Anthurium Clarinervium Care – How to Grow Velvet Cardboard Anthurium

Last Updated on January 6, 2023 by Admin

The Anthurium Clarinervium, which is also called Velvet Cardboard Anthurium and at times giant laceleaf, is a colorful, showy houseplant that will warrant everyone’s attention. Although rare, its spectacular nature makes it something you’ll want to have.

While most of the over 1000 anthurium varieties are grown for their exotic bright colored flowers, this one is better known for its marvelous heart-shaped green leaves, which are laced with bright colored veins.

Ironically, its flower is somewhat odd looking. Theses white pinkish blooms sit on a spadix at the end of a very long stem. As a result, many gardeners recommend cutting off the flower to let to let the plant focus its growth energy on its foliage instead.

Velvet cardboard anthuriums are epiphytes. As such, they cling on trees and branches instead of growing on the soil in the ground. They also rely on air to help them grown.

in the wild, you’ll find them in the rainforests of Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. Thus, their natural habitat exposes them to drenching rain and overhead canopies provided by large trees. Additionally, they tropical environment’s humidity is likewise a big factor in growing this plant.

Table of Contents

Anthurium Clarinervium Plant Care

Anthurium Clarinervium Light

The Anthurium Clarinervium love light. But, they prefer filtered light as opposed to direct sunlight. This mimics the rainforest canopy environment where they originate from as the big leaves and trees block direct sunlight.

Thus, it’s a good idea to situate them a few feet from the window where they’ll be able to get bright light but in an indirect nature. You don’t want to put them right on the window where the sun’s rays come directly into contact with them. Alternatively, you can also use drapes or there translucent items to filter the sunlight. The only exception to these rules is during winter when the sun isn’t harsh.

As such, an east facing window is the best place to put your velvet cardboard anthurium. The morning sun gives you sufficient light without being harsh. If you decide on a west facing window, make sure to protect it by using some kind of curtains to filter the light. Or, keep it a few feet from the window.

One of the worst places to put them are in a south facing window which gets too much strong, direct sunlight. Too much direct sunlight can scorch its leaves leaving you with yellow or pale foliage. Whenever you see this from your velvet cardboard anthurium, it’s a sign that they’re stressed. And, it’s a good idea to move them away from the sun.

Similarly, a north-facing window, which gets little light, isn’t ideal for this beautiful foliage plant. Low light to no light conditions are likewise bade for this anthurium variety as its leaves depend on sunlight for energy. Without it, their colorful leaves lose their luster. Additionally, overall plant growth slows down while its stems become leggy.

Anthurium Clarinervium Temperature

Anthurium clarinervium enjoy moderate temperatures. As such, they like it a little cooler than most houseplants. Ideally, you want to keep the thermostat indoors to between 65 to 73 degrees Fahrenheit to keep them happiest.

This makes them perfect for most homes which enjoy these temperatures. If you happen to live in a slightly warmer or cooler place, don’t worry. The velvet cardboard anthurium can tolerate a little leeway, but not a lot.

They won’t bother going up to about 85-86 degrees. And, down to about 55 degrees. But, much higher than that they’ll start drying up faster. They likewise start to struggle as the temp dips under 55 degrees.

As such, very hot areas like near the radiator or hot window aren’t good options. Similarly, areas where it can experience cool drafts from the night wind or air conditioner are likewise no-nos.

Being tropical in nature, you can likewise grow them outdoors. They do best in USDA zones 9 to 11 because of the tropical conditions. If you happen to live in these areas, make sure to keep them away from direct sunlight.

For locations that are cooler, you can still take your Anthurium clarinervium out during the summer when the temperatures go up. But, make sure monitor the temp and bring them back in as it starts to get colder.

Anthurium Clarinervium Humidity

Because the originate from the rainforests of Mexico, South America and Central America, they’re accustomed to high humidity. In fact, the velvect cardboard anthurium needs a minimum of 80% humidity to thrive. This means it’s unlikely that your home’s humidity will be sufficient.

This makes a greenhouse the best place to grow this stunning foliage plant. But, if you don’t have a greenhouse, there are a few other options.

Indoors, situating it in the kitchen or bathroom (provided there’s enough indirect light) are good ideas. These two rooms tend to have more moisture in the air.

Alternatively, you can group them together with other plants. Together, they release moisture into the air causing the immediate surrounding to be more humid.

Other good options for increasing humidity include:

Regular misting
Setting your anthurium on a pebble tray
Using a humidifier

source: wikimedia commons

Watering

Anthurium clarinervium are picky in some things and lax in others. While it is very specific with the kind of lighting it gets, temperature, humidity and medium, it is fairly low maintenance when it comes to watering and fertilizing.

In general, your anthurium only needs light watering. This comes out to about once a week. Although, during the summers, that go up to twice a week if you live in a warm climate region. As a rule, you want to keep the soil moist during its growing season (spring and summer)

In contrast, they can go weeks without watering come wintertime. During this time, you can allow the soil to dry out a little.

Velvet cardboard anthurium will tolerate some dryness. What they don’t like is overwatering or being waterlogged. So, you don’t have to worry too much when you miss a day.

All this comes from the fact that they are epiphytes, growing in trees and their branches. As such, unlike most plants whose roots are buried under the soil, theirs are exposed to the air. This allows the roots to dry out much faster despite getting drenched in rainforests.

So, the best way to gauge whether it is time to water again is to stick your finger into the potting mix down to about 2 inches in depth. If it feels dry, it’s time to water. Otherwise, wait a little longer until the top 2 inches dry out before doing so.

Soil

Because velvet cardboard anthuriums are epiphytes, their best growing environment isn’t soil. Instead, they thrive in soil-less mediums like a bark, moss or orchid mix.

That said, you can likewise grow them in soil using a well-draining potting mix. Adding an orchid bark to your potting mix is a great way to boost its growth.

Unlike regular houseplants, epiphytes thrive on air more than they do soil. In fact, they get their nutrients from the air. As such, it becomes even more essential that your soil is fast draining. Otherwise, this puts them at right for getting waterlogged.

Air Ciculation

Speaking of air, your Anthurium clarinervium needs good air circulation, more so than regular houseplants. Thus, it’s not a good idea to put them in a closed room where the air isn’t moving. Instead, you want moving air that’s circulated in and out of the room or home.

If you have a hard time finding a room where air from outside continuously circulates into your home, you can use a ceiling fan or stand fan to replicate this effect. Just make sure not to put the fan too near the plant to cause a draft.

Air circulation is less of a problem outdoors. But, as always if you keep them outdoors, make sure they stay away from direct sunlight.

Fertilizing

As far as feeding goes, the Velvet cardboard anthurium is fairly low maintenance. All you need to do is feed is once every month or two months during its growing season (March to September). You can use a houseplant fertilizer diluted to half strength. Come fall and wintertime, you won’t need to give it any plant food and it will do just fine.

Because of its minimal feeding needs, beginner gardeners often find themselves tempted to give the plant extra fertilizer to help it grow faster. Unfortunately, this often backfires because too much fertilizer, like overwatering, is bad for your plant.

Anthurium Clarinervium Pruning

Pruning helps keep your anthurium healthy. Doing so on a regular basis encourages new growth. Thus, allowing it to keep its luster.

Additionally, trimming the dead leaves, diseased areas, leggy stems and older foliage not only helps maintain its looks but also allows the plant to focus it energy on new growth as opposed to the deteriorating ones.

The best time to prune your velvet cardboard plant is in the spring or early summer. Ideally, you want to do it before growing season. But, doing it early during the growing season works just as well, allowing new growth to immediately take place.

Propagation

Anthurium clarinervium can be propagated in 3 ways. These are by seed, division and stem cuttings.

Of the three, division is the easiest and fastest. While messier, it allows you to take a grown portion of your anthurium and repot it. This means that you don’t have to wait for it to germinate (as you do seeds), or to root (as with stem cuttings).

It also eliminates the risk of failure. What gardeners don’t often tell you is that some seeds never germinate, or get past germination. Similarly, not all stem cuttings grow into beautiful plants.

Conversely, root division already gives you a “finished product” so to speak. That is, you can already see the plant grown. This not only saves you time but makes propagation more efficient.

How to Propagate Anthurium Clarinervium by Division

Gently take it out of the pot. You can do this when you repot it to get everything done at the same time.
The find smaller offsets or stems that look good.
Divide the portion (you can likewise take more than one)
Put the divided portion into its own container with potting mix
Water thoroughly

Alternatively, you can likewise propagate Anthurium clarinervium by seed. This is the longest of the 3 methods and you’ll need to wait about a year for it to grow.

Finally, there’s stem cuttings. While stem cuttings is simpler to do that root division, doing it with Anthurium clarinervium runs the risk of rotting. This means you’ll need to keep an eye on it more.

How to Propagate Anthurium Clarinervium from Stem Cuttings

Take a 4-6 inch stem cutting. Ideally, you want one with aerial roots. The advantage of epiphytes is that you can easily see their roots.
Dip the root end with rooting hormone to improve its growing potential.
Plant it in the soil you use for the mother plant. This eliminates any acclimation period.
Place it somewhere it can receive good lighting and air circulation.
Wait a few weeks and see it start growing

Transplanting & Repotting Anthurium Clarinervium

You can expect to repot your Anthurium clarinervium every 2-3 years. One sure sign way of knowing it is time to move to a bigger pot is when you see the roots start to circle the container.

Here’s how to repot Anthurium clarinervium:

Gently take the plant out of its current container.
Dust off any excess dirt and soil.
Untangle the roots
If you want to propagate your anthurium, now is the best time to divide it into sections.
Fill the new pot or pots (if you divided the plant) with fresh potting mix. You’ll want to measure your plant side by side with the new pot so that the plant will sit up as high as it did in its current container.
Put the plant into the potting mix and fill the rest with soil
Water thoroughly

Toxicity

While beautiful to look at, it’s a good idea to keep this foliage houseplant away from the reach of children and pets.

That’s because the leaves and stems are all toxic to both humans and animals. The presence of calcium oxalates means that it can cause digestive issues, vomiting, irritation and other unpleasant side effects upon ingestion.

Pests and Disease

Anthurium clarinervium are highly resistant to pest infestation. However, because they’re quite specific with humidity and sensitive to overwatering, these environmental issues can cause the pests and disease to happen.

Thus, it’s essential to be aware not to overwater because it can lead to root rot. Similarly, check your plant for mealybugs, spider mites and aphids to catch them early so they don’t spread. Then apply a mild treatment to fix these pests.