Anthurium crystallinum is also known as the crystal anthurium plant. It is a tropical plant and is native to central and south America.
This plant has velvety green leaves with white veins on them. Its minimal care needs make it a suitable indoor plant.
The leaves can easily grow up to 3 feet long in ideal growing environment.
Anthurium crystallinum care and maintenance is easier than many other houseplants.
For best possible care use lightweight airy potting soil. Set the room temperature between 18 to 25 degrees C. The soil mixture has to be fast draining material.
Extra water stored in the soil causes root rot.
In this post, you’ll learn about the best anthurium crystallinum care and maintenance methods.
Quick care guide
| Common names | Crystal Anthurium |
| Size | leaf size 3 feet (max) |
| light | Full sun, partial shade |
| Water | Less water |
| Temperature | 18 to 26 degrees C |
| Humidity | Moderate |
| Soil | Fast draining |
| Pests and Diseases | Mealybugs, scales, aphids, and root rot |
Anthurium crystallinum care guide
Light
This plant needs 8 hours of bright shady light. Do not grow it in direct sunlight. Direct light will burn the plant leaves.
Because this is a tropical plant, therefore, it can easily be growing in a low-light environment.
But then the Anthurium crystallinum will grow slowly and do not produce a wide white line on leaves. These white lines are the beauty of this particular plant. The heart-shaped leaves look more beautiful with broad white vines.
If possible do not grow it in an outdoor garden.
Because then you need to arrange shade for it between 12 pm to 4 pm.
If you are retired or free at this time then you can give it everyday care. But for working persons growing it in an indoor environment is the best option.
Growing plants indoors need less care than outdoor plants.
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Soil
For the best anthurium crystallinum care use commercially sold potting mixes.
Many growers suggest different methods of preparing potting soils at home. But all of them are time consuming ideas. Most of them are not cost-effective because you need to mix many things.
Diy methods also include some parts of organic compost. I do not think that adding compost in the pots of indoor plants is a good idea. The compost is derived from organic waste. It smells like boiled eggs.
You cannot modify your garden soil to use for growing crystal anthurium.
Garden soil contains many bacteria sometimes it may contain pathogens. Whereas commercially sold soil is sterilized and is safe to use indoors.
Temperature
Like we all know tropical plants need a warm environment. Because their habitat is warm than other forests.
Keep the temperature of the room between 18 to 25 degrees C. This is the normal temperature range of US houses. Slight fluctuations are ok for the plant it can tolerate them.
Crystal anthurium cannot survive in the winter season. When the temperature drops below 12 degrees C the plant start dying.
This is the reason we suggest you grow it in pots. So that you can move them indoors in the winter season. Then move them again in spring and summer.
Your plant turns yellow if you put it near or in front of the hot air (in winter days). This also doubles the watering needs of plants. Because the hot air evaporates the water in the soil as well as stored in the plant leaves.
The distance between the pot and heating vent should be 10 feet minimum.
Watering Crystal anthurium
Rainwater is good for anthurium crystallinum care and maintenance. You can use rain barrels to collect and store rainwater.
But if you do not live-in heavy rainfall areas. Then you can give it neat and clean filtered water. The amount of water is depending on how thirsty is your plant.
To check it poke the finger in the soil. Give water if the soil is dry unless wait for another day.
In the summer season, you need to water it more as compared to the winter days. Because winter is its rest time. Plants do not grow in the winter season. Spring and summer are the main growing season of plants.
When a living thing grows it needs more nutrients and water. So be prepare for watering it frequently in spring and summer.
Fertilizers
Every plant needs some amount of nutrients to grow. The amount of nutrients is depending upon the size and family of the plants.
Anthurium crystallinum needs fewer nutrients only if you grow it in organic-rich soil. Otherwise, it do need some amount of liquid nutrients.
For best results use organic nutrients only.
Because crystal anthurium plants grow slowly and they need slow releasing nutrients. Synthetic nutrients are fast releasing nutrients. They can build-up salt layers around the plant roots.
Giving fast releasing fertilizers to slow-growing plants results in over fertilization. Because the fertilizer liquid releases their ions at once. This makes a high dosage of nutrients. This causes brown leave tips of burned leaves.
Humidity
Because it is a tropical plant so it needs high humidity. I know you cannot make a tropical forest-like environment in your home. Trust me when growing indoors anthurium does not want the same environment.
It needs little high humidity between 60 % to 80 %. You need to buy a humidity check meter and install it in the room where anthurium is growing. Once the air moisture drops below the set limit the device will trigger the alarm. This way you will know the humidity in the room is dropping.
To increase humidity. Turn the humidifier ON or use water filled tray of pebbles and put a plant pot on it. When the water gets evaporated this will increase the air moisture around the plant.
For immediate humidity place the plant pot in the bathroom for few days.
Propagation
Crystal anthurium propagation is quick and easy. You have two methods one is to separate the plantlets from the roots. In this method, you have to depend on the mother nature. You can only separate them when they grow.
In another technique, you just separate the roots and plant them in different containers. This is the most reliable method of Anthurium Crystallinum propagation.
In the summer season take out the plant from its pot
- Remove the soil from the roots and looks for the big root.
- Now cut the subsoil stem into two halves. Top portion with leaves and the bottom portion with reaming roots.
- Both the parts must have few roots.
- Put them on the paper for the cut to callous.
- Plant them in different pots and mist some water to keep the soil moist.
- For 1 week give extra care to the plants.
- Here you need to put the plants in high humidity.
- Give them a healthy boost with diluted liquid nutrients.
Propagation with plantlets.
- Plantlets are the result of nature.
- They are often attached to the bottom part of the plant.
- When you see young plantlets remove them from the base.
- Plant them in seedling starter mix or directly in potting soil.
- Put the pots in high humidity.
- They will grow to a healthy plant with time.
- The best method of crystal anthurium propagation is stem cutting.
Problems with anthurium crystallinum care
Leaf spots
These are tiny round-shaped burn marks. They are often triggered by bacterial infection due to over watering. In the summer season, growers use a spray bottle to mist water on plant leaves. They do this to increase the humidity. But they forgot that misting water on plant leaves can result in serious problems.
To fix this problem you need to remove the infected leaves and save others. This is the only solution. you cannot reverse the burned leaves to healthy leaves.
Wilting and yellow plants
This situation is caused by waterlogged soil. Wilting means there is something wrong with the plant roots. The soil is infected or the roots are damaged due to low water or extra water. In most cases over water is the main cause.
The solution is to cut the water and put it in bright light. If the problem gets solved in 3 days then good, if not then you need to remove the plant from the pot and do a root inspection.
Mealybugs and aphids
Both the insects are deadly for plants if present in large parentage. If you catch them in the early stage of infection. You can easily get rid of them by using a cotton cloth and rubbing alcohol.
Wipe the plant leaves with a wipe and alcohol. This will kill the insects in few seconds.
On the other side, if the problem is worse means the entire plant is infected by pests. Then the only solution is using pesticidal spray or insecticidal soap. First, try soap, wash the plant with soap and water. your problem will be solved.
The last option is pesticide spray. Take the plant outdoors and spray pesticide on it. This will surely kill all the insects.
To prevent all these problems, use neem oil once a month regardless of the season of the year. Neem oil has anti-bacterial properties. It will prevent pests and save the plants from many plant diseases as well.
In the case of leaf fungus, neem spray acts as a miracle.
