Any fanatics lurking out there? With so many new members I thought I'd check again. I'm up to about 50 now of the Andraeanum, Obake & Amnicola types. If all goes well I'll have lots to trade this spring. Let me hear from you if you're out there!
Flowering Anthuriums
I have one small Anthurium. Only had it about a month .... hope I can keep it alive! I tried this plant years ago and didn't have much luck. Do you grow yours outside year round? Or do they have to be inside during the winter months? They are beautiful plants!
Lin
That's how it starts...with ONE. All of my andraeanum and obake types go in when the temps get down in the 50s at night. The amnicolas are hardy into the 40s and can stay out longer. They are also more tolerant of average household conditions. I don't have a greenhouse but I am a pet groomer and take most of them to work each fall. They stay there until March. The "wet" area of the grooming salon stays warm and very humid from bathing and drying dogs all day so the fussier types are happy there. They have windows as well as flourescent lighting. It's a big job moving them all every year though.
Most of the plants that are commonly found at HD, Lowes, etc. are pretty hardy. Most are andicolas and some hybrids they are calling andraeacolas. Do you know what kind you have?
NN: I too have "one" Anthurium which is in a sunny window at the moment. It was a gift so I'm not sure which variety it is. Just got it a few weeks ago but if I manage to keep it healthy over the winter, I hope to let it live outside most of the year, when it's warm enough, which is about 8 months of the year. In your experience, are they good in shade? (Planning ahead, optimistically!)
Deb
Shade or dappled sunlight is best. 60 to 80% shade is textbook. Most of mine live under the porch or patio and get about 2 hours of very early AM sun or very late PM sun and they bloom constantly. Too much direct sunlight (outdoors) is a sure killer though. They will turn yellow and die within days. I've never had a problem with too much sun in a window. Just watch the color of the leaves and they'll let you know if it's happy or not.
Your timetable is about the same as mine. My plants go inside the end of November and come back out in March. They seem to tolerate the short time indoors very well. Blooms may slow down but they'll start again when it's moved outside.
Thanks. That's good news since I have LOTS of shade. If this lil' one does well, it'll be perfect in my "tropical" shade garden. Is there a particular variety that's your favorite, or does especially well for you?
I'm hooked on all of them actually but I like the andraeanum (heart shaped) and obake (elongated & multicolored w/green) types the best. I've had great luck with all of them that I've tried. I haven't tried the sherzerianums ("pigtail") yet but I've read that they prefer a cooler environment. I think as long as you have some humidity, they're pretty easy. Here are pics of some of my favorites. This one is "Sarah".
"Florida"
"Acropolis"
"Maxima verde"
"Midori" (with seeds)
"Patriot"
Hello there
Thanks for peaking my interest in these guys again. For some reason i never had much luck with them and they never flowered much for me. I just came across Tropical Ice which i'm now mad about do you have any experience with that one. I love the mix of colors on the flower. Are there others that do that too.
http://www.alohatropicals.com/Anthuriums.html
"Rainbow obake"...my VERY favorite. Are ya hooked yet???
You know, I was actually looking at that very flower last night. I haven't bought Tropical Ice, nor have I ordered from Aloha Tropicals yet. That's a really good price though. It's the shipping from HI that just knocks your brains out. I have ordered from others there. I think I may put that one on my "want" list though. The obakes get really big. The more mature the plant and flower, the more it elongates and changes color/shape. The picture of the new Maxima Verde flower above, matures to this...
Dogs were barking so I went out to see and we had a visitor. This isn't a zoom shot. He let me get this close! Not an anthurium but a pretty little face anyway! Date on my camera is off.
Thanks, im not buying yet but having fun looking, I just cant manage any more right now.
What is it
opossum
As a general rule, are most Anthuriums epiphitical or semi-epiphitical?
I just purchased an A. Scandens. I like this one because of its self pollination, the growing form and the color of its berries. I have it potted in a very well draining mix.
I bought one at Lowes about 3 months ago in their dead plant section. It is barely making a comeback for me. Not dying further but not putting on much new growth either.
Are they heavy feeders?
Wow! You sure do have alot of varieties & they look so happy. :) My lone plant is blooming away indoors and it's really gorgeous so I may become irretrievably hooked. I'll have to research and try to figure out which it is. Won't be getting that possum variety, though! We have enough of them - and racoons as well! ;->
Deb, I have lots of different kinds. They are so easy for me and I really got hooked. I have a plant buddy in Oklahoma and he's hooked too so we do a swap every spring. If you snap a photo of your flowers I may can tell you a little about it.
I have racoons too. I put cat food out for them on the front porch in the evenings and get a whole herd of them out there. Brave little things, fierce. They growl like little bears. The opossum was a new visitor though. I loved his pink nose.
Mango, I'm not a botanist but I would classify the ones I am familiar with as a semi-epiphyte. Did you buy your scandens on ebay by any chance? My Oklahoma friend just sold one on there a few days ago. He and I are bidding on two that are up now. We both plant in a mix of one part orchid bark to 2 parts potting mix and we're having good luck with them.
Thanks for your help Nemat!
I purchased my Scandens at the following site:
http://www.blackjungle.com/home.htm
I paid $7.99 plus shipping. The plant has 6 leaves and was in very healthy shape. A little on the small side though because they sell these plants for terraruim use.
I will have to give your potting mix a try. Maybe it is what my Lowes plant needs. It did not have a label so I will have to wait until it flowers to have a chance in IDing it.
By the way, what kind of fertilizer do you use?
I don't fertilize at all. My fellow junkie doesn't either. He has, however, ordered a new hydroponic system and he's going to try some of them in that. Should be an interesting experiment.
This is my "Orange Nitta".
Can you tell I like showing them off???
Now look what you did LOL
I was at HD and they never have anthuriums, of course till tonight so i had to get one. Looks like your
"Acropolis" but i really dont know too much about them. As its flowering now, when these go will that be it untill this time next year or can i expect more in the spring, the answer will decide where i put it in the ground.
Look what i found
http://www.anthura.nl/
NN: I'm making a note "Orange Nitta". ;-) I have a weakness for orange flowers. Is that a variety that you can find in stores or nurseries or did you have to "order it special"? (See? You've created a few recruits, looks like.) I think I'll post a photo of mine tomorrow as I've tried to ID it myself and can't seem to pin it down. I'd appreciate your opinion if you get a chance to check it out. Thanks!
Deb
Nice one celt! They bloom constantly...year 'round, which is one thing that makes them so addictive. "Allegedly", you will have one bloom for every leaf. I have one that is absolutely true to that. I get a leaf and then a bloom, leaf and bloom. It's amazing. Anthura BV is a huge producer. Another big Dutch producer is Rijn and I've spent many hours drooling over both websites.
Deb, the Orange Nitta is a Hawaiian variety. I've only been able to find them via mail order from there.
www.lindasplacehawaii.com
www.hawaiitropicals.com
Linda is really nice to deal with her her prices are better than Hawaii Tropicals.
So, great! I'm glad that I've generated some interest! Deb, I'll be watching for your photo. Here are just some fun links for drool time.
http://www.fablefarms.ca/anthuriums.htm
http://www.wschowa.com/abrimaal/araceum/anthurium/andrbig.htm
http://aplikacie.slovenska.sk/wobj/?profile=599&right=%2Fwobj%2Flist1.php%3FCID%3D3%26mode%3D2%26page%3D6%26profile%3D599%26noheader%3D0
http://www.rijnplant.nl/nl/
http://www.twyford.com/showplant.php?br=Anthurium
Many of the plants you find at HD, Lowes, etc. are produced by Twyford. University of Florida is also producing plants here in the U.S.
NN: Here's a photo of the Anthurium I recd as a gift. The "petal" part of the bloom is about 3-4" in length. First is just that. Next pic will be the whole plant showing the leaves n all. If you have an idea which this is, please let me know. Thanks in advance!
Here's more...
I found this variegated one on ebay but the bidding got to rich for my taste. Being a variegated nut , this is the best one ive seen yet.
Deb, your plant is an amnicola type and it looks like Twyford's "Gemini" (flowers & the leaves too) which is hugely popular and readily available. There's no way to be sure with all of the hundreds of hybrids out there but Gemini would be my best guess. Pretty much all of the anthuriums being sold at Lowes these days come from Twyford. You also see a lot of them in grocery stores. It should be hardy and do really well for you. There is "Gemini" and "White Gemini". I have the white one.
Celt, a friend of mine was bidding on the Shibori last night. He dropped out when it got too high and sent me an email today that said it went for $79 plus shipping.
Thank you so much for the I.D.!
LOL, we were probably bidding against each other. It was very cool, are there other variegated ones?. i like the ones that have the multi color flowers do an ever have variegated leaves
I didn't bid on it. Darwin and I usually decide on who will bid on what and then whatever we get, we divide and swap in the spring. I don't know who got that one but $79 is pretty steep. I've paid $50 plus shipping but that's about my limit. That's not to say that I wouldn't get carried away and spend some unspeakable amount only to have to skip lunch for a few weeks! Soooo, you were bidding? I see an new convert???? Honestly, if you watch in your area, many of the Anthura and Rijn plants released seem to end up there. I've bought several on ebay that were sold by FL vendors.
I don't think there are any flowering anthuriums with variegated foliage. There is an "Orange Splash" andraeanum type along with the Shibori. There are some marbled amnicola types. I have two. Both are shades of marbled pink. One is "Peppermint" and the other may just be a mutation. That's one thing about these plants. If you keep a hybrid long enough it starts to do wierd stuff! There are also speckled sherzerianum types but as they like cooler temps, I haven't tried any of them.
Hello everyone!
I have been watching this tread and really enjoy the pictures and commentary! I have a small growing anthurium that has lavender "flowers" that I keep on the back patio most of the year. I rescued it from an office trash can one day a couple years ago! It has grown, but not really prospered, still being a single plant. Do they typically produce side shoots or pups?
When I transplant it to a lighter medium, should I comb the root system to a bare root condition, or just repot to the next size pot with lighter medium around the root ball?
Is there a group of hobbyists producing hybrids, or is all the development being done by the floral trade?
Enough questions! Thanks - Arlan
im new to the Anthurium addiction but when i transplant anything i always use a root stimulator that you can but at HD specifically for transplants or repotting it seems to ket them settled much faster.
For repotting, I guess it would depend on how heavy the medium is around the roots. I usually start bare root but I don't know that one way is better than the other. I don't know if there are any hobbiests working with anthuriums or not. The andraeanum and obake types are for the most part tied to the floral industry. Nearly all of the plants are produced by tissue culture for the sole purpose of the cut flower trade. The amnicolas were developed as an easier to grow alternative and are generally sold as potted plants.
They do produce pups pretty readily. When plants get too tall and leggy, you can cut them off a few inches above the soil and replant the top. Ideally you will already have some air roots that have developed on the top half. The top will root and the bottom will come out again, producing more plants (you hope!).
Thanks NematanthusNut and celt33040,
Sounds like I can use pretty much standard repotting methods. My plant is getting disproportionately tall, so may be a candidate for decapitation! - Arlan
Yooohooo.... I see you celt....bidding on the shibori! You've been bitten by the anthurium bug for sure! LOL