Flamingo Flower problems & how to fix them
Anthurium andraeanum
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Flamingo Flower problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Root rot
Epiphytic roots suffocate and rot quickly in ordinary dense potting soil. A fungal or bacterial infection of the roots, almost always triggered by soil staying wet too long. Caught early, most plants recover within a few weeks after repotting; if most roots are already mushy, recovery is uncertain.
Phytophthora root rot on a dug-up root ball
Photo: Jerzy Opioła · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Crispy tips (low humidity)
Leaf edges brown in dry air; it wants 50%+ humidity to look pristine. Brown, dry leaf tips caused by air that is too dry for the plant, common in heated or air-conditioned rooms. Existing crispy tips never turn green again, but with higher humidity new growth should come in clean within a few weeks.
Fungal leaf spot
Water splashed on leaves in still air leaves brown-haloed spots. A fungal infection that creates dark spots inside leaf tissue, often with yellow halos, and spreads through water splash on wet leaves. Existing spots will not heal, but with pruning and drier foliage the spread usually stops within two to three weeks.
Cercospora leaf spots with dark rims on a spinach leaf
Photo: Plant pests and diseases · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Mealybugs
Pests hide in the crowded crown and flower stem bases. Slow-moving sap-sucking insects that look like bits of white cotton stuck in leaf joints. They are stubborn but very treatable with repeated spot treatment; expect steady improvement over 3-4 weeks.
a long-tailed mealybug on a leaf
Photo: D-Kuru · CC BY-SA 3.0 at · Wikimedia Commons
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Planting in regular dense potting soil.
- Cold exposure below about 59°F (15 °C), which stops blooming and spots leaves.
- Overwatering in low light through winter.
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