Hawaiian hybrid, with three beautiful spathes and spadix. That plant gets very bright light most of the day. Living in an apartment may make this difficult but try to get it where it will get more diffused but very bright light and water it frequently. I water mine almost daily during the summer and 3 to 5 times a week the rest of the year. Since they are rainforest plants they need far more water than most growers dare to give them. A suggestion, make sure the potting media is very well draining. I mix a lot of peat, Perlite, volcanic rock and orchid bark into my potting soil. Seems to work very well. You can see some of the plants in our collection on the web by finding the Exotic Rainforest on the web.
Steve, I followed your kind and prompt advice and am happy to report that I am gaining my third spathe/spadix on my anthurium "Alabama" which sits on my desk. I also added a timer to the plant light so the plant receives light nine hours a day, 7 days a week. I increased my watering to two or three times a week. I used to water my plant once a week. Unfortunately my anthrium at home has not produced any blooms but likewise it does not receive as much light or water. I'm going to get that one on the same regiment as my desk plant. Thanks again for such sage advice.
Delighted the information was useful. We grow many anthuriums in the Exotic Rainforest, some very rare, and have found most require similar growing conditions. We have recently added a few very rare anthuriums from Ecuador which require extremely humid, damp and cool conditions and these are showing indications of being difficult to grow. But the challenge of trying to provide them what they need to prosper makes growing plants fun and challenging. If you would like to read about one of these exotic species, now endangered, look up Anthurium rugulosum on the web. And if you find your plants are not prospering we'll gladly try to help anytime. Steve Lucas, The Exotic Rainforest
If you are interested in Anthurium species, this information may help. http://www.exoticrainforest.com/Grow or Growing Anthurium species.html
