Natural Aging
Had your plant for a while? The leaves could just be experiencing natural aging! Old growth, particularly near the bottom of the plant, will naturally fade and drop to provide energy to newer growth. When leaves or flowers are wilting or turning yellow or brown, cut them off with sharp shears to ensure the plant devotes more energy to retaining its healthy growth.
Too Much Light
The more light the plant receives, the more flowers your plant will produce – but direct sunlight will cause your leaves to burn. The good news is that the damage is pretty cosmetic and should not harm the plant in the long run. Keep the plant away from direct light and instead in a spot with bright indirect light.
Nutrient Deficiency
It might be that your anthurium is not getting enough nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium after it has been depleted from the potting soil. If your plant is actively growing or it is spring or summer, we suggest using a controlled-release fertilizer, at only half the recommended amount on the label.
Watering Too Frequently
Tropical plants like anthurium are highly susceptible to root rot if consistently watered too frequently. Water your Anthurium well and then allow 25-50% of the soil volume to dry out before watering again.
If your plant’s health is deteriorating rapidly, you’ll want to pull your plant out of the pot to check for root rot. If the roots are black or slimy, the only way to help your plant recover is to trim back the rot and repot your anthurium in fresh soil. You should be using a well-draining fresh potting soil like this one here.
Here are some steps to repot your plant:
- Gently lift your anthurium out of its pot and discard as much old soil from the root ball as possible.
- Take sharp shears and cut off any dead or mushy-looking roots, sterilizing the shears with rubbing alcohol between each snip.
- Rinse the pot out with hot soapy water then fill the pot one-third of the way with new potting mix.
- Place your anthurium in the new pot, fill the pot with the remaining potting mix, and tamp it down.
- Water the plant thoroughly till the water drains out the bottom, then let it rest.
