How to Care for Anthurium Rugulosum

Last Updated on April 14, 2022 by Admin

The Anthurium Rugulosum is a large leafed plant that features beautiful textures on the face of its foliage. If you look closely, you’ll the how intricate the markings get.

As such, the plant is prized for its beautiful leaves. Sadly, it is said to be nearing extinction. So, efforts to preserve it is ongoing.

The plant is native to the tropical and subtropical forests of South America particularly Ecuador.

If you like large leaved plants, you can check out the Anthurium Waterburyanum as well.

How do you care for the Anthurium Rugulosum? The plant needs bright, indirect light for optimal growth and leaf color. It enjoys slightly cooler temperatures compared to other anthurium varieites.

But like the others, it likes high humidity and is susceptible to overwatering. Therefore, let the soil dry between waterings and use well-draining soil.

Table of Contents

Anthurium Rugulosum Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Anthurium Rugulosum needs medium to bright, indirect sunlight to thrive. This is the fuel that allows it to develop its large leaves.

Additionally, it maintains the vibrancy and color of the leaves.

That’s because light is the raw material that’s collected by the leaves for the plant to be used in photosynthesis.

Photosynthesis in turn is the process where the plant converts the light into sugars (carbohydrates). It uses up these sugars to create energy which fuels it growth and develops the leaves.

So, lack of light will slow down growth and leaf production.

As such, bright light is essential if you want the plant to produce many leaves and large ones that that as well.

However, because the plant is accustomed to living under the shade of the forest canopy, it is not used to a lot of exposure from the sun’s rays.

Instead, it receives filtered or dappled light in the forest.

This is why the Anthurium Rugulosum grows best in indirect light indoors and partial shade outdoors.

Just as importantly, it cannot tolerate long hours or excess exposure from intense direct sunlight. If you leave it there, its leaves will eventually turn yellow. They will lose vibrancy as well.

And if there’s way too much exposure, you’ll start seeing brown burn marks.

As such, as east or west facing window is ideal indoors. Avoid keeping it too close to a south facing window without filtering the light from the window.

Outdoors, keep it under a tree, the patio or a balcony for partial shade. Avoid full sun.

Temperature

The Anthurium Rugulosum thrives in temperature between 65 and 80 degrees. This is very important if you want the plant to grow optimally.

That’s because it is a tropical plant.

Therefore, it is accustomed to warm to hot environments. In fact, this is the climate condition it enjoys. And it likes the weather to stay this way consistently throughout the year.

Therefore, try to avoid sudden or drastic fluctuations.

Just as importantly, keep it away from the cold.

Because its native habitat does not have winter or cold climate, the plant has poor tolerance to temperatures below 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

The good news is it does not need to adapt to most home environments since humans like living in temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is why most houseplants are tropical in natura, cacti or succulents. Notice that all of these plants have warm native habitats.

That said, the outdoors is different.

That’s because of winter. And you want to keep the Anthurium Rugulosum away from the outdoors during this time of year.

On the other hand, if you live in a warm climate area especially in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, you can grow the Anthurium Rugulosum outdoors all year round.

Humidity

The Anthurium Rugulosum enjoys high humidity. It prefers humidity between 60% to 85%.

Here, it not only grows faster but will also produce more vibrant foliage.

Note that it can tolerate lower humidity as well. It does not mind humidity of 40% and can live in this condition without any harm or damage.

However, be careful with low humidity as it does not take a lot of time before the plant negatively reacts. In fact, it can take as quickly as a few hours before you see it struggle.

Leaving the plant somewhere with insufficient humidity will eventually cause its beautiful leaves to start turning brown.

This will be evident in the tips and edges as they get dry and brittle.

As such, where you live affects how the plant grows because of humidity.

If you live in the tropics or near a beach or sea, then humidity won’t be an issue. However, if you live in a desert environment like Arizona or Nevada, then this becomes an issue.

In case your home has dry air, you can get a humidifier.

Another option is to mist the plant regularly or set it on a pebble tray.

How Often to Water Anthurium Rugulosum

Watering is one of the most important aspects of caring for the Anthurium Rugulosum. That’s because this is where problems can easily occur.

That’s because the plant cannot tolerate overwatering. But it also does not like drying out.

Therefore, the challenge is to stay in between these two.

What makes it trickier is that your watering schedule will change as the seasons change. You’ll need to water more regularly during summer when the weather is hot and much less in the winter when it gets cold.

If you use a fixed watering schedule, you’ll likely end up underwatering the plant during summer and overwatering it during winter.

Unfortunately, just one or the other is enough to harm or damage the plant.

So, it is important to know when to water and how to your water your Anthurium Rugulosum.

When should you water Anthurium Rugulosum?

Use the soil as a guide. And allow it to dry a bit between waterings.

Ideally wait until the top 2 inches of soil has dried before you add water. This will prevent you from watering too frequently.

In doing so, you avoid overwatering which can lead to root rot.

I like to just stick my finger into the soil down to the second knuckle. And if the soil at that depth feels completely dry it is time to water.

If not, wait a few days then check the soil again.

This method will automatically adjust for warm summers and cold winters since the soil is what you’re gauging your schedule on.

How should you water the Anthurium Rugulosum?

When watering, do so thoroughly.

This means keep adding water to the soil until it begins to trickly from the bottom of the pot, then stop.

Remember, water directly on the soil, don’t water over the plant and wet all the leaves. This is a recipe for leaf infection especially fungal disease.

Soaking the root ball allows the roots to get all the water they want to drink.

But after that, let the soil completely drain and drip. This will leave you with moist soil that is not waterlogged.

So, this is a 2-step method.

The first is saturating the entire root ball with water enabling the plant to get its drink.

Then letting the soil drain completely to avoid overwatering and waterlogging.

Potting Soil

To make sure that excess moisture does not drown the roots, you want to use the right potting soil for your Anthurium Rugulosum.

The best soil for this plant is loose, well-draining and has good aeration. It also likes soil pH of around 6.5.

Good drainage is essential because the plant is prone to overwatering.

Therefore, this will allow excess water to quickly drain while still retaining some moisture to keep the roots hydrated.

A simple way to achieve this is to combine:

1 part peat moss
1 part perlite
1 part pine bark

If you prefer buying your soil mix instead of spending the time to get one ingredient at a time then mixing it, look for an aroid mix.

This kind of soil has all the features needed by the Anthurium Rugulosum.

Last but not least, don’t forget to use a pot with drainage hole. This will allow any liquid that drained from the soil to exit the pot.

Fertilizer

The Anthurium Rugulosum does not need a ton of fertilizer because it is not a heavy feeder. However, it does need its nutrients.

As such, it important to fertilize the plant.

But avoid over doing it since this will cause more harm that not feeding the plant at all.

Because the Anthurium Rugulosum is not fussy about the kind of fertilizer it gets, you can choose from many different options.

The most common is liquid houseplant fertilizer. This is what you’ll find in stores.

You can go with a balanced or all-purpose blend. Apply this once a month during the spring and summer diluted to half strength.

Don’t feed the plant in the fall or winter.

Also, never fertilize the plant when the soil is dry. It needs to be moist.

Another option you can go with is a slow release fertilizer. This uses pellets instead of liquid form. So, you’ll need to distribute them.

The pellets will dissolve and break at different times over the next few weeks or months. Each time they do, the release fertilizer.

As a result, the timing is more distributed.

On your end, this reduces the risk of overfertilizing. It also decreases how many times you need to feed the plant.

Pruning

The Anthurium Rugulosum grows to about 12 to 18 inches indoors. And it grows at a moderate rate. Outdoors it will get bigger. So, you’ll need to give it more room to grow.

One of the great things about this plant is while it has stunning foliage, it is low maintenance.

And that’s the case with pruning.

You don’t need to prune the plant unless the leaves turn yellow, brown or get old. The same is true for diseased or damaged leaves.

Beyond that, there’s almost no pruning needed.

The plant does not produce a lot of leaves. Instead, its foliage become quite large. So, you want to keep them around as much as possible.

How to Propagate Anthurium Rugulosum

The Anthurium Rugulosum can be propagated from stem cuttings. This makes it easy to grow new plants at home for free.

And because the plant features beautiful leaves, I do encourage you to do so.

The best time to propagate the Anthurium Rugulosum is during spring. This gives the new plant an entire growing season to quickly develop before the cold weather arrives.

Here’s how to propagate the Anthurium Rugulosum from stem cuttings.

Start by taking a healthy stem cutting from your Anthurium Rugulosum. Choose a cutting with at least one node and a few leaves. The node is non-negotiable. Otherwise, it won’t propagate.
Next, prepare a pot and fill it with fresh, well-draining potting mix.
Plant the cutting into the soil with the node buried under the surface. Then water the soil until moist.
Leave the cutting in bright, indirect light. Ideally somewhere warm and humid.

Regularly water the soil once it gets dry. However, only water until moist. Don’t water too much that the soil ends up wet or it will destroy your cuttings.

In about a month, the cuttings will develop enough roots to start taking hold of the soil.

How to Repot or Transplant Anthurium Rugulosum

Repot every 2 to 3 years is the general guideline. But you should take this just as that, a guideline.

Instead, I prefer to listen to what the plant is telling me.

And you only need to repot the plant once it becomes root bound.

The best time to repot is spring to early summer. Although, you can do it anytime of the year. I do like to avoid very hot or very cold days since the this can increase the stress the plant is already experiencing from repotting.

Only go up one pot size and replace the soil with fresh, well-draining soil.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Sadly, yes. The Anthurium Rugulosum is toxic to both people and animals. This means it is a good idea to keep it away from young kids, cats and dogs.

However, note that the plant becomes toxic when ingested. That’s when the calcium oxalate crystals are released and activated.

Because this happens in your system, it will cause pain, swelling and irritation.

Anthurium Rugulosum Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

Mealybugs, spider mites and aphids are common pests that will attack the Anthurium Rugulosum. That said, the plant is not a bug magnet.

But it can be prone to them if it is stressed, sick or unhealthy.

Therefore, it is important to keep the plant healthy so its resistance to pests is up.

Cleaning its large leaves is likewise important since dust attracts pests.

If you see any bugs no matter how few, make sure to immediately take action to treat and eradicate them. That’s because these houseplant pests reproduce quickly as they can lay many eggs at once.

And it takes but a few days for these eggs to hatch.

You can use insecticidal soap or neem oil to get rid of pests.

Diseases

Overwatering is the main cause of diseases. Additionally, it can cause root rot as well.

Bacterial and fungal infections come in many forms. Some more serious than others. And a few are lethal.

Therefore, prevention is very important.

Bacterial blight, leaf spot infections and bacterial wilt can all happen. And these affect the leaves.

So, in addition to not overwatering the soil, don’t wet the leaves too much as well.

How to Care for Anthurium Rugulosum – Complete Guide