When choosing a houseplant that would bring bright color to the interior all year round, it is worth stopping at Anthurium - a resident of the American tropics. With proper care, its decorative leaves and original flowers with bright red "bedspreads" are able to leave a lasting impression in your memory. But sometimes the joy of contemplating anthurium fades: its beautiful dark green foliage begins to turn yellow, the flower loses its decorativeness, and sometimes it dies. Next, consider why this is happening and how to fix the situation.

Features of care and growing anthurium

Anthurium does not need any special care, but the basic requirements still need to be observed. Due to the improper maintenance of the plant, problems with its health can begin, because of which the beautiful appearance of the flower may suffer.

Important! The vital conditions for growing anthurium are the absence of drafts and remote placement from heating appliances.

These are the following requirements:

1. Lighting. The flower needs good diffused lighting, without direct sunlight. Despite the fact that the plant is shade-tolerant in nature, intense shading will not contribute to the successful development and flowering. Therefore, the location on the northern windowsill is an unsuccessful decision for culture. But the western or eastern window is the best option.
2. Temperature. The plant is heat-loving: in winter, the mercury column should not fall below +16 ° C, and in summer the ideal indicator would be +28 ° C.
3. Humidity. A tropical resident really needs high humidity, therefore, for its maintenance it is necessary to install a humidifier in the room. Placement near an aquarium flower, a home fountain is also suitable, or you can put a flowerpot with anthurium in a container with wet pebbles. It will also be important to spray the airspace near the crop (the flower itself is not specially moistened, since water droplets may leave calcareous traces on the leaves and “bombs” of flowers).
4. Leaves care. Periodically, the leaves of the flower should be wiped with a moistened rag, as well as providing it with water procedures, pouring warm water on it and washing off the dust coating (not irrigating the inflorescences themselves). At the end of the procedure, the remaining water must be removed with a hygroscopic cloth.
5. Watering. The plant needs abundant watering, but waterlogging is also undesirable. Anthurium is watered only after the top layers of the earth have dried in a pot.
6. Soil mixture. The substrate is preferred light and nutritious. Suitable purchased soil intended for aroid crops, as well as well-drained soil, because moisture stagnation can cause root rot.
7. Top dressing. Fertilize the culture in the spring-summer period 2 times a week, using fertilizers for aroid plants (the concentration must be halved). Sometimes, along with watering, foliar fertilizers of the flower are carried out.
8. Rejuvenation of the bush. In the process of life, the growth of new leaves in a plant is accompanied by the death of old ones. So that the flower does not lose its decorativeness, it must be rejuvenated. For this purpose, the top of a plant with several internodes needs to be cut off and put in water to take root, or placed immediately in moist vermiculite.

Nevertheless, caring for anthurium, you may encounter yellowing of its foliage and loss of decorativeness. Further, we will discuss the possible causes of this phenomenon, as well as how to save a flower from such problems.

Did you know? The Latin name Anthurium is borrowed from the ancient Greek language and means "flower with a tail."

Why do anthurium dry leaves, and what to do with it

The leaves of this houseplant may turn yellow for various reasons. Usually they signal errors during the care of the flower, as well as the presence of diseases or parasites.

Violation of fertilizer and watering rules

The foliage dries up, changes its color, and is also covered with yellow and brownish spots when the plant lacks nutrients, or, conversely, it suffers due to their excess:

1. In the first case, the flower lacks essential nutrients - nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium. The problem is solved by weekly application for the culture of liquid store fertilizers (use only 20% concentration). Some time after the treatment of the plant (when it is gaining strength), it is transferred to top dressing with a regularity of once every 14 days.
2. In the second case, in case of an overdose of fertilizers, it is recommended to move the anthurium to a new substrateby pre-flushing its roots.

Drying along the edges of the sheet with a gradual spread over its entire area occurs due to the following reasons:

1. Inadequate hydration. This is offset by compliance with watering standards and humidification of the environment in the room.
2. Due to overflow. If the bush suffered from an excess of moisture, then the earth in the flowerpot must be dried or replaced with lighter (soil with increased density provokes the accumulation of liquid). When transplanting anthurium into another substrate, it is necessary to examine the roots and remove the rotten ones.

One of the indirect causes of fluctuations in the moisture level in the pot may be a change in temperature or light conditions, because due to these reasons the substrate may dry faster or slower.

Important! When watering the anthurium, it is important to remember: the lower the temperature in the apartment, the less often you should water the flower.

Proper watering of anthurium is carried out according to the following technology:

• the soil needs to be moistened only after the top layer of the substrate has dried out;
• excess moisture from the pan after watering must be drained;
• in cold watering should be reduced;
• in the summer, the flower is watered often, but with a small amount of water;
• For irrigation, use slightly warm, settled water with a low level of hardness, or filtered, with the addition of oxalic acid (pour 1/2 teaspoon into 5 liters of water).

Inappropriate location

Another reason why the leaves dry or turn yellow in anthurium may be the incorrect location of the plant in the room, because of which it can suffer from the following factors:

1. Lack of lighting. If the bush is located in a very dark place, then the cuttings of the newly growing leaves can noticeably lengthen, the leaves themselves will be small, with a pale color, or even turn yellow. When the flowerpot with the anthurium moves to a well-lit place, after a while it will regain its decorativeness, and the yellowness, spotting and drying of the leaves will stop.
2. Too much light. Do not allow direct sunlight to fall on the foliage of anthurium, as this can cause burns on it. Especially if there are drops of moisture on the leaf blades - under the sun's rays they will act as lenses, burning living tissue and leaving brownish spots. Therefore, after watering, you should always remove with a dry sponge or napkin drops of water that have fallen on the leaves. The plant itself in the period of active solar radiation must be shaded with curtains or blinds.

Unsuitable container for growing

For the health of anthurium, the choice of the pot in which it will be grown is also important. If the container is too large or made of inappropriate material, the plant will begin to hurt, its roots may rot due to moisture accumulation at the bottom, and this will immediately affect the color and appearance of the leaf plates. To save the plant, it is necessary to take such measures:

1. Choose a container made of plastic (in a ceramic pot with thicker walls, the flower suffers from the temperature difference between the air and the soil in the pot);
2. The flowerpot should be somewhat cramped and low, with a diameter of 25-30 cm.
3. A drainage layer must be placed at the bottom of the tank, since the culture does not tolerate fluid stagnation.
4. When transplanting a plant, it is necessary to cut off the rotten ends of the roots by treating the slices with burnt wood powder.
5. Fill the container with a new substrate.

Did you know? In the natural environment of tropical rainforests, anthuriums turn their leaves, following the movement of the sun, just like sunflowers turn their inflorescences after it.

Diseases and pests

There are diseases of anthurium, which are manifested by changes in the color of the foliage and its drying:

1. Septoria An infectious disease in which the leaves turn yellow and begin to dry out. Often a flower cannot be saved.
2. Chlorosis. Non-infectious disease that occurs due to a lack of vital trace elements (iron, magnesium). The leaves are covered with yellowish, dark green or brown spots, while the veins retain a green color. For treatment, drugs with magnesium and iron are used.
3. Gray rot. It causes the appearance of brown spots on the leaves. Appears due to increased humidity or frequent watering. The plant must be isolated, and the affected areas of the plant - cut. At the beginning of the disease, you can spray the plant “Fitosporin” twice (the second time - after 7 days). In the advanced stage of the disease, the flower is destroyed.
4. Rust. A fungal disease causes spotting on the upper parts of the leaves, and spots on the back appear filled with spore powder. Subsequently, the spots begin to merge, and the leaves dry out. The fungus described is treated with fungicides (Fitosporin-M or copper-containing preparations).
5. Fusarium The fungus that infects the leaves, after which they turn yellow, wither, and then fall. An effective way of fighting is unknown, so the infected flower is likely to die.

Sometimes it happens that after buying anthurium, pests are found on the plant.

Among them are such:

1. Aphid. The dominance of these tiny insects on the leaves of the anthurium leads to yellowness and deformation of the leaves, and subsequently on the leaf plates sticky traces from the life of the parasites remain. Weak insect damage is eliminated with soapy water, and with strong insects, Fitoverm, Antitlin, Actellik and others are used.
2. Scale and false shields. In case of damage, the surface of the stems and leaves of the anthurium is covered with whitish or golden brown tubercles. With a small lesion of the pests, you need to remove it mechanically (with a toothbrush), and then wipe the affected areas with a sponge dipped in kerosene (this helps parasites choke under the resulting film). Processing the plant with petroleum mineral insecticide oil will also help.
3. Spider mite. Initially, the presence of the pest is accompanied by the appearance on the leaves of yellowish specks, and later - extensive discolored and dried areas. Ticks occupy the underside of the leaf, twisting a web there. Mild mite damage can be eliminated by treating the plant with mineral oil or soap, and a strong one can be eliminated by means of Fitoverm, Lightning, Vertimek, etc.
4. Thrips. With thrips in some parts of the foliage, an uneven white-yellow color appears. There are also dark discharge in the lower part of the leaves. With a strong attack of parasites, the leaves dry out and fall off. To destroy these parasites, you need to spray the anthurium with an insecticide, for example, Actellik, Aktara, Fitoverm, Fufanon, etc. After 5 days, repeat the treatment.

Important! In the room where insecticides are used to control parasites, there should not be strangers and animals. When using drugs, strictly adhere to protective measures, as well as the dosage recommended in the annotation to them.

The main means of combating insect pests of Anthurium will be prevention - daily inspection of all plants, as well as periodic processing of each leaf with solutions of laundry soap and copper sulfate.

Why do the leaves of Anthurium turn yellow after transplantation

Consider some of the factors due to which foliage turns yellow in the transplanted anthurium:

• a transplanted plant stands in direct sunlight, which causes burns of delicate leaves (especially in summer);
• the flower does not receive ultraviolet light (in the autumn-winter time);
• low temperature (about 10 ° C) in the room where the culture is contained;
• an excess of fertilizing;
• excessive moisture in the pot, leading to swampiness of the roots;
• lack of nitrogen;
• watering with hard and cold water;
• rare watering;
• water for irrigation contains harmful impurities of heavy metals or chlorine;
• the roots received severe damage during transplantation.

Preventative measures

Prevention measures for anthurium from yellowing of leaf plates will be:

• timely and rational watering;
• sufficient feeding;
• optimal composition of the substrate in the pot;
• sufficient diffused ultraviolet throughout the year;
• optimal temperature of the content (do not overheat and do not supercool the plant);
• creating a microclimate in the room with a sufficient level of humidity (at least 65%);
• regular inspections for infection with insect pests and timely localization of the lesion;
• isolation of the diseased plant from other crops;
• quarantine of newly acquired plants in the store.

Useful Care Tips

Here are some useful tips that will come in handy when growing anthurium:

1. To stimulate flowering and bookmark new buds, it is recommended to water the bushes with heated water (40–45 ° C).
2. It is contraindicated to add lime, chalk or wood ash to the substrate.
3. Softeners can be added to water for irrigation and spraying, since an acidic environment is preferred for this plant.
4. Anthurium is a poisonous plant, so it must be kept away from children and animals.
5. Strong drying of the earth in a flowerpot should not be allowed - this is detrimental to culture.
6. Avoid frequent flower transplants.
7. For the health of anthurium, you need to remove dust from its decorative leaves in a timely manner, using a damp sponge for this.
8. Drops of water on bracts and cobs are not allowed, otherwise they may turn black.

Summing up, we note that it is not difficult to grow a beautiful and healthy anthurium at all. If you pay enough attention to it, organize timely and competent care, as well as timely identify ailments and pests, you can avoid the above problems and for a long time decorate your interior with an exotic plant with spectacular and bright flowers.