Anthurium Magnificum Care and Propagation

Last Updated on January 6, 2023 by Admin

The Anthurium Magnificum is a rare hybrid that is native to the tropical rainforests of South America.

The plant is best known for its large heart-shaped leather leaves with very pronounced bright white veins. It is sometimes mistaken or confused with the popular Anthurium Crystallinum which has similar looking foliage.

Similarly, the plant also features some lovely varieties including the

Anthurium magnificum x crystallinum
Anthurium magnificum verde

How to do care for the Anthurium Magnificum? The Anthurium Magnificum needs bright, indirect light to maintain its beautiful foliage. As a tropical plant, it enjoys warm weather and high humidity. It also requires moist soil that is well-draining. Therefore, avoid letting the soil get underwatered or overwatered.

Table of Contents

Anthurium Magnificum Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Anthurium Magnificum needs to be in a well-lit location to thrive. Ideally, keep it under bright, indirect light.

This gives it the amount and intensity it needs to grow and produce its large, lush foliage.

However, in the tropical forest, the plant Is dwarfed by huge trees. As such, their leaves and branches block out part of the sun.

This is why the Anthurium Magnificum cannot tolerate direct sunlight for long periods of time.

Therefore, try to keep it away from the sun’s rays especially between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. which is when it is most intense.

This also meant that you want to be careful positioning it in a wet or south facing window. That’s because both locations get most of their sun exposure late morning to late afternoon. Thus, the plant will receive too much light there.

If you want to keep it in a western or southern exposure, make sure to put the plant at least 3 feet from the window. Alternatively, you can use blinds or curtains to filter the light.

The best spot for the plant is near an east facing window which receives the gentle morning sun. This gives it perfect intensity that is not harsh.

You can likewise put it near a north facing window but make sure there is enough light. This is especially true come winter.

If you don’t get sufficient natural light into your home, artificial lights will work as well. Again, be sure to distance the bulbs far enough as they emit heat which can also burn the plants’ leaves.

Temperature

The Anthurium Magnificum does best in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Again, this is due to its tropical origins.

It is used to warm, sunny weather that is consistent for the entire year. Additionally, there is no snow in these tropical regions.

This is why the plant has poor tolerance to the cold. And it is best to keep it away from temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

When left in this environment, its growth will slow. And the colder it gets or the longer you keep it there, the most likely it will suffer stress or injury.

As such, the plant prefers USDA Hardiness Zones 10-12 if you want to grow it outdoors. This will let you keep it outside all year long without any issues.

Anywhere colder, you need to make sure to bring it back indoors once temperature nears 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Humidity

The Anthurium Magnificum likes high humidity between 70% and 80%. Fortunately, it does well even if humidity drops a little to 50%.

As long as you keep it above this level, it will grow happily and stay healthy.

However, the problem is most homes have lower humidity. On average, indoor humidity runs between 20% and 50%.

So, while sunlight and temperature are fairly simple to accommodate the plant’s needs, you may need to keep an eye on humidity.

That said, it really depends on where you live.

If you live near coastal areas or somewhere with tropical conditions, humidity won’t be a problem since you’ll easily achieve the minimum requirements the plant needs.

However, if you experience drier air where you live, it is important to keep track of humidity.

I like to use a hygrometer to easily check the humidity at any give point in time. This lets me instantly know if any of my plants need special attention that day or not.

If humidity consistently stays below 40% where you live, it is a good idea to get a humidifier to keep the plant happy.

You can likewise mist the plant regularly. Although you’ll need to see how much the spritzing increases moisture in the air. Unfortunately, this method requires trial and error. Sometimes, it is not enough either.

Other options include:

Moving the plant to the bathroom
Placing it on a pebble tray
Grouping it with other plants
Giving the plant a shower every 2 weeks or so

Humidity is important because if it stays too low, you will eventually see your Anthurium Magnificum’s leaves turn brown and crispy on the tips and margins.

Related

How Often to Water Anthurium Magnificum

The Anthurium Magnificum needs soil to stay consistently moist during its growing season (spring and summer). But allow the soil to dry out more between watering during the winter since it takes longer for moisture to dry then.

Watering is the most challenging part of taking care of this plant because you want to avoid letting it get underwatered or overwatering.

When the plant lacks water or the soil gets too dry, you’ll notice its leaves shrivel and wilt. The plant will likewise look sad.

On the other hand, overwatering produces worse results.

This is because too much water will deprive its roots of oxygen. When this happens too long or too often, it can lead to root rot.

Root rot happens when roots get damaged and die. Thus, they will stop functioning.

So, your plant won’t be able to get sustenance from the soil be it water or nutrients. After a while, its health with deteriorate and the plant will eventually die.

As such, it is essential to always check the soil for moisture before watering.

Allow the top 2 inches of soil to dry between waterings. This will prevent overwatering.

Similarly, don’t let the entire root ball go dry as this will cause the plant to get dehydrated.

Anthurium Magnificum Potting Soil

The Anthurium Magnificum needs moist, well-draining soil. Again, this has to do with the plant’s watering requirements.

As such, the soil needs to be able to retain some moisture to keep the plant well-hydrated. However, it should not hold on to too much water as this can lead to overwatering or waterlogging.

Well-draining soil ensures that excess water quickly drains out of the soil to keep the plant from having wet feet.

To achieve this kind of soil, you have a few options.

If you prefer to buy your potting soil from the nursery or online, you can pick up a bag of aroid mix. This simplifies things as all you need to do is open the bag and pour the soil into the pot for use.

On the other hand, if you prefer making your own DIY potting mix at home, you can use this combination:

Orchid mix
Peat moss
Perlite

Mix the ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and fill the pot with it.

This soil mix recipe provides sufficient drainage and aeration so that it quickly drainage excess moisture and allows the roots to get enough oxygen.

Fertilizer

The Anthurium Magnificum does best with fertilizer. This is an important part of its growth if you want it to produce large, green foliage.

However, it is important to know how often, how much and when to apply fertilizer.

The reason is that excess feeding will result it too much fertilizer salt build up in the soil. When this happens, it will burn the plant’s roots damaging them.

So, only feed the plant during its growing season (spring and summer). Once the cold weather comes around, stop feeding as it will grow significantly slower due to the lower temperature.

Giving it fertilizer then will increase the risk of over fertilizing since the uptake will be much slower.

Also, the plant only needs to be fed once every 1-2 months. Use a balanced liquid fertilizer diluted to quarter strength.

Diluting the dose is very important since overconcentration will also do similar damage to applying plant food too often.

Pruning

The Anthurium Magnificum will grow into a large plant with huge leaves.

If you let it be, it can reach up to 5 feet tall. Its foliage will likewise be as impressive as one leaf can easily cover your entire head and toros when they get big.

This is what makes the plant stunning and very attractive.

That said, you do need space to let it grow.

Its leaves will make up almost the entire plant as you’ll see them grow facing outwards like large heart-shaped shields.

As such, you don’t really need to prune the plant unless you feel it has too much foliage or the leaves are getting crowded.

How to Propagate Anthurium Magnificum

You can propagate the Anthurium Magnificum in several ways. The two most efficient methods are via stem cuttings and root division.

Stem cuttings is the simpler method. Although you need to wait a few weeks for new roots to develop.

Division requires more work at least initially. But you a semi-grown plant once you’re done propagating.

Although both methods work quite well, I’ve notice that propagating using root division gives you stronger, more robust new plants.

Thus, it is really up to you on which method you want to use.

Either way, I’ll go through both the methods below step by step.

Propagating Anthurium Magnificum from Stem Cuttings

To start, choose a healthy stem. You want a stem with at least one node and preferably 2 leaves or more. The node is necessary otherwise the plant won’t propagate. The leaves help it grow faster.
Once you’ve selected a stem, sterilize your cutting tool with rubbing alcohol. You can use a pair or scissors, pruning shears or a knife.
Next, fill a pot with fresh, well-draining potting mix. Make sure the pot you use has drainage holes at the bottom.
Then, apply rooting hormone to the cut end of the stem cutting. This step is optional by speeds up rooting. I’ve also noticed it increases the success rate of propagation.
Plant the cutting into the soil. Make sure that the node or nodes are buried under the potting mix.
Water the soil until moist.
Keep the plant in a bright location with indirect light.
It will take about 3-4 weeks for the cutting to develop roots.

Propagation Anthurium Magnificum by Root Division

To divide the root ball, follow these steps.

Unpot the plant carefully. Don’t just pull it out or jerk it from its pot. Gently coax the root ball out.
Once out, remove excess soil so you can clearly see the roots system. You can use running water to wash off excess soil if it is stubborn.
Check the roots first before doing anything else. You’re looking for pests, disease, rotting or any other problems. If there is any fix that first before you propagate.
Not it is time to decide where to split up the roots. You can divide the parent to 2, 3 or 4 sections. It really depends on how big the plant is and how many new plants you want.
You can use your hands to separate the section. Or you can also go with a sterilized knife. Make sure that each division has stems and leaves on top and matching roots tat the bottom. The new plant won’t survive without roots.
Pot up each division into fresh, well-draining potting mix.
Then water the soil until moist.
Keep all the pots in bright, indirect light.

How to Repot or Transplant Anthurium Magnificum

The basic guideline is to repot the plant once every 2years. However, I’ve noticed that this tends to vary depending on how fast it grows.

Rate of growth varied based on how mush light, water, humidity and fertilizer it gets.

As such, a better way to tell when to repot the plant is to check the bottom holes of the pot. If you see quite a few roots coming out from there, it is time to repot.

You don’t need to repot before then.

It is also worth noting that you may or may not repot immediately once you get home.

Ideally, let the plant stay in the pot and let it get acclimated to its net environment first. Since the plant’s living conditions in the shop and your home are different it will need time to get acclimated.

Repotting immediately will add to the stress of all of this.

That said, it is a good idea to monitor how well the soil drains.

I’ve found that some shops just use the same soil on all their plants to save money. So, if the soil in the nursery pot is not providing enough drainage, it is important to repot once you get home.

Otherwise, you can wait then repot.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Yes, the Anthurium Magnificum is toxic. It contains calcium oxalate crystals which make it poisonous if ingested. However, it is safe to touch.

Note that you want to be wary of the sap especially when pruning or propagating the plant. Avoid getting the sap into eyes, nose or mouth. This can happen if you handle the plant then rub your eyes.

If you have sensitive skin it can also cause irritation. Although this only happens to a few people. Thus, if you want to play safe, wear gloves when working on the plant.

Anthurium Magnificum Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

Unfortunately, pests are attracted to the Anthurium Magnificum. They like its leaves but they will also feed on its stems. Their first targets are usually younger leaves.

As such, make sure to regularly inspect the plant for pests. Isolate and immediate treat it with neem oil or insecticidal soap if you see any.

I like to just spray the bugs off with water.

You can use a showerhead or sink if the plant is still small. If it is bigger, go out and use the garden hose.

If spotted early, you’ll be able to get rid of them with 2 or 3 sprayings over the span of just a few days.

Diseases

Root rot is the biggest problem you want to avoid here. This stems from the plant’s susceptibility to overwatering.

Additionally, its leaves can also experience bacterial and fungal infections. Therefore, don’t get them too wet or leave them very wet without a means of drying.

Since excess moisture is the main cause of both these problems, it is a good idea to always allow the soil to drain and dry between waterings.

Avoid watering the plant late in the day and don’t over mist its leaves as well.