Have you recently started caring for anthurium plants in your home? These are great flowering plants that look fantastic.
They’re beautiful, and you’ll love how much color they will add to your home. You might not be too familiar with their care needs and other facts about them yet, though.
How long do anthurium plants live on average? Do these plants live for a long time, or are they short-lived plants?
Keep reading to learn about the lifespan of anthurium plants. This will help you to know what to expect when caring for these plants.
Indoors vs. Outdoors
You’ll find that anthurium plants have the potential to live for many years when kept indoors. These plants thrive as houseplants and have the potential to live for five years or longer.
Of course, these plants will only survive this long if you do your best to care for them. This means giving them the right amount of water and sunlight and keeping them in the right temperature settings.
This is very easy to accomplish when caring for anthuriums indoors. Caring for outdoor anthuriums will be quite a bit different.
Growing these plants outdoors won’t be practical in most regions of North America. Most places have winters that are too harsh for these plants to survive.
So you can plant anthuriums outside and enjoy them during the spring and summer. They’ll survive in the autumn in some areas and will then die off in the winter.
Anthuriums can survive for years outside if they’re being grown in tropical zones. The plants won’t do well when exposed to temperatures that are lower than 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
How Can You Extend the Lifespan?
Extending the lifespan of the anthurium plant is mostly about meeting its care needs. You want to make sure that the plant is being kept under ideal conditions.
Most anthuriums do best when the temperature is kept around 75 degrees Fahrenheit. They also like receiving bright indirect sunlight.
If you can find a sunny window for these plants where the sunlight is filtered, they will do nicely. You also want to make sure that the plants are getting enough humidity.
The humidity level near the plants should be at 60%. This is a bit high for a home environment, so it’s likely best to use a small humidifier for plants near your houseplants.
This will keep the houseplants humid without negatively impacting your home. It’s simple to do this, and the humidifiers don’t cost much money.
Aside from this, you need to focus on watering the plants well. Anthuriums need to dry out between watering sessions to stay safe.
You should always check the soil with your fingers before watering these plants. The top 50% of the soil should be dry before watering the plant again.
Fertilizing anthuriums can help them to stay healthy, too. You need to be careful not to use too much fertilizer, though.
Only fertilize these plants during the growing season. This occurs during the spring and summer.
You can use balanced houseplant fertilizer that is meant to keep the plant healthy. Dilute the fertilizer as instructed to protect the plant.
How Long Do Anthurium Flowers Last?
Once an anthurium plant blooms, the flowers can last for several months. It’s common for these flowers to last between two and three months.
So you’ll enjoy seeing these plants look their best for at least several months out of the year. It’s also possible to get these plants to bloom multiple times per year when caring for them indoors.
If you replicate the natural habitat of anthuriums, it’ll allow them to bloom up to six times per year. So they can bloom the entire year.
This allows you to enjoy how colorful these gorgeous plants are more often. You must keep the plants warm enough and ensure that they have the right humidity settings.
Many people like to make their anthuriums bloom all year. It’s easy enough to accomplish even for beginners.
How Can You Make the Blooms Last Longer?
Continue to care for the plant optimally while it’s blooming. Give the plants enough water, fertilize them during the growing season, and keep them humid enough.
Generally, it’s not possible to make blooms last much longer than three months. The blooms will eventually be spent no matter what you do.
This is fine since you can get the plant to bloom again. As mentioned above, these plants have the potential to bloom up to six times per year.
You can provide them with the right conditions, and they will bloom again when the time is right. So don’t be too sad when your anthurium blooms are spent.
How Long Do Cut Anthurium Flowers Last?
Cut flowers are only going to stay good for so long. Typically, you can get them to last for up to three weeks.
If you want the flowers to last this long, you’ll need to change the water in the vase often enough. If you don’t do this, the flowers might only last for one or two weeks.
So you can have an impact on how long the cut flowers will stay presentable. These flowers will look nice in a vase if you keep changing the water in the vase every two to three days.
Anthurium Care Tips
Getting your anthuriums to live for a long time will come down to how you care for them. If you do a good job caring for the plants, they will do better.
Those who don’t care for the plants well won’t keep them alive for nearly as many years. These plants have the potential to live for five years or more, but they can die sooner.
The average lifespan of the plant is between three and five years. So knowing how to care for the plant optimally will have an impact.
Below, you’ll get important care tips that will allow you to take care of these plants the right way. Follow this advice, and you’ll have a much better experience keeping these plants in your home.
How to Water Anthuriums
Anthuriums need to be allowed to dry out a bit before being watered. You should never water them when the soil is still damp.
Doing so has the potential to harm the plant. You might experience root rot issues if you continue to water the plant too much.
So it’s best to be careful when watering these plants. Anthuriums don’t need a lot of water, but watering them too infrequently will cause them to struggle.
It’s advised to check the soil condition a few times per week. Just touch the soil to see if it feels dry.
When the top 50% of the soil is dry, it’s time to water the plant. Most experts say that giving anthuriums half of a cup of water per week is acceptable.
Others say that it’s best to water the plant thoroughly until water pours out of the drainage holes. This is generally a better practice since it ensures that your plant is getting enough water.
Then you just wait for it to dry out again before you water it the next time. It might take a week or so to dry out, but you can check the plant by touching the soil every so often just to be safe.
Anthurium Sunlight Requirements
Anthuriums can grow without receiving too much sunlight. They can stay alive without a ton of light, but that doesn’t mean that they will thrive.
If you want the plant to grow strong, look healthy, and live for a long time, it’s best to give it ideal sunlight exposure. Anthuriums do best when exposed to bright sunlight, but they’ll do fine with medium sunlight as well.
Bright indirect sunlight will be best for these plants. Harsh sunlight is known to scorch anthuriums, so it’s better to find a spot in your house where the sunlight is filtered.
Make sure your plant is getting enough sun, and turn the pot every so often. Doing so should keep the plant looking very healthy.
Best Soil for Anthuriums
Planting anthuriums in the right type of soil will also make a difference. You want to give these plants soil that is well-draining and nutrient-rich.
It’s common for people to make their own custom soil mixtures. For example, one popular mixture involves using pine bark, peat moss, perlite, and a bit of compost.
You can also use an orchid potting mix if you’d like to make things easy. Orchid potting mix is great for anthuriums, and it ensures that the plants will dry out properly after being watered.
The most important thing is to ensure that the soil is coarse and well-draining. So long as the soil meets those expectations, it’s going to be good for anthuriums.
Final Thoughts
Your anthurium should live for five years or longer indoors if you care for it very well. It won’t live as long outdoors, though.
Some people plant anthuriums outdoors, and they will live for a couple of years. They’re only capable of surviving winters when being grown outside in tropical regions.
They won’t usually live longer than three to four years outdoors in optimal conditions. Exactly how long an outdoor anthurium will live depends on various factors.
Indoor anthuriums can easily live five years or longer when you meet their care needs. It’s all about you ensuring that the plant is kept in an ideal setting.
Make sure that the plant gets enough water, sunlight, and humidity. If you fertilize the plant during the growing season, this will help it to stay healthy, too.
You’ll love caring for anthuriums and will be able to enjoy them for many years. They don’t live indefinitely, but they’re still plants that are well worth the investment for their overall beauty.
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.