Hydroponic Anthurium: Growing Methods and Precautions for Flowering Plants
Can Anthurium be grown hydroponically?
Anthurium can be grown hydroponically. Anthurium likes warm, humid, semi-shaded environments and is very well suited to hydroponics. When growing Anthurium, pay attention to moisture retention: not only should you change and top up the water, but you should also spray water in the room where the Anthurium is kept, so that the leaves retain enough moisture, and more importantly, spray water on the Anthurium leaves. Moisture is the key to Anthurium's fiery red blooms and graceful form.
Hydroponic Anthurium Growing Methods
1. Transplanting Anthurium: Dig the potted Anthurium out of the soil, cut off rotten roots, fibrous roots and old leaves, rinse the roots clean with clear water, place them in a potassium permanganate solution to disinfect, then rinse the Anthurium again with clear water. If you grow Anthurium hydroponically in a transparent glass container, it is best to cover the outside of the glass with a black plastic bag to block strong light. Cover the top with a transparent convenience bag (to retain heat and moisture). Place it in a spot with diffused light and keep the temperature above 10°C.
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 by the Anthurium roots and some algae. In summer, when temperatures are high, change the water more often than in winter. It is recommended to change the water for Anthurium once every 2-3 days. Do not fill the water too full, to prevent the Anthurium roots from rotting. It is best to keep about half of the Anthurium root system exposed above the water surface. This ensures the roots can absorb 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 fears exposure to direct sunlight, so during cultivation pay special attention to its placement; it is best to put it in a place that is ventilated and can avoid strong light. When growing Anthurium hydroponically in summer, note that the ambient temperature must not be higher than 28°C. The relative air humidity should be maintained at 80%. When the weather is relatively dry, spray a moderate amount of water on the Anthurium leaf surface. In winter, the temperature for hydroponically growing Anthurium must not be lower than 14°C; below this temperature, Anthurium is prone to cold damage. Be sure to keep it warm and raise 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 oxygen enrichment: The difficult problem faced by hydroponic Anthurium is that if the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water is low, it will cause root rot in the Anthurium. Therefore, during hydroponic cultivation, the oxygen content in the water must be increased in good time. The simplest method is shaking: hold the plant steady with one hand, and with the other hand hold the container 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 miniature submersible pump or an oxygen pump can also be used to oxygenate the nutrient solution.
4. Selective root removal: When growing Anthurium hydroponically, part of the original soil-grown roots can be removed; this is light root removal. If you want to enhance the roots' ability to adapt to water, you can do heavy root removal.
5. Timely water changes: The roots of Anthurium respire very strongly, so you must regularly change the water for the Anthurium, remove the mucus secreted by the Anthurium roots and some algae, and prune away old roots and rotten roots. This also helps increase the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. Generally, change the water once every 2 or 3 days; in winter, once a week is fine, and add nutrient solution once with each water change. When growing hydroponic Anthurium, simply immerse 1/2 of the Anthurium root system in water and leave the other roots exposed to the air, so that the Anthurium roots can breathe. Insufficient dissolved oxygen in the water will cause 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 a hydroponic acclimation solution at a flower market, one used to promote rooting; after dilution, using it to grow the plant is safe. The water temperature should be close to room temperature; do not use tap water directly. Yellowing leaves should be pruned away. Generally speaking, flowers will have yellow leaves; just prune them. When the plant 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 low in magnesium content! After each water change, drip 1-3 drops into the water, depending on the size of the container.
3. Root rot and blackening in hydroponic Anthurium: Hydroponic Anthurium should be placed in a bright spot in front of a window where diffused light comes through. Unlike soil-grown flowers, hydroponic flowers must not have direct light shining on their roots, otherwise it will inhibit the roots or cause photo-oxidative injury to the roots, leading to the roots turning black and, in severe cases, rotting and losing activity. The rotten roots need to be cut off, and it is enough to let the root system be fully 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°C, the relative humidity of the air needs to be increased; at this time, tools such as a humidifier can be used to increase the air humidity.