How to care for and grow your Flamingo Plant
(Anthurium)
Native to: South America
Watering needs: Frequent – keep soil moist
Lighting needs: Medium – can tolerate most light levels but provide as much light as possible
Difficulty: Some care required
Great for: Gifting, friends, family
Pet-Safe: No
Picking The Right Spot
(Lighting, Air Conditioning, Temperature)
Caring For Your Anthurium (Watering, Dusting, Re-potting)
How do I choose a healthy Flamingo Plant?
You can trust your intuition when it comes to an Anthurium.
Watch Out For:
1. Weak Stems: your stems should be sturdy. Weak stems that can barely support the plant indicate root rot.
2. Floppy Leaves: an Anthurium's leaves become floppy when there's a fungal infestation.
Where do I place my Flamingo Plant?
(Lighting, Air Conditioning, Temperature)
Half of plant parenthood is choosing the perfect spot.
Lighting
The more indirect light your Anthurium gets, the taller it will grow. But avoid direct sunlight (max: 2 hours) as that may burn its leaves.
When you bring your Anthurium home, place it as close to a window as you can, making sure it has the largest possible view of the sky. Then, keep an eye on it for a few days. We highly recommend placing it near a window for the first month, so it gets acclimated to its new home.
If you see scorch marks on your Anthurium within a few hours, then that means it’s getting too much sunlight.
Pro-tip: You don’t need to worry about UAE windows, most of them are tinted, so the sunlight coming through is already filtered indirect light, not direct. If you were to keep your Anthurium near a non-tinted window, you would see scorch marks on its leaves within a few hours.
Air Conditioning
Place it away from AC vents
Place your Anthurium as far away as possible from the direct air escaping from your AC vent. The dry air may cause its flowers to fall off.
Temperature
Anthuriums are happiest between 16–22 °C.
How do I care for my Anthurium Plant
(Watering, Dusting, Re-potting)
How to keep your plant alive (and also show your love).
Watering
Maintain moist soil
Anthuriums want their soil to be kept moist. At least once a week, touch the top layer of the soil; If it feels dry (not wet or cold), then that means it’s time to water.
Your Anthurium’s leaves will also start to droop when it’s thirsty. Don't be alarmed – a drink will perk it back up. As with all plants, the more light it gets, the more water it will need – keep an eye out for its drooping leaves to signal when it's time for a drink.
Pro-tip: When checking your soil for moisture, make sure to test different parts of the soil, in case you come across a wet pocket. To be extra sure, you can also stick your finger through the bottom of the drainage holes underneath its nursery pot, to feel for moisture.
Note: The more light it gets, the more often it’ll need to be checked and watered.
Leave water to aerate for 24–48 hours
Anthuriums require a little more work as they’re more sensitive than other plants when it comes to chlorine and calcium found in tap water. To combat this, we recommend leaving your tap water out for 24–48 hours before watering to give the minerals time to evaporate.
Dusting
Once a month, gently wipe away any dust on your plant
Wiping your Anthurium free of dust with a damp rag once a month will help it soak in light and breathe through the little pores on its leaves (stomata).
Re-potting
Leave it in its nursery pot
Once you receive your plant, place it in the spot you plan to keep it in (whilst still in its nursery pot) and allow it at least 6 months (ideally 12) to acclimate to your home's temperature and light levels.
Time to re-pot
You don’t need to worry about re-potting Anthuriums for at least 1-2 years.
When it's time, use a high-quality potting mix and transfer your Anthurium into a pot that's about 1–2 inches in diameter larger (or one or two sizes up) than its current one.
Remember, always go for a pot with drainage holes.
When in doubt, reach out to our team at hello@plntd.ae, and we’ll help you identify whether the soil bag you’re considering will work for your Anthurium.
Pro-tip: To keep watering simple and easy, you can simply re-pot your Anthurium into a larger nursery pot and place that nursery pot in a larger planter.
Frequently asked questions about Flamingo Plants
Ask away, grasshopper.
How easy is an Anthurium to care for?
Anthuriums are low maintenance plants:
- They can tolerate low light levels (though they grow larger and bloom larger flowers the more they get).
- They are fairly thirsty drinks and require water 1-2 times per week (the more light they get, the more you can expect to water them).
Like most indoor plants, however, they are a little sensitive when it comes to the chlorine and calcium found in UAE tap water. To combat this, make sure to:
- Leave tap water out for 24-48 hrs before using it. This will allow the chlorine time to evaporate.
- Water all the way through the soil until water is dripping out the bottom of the nursery pot. This will ensure any excess build of calcium (and other minerals) is flushed out from the soil.
How much light does my Anthurium need?
Anthuriums are native to tropical South America, so will thrive in similar medium-light conditions. The more light they get, the bigger they will grow and the larger their flowers will bloom, but try not to give it more than 2 hours of direct sunlight.
Can I use UAE tap water to water my Anthurium?
Yes, but Anthuriums are sensitive to the chlorine and calcium found in UAE tap water.
To combat this, make sure to:
- Leave tap water out for 24-48 hrs before using it. This will allow the chlorine time to evaporate.
- When watering your Anthurium, make sure to water through the soil until it is dripping out the bottom of the nursery pot. This flushes out any excess build-up of calcium (and other minerals) from the soil.
Finally, look out for tell-tale signs of too much chlorine or calcium:
- Scorched brown tips at the leaves = too much chlorine.
- White crystals on the soil = too much calcium.
Will AC harm my Anthurium? What temperature should I set it to?
Anthuriums are native to tropical rainforests, as such, they thrive in warm, humid climates.
ACs achieve the opposite results: they make the temperature colder, and the air dryer.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when setting your AC temperature and deciding where to place your Anthurium in a room:
- The ideal temperature for Anthuriums is between 16–22°C.
- Whenever possible, place your Anthurium (this applies to all plants) as far away from the AC vent as possible.
- To combat the drying effect of the AC, mist your Anthurium with water and a mister to replicate its native climate. Once a week is minimum; once a day is ideal!
Do I have to re-pot my Anthurium as soon as I receive it?
In short, no.
Once you receive your plant, place it in the spot you plan to keep it in (whilst still in its nursery pot) and allow it at least 6 months (ideally 12) to acclimate to your home's temperature and light levels.
Once acclimated, you can choose to either re-pot your plant or leave it in its nursery pot, but Anthuriums can go up to 2 years without needing to be re-potted.
Some Common Problems
Like we said, Anthuriums are simple.
Black Roots
Cause: Root rot due to overwatering
Suggestion: Trim off affected roots with a clean pair of scissors and repot, and reduce your watering frequency.
Brown Leaf-tips
Cause: Underwatering, dry soil
Suggestion: Time for a drink!
Brown Leaves
Cause 1: Natural life cycle
Suggestion: Cut off wilting leaves so that your Anthurium devotes more energy to its healthy ones.
Cause 2: Too much light
Suggestion: Put some more distance between your Anthurium and its window.
Cause 3: Overwatering
Suggestion: Step back to look at your current watering schedule and observe its soil and roots for water-logging and root rot, and decrease your current watering frequency as needed.
Drooping Leaves
Cause: Underwatering
Suggestion: Time for a drink!
Floppy Leaves
Cause: Fungus
Suggestion: After snipping off the affected areas from leaves using a clean pair of scissors, use a fungicide spray to kill the fungus.
Flowers Falling Off
Cause 1: Natural life cycle
Suggestion: Cut off wilting flowers so that your Anthurium devotes more energy to its healthy ones.
Cause 2: Watering issue
Suggestion: Step back to look at your current watering schedule and observe its soil and roots for waterlogging or root rot. Increase or decrease your current watering frequency as needed.
Cause 3: Too much light
Suggestion: Put some more distance between your Anthurium and its window.
Cause 4: Dry environment
Suggestion: Consider misting your plant daily using a mister. Alternatively, you can use the pebble-tray method.
Cause 5: Too cold
Suggestion: Try moving your plant away from AC vents or placing it in a warmer location.
Mold in Soil
Cause: Root rot due to overwatering
Suggestion: Trim off affected roots with a clean pair of scissors and repot, and reduce your watering frequency.
No Flowers
Cause 1: Not enough sunlight
Suggestion: Move to a brighter location
Cause 2: Underfed
Suggestion: Fertilizer will give your plant a nutrient boost to develop flowers.
Pests
Cause: Other plants, unsterilized gardening tools, or less-than-ideal growing conditions
Suggestion: Rinse your plant under running water for 4-6 weeks to ensure that all remaining pests are removed. You may consider applying insecticidal soap, neem oil, or diluted dish detergent to your plant's leaves and stems. Improved sunlight can also boost the plant's natural defenses against pests.
Yellow Leaf-tips
Cause: Overwatering
Suggestion: Step back to look at your current watering schedule and observe its soil and roots for water-logging and root rot, and decrease your current watering frequency as needed.
Yellow Leaves
Cause 1: Too much sunlight
Suggestion: Move your plant further indoors.
Cause 2: Fungus
Suggestion: After snipping off the affected areas from leaves using a clean pair of scissors, use a fungicide spray to kill the fungus.
Cause 3: Root rot
Suggestion: Trim off affected roots with a clean pair of scissors, then repot and reduce your watering frequency.
Buying Anthuriums Online
When shopping for a plant online, look out for the following:
Height
If you're looking for a table-top plant, then go for one that's 40cm tall. A 60cm tall plant would work well on a low side-table. Plants about 1 meter or taller would work well as statement floor plants.
Note: Stated heights will always include the height of the plant AND planter.
Pot style
This is all about the vibe you're looking for, and you'll typically have a choice amongst different colors and shapes.
If you're looking for subtlety, we suggest a circular pot in white. To make more of a statement, look for contrasting shapes and colors!
Delivery
It goes without saying that your plant supplier should meticulously package all plants.
When you personally buy a plant from a store, you're able to rush it home, ensuring it stays outside for as little time as possible. But when you order online, your plant will ride-share with a lot of other plants all on their way to their new homes.
Depending on where you live, weather can play a big part in your plant's health along the way.
If possible, ask your plant shop what precautions they take to ensure your plants stay as safe as possible en route to you.
Reviews
Reading customer reviews is a good way to get an idea of the customer experience provided by the seller (here's ours, by the way), but you need to practice caution there.
Don't expect to be able to tell a fake review right away, some reviewers can be great con artists, and some negative reviews can be fake to harm the seller.
Your best bet is to zoom out and look at multiple comments from multiple categories to get a good overview of whether you can trust this company and/or their review section.
For example, look at how recent the reviews are, and how spread apart. Was there a sudden spike of comments in a short amount of time? Do they sound like they're all written by someone rehashing the same template? Do they all sound too positive to be real?
Yes, going all detective on reviews can be a chore, but Future You will thank you for it.
Returns and refund policies
Things can go wrong.
Sometimes it's no one's fault, and sometimes there's nothing anyone can do.
So the best practice is to offer (and honor) a no-questions asked return/refund policy. Check out the seller's policy before you make a purchase, so you know you're insured in case things don't work out.
You can check out our return/refund policy here.
Ready to adopt an Anthurium?
Your Anthurium can't wait to meet you — just choose a height and pot and let's introduce you two!
Red and pink and heart-shaped, these flowers represent love, romantic or platonic, and can bloom year round with the right care and attention.
Our Set consists of one red and one pink Anthurium, in matching planters.
Occasions to gift an Anthurium Set: Anniversaries, Friendship Day, as a housewarming present
