Anthurium plants have really become quite popular in recent years due to how lush they look. They also produce bright and beautiful flowers that can add a lot of charm to your home.
If you take care of these plants well, they can last for years as houseplants, but some people do encounter certain issues.
For instance, there are people who have noted that they’re having issues with anthurium leaves turning either brown or yellow. What causes anthurium leaves to change colors like this and do you need to be worried?
Read on to explore more information about anthurium plants and what you need to do when you notice problems like this.
1 – Watering Your Anthurium Too Much
One of the most common causes of anthurium leaves turning yellow is actually that they are being watered too much.
If you water your plant too much, it can start causing unnecessary stress that will turn the leaves yellow. An anthurium does need to get a healthy amount of water, but the soil is supposed to stay moist rather than sopping wet.
Why does watering an anthurium too much cause an anthurium plant to have its leaves turn yellow? This is partially because it causes soil aeration to be poorer than usual, and it makes it harder for the plant to absorb what it needs.
Also, if you keep overwatering your plant, it could lead to root rot that will ultimately kill the plant.
If you’ve been a bit overzealous about watering your anthurium, you might be able to solve this problem by simply watering it properly. When you’re watering an anthurium, it’s important to avoid going too far.
Check the soil with your fingers and only water it when the soil is becoming less moist than it’s supposed to be.
2 – Humidity Issues
Humidity issues can also cause your anthurium various problems, and this is why you need to pay close attention to humidity when caring for these plants.
Anthurium plants originally come from tropical areas, and this means that they are used to being in very humid environments. If your house has a very low humidity level, this could cause the leaves of your anthurium to start turning yellow.
In many parts of the world, the humidity levels will drop significantly during certain parts of the year. You might be fine during the summer months, but winter could be incredibly dry in your region.
This means that you will need to take steps to increase the humidity in your home for the sake of your anthurium plants.
One possible solution to this problem is to move your anthurium plants to a room in your home that is significantly more humid. For example, you could keep them in your bathroom because there will be a lot of humidity in that area due to people taking showers.
You can also take steps to humidify your home if you don’t want to have to move the plants to a different room.
Some people choose to use humidifiers during the winter months to keep their plants healthy. This can also have health benefits for you, and it’s probably worth looking into getting a humidifier.
You could also simply mist your plants regularly to artificially provide some humidity.
3 – Lack of Nutrition
Lack of nutrition could also be to blame for your anthurium issues. It’s possible that your anthurium isn’t getting the nutrients that it needs, and its leaves turning yellow could be a sign that you need to make some changes.
You don’t usually need to give anthurium plants a lot of fertilizer, but giving it a little bit could help it to do better.
Many people who love caring for anthuriums say that it is best to give them fertilizer once per month. You could give your plants a water soluble fertilizer monthly to keep your plants in good shape. It’s really easy to do, and it helps to ensure that the nutritional needs of the plant are being met.
Remember that using too much fertilizer can wind up being a detriment to the plant. It’s recommended that you only use a quarter of the recommended amount of fertilizer if your anthurium plants are being kept indoors.
This is mostly because the nutritional needs of indoor plants are less than those that are kept outdoors.
4 – Too Much Sun Exposure
Too much sun exposure has the potential to put your anthurium in a bad position.
You might be making the mistake of placing your anthurium plants in direct sunlight all the time, and this could be harming them. Wild anthurium plants are often found hanging from tree limbs, and they are placed in indirect sunlight.
When an anthurium starts to get too much sunlight, it’s very possible that its leaves will turn yellow. If you don’t make any changes, then the leaves will become brown in spots over time.
You might even notice burn marks on some of the leaves that are directly caused by exposure to sunlight.
Try to move your anthurium plants to a better location where they can receive indirect sunlight. Try to stay away from south-facing windows so that you don’t get too much sun exposure.
It does need sunlight to survive, but indirect sunlight is the healthiest thing for it.
5 – Bad Soil
Bad soil can actually make it tough for your plants to do well, too. When you are using soil that doesn’t have good aeration, it becomes that much more difficult for your anthurium plants to suck up the nutrients that they need to survive.
Properly aerated soil is much better because your plants can work with it to absorb what they need.
It’s possible that the soil that you’re using could be nutrient deficient in some way. When you start to notice that an anthurium’s leaves are turning yellow, it’s possible that it’s a sign that the soil isn’t right.
Changing out the soil for something that is chocked full of nutrients will be advisable in this situation.
Repotting your plant might be the best thing to do if you want it to be able to thrive. You can use a good mixture of perlite, pine bark, and peat to get the proper results that you’re looking for.
Your plant simply needs nutrient-rich soil that drains well so that it can stay healthy.
6 – Temperature Issues
Even temperature issues have been known to cause changes in anthurium plants. As mentioned earlier, these plants come from tropical climates, and this means that they are used to much warmer temperatures.
They do well in temperatures that range from 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cooler temperatures can cause a number of issues for anthurium plants, and they aren’t going to do well when the weather gets chilly. This is why you need to do a good job of keeping your plants healthy and happy in a temperature-controlled environment.
If you can keep the temperature steady, they’re going to have a much easier time.
It’s also crucial to avoid exposing them to temperature extremes accidentally. What this means is that you want to keep them far away from heaters and air conditioning units.
If your anthurium plant is too close to an air conditioner, it can encounter problems, and the same thing can occur when it’s too close to a heating vent.
7 – The Age of the Plant
The age of the plant will play a role in determining things as well, and no plant is going to be able to remain healthy and vibrant forever. Plants go through a life cycle, and part of this cycle involves leaves turning brown and falling off.
Sometimes, you will notice that your plant will get brown leaves, and this could just be part of its natural cycle that you don’t need to be concerned about.
It’s actually possible to just leave the plant alone in this situation, but you might wish to remove the dead or dying leaves. The leaves should eventually fall off on their own if you don’t do anything, but you might wish to take action yourself since you want the plant to look nice.
When you’re doing this, be sure to use clean cutting shears that have been properly sterilized.
Learn to recognize how the leaves of your anthurium look when they are simply getting old. This should help you to feel more comfortable the next time this part of the life cycle comes around.
It’s normal to be concerned when you’re just getting used to caring for anthurium plants, but it might not be anything to worry about at all.
8 – Root Rot
Root rot is the worst case scenario when you notice that your plant has leaves that are turning brown. When this occurs, it means that the plant is dying, and you might not be able to save it.
Saving a plant that has root rot will involve cutting back the diseased portions of the plant and trying to repot what you can to save it.
Many people just throw out plants when they start to show signs of root rot, but you can try to save it if you’re so inclined.
If the roots of your plant have started to turn black or brown, this is a definite sign that root rot is the issue. You could have accidentally caused this to happen yourself by watering it too much as mentioned earlier in this article.
It’s really best to try to avoid root rot in the first place since it isn’t easy to bring a plant back from the brink. You can learn from the mistakes that you made in the past to have an easier time caring for future anthurium plants.
This doesn’t mean that your efforts to save your anthurium are completely futile, but you should temper your expectations depending on how advanced the root rot is.
9 – Fungal Issues
Finally, you should also know that some anthurium plants can develop fungal issues that will cause leaf discoloration. Most often, you’ll find that the fungus will harm the plant and turn its leaves brown. If you don’t take care of a problem like this, your anthurium plant could easily die.
You have some options when it comes to taking care of an anthurium fungal infection.
Some plant owners will choose to purchase fungicide that will be able to kill the fungus in an attempt to save the plant. Others will cut their losses and separate the plant from other houseplants before the issue has a chance to spread.
You definitely want to act fast when you believe that you have a fungal issue. It wouldn’t be good if one plant caused the rest of your houseplants to have issues with fungal infections.
Fungicides and antifungal soaps can sometimes do a good job of turning things around, but it is likely that some aggressive trimming will be necessary if you want to save the plant.
Take Care of Your Anthurium Plants Right
Now that you know a lot more about anthurium plants, it should be easier to take care of them right.
There are a large number of reasons why these plants might have issues with leaf discoloration. Yellow leaves might be caused by certain things, and brown leaves could be a very bad sign or a natural part of the plant’s life cycle.
As you get used to caring for anthurium plants, it should be easier to tell what is normal and what is unusual. Just be careful about how you’re watering your plant while also being mindful of sun exposure.
Taking care of the basics very well is often enough to prevent the most serious issues.
If you do have to deal with advanced problems such as root rot or fungal infections, you can try to do what you can to save the plant. It’s much more likely that yellow leaves or brown leaves are being caused by more innocuous things, but it’s best to try to be sure.
As long as you’re an attentive plant owner, you should be able to do well.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.
aroidsale
Tuesday 25th of October 2022
a complete and useful article, thanks for the information.