One of the common flowers grown at home is Anthurium Andre. Flowering can occur throughout the year. But to achieve such a result, certain conditions must be maintained.
What does Anthurium Andre look like?
Anthurium Andre is an evergreen perennial culture belonging to the Aroids, its place of birth is the regions of South America with a tropical climate.
When anthurium Andre blooms, it looks very beautiful
In the forests of Colombia and Ecuador, epiphytes are characterized by oval-shaped lanceolate leaves of a bright green hue, the length of the shiny surface on the petiole is about 0.3 m. Its inflorescence consists of many yellow flowers. After some time, after the disappearance of the flower, orange spherical fruits form on the anthurium.
The flower is considered conditionally poisonous. Anthurium leaves and stems contain toxic compounds. If it enters the digestive system, they can adversely affect the physical condition and health of humans or pets.
Attention! The toxicity of the plant should be remembered when choosing a room for installing the pot, especially if there are cats, dogs or children at home.
Home Care Features
The normal growth and development of a plant occurs only if favorable conditions and proper care are provided.
Temperature mode
A suitable temperature regime for the cultivation of flowers in the summer is + 20 ... +25 degrees. If the thermometer readings decrease to +18 degrees, the processes inside the plant slow down, and sometimes even stop.
In the winter, for 1-2 months, the anthurium goes into a state of rest, it rests. The owner of the flower at this time should put it in a room where the thermometer readings approximately indicate 15 degrees of heat. Not too hot conditions help the plant to form buds and will make it possible to bloom actively in the future.
Lighting
A flower does not like direct sunlight. It is better to put it near the windows on the western, eastern, north-western and north-eastern sides of the house.
It is possible to use fluorescent lamps to create artificial light during periods of weak natural light (this is usually necessary in the winter and late autumn months).
Watering work
Water for a flower needs to be passed through the filter or boiled and defended.
Attention! It is allowed to use water from a water tap, but before that you need to dilute a couple of drops of vinegar or a little lemon juice in it.
During the entire growing season, water at a temperature of + 20 ... +22 degrees can be used to water the flower in the required quantities. Watering is carried out immediately, as soon as the topsoil dries.
In winter, the amount of water and the number of irrigations are reduced. A small amount of moisture or its excess in the soil equally affects the development of the flower.
Pot suitable for Anthurium
Air humidity
Flowers of this species require high humidity throughout life (even in a calm state).
To ensure good growth and development, it is recommended to spray warm water around the shoots daily in the morning and evening. A container or liquid tray next to the pots will also increase air humidity.
The soil
The soil mixture should allow air to pass through itself. This condition corresponds to the soil for orchids, which can be bought in specialized flower shops.
When preparing the mixture, it is necessary to take part of the stone sand from the river bottom, several pieces of crushed pine bark, coniferous, peat and green leafy soils, as well as a small handful of coal (necessarily wood).
Attention! A flower container should be taken small, with the presence of a drainage layer (more than 3 cm) and holes in the walls.
Top dressing
Food dressing is applied to the soil every 15-20 days during the growing season. For these purposes, ready-made mineral mixtures from stores are quite suitable.
When and how it blooms
Flowers on a plant of this species may appear during the last months of spring. Andre boasts bright red flowers that always catch his eye.
Anthurium Andre red - friendly flowering
With his appearance at this moment, Anthurium Andre is literally surprising. As a rule, even people who are far from breeding houseplants pay attention to a beautiful flower, they have a desire to grow something like that.
It is interesting! Sometimes this kind of flower in Russia is called Anthurium Andrianum red.
Pruning
During growth, the lower leaves die off, and new leaves gradually grow on top. After a while, the plants lose their decorative appearance and need rejuvenation.
The owner of the flower needs to cut off the top, maintaining the necessary number of internodes, and then leave to take root in water or wet soil. After a while, Andre will again delight with glossy leaves and beautiful flowers.
How to breed
Anthurium reproduces by dividing large plants and separating lateral branches ("offspring"). These are the simplest methods that are usually performed in the process of replanting plants.
The roots must be separated with a sharp knife and treated with charcoal slices in powder form. After placing the plants in separate pots, you need to water them very carefully - they will not take root during excessive watering.
Another method of propagation is to root a stem with leaves and aerial roots. Such stems can take root much faster. But evidence that in this way created new bushes of Andre is not so much.
Reproduction of anthurium is also possible from seeds, but this is a rather complicated process at home. First, you need to pollinate the flowers, and a few days before flowering. To do this, rub the cobs with a cotton or brush several times.
Attention! If there are two or more plants, the best option is cross-pollination.
The manual pollination procedure is performed 2-3 times in a few days. After pollination, it is necessary to wait for the formation and ripening of berries formed on the cob. Next, you need to patiently wait for the maturation of Anthurium from 9 months to a year.
Ripe seeds should be planted immediately and the flesh removed as they will germinate soon. After 7-14 days, sprouts will appear.
Transfer
It is better to be careful when transplanting indoor flowers. Anthurium Andre can only be transplanted if absolutely necessary. For example, if the pot is already small, or during propagation.
Reproduction by dividing the bush
Anthurium grows well in wide and low pots; there should be a thick drainage layer at the bottom. When choosing a new tank, this should not be forgotten. When transplanting, you need to deepen the plant, paying attention to its roots and leaves. After transplanting Andre, it must be tied to wooden pegs so that the shoots do not break.
Important! The best land for Anthurium is a mixture of soil from the forest, swamp moss and turf.
Pests and diseases
Various pests and diseases can interfere with the normal development and growth of the plant. The main pests of anthurium are red spiders and scale insects. Fighting them is not easy and not very effective. Regular warm watering and spraying are an excellent precaution against harmful insects.
Flowers often fall ill due to inadequate care or inappropriate conditions. The main diseases are:
- Rot on the roots. The most common causes of rotting are low indoor temperatures and frequent waterlogging of the soil.
- Anthracnose. A sign of this disease is a dry brown tip on the leaf, which first causes the leaf to dry completely, and then leads to the extinction of the entire plant. It is very difficult and sometimes impossible to cure plants from this disease. As a precaution, experienced gardeners recommend spraying fungicides.
In addition, Andre Anthurium can be affected by stem rot, rust, powdery mildew. All these diseases are best recognized at the initial stage - in this case, treatment with systemic fungicides may well give a positive result.
Anthurium Andre is a rather whimsical plant that loves good care. Sometimes a flower can be rotten, sick, or pest affected. To prevent this from happening, the plant must be properly looked after. But any work is rewarded. Anyone who achieves flowering from anthurium will never regret having planted such a flower at home.
