How to Grow Anthurium in Water? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods

Anthurium is also known as flamingo flower, Anthurium andraeanum, fire crane flower, red crane taro, red goose palm and so on. It originates from tropical rainforest regions such as Costa Rica and Colombia, has great ornamental value, and likes warm, humid, semi-shaded environments, making it very suitable for hydroponics. Below let us take a look together at the cultivation methods and precautions for hydroponic anthurium!

Can anthurium be grown hydroponically?

Anthurium can be grown hydroponically. Anthurium likes warm, humid, semi-shaded environments and is very suitable for hydroponics. When growing anthurium, pay attention to moisture retention. Not only should you change the water and add water for the anthurium, but you should also spray water into the room where the anthurium is grown, so as to fully let the leaves retain enough moisture. More importantly, you should spray water on the anthurium leaves. Moisture is the key to anthurium blooming in fiery red and maintaining a graceful posture.

Cultivation methods for hydroponic anthurium

1. Transplanting anthurium: Dig the potted anthurium out of the soil, cut off rotten roots, fibrous roots and old leaves, wash the roots clean with clear water, place them in potassium permanganate solution for disinfection, and then rinse the anthurium again with clear water. If using a transparent glass container for hydroponic anthurium, it is best to cover the outside of the glass with a black plastic bag to prevent strong light. Cover the top with a transparent convenience bag (to preserve heat and moisture). Place it in a spot with scattered light, and keep the temperature above 10 degrees.

1. Nutrient solution preparation: It is recommended to choose a nutrient solution for foliage plants, and it must be replaced once every 7-10 days. Regularly changing the water for anthurium can remove the mucus secreted from the anthurium root system and some algae plants. In summer, when the temperature is high, water should be changed more frequently than in winter. It is recommended to change the water for the anthurium once every 2-3 days. Water should not be added too full, to prevent the anthurium from root rot. It is best to keep about half of the anthurium root system exposed above the water surface. This can ensure the roots' absorption of oxygen.

2. Light and temperature: Anthurium likes semi-shade. A warm, humid environment is also one of the requirements for anthurium's growing environment. It is afraid of exposure to the sun, so during cultivation special attention should be paid to its placement. It is best to place it in a spot with good ventilation that can also avoid strong light. When growing hydroponic anthurium in summer, pay attention that the surrounding temperature cannot be higher than 28 degrees. The relative air humidity should be maintained at 80%. When the weather is relatively dry, appropriately sprinkle a little water on the anthurium leaf surface. In winter, the temperature for hydroponic anthurium cultivation cannot be lower than 14 degrees. Below this temperature, anthurium is prone to cold damage. Pay attention to keeping it warm and increasing the temperature. Also control the air humidity at around 80%, and be sure never to place the anthurium outdoors, otherwise it is very easy to cause cold injury to the anthurium.

3. Reasonable oxygenation: The difficult problem faced by hydroponic anthurium is that if the dissolved oxygen content in the water is low, it will cause root rot in the anthurium. Therefore, during hydroponic cultivation, the oxygen content in the water should be increased in time. The simplest method is vibration: fix the flower plant with one hand, and hold the container with the other hand and gently shake it more than 10 times. After shaking, the dissolved oxygen content of the nutrient solution can increase by about 30%. Or add 1% hydrogen peroxide (3% hydrogen peroxide solution) to the nutrient solution. If conditions permit, a micro submersible pump or oxygen pump can also be used to oxygenate the nutrient solution.

4. Selective root removal: When carrying out hydroponic cultivation of anthurium, part of the original soil-grown roots can be removed, lightly removing roots. If you want to enhance the root system's aquatic adaptability, you can heavily remove roots.

5. Timely water changes: The root respiration of anthurium is very strong, so the water must be changed regularly for the anthurium to remove the mucus secreted from the anthurium root system and some algae plants, and to cut off old roots and rotten roots. This also helps increase the dissolved oxygen content in the water. Generally, change the water once every 2 or 3 days, and once a week in winter, adding nutrient solution once with each water change. When growing hydroponic anthurium, as long as 1/2 of the anthurium root system is immersed in water and the other roots are exposed to the air, the anthurium roots can breathe. Insufficient dissolved oxygen in the water will lead to root rot in the anthurium.

Precautions for hydroponic anthurium

1. Yellowing leaves of hydroponic anthurium: The anthurium needs to be disinfected. It is recommended to buy hydroponic domestication liquid at a flower market, used to promote rooting. After dilution, using it to grow flowers is safe. The water temperature should be close to room temperature, and tap water cannot be used directly. Yellowing leaves should be pruned. Generally speaking, flowers will have yellow leaves, and pruning them is enough. When the flower grows new leaves again, it shows that it is very healthy.

2. How to fertilize hydroponic anthurium: For hydroponic anthurium, it is best to choose a special liquid fertilizer for anthurium, because anthurium has a high demand for magnesium, so ordinary compound fertilizers are not only mostly alkaline, but also have low magnesium content! After each water change, drip 1-3 drops into the water, depending on the size of the container.

3. Root rot turning black in hydroponic anthurium: Hydroponic anthurium should be placed in a bright place by a window where diffused light comes in. Unlike soil-cultured flowers, hydroponic flowers cannot have direct light shining on their root systems, otherwise it will inhibit the roots or cause photo-oxidative damage to the roots, causing the roots to turn black and, in severe cases, rot and lose activity. The rotten roots need to be cut off, and then all the root system can be immersed in the nutrient solution.

4. Controlling humidity for hydroponic anthurium: High temperature and high humidity are beneficial to the growth of anthurium. When the indoor temperature is higher than 28 degrees, the relative air humidity needs to be increased. At this time, tools such as a humidifier can be used to increase the air humidity.