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Lets solve your anthurium leaf problems, but first lets find out about this beautiful flower.
Anthurium plant (Anthurium andreanum) is commonly known as the flamingo flower because of its bright and pink-colored flowers. It’s a popular choice in many homes.
The plant is also prized for its unique and beautiful foliage. The heart-shaped leaves with an intricate pattern of veins on the top make this plant an absolute delight for the eyes.
They are naturally found in the rainforests of South America and prefer a tropical climate for their optimal growth.
It is also one of the easiest plants to take care of. But not knowing simple techniques can affect the health of your plant significantly.
It is better to know what mistakes you can avoid preventing any harm to your beloved Anthurium.
This article will comprise all the essential guidelines to fix any anthurium leaf problems that may arise.
The main problems with anthuriums leaves are that they curl, droop, turn brown, turn yellow, split and develop holes.
These problems are caused by underwatering, pest infestations, low humidity, overfertilization, inadequate light, fungal attacks, aging and mechanical damage.
Why are Your Anthurium Leaves Curling or Appearing Droopy?
Anthurium leaves look absolutely astonishing. But when the leaves give a droopy and curled appearance all the charm and grace of the plant is lost.
Curled anthurium leaves can be due to many different reasons. The main problem that cause this dismal show include the following:
1) Underwatering
Most of the time the leaves curl due to this simple mistake. Solving this problem is not a challenge at all.
You just need to set a proper watering schedule so that the plant does not dry often.
Solution
Regular and timely watering can prevent any damage in the future. Giving the plant water after a week or 10 days is more than enough.
2) Pest Infestation
The most common bugs that tend to harm anthurium include nematodes, mealybugs, and mites.
These insects suck the sap from the system and cause a lot of damage to the health of the plant.
This damage is almost equal in effect to under-watering the plant. This causes heavy leaf drop and curling of leaves.
Solution
The solution to these problems of a pest infestation on your anthurium leaf involves using organic pesticides to get rid of these bugs.
Introducing predatory insects as biological controls can also remove this problem if the need arises.
3) Low Humidity
Anthurium plants are naturally found in tropical rain forests and thrive in moist conditions. They require around 50-60% humidity to grow properly.
When the air becomes dry or less moist, the leaves start to curl and also darken at the edges.
Solution
To solve this, simply put a pebble tray filled with water beneath the pot. Installing a plant humidifier can also be a good option.
To help with humidity we have an article on what is the ideal humidity for an anthurium.
How to Stop Your Anthurium Leaves Turning Yellow?
Yellowing leaves is the most common problem novice gardeners have to face when tending to their Anthurium.
The problems are not that complex and can be easily taken care of if proper precautions are taken for your anthurium leaf. Following are the most common causes of yellowing of anthurium leaves:
1) Overfertilization
Indoor plants don’t need that much fertilizer for their growth. Similarly, Anthurium plants require very little to grow healthy.
If excessive fertilizer is applied, then the nutrients can choke the plant and result in damage to the leaves.
The roots are clogged with an oversupply of macro-nutrients and the plant is unable to take a balanced diet.
Solution
If you over-fertilized your Anthurium by mistake, you should stop feeding it immediately and dilute the soil with water.
Just keep on watering the plant at regular intervals and soon the excess minerals will be washed out.
2) Improper Sunlight
Anthuriums normally grow as epiphytes in their natural habitat. They usually prefer bright indirect sunlight and don’t tolerate full-on exposure.
Excessive direct light will cause the leaves to dry up rapidly and make them turn yellow. However, the same problem can occur if they are receiving poor light.
Solution
In winters they should be placed near the windows so that adequate light can reach them.
In summers, they can be placed in any room which receives enough sunlight. Just make sure that rays don’t directly fall on the leaves.
3) Overwatering
Overwatering is the most common mistake beginner hobbyists make.
When the yellowing starts to appear the novice gardeners start to overwater out of excessive care for the plant.
This makes the matter worse and eventually results in root rot of the plant.
Solution
This can be easily fixed by giving properly arranging a watering schedule. Try not to overwater while still keeping the soil moist.
Finding a balance is hard at first but you definitely get a hang of it with time.
4) Chlorosis
Chlorosis is due to the lack of availability of nutrients like iron and magnesium to the plant.
Iron is an essential component in making chlorophyll. Without it, the leaves are unable to produce this pigment and turn yellow.
Solution
To treat this problem, iron chelates and iron supplementation should be given. The yellowing disappears with this treatment.
5) Fungal attacks
Fungal attacks such as fusarium wilt can also cause the leaves to turn yellow or brown. The most common reason for the development of fungal diseases is overwatering.
The roots can also be involved in such cases and they can become very frail to support the plant.
Solution
The solution to the problem is to remove the infected leaves with sterile shears.
Roots should also be trimmed to remove any roots that can cause further spread of the disease.
Shifting the plant to a new pot with a new potting mix helps it recover from this damage.
6) Aging
It could be completely normal for the plant leaves to turn yellow if they become too old.
The yellow leaves due to this reason are mostly present near the bottom of the plant. The older leaves die eventually to enable the new leaves to prosper.
Solution
You can accelerate this process by removing these unsightly leaves with sterile shears. This will enable the plant to push more resources towards healthy growth
If you’re enjoying this article, check out our article on why does your anthurium have holes in it’s leaves.
How Are There Brown Spots on Your Anthurium?
Sometimes brown spots can appear on your anthurium plant. The most common cause of this problem is a bacterial infection.
This disease is called leaf blight or leaf spot. There are visible brown patches on the surface of the leaves and the margins also appear yellowish.
Once this bacterial growth starts, it can spread in a systemic way causing damage to the whole plant.
The beautiful hallmark flamingo flowers also succumb to the disease and become faded in color.
Treatment
The most common factor causing leaf blight is getting the leaves of the plant wet. It is better to water only the soil and not shower the leaves.
Keeping the leaves dry is a priority when it comes to treating this problem.
The infected leaves should be plucked by hand to prevent the further spread of the bacteria.
We have an article here on why is your anthurium flower bud turning brown?
Why Are Your Anthurium Leaves Splitting?
Splitting Leaves is a common response of the plants when there is not enough humidity around for them.
These splits don’t heal and the only thing you can do is to cut them off. Overwatering the plants do not substitute the need for moisture in the air
Solution
As mentioned earlier, Anthurium plants survive in humid environments. You can use a humidity sensor to survey the current level around the affected plant.
Then you can place it where humidity is optimum for the plant. Alternatively, humidifiers and humidity trays can also be used.
Why Does Your Anthurium Have Holes in the Leaves?
Anthurium leaves can have holes for a variety of reasons. The most common include:
1) Mechanical Damage
If the plant is roughly handled, it is bound to get tears rips, and holes in its leaves.
If the location of the plant is such that it is disturbed a lot by people, then the undue force and trauma can cause significant damage to the appearance.
The new leaves are in particular quite sensitive to mechanical damage.
To prevent this from happening, place your pot in a place where it is not in the path of people and animals.
Also using a heavy pot can prevent the plant from tilting over when budged by mistake.
2) Damage by Insects
Bugs such as mealybugs and aphids can be quite a pain when it comes to this problem. They gnaw down the leaves and suck the sap right out of the tissues.
They usually attack the young leaves because they are easy to penetrate.
When these leaves grow the small defects that the insects left, now become apparent. The damage is already done and shows after a while.
Remedy
It is best to stay away from chemical pesticides as this minor problem can be easily taken care of by using homemade remedies.
To get rid of these annoying bugs, you can use a diluted soap/detergent spray on the plant.
You can also add other organic materials like neem oil or garlic mixture to make the spray more potent. A weekly spray can solve this problem from ever happening again.
Final Thoughts: How to Solve Anthurium Leaf Problems?
Flamingo flowers are a popular choice as indoor plants. Due to their beautiful foliage and colorful flowers, beginner gardeners are sure to pick one of these up for their homes.
They are quite easy to take care of and don’t demand that much effort as compared to other plants like ferns.
A little scheduling can solve most of the anthurium leaf problems which may occur during the care of this beautiful plant.
Other than that, knowing all these basic things about the plant will make sure you don’t run into any trouble.
Before you go, here are some more related articles I encourage you to read below to help solve more of your gardening issues:
What do you do with amaryllis bulbs after they bloom
About the Author:
Saad Ansar
Saad is an avid gardener himself and is a great lover of plants, animals, photography, & people. Currently, he is focused on photographing indoor plants & captioning beautiful outdoor sceneries. He writes and rewrites in-depth articles on nature and science.
