Anthurium Crystallinum Plant Care

Growing and caring for anthurium crystallinum takes work. The same goes for any kind of plant you take care of. But for a plant that is indigenous to tropical climates, you want to make sure it’s thriving in the right environment.

In this guide, we’re going to talk about how you can properly care for your anthurium crystallinum. You will learn everything from the type of soil they need to the growth and potting process. Not to worry, you’ll learn about those ‘everything in between things’ to ensure that your plants will grow to be healthy and strong for the long term.

We’ll also discuss the common problems with anthurium crystallinum including pests and diseases and how they can be healed using processes that we have found to be useful. If this is your first time growing these lovely exotic plants, you want to pay close attention to this guide as you go.

Let’s get growing:

About Anthurium Crystallinum

The anthurium crystallinum is a flowering plant that is found mostly in the rainforest regions of Central and South America. Specifically, they are found anywhere between the countries of Panama and Peru. These have the ability to grow up to 35 inches in height and can be quite broad in width.

Their leaves are large, oval shaped and have a velvet-like texture. They also have white veining that is prominent and have green spathes and spadices. They are excellent houseplants, but they need to be cared for in an environment that can be matched with the outdoor environment that they’re familiar with.

The anthurium crystallinum must be grown in a controlled environment either under glass or as an indoor houseplant. For these reasons, they require a minimum temperature of approximately 60 degrees in order to thrive. Since the average room temperature is about 68 degrees, it might just do just fine as a houseplant without the glass casing.

Plant Care Guide Of Anthurium Crystallinum

The following is a complete guide on how to care for your anthurium crystallinum. It is important that you pay attention to each detail to ensure that your plant stays healthy all the time. Let’s begin with the kind of soil they will need:

Soil

With anthurium crystallinum, the need for soil is quite flexible. Since they grow on treetops and hillsides, they can thrive in almost any type or soil. Alternatively, they may not need any soil at all.

However, you could use a potting mix that will do an excellent job of retaining water. Another mixture you can use can consist of the following: sand, pine bark, and sphagnum moss. Either way, the kind of soil you want to use must give your plant enough breathing room and the ability to stay hydrated most of the time.

Light

This plant needs abundant amounts of light. Specifically, it’s going to need about 75 to 85 percent sunlight. This may be a challenge if you are growing it as a houseplant indoors.

It will need consistent bright light, so you need to choose a place in your home that will allow a good amount of sunlight in your home. If you grow it outdoors because of the climate you’re in, be sure to plant it underneath a tree somewhere. After all, this plant thrives in tropical environments where sunlight is a non-negotiable must.

If the plant is constantly in low-light conditions, the growth will be painstakingly slow.

Watering

If you chose a soil with excellent water retention, then watering them like you would a normal plant will obviously be the best course of action. These plants are used to getting very wet, especially in their indigenous climate. If their roots are exposed like they are when they are in their natural habitat, they will quickly dry out.

If you are using a different kind of soil mix, you want to make sure that it has great drainage. For this reason, it will make watering necessary a couple times or even three times a week during the summer months. In the winter, you can get away with at least watering it once every two weeks with lukewarm water.

If grown outdoors, it can be watered a few times per week. But if your climate is known for having very humid summers, you could scale back the watering for at least a couple weeks. Because of the humidity alone, the anthurium crystallinum can go two weeks without water.

But that doesn’t mean you need to slack off with it. At the same time, you don’t need to go overboard with the watering. If grown outdoors, watch the weather reports and pay special attention to the humidity levels.

Temperature

If you are growing it indoors, then you have much more control over its environment. Room temperature is about 68 degrees (F) on average. But if the temperature is from 65 to 75 degrees (F), that’s the perfect range.

The minimum temperature is about 60 degrees (F), so you may want to keep the temperatures above that if you can. If you live in warmer climates, you’ll likely deal with temperatures like this most of the time especially in the winter months.

However, if you live in the northern zones, you must bring these plants indoors. They need to be in a greenhouse setting with plenty of heat and ventilation. Ensure that you have no windows that are draughty and that the temperatures do not fluctuate at extreme levels.

Humidity

As mentioned before, anthurium crystallinum thrive in humid climates. The humidity can get so high that it can be able to survive without water for at least two weeks. This plant loves high humidity and will need at least 70 to 80 percent of it.

With that said, you’ll want to choose a room that is known to get humid at times. One example would be the kitchen area. You may be boiling pots to ensure that the air stays humid most of the time.

Another place we suggest to store this plant in your home is quite unusual. It’s your bathroom. So long as it has a good window that allows plenty of sun, you should be in good shape.

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Fertilizer

This plant will need quite a bit of fertilizer once it’s mixed in with the potting soil of your choice. The more enriched it is with organic content, the better. If you can help it, you should avoid any chemical fertilizers.

The reason why you should at least avoid chemical fertilizers is that it can build up salt. And this can spell trouble for your plant. It can also deprive your plant of getting the hydration it needs. If you want something that will act as a fertilizer, we might just have the idea for you.

If you own a pet fish (or many of them), don’t discard your dirty fish water down the drain. Instead, what you want to do is use the water with plants like the anthurium crystallinum. Not only does it get its regular hydration, but it gets the same nutrients that it will otherwise get from different fertilizers.

This is highly suggestible if you want to try something out or if you want to save a ton of money on fertilizer.

Propagation

With the propagation process, it’s really not as complex compared to other plants. And don’t worry if you’re not seeing any consistency with it. The best way to propagate is to separate plantlets from their roots when they appear. Root separation is perhaps one of the best propagation methods you can use for a plant like anthurium crystallinum.

Alternatively, you could extract and save the seeds that are found on the spadix of the plant. If you need to germinate the seeds, you need to make sure they need to be in a specific environment to ensure that they do not rot. If this seems a little complex, the root separation method will be the best option.

Flowering

Plants in the anthurium family are known to grow flowers that are very colorful. These flowers are also known for their shine, as if they were coated with some kind of lacquer finish. These flowers will grow along the spadix of the plant with wide leaves and slim, finger-like centerpieces.

These flowers will last a long time given the environment that they’re accustomed to.

Growth

The anthurium crystallinum is a slow growing plant. It will take about three to four weeks on average for a plant to grow a new leaf. If grown at home, you can expect the least to grow out to about a foot in length. They will be longer if grown outdoors.

Either way, they will grow quite nicely depending on the environment they’re in. It can be outdoors in the summer or in a greenhouse during the winter months. The key here of course is making sure that it’s in the right climate.

And don’t worry, the leaves don’t require a lot of pruning. However, you may be spending a bit getting rid of dry leaves and inflorescences.

Potting

The potting process is simple and straightforward. What you need to do is the following: start with a pot of rubble that has organic materials. Next, add the plant inside the pot and pour in soil that is chunky in texture around the plant’s roots.

Anthurium Crystallinum Propagation

For this propagation, we’re going to stick to the root separation method since it’s the easiest method even for beginners. Here’s how you do it:

1. Untangle the roots gently. Make sure they have a few leaves and are in good health.
2. Place the roots in a pot with your preferred growing mix and place a glass jar over them.
3. Water the soil on a regular basis.

Types and Varieties of Anthurium Crystallinum

As of today, there are more than 40 different types of anthurium including anthurium crystallinum. About a third of these types can be grown indoors. It is unknown how many different specific types of anthurium crystallinum that exist.

Common Problems with Anthurium Crystallinum

There are three common problems with the Anthurium Crystallinum plants. The most common are fungal diseases. Fungus can cause the plant stems to rot and also damage the leaves. To avoid this problem, you need to make sure you are not overwatering the plant. If the issue is severe, use a fungicide to ensure the disease does not spread.

If the leaves are turning yellow, the plant is stored in a low humidity area. The solution will be to either relocate it to a more humid area or water it more often. Again, do not overwater since it can cause the fungal infection mentioned above or the next problem we’ll touch up on.

If you see brown leaves or dead ends, it’s the first ever indication that it’s being overwatered. Be sure to water the plant if the soil has a dry texture to it. Even though the plants need abundant sunlight, too much of it can cause the leaves to change color. So be sure it has a good amount of shade as well (especially during the afternoon hours).

Tips To Healing The Problems Of Anthurium Crystallinum Plant

Here are some tips that will help you heal any issues that you may have with your anthurium crystallinum plant:

Keep it in a humid area

This plant will need anywhere between 70 to 80 percent humidity. If need be, you will need to put it in a climate controlled environment such as a greenhouse.

Add more water, but be careful

If you are unable to move it into a more humid area, then the other alternative would be to give it a little more water. However, you want to monitor how much you are giving it to ensure that you don’t overwater it.

Watching your water levels will keep any diseases or problems associated with overwatering your plants at bay.

Pests, Disease, and Toxicity Of Plant

Pests

While pest resistant most of the time, the anthurium crystallinum will attract its fair share of pests. Specifically, spider mites, mealy bugs, and aphids will be present since they will feed off the sap and honeydew of these plants.

Diseases

• Bacterial Blight

Anthurium Crystallinum can suffer diseases that are often common within the anthurium family. This includes bacterial blight, in which its symptoms include water soaked lesions that are yellow and brown. To treat this disease, lower the humidity of your greenhouse as well as its temperature. Do this by increasing the circulation of the air and venting the greenhouse where necessary.

• Rhizoctonia Root Rot

This disease starts at the root. And they are often found in contaminated potting soils. If you take a look at the roots, the ones affected by the disease will be brown in color. This disease will usually thrive in soils that are saturated with water.

Do not mix native soils into media mixes without any kind of steam sterilizing. Well-drained soil mixes will be your best option. If you are using peat moss, chips, or sphagnum moss, do not mix directly on the soil surfaces as this will be a good place for fungus to grow.

How It Looks Like And Its Origin

The Anthurium Crystallinum has leaves that are a deeper green in color. Their veins are prominent and will appear in a white color. Their leaves are long and large, but will grow much longer if it is grown out in the wild.

Their origin is in the rainforest areas of Central and South America. Your best bet with finding these wild plants will be from Panama and all the way down into Peru. There may be some present in areas of the rainforest in Brazil.

Conclusion

The Anthurium Crystallinum is a plant that sounds like a challenge to take care of. But if you give it the right kind of attention and climate it deserves, it will turn out just fine. It can be grown indoors, in a greenhouse, or if the climate is right, outdoors.

Either way you grow it, it’s a nice plant to have in your house.

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