How to Care for Anthurium Wendlingeri

Last Updated on April 15, 2022 by Admin

The Anthurium Wendlingeri is a rare plant that has unique looking long, slender, dark green foliage. It also produces pink or while spadix that looks like a corkscrew.

Many growers often confuse the plant with other similar looking anthurium varieties including the Anthurium warocqueanum, Anthurium vittarifolium and the Anthurium pallidiflorum.

How do you care for the Anthurium Wendlingeri? The plant enjoys medium to bright indirect light. It prefers moderate to warm temperatures and humidity of at leas 40% and above.

Use well-draining soil and allow the soil to dry at least a few inches from the top before adding more water. This will prevent overwatering.

Table of Contents

Anthurium Wendlingeri Plant Care

Light Requirements

The Anthurium Wendlingeri prefers medium to bright indirect light. It does well in low light as well which makes it easy to grow indoors or your patio.

The thing you want to watch out for is too much direct light.

While the plant can tolerate some direct sunlight it cannot be left in this environment for very long. This will turn its leaves yellow, bleach them and later cause them to turn brown.

The reason for this is that the plant grows under the forest canopy where the large trees shade it from the direct rays of the sun.

As such, while the plant is native to tropical regions, it is not exposed to the harsh direct sunlight.

This is why an east and north facing windows are ideal.

The only direct sunlight the Anthurium Wendlingeri appreciates is early morning sun before 10:30 a.m. This is gentle so it actually helps the plant grow faster.

You can likewise keep it in a northern exposure.

On the other hand, be more careful with a western or southern window, especially during mid-day.

Both directions receive the strongest light from the sun during the hottest times of the day (10:30 a.m. to 3:30 a.m.).

Try to keep the Anthurium Wendlingeri away from the sun’s rays during this time.

You can likewise keep the plant outdoors. Here, partial shade is best. It also won’t mind full shade. However, avoid full sun.

Temperature

The Anthurium Wendlingeri is a tropical plant. It enjoys warm weather between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ideally, keep temperature consistent as well. It does not slight sudden or large fluctuations as this will stress or even shock it.

Because it does not experience cold or winter weather in the tropics, the plant has low tolerance for the cold.

Try to keep it away from temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit to keep it safe from cold injury.

That said, I’ve noticed that it can withstand temperatures as low as 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The plant is actually able to survive there.

Although, I can’t tell for how long and whether it does sustain any harm or damage from it.

Indoors, this is less of a problem since most homes have moderate to slightly warm conditions. However, be careful with some appliances as these can quickly change temperatures.

For example, keep the plant away from air conditioners, heaters, stoves, fireplaces and radiators. Avoid open windows or doors which allow cold drafts to enter. And keep it from cold spots that can experience big temperature drops at night.

Humidity

Ideally, the Anthurium Wendlingeri prefers 60% to 80%. But I’ve noticed that it can tolerate average room temperature for the most part.

That said, try to keep humidity at least 40% and higher as this will help keep the plant healthy.

Although, the higher the humidity, the faster and bigger it will grow. It also tends to produce more leaves with vibrant colors in these conditions.

On the other hand, watch out for brown tips and edges.

This can happen when humidity is too low. Therefore, avoid keeping the plant in places with humidity that stays in the low 30s or in the 20s.

Also, watch out for winters as the air can get dry during this time.

If you have low humidity in your home, you can mist the plant regularly, give it showers every now and then or place it on a pebble tray. You can also get a humidifier.

How Often to Water Anthurium Wendlingeri

The Anthurium Wendlingeri is a thirsty plant that enjoys moist environments. However, it is also prone to overwatering and root rot.

This is what makes watering the most challenging part of caring for this plant.

Luckily, you do have a few options you can go with.

The simplest is just to wait until the top half of the soil has dried out between waterings. This will prevent you from overwatering the plant.

That said, make sure not to let the soil go completely dry as well since the Anthurium Wendlingeri does not like that.

If you’re an aggressive waterer and find it hard to stay off watering your houseplants, the minimum you want to wait is for the top few inches to dry before you add water.

Doing so before then will increase its risk of overwatering.

In addition to knowing when to water, it is also very important to know how to water the plant.

To make sure that the roots get the moisture they want, water thoroughly.

This means soaking the entire root ball by adding water until liquid begins dripping from under the pot, then stop.

Never water over the plant which wets all the leaves. Instead, pour directly onto the soil

Drenching the root ball gives the Anthurium Wendlingeri’s thirsty roots enough water to drink. But after that, make sure to let the soil completely drain.

This prevents overwatering and waterlogged soil. It also leaves you with moist soil.

Another option is to use bottom water.

This means placing the pot in a container to tub with water to allow the soil to absorb the liquid from below at its own rate.

This will allow the soil to absorb moisture from the bottom going up.

It takes longer than watering from above. But there’s less risk of overwatering as well.

Anthurium Wendlingeri Potting Soil

The Anthurium Wendlingeri needs loose, well-draining soil that is porous.

A simple solution is to just pick up a bag of aroid mix from your favorite nursery or online plant shop.

Of course, you can make it yourself as well. All you need to do is combine potting soil, perlite and orchid bark.

You might be able to use regular potting soil if it drains well. However, if you do attempt this, make sure to have some perlite or orchid bark on hand so you can quickly amend the soil if needed.

The important thing is that the soil mix you use has enough drainage and aeration.

This helps you prevent overwatering as the soil is able to quickly drain excess moisture while holding some water to keep the roots happy.

Since the Anthurium Wendlingeri will develop very long leaves, it is often kept in hanging baskets. This allows the plant to show off its long, narrow foliage.

Fertilizer

The Anthurium Wendlingeri are heavy feeders. As such, they do need fertilizer to thrive.

But before you give the plant any fertilizer makes sure you check whether the soil it comes with already has some nutrients added to it.

You can ask the shop or previous owner.

This is important since many shops will give the plant a starter dose, which can last up to 6 months. However, you need to know if they did use one and when they added it.

This way you don’t double up on the plant food.

The reason this is important is because too much fertilizer will cause the leaves to eventually turn yellow or brown.

Additionally, it can burn the roots.

As far as fertilizer goes, you can use a balanced, water soluble fertilizer. Once a month feeding during its growing season is ideal.

There’s no need to feed the plant during fall or winter as the cold weather will slow its growth significantly.

On the other hand, you can use a slow release fertilizer as well.

Pruning

The Anthurium Wendlingeri will get long as its leaves will reach anywhere from 2 to 4 feet in length. In some cases it will get longer as well.

Its foliage makes up pretty much the entire plant.

As such, there isn’t a lot of pruning needed. At least not unless you want to remove some of its leaves.

This is the reason that the plant is often grown in hanging baskets. That way the leaves can hang down from the edges of the container.

It is also worth noting that the Anthurium Wendlingeri will produce long curly white spadix. This is very unique looking and goes well as the color contrasts its dark green leaves.

All in all, pruning is a low maintenance task for this plant.

However, make sure to remove old, damaged, yellow, brown or diseases leaves.

How to Propagate Anthurium Wendlingeri

The Anthurium Wendlingeri can be propagated by division. Unfortunately, it does not respond well to stem cuttings.

Therefore, you can’t just take cutting to grow a new plant.

That said, while divisions may sound intimidating to some, it is fairly straightforward.

The key is you need a large enough plant since you don’t want to end up with 2 or more very small ones after you’ve separate them.

The best time to divide the plant is when you repot it.

That’s because you’ll be taking it out of the container as well. And the plant does not like being unnecessarily moved.

Additionally, the best time to repot and propagate is spring.

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

Carefully take the plant out of its pot. Take your time as the long leaves can get in the way. It also becomes a bit more challenging as the plant gets bigger
Remove excess soil so you can see the root system.
Choose the sections you want to divide. Ideally, each division needs to have enough roots, stems and leaves. The roots will let the new plants survive.
Once you’ve decided on the division, you can take them apart with your hands. You can likewise use a sterile knife to cut the root ball.
Plant each division into its own container filled with well-draining soil.

How to Repot or Transplant Anthurium Wendlingeri

The Anthurium Wendlingeri does not need regular repotting. As such, don’t move the plant unless it is needed.

And the only time it needs to be repot is when it outgrows its pot or basket.

This happens when the plant is root bound.

That said, because the plant will get big over time, repotting may take a little more work. You can do it yourself although to be safer, you can ask a friend to help you.

This makes it easier to take the plant out without damaging the leaves and its roots along the way.

You want to avoid damaging or breaking the roots as this may shock the plant. As such, it won’t grow or can even drop leaves after repotting.

Spring is the best time to repot the plant when the times comes.

You can pre-moisten the soil to make it easier to take the root ball out of the pot.

Make sure to use a container that is 2-3 inches wider than the current one. Avoid going any larger because it increases the risk of root rot.

Finally, replace the soil with fresh, well-draining potting mix.

Is It Toxic/Poisonous to Humans, Cats & Dogs

Unfortunately, the Anthurium Wendlingeri is toxic to humans, cats and dogs. It contains insoluble calcium oxalate crystals that are toxic when ingested.

Fortunately, you can hang the plant higher up so young kids and pets won’t be able to reach it. This will keep them safe from eating the leaves.

Anthurium Wendlingeri Problems & Troubleshooting

Pests

The Anthurium Wendlingeri will attract pests especially when grown outdoors.

The most common pests that will come around include spider mites, aphids, thrips, scale and mealybugs.

These are very tiny and may look harmless when few. But never let your guard down as they grow quickly in number.

They also feed on your plant’s sap which will weaken it and cause yellow spots, lines and patches on its leaves.

This is why regular inspections is important. Additionally, you may want to wipe down the plant’s leaves with insecticidal soap or neem oil once a month to keep pests at bay.

Keeping the plant healthy and cleaning the leaves are part of regular maintenance to avoid these bugs as well.

Diseases

Root rot is a big threat given the plant’s susceptibility to overwatering. As such, avoid watering too often.

Also make sure to use well-draining soil. This way the growing medium will not hold too much moisture. Instead, it will quickly drain excess liquid.

This helps avoid waterlogging.

Finally, use a pot with drainage holes.