Anthurium Pallidiflorum Care, Propagation & Repotting

Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Admin

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum is a rare plant native to Ecuador. It is also called the Strap Leaf Anthurium. And it is best known for its long, slender dark green leaves.

These can reach up to 3 feet in length or more. Therefore, it is often grown in hanging basket.

Because if its looks, the plant is commonly confused with the Anthurium vittarifolium which has similar features.

Other anthurium varieties that resemble the Anthurium Pallidiflorum are the Anthurium wendlingeri and the Anthurium warocqueanum.

How do you care for the Anthurium Pallidiflorum? Keep the plant in medium, direct sunlight. Avoid too much direct sun as well as low light. It enjoys temperatures of 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and 40% to 60% humidity.

Avoid overwatering the plant as it is prone to root rot. But don’t let it dry out completely as well.

Table of Contents

Anthurium Pallidiflorum Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum enjoys a well-lit area the medium, indirect light. This will grow into a long plant with amazingly lengthy foliage.

As such, you’ll usually see it hanging from a pot or basket.

This makes it a good option to grow indoors, in your patio, balcony or even your garden. However, you want to be careful about too much light and too little light.

Both are not good for the plant as it has issues with them.

Too much, bright, excess or intense light especially direct sunlight during the hottest times of the day can burn its leaves.

Even if it does not scorch the Anthurium Pallidiflorum’s leaves, it can cause them to get discolored.

On the other hand, low light can result in slow growth. This means smaller leaves and fewer of them too. Additionally, it can cause your plant to become leggy.

Therefore, try to avoid both extremes.

This does take a bit of trial and error so don’t be afraid to experiment.

Temperature

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum is a warm weather loving plant. It is native to tropical regions. So, it enjoys consistently warm to hot weather.

In fact, it has no problems with this environment.

That’s why the Anthurium Pallidiflorum prefers temperatures between 70 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

This also makes it easy to care for indoors for almost all homes. Its temperature preference also makes it do well in the patio.

On the other hand, you want to be more cautious about cold environments.

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum has issues with temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This means that you want to be wary or winter weather both indoors and outdoors.

The plant is not suited to be left outside in winter. It will not survive the see the spring there.

Similarly, if your home gets cold inside during the holidays, try to choose a warm location to keep the plant. You can likewise use heat pads or a heating mat and place that under the pot to keep the soil temperature warm.

However, try to avoid leaving the plant near appliances that can suddenly change temperature.

This includes air conditioners, heaters, radiators, fireplaces and stoves. It does not like sudden or dramatic fluctuations.

Humidity

Ideal humidity for the Anthurium Pallidiflorum is between 50% and 70%. However, it can tolerate 40% humidity and slightly lower than that.

Humidity plays a very important role in the plant’s health as it allows the plant to get enough moisture.

Note the humidity is closely related but different from water.

The former is about moisture in the air while the latter has more to do with moisture in the soil. As such, treat them differently.

If humidity gets too low, you’ll notice the Anthurium Pallidiflorum’s leaf tips and margins turn brown. And if not treated, you’ll see more and more leaves turn brown as well.

So, if your home’s humidity is in the 20s or only gets as high as the low 30s, you may need to increase humidity around the plant.

The simplest way to do this is to regularly mist the plant.

You can also create a pebble tray or humidity tray. Moving the plant to the bathroom or grouping it with other houseplants works as well.

If you have a bit of cash to spare you can get a humidifier too.

How Often to Water Anthurium Pallidiflorum

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum prefers moist soil. But it does not like wet or very dry soil.

Therefore, getting watering correct is very important then it comes to the plant’s health.

Because it does not like being underwatered, avoid letting the go completely dry. You don’t want to let the plant get dehydrated as this will cause its leaves to turn brown.

On the other hand overwatering is more dangerous.

Often, the most common sign of an overwatered Anthurium Pallidiflorum is yellow leaves. But, there’s a bigger danger here since it can lead to root rot.

Therefore, avoid using a fixed watering schedule.

instead, let the plant tell you when it needs water.

The best way to do this is to feel the soil once a week or every 3-4 days. To do so, stick your index finger into the soil a few inches deep. Usually, 2-3 inches deep works well.

If the soil at this depth is completely dry, you can water the plant.

However, don’t water if the soil is still moist or wet at this level. Instead, wait a few days and check the soil again.

Doing this will help you prevent overwatering.

Of course, you can use a moisture meter instead. This affordable device will tell you if the soil is moist, dry or wet. Thus, allowing you wo know when to water.

Anthurium Pallidiflorum Potting Soil

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum needs soil that is moist and well-draining. This means the soil should be able to hold some moisture. But is should quickly drain excess water.

In doing so, the roots stay in moist soil and get the hydration they need. But they never end up sitting in too much water for long periods of time.

The simplest way to achieve this is to get a bag of aroid mix from the nursery or your favorite online plant shop.

You can also create your own potting mix at home that works well for the Anthurium Pallidiflorum. To do so, mix:

1 part potting mix
1 part perlite
1 part orchid bark

You can replace potting mix with peat moss if you wish. Both work well in retaining moisture. Thus, this will allow the plant’s roots to get enough water.

At the same time, perlite and orchid bark increase drainage.

The bark is also chunky which allows oxygen to easily reach the roots.

Besides using soil with good drainage and aeration, make sure to select a pot with drainage holes. This will allow the excess liquid to drip out from the pot after it drains from the soil.

Fertilizer

To help your Anthurium Pallidiflorum grow optimally, feed it with a well-balanced houseplant fertilizer that’s diluted to 50% the recommended strength.

It only needs feeding when it is actively growing. Therefore, there’s no need to fertilize the plant during the cold months (fall and winter).

A once a month application should be enough.

But if you notice that the plant isn’t growing as quickly as it ought to, bump up feeding to once every 2 weeks.

Be careful not to overdo the fertilizer since it contains salts that will eventually build up in the soil. This will become toxic to the plant.

Therefore it is a good idea to flush the soil once every 2 months or so to get rid of the excess salts and minerals that have accumulated in the potting mix.

Pruning

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum will grow very long leaves. So, while the plant itself will not grow tall, its leaves can reach up to 3 feet or longer.

For this reason, the plant is almost always hung from a pot or basket.

This allow you to display its uniquely stunning foliage.

That said, the leaves grow quite neatly in that they don’t overlap over one another. instead, they grow around the center.

This means you don’t need to prune it much unless you feel it has gotten too long.

More often, pruning the Anthurium Pallidiflorum is done to help it grow and become fuller.

Note that if you do decide to prune it, don’t remove more than a third of the plant in one session. Instead, spread this out over weeks or months.

Also, make sure to remove any old, diseased, yellow or brown leaves.

How to Propagate Anthurium Pallidiflorum

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum can be propagate from stem cuttings, air layering or division.

Each of these methods have their own pros and cons. Therefore, it is a good idea to test the different methods to see which ones you prefer using.

The simplest way to propagate the Anthurium Pallidiflorum is from stem cuttings.

Here’s how to do it.

Take a healthy stem cutting. You can take one or more than one cutting if you want to grow more new plants.
Make sure that each cutting has at least one node and multiple leaves on it.
Using a sterile pair or pruning shears, cut the stem just below a node.
Next, prepare a pot and fill it with well-draining potting mix.
Apply rooting hormone to the cut end of the stem.
Then plant the cuttings into the soil with the node buried under.
Water the soil until moist and keep the pot in medium, indirect light.

In about 4-6 weeks, the cuttings will have developed enough roots to grab hold of the soil.

Alternatively, if you find that your Anthurium Pallidiflorum has grown quite big and you want reduce its size, you can propagate by division.

The best time to divide the plant is during spring when you’re repotting.

Here’s how to propagate the Anthurium Pallidiflorum by division.

Unpot the plant carefully. Make sure you don’t damage the leaves or the roots while taking it out of its pot.
Once out, remove excess soil so you can clearly see the root system.
Now it is time to decide where to divide the root ball and to how many new plants you want to separate the mother plant into.
Make sure that each division isn’t too small. Also, ensure that each division has enough roots, stems and leaves to grow healthy.
Then separate the root ball using your hands. You can use a sterile knife to cut it apart as well.
Finally, pot up each of the divisions into their own containers and fill with well-draining soil.

From here, you’ll have semi-grown plants.

So, there’s no need to wait for them to root. Instead, they can begin producing new shoots and leaves.

Take care of each division like you would its mother plant.

How to Repot or Transplant Anthurium Pallidiflorum

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum only needs repotting every 2 or 3 years. And you only need to do so when the plant has become root bound.

Root bound is when the plant has outgrown its current pot.

As such, you’ll see roots coming out from the holes at the bottom of the pot or popping up from the surface of the soil.

The plant’s growth can also slow down considerably or get stunted. And the soil will get dry rather quickly even if you water it thoroughly.

If you notice these signs, then it is time to repot.

When repotting, be careful not to damage the leaves. This can get a bit tricky since they’re so long.

Also, choose a pot that is one size bigger than the current only. Don’t forget that it should have driange holes at the bottom.

While you’re at it, replace the soil with fresh potting mix as well.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Sadly, yes. The Anthurium Pallidiflorum is poisonous to people, cats and dogs. But this is only true when the plant is ingested.

As such, avoid letting young kids and pets consume parts of the plant.

Anthurium Pallidiflorum Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

Pests are a possible problem for the Anthurium Pallidiflorum.

It is susceptible to the common houseplants pests including mealybugs, aphids, thrips and mites.

Therefore, you need to inspect the plant for bugs on a regularly basis. Keeping it healthy and cleaning dust off its large leaves also keep insects from bothering the plant.

Diseases

The Anthurium Pallidiflorum is prone to root rot if you overwater it. Therefore, make sure to be careful with watering the plant.

Watering too often is usually the best way to kill a houseplant. And that’s true for the Anthurium Pallidiflorum.

It does not like wet feet.

And if you leave the roots soaked in water for long periods of time they will eventually suffocate and die.

This will prevent the plant from absorbing water and nutrients from the soil, even if you water and fertilize it.

So, after a while, the plant will deteriorate and die.