Find Your Ask the Expert: Flamingo Lily care
I recently acquired a plant at a yard sale. The lady who had it didn’t know what it was, but said that she kept it in direct sunlight and when she moved it it didn’t bloom. She also said it was quite huge and she had given it a “hair cut” and it’s come back beautiful.
I did some research and found out it’s a Flamingo Lily? It has beautiful Salmon pink blooms. It looks very healthy, and is starting to get root bound in its 6″ pot. My question is this, I’ve tried to research proper care for this plant and have come up with variations from full sun to shade, and from keep it wet, to dry it out. The only common factor is to keep the humidity up by misting it. HELP!! Also, how root bound do they like to be? Should I be transplanting it to an 8″ pot? What kind of fertilizer should I use, how often?
I’ve attached pics of my Flamingo Lily:
Thank you for taking the time to read, and answer my question. Shannon
Flower Shop Network Plant Expert Reply:
Shannon, you do have an Anthurium andraeanum ‘Flamingo’. It is easy to find conflicting information about plant care. So, it is best to understand the natural environment in order to understand which plant care is best for your particular plant. Anthurium is a rather large genus of evergreen perennials from the wet mountain forest in tropical and subtropical North and South America.
Humidity & Watering
From this information we can gather the needs of the plant. Humidity is definitely important so mist your plant every few days or keep in an area with natural humidity like a kitchen or bathroom. When you mist, use lukewarm water and spray the plant evenly. It likes to be kept moist, but here is the kicker, it can’t be soggy. So it needs to be in a soil that is loose, humus rich and drains well. When you water moisten the soil evenly.
Temperature & Lighting
Provide a constant temperature and a little towards the warm side at that. Keep away from air vents. With light you want to create the same situation as the tropical forest. Bright filtered light; in other words don’t let the sun shine directly on the plant. Don’t place Anthurium in a window, instead place on a table where it will receive light from the window, but in a diffused manner.
Fertilizers & Re-potting
Use a balanced fertilizer every three to four weeks. Anthurium usually need to be re-pot every couple of years. When the roots of the plant have basically taken over the soil content, it is time to re-pot. Here in the south the rule of thumb is to use a container that is “half again as big.” This means if you are in a 6″ pot you will need a 9″ or 10″ pot. I hope this information is beneficial.
For those of you interested in Anthurium and want one of your own contact your local florists, they may have Anthurium plants available or for special occasions may be able to order the flower and create a tropical arrangement.
While Anthuriums can be grown hydroponically, it’s not easy. You must keep the roots at a certain height above the water, only the lower roots specialize in nutrient uptake. Also the water must be clean and you must continue to add essential nutrients to it. Your best bet would be to plant the Anthurium in soil and take care of it as mentioned above. When planting your Anthurium, bury the roots to just where the plant begins. Hope this helps!
I have anthuriums that had been doing wonderfully well in our home in the temperate climate in Bangalore. We have moved since and live on the 18th floor in tropical Mumbai. Summer is just approaching and I am already afraid for them. The leaves have been doing well since I am using fabric that cuts out the sun, but the flowers are still turning out shrivelled, discolored and sad looking. Is there anything that I can do? The wind is pretty stiff and now starting to be quite warm.
Your plant is going through moving (transplant) shock. Make sure you keep the soil at the same moisture as before. Anthuirum like a warm climate. If you think your climate is too hot for the plant, mist it with cool water instead of lukewarm. This will keep the sir temperature slightly lower.
I just bought an anthurium and it has the bracts and is just starting to flower. The flowers are orange and red buds. Are the bracts going to change colour? They are pale green now.
We have inherited this plant in our office which we think is a flamingo lily. It is at least 13 years old but over the last few years has had no attention. The plant is now in a bright area (but not in direct sunlight) it is warm there is a breeze from the window. It has regular phospherous rich fertilizer but as you can see from the photos the leaves are browning and withering and the plant seems to be dieing. Hopefully you’ll be able to give some advice on what we can do to save it? Thanks in advance! MC
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It may be time to start of new. In the mean time, I would cut back on the fertilizer for now. Create a moist humid environment for the plant by misting it with lukewarm water every day or every other day. Make sure the soil is kept moist but not soggy. In a few weeks, start fertilizing the plant with a well balance water soluble fertilizer.
Thanks Jamie… just to clarify by start off new do you mean the plant may have seen the end of it’s days and it’s time to start with a new plant?
We are thinkin day by day that this might be the case.
However I’ll cut out the fertilzer and start with the misting and will update you… there is still one green shoot which gives me hope…
MC
I bought my Flamingo anthurium and a spade plant at the same time.I was reorganizing my balcony garden and ended up worn out before my task was done. these 2 pants and a terra cotta pot with 2 small orchids that seemed to balk at every thing I tried were sey in a large window box planter till I got around to fixing them a permanent home. I watered and misted liberally for the orchids sake followed by a rainy streak. when I got back to them I found the pot totally obscured by big beefy clumps of Anthurium and spade plant, also big healthy stems of orchids with long flowering stalks were poking through.
When I checked under neath I saw a swampy mucky mess. Feeling guilty I dried the soil out- immediately all three plants became unhappy.So I let it go back and everything began blooming and shooting up. I know this is NOT what should happen according to everything I’ve researched BUT I’ve had them like this for 6 months and I just divided the Flamingo and the Spade plant into 3.
Any one have any experience in planting the Flamingo into the garden? I live in Fort Lauderdale and would like to try this.
You know, my grandmother always said, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If your plants are enjoying the environment they are in, I wouldn’t mess with it until it requires it. I am not sure how well these plants will do over-wintering, Ft. Lauderdale may still be too cold for these plants. Just keep a close eye on them. Perhaps one of our readers has more experience and can give you more advice.
I have had a flamingo flowering anthurium for over 2 years and it has never flowered, is there any reason for this? I would love to see it flower. Thank you for your time
Flamingo flowers, aka anthuriums, are picky when it comes to the right conditions for blooming. The biggest factor for anthurium blooming is sunlight. While they don’t require full sun, they need a big dose of filtered or artificial light every day, around 9 hours. Remember, these plants are from South American rain forests and prefer filtered light, but also a whole lot of moisture and humidity. It’s best to mist your plant every day and water every other day, depending on the soil and size of container. Check the soil’s water level by sticking your finger into the soil up to your first joint and pull a small amount of soil out. If you can roll the soil into a ball and squeeze out water or if the ball stays together, you don’t need to give the plant anymore water. If you can’t roll the soil into a ball and it is powdery, give it some water. The last thing to check is your fertilizing habits. Use a balanced liquid fertilizer, orchid fertilizer, or even one for blooming plants. Follow instructions, or ask your local nursery or garden center for more information on specific fertilizers for your flamingo flower. Good luck!
My anthurium (flamingo plant) has developed dry brown spots, most interesting
Is that the spots are in the middle of the leaf not tips.
I currently have it placed on the side of a north facing window and keep the soil moist but not wet.
Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Irene,
It could be a fungal or bacterial problem. Water will spread fungal and bacterial issues. So don’t wet the leaves only the soil. If you could send us a picture at jadams@flowershopnetwork.com, I might be able to determine whether it is a fungal or bacterial problem.
I’ve had my plant for about 6 years. I originally had it in a vase with a betta fish. I didn’t flower while in just water so I potted in a pot with potting mixture. It flowers all the time now but seems to just looks tall and leggy. I have to stake it up so it stands upright . What can I do to have it be full again?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks Peggy
Keep in mind that trimming the plant encourages it to sprout new leaves. Using a small pair of sharp shears, trim from the top down and remove the dead and withered blossoms. Prune back some of the longer, overhanging leaves, this will keep the plant from drooping to one side. Be sure to mist the plant well when you are done pruning.
Hi
my friend gifted me Anthurium plant a month before, at that time there were two small buds, they grew well bt dint flowered yet, infact one of them died a few days back. There is no new leaves growing. Please tell me what should i do, i placed it in my living room some 10 feet away from the window, it receives in direct sunlight there.
Can you send a picture of the plant. Humidity is very important for anthurium. I suggest misting your plant every day with luke warm water. You may need to give the plant a small amount of water soluble fertilizer as well.
Hi there! I have a flamingo flower that seems mostly healthy- has 6 + flowers on it, but a few of the leaves have started to turn bright yellow. After they turn yellow they turn brown and fall off. It seems very weird behavior for a tropical houseplant. Only 3 leaves have done this so far- but I noticed the stems of these leaves are all brown and most of the other leaves stems are partially or spotted brown- I can’t tell from other pictures of this plant if that is normal. Also- I am not sure if this is related but- there are trace patterns on some of the leaves like pin pricks in mostly straight lines but I do not see any types of bugs or webbing on the plant or in the soil. Almost like something might be in the leaves? Any advice would be appreciated!
The natural progression is for the Flowers to eventually die-off. The leaves will usually discolor (turn brown) and die. When this happens, I trim the dead back all the way to the base of the plan. However, I am a little concerned about the pattern on the leaves. Can you send me a picture?
I have been watching two Anthuriums for my neighbors for about three weeks and have become very attached and protective of them. Now I am following all the suggestions to keep them healthy. The one thing I have noticed is the somewhat deformed spadix on several of the flowers. When I received them they had several weird formed spadixes(?). They are dark and fat and somewhat misshapen. The flower part is also several shades darker than the normal ones. I am hopeing that they are just in the process of dying and nothing else is wrong but I don’t think so. From what I have read it isn’t that Anthracnose, but I can’t find out anything about that kind of malformation. The rest of the plants are just find. Do I cut off those blooms? How bad is it?
Scottie, an anthurium spadix can take on many forms (club-shaped, tapered, spiraled, and globe-shaped) depending on what species you have. Anthurium flowers also come in a large variety of colors, so it being dark may not be a problem. I would let it be until it is more obvious it is in a state of waning. Flowers on this type of plant last a very long time, but will inevitably begin to turn brown and die. When they do you can cut the entire flower stem out of the plant. — Until then, follow along with the anthurium care tips above and your plants will be just fine! If you can attach a picture of your plant we can help determine the state of your flower more specifically. Hope this helps!
Thank you Mandy, here is the photo of the plant. Hope you can see what I am talking about.
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Scottie, the flower does look (from the color) like it is in a state of decline, but will last a while longer. I would leave it until it is no longer a nice color or turns brown. The spadix does look a little strange, but that’s a natural shape to many species of Anthurium. It’s hard to say if this is natural or deformed, either way it should not be a problem for the plant’s over-all health. Just keep caring for the plant using the tips above and it’ll be just fine.
I was given a flamingo flower plant ~1 month ago. I have noticed some of the flowers turning brownish and brittle. I am also unsure if I need to repot. I have attached a few pics. Thanks for any advice.
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More Pictures
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One more picture
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Paul, there are several things to do to evaluate whether or not your flamingo flower, aka anthurium, needs to be repotted. I see there are roots appearing on the surface; that is actually a common occurrence for this type of plant and may not be a sign it needs to be repotted. However, if your root ball has expanded all the way to the edges of your container, it’s time to give it some extra room. If possible, carefully lift your plant, roots and all to see the condition of the root ball. If there are more roots than soil, it’s time to replant. — What are your watering habits? This is a tropical plant and loves moisture. Instead of watering a little bit every day, for this plant to thrive, it’s a good idea to completely saturate the soil every few days. To do this, simply submerge your container into water and let it soak up the water. Water again when the surface is dry to the touch. Remember, never let your container sit in standing water for long periods of time. Misting in between waterings is also good practice. This will help blooms last longer and your plant will be healthy and happy. — Note, if you do repot,your plant could go into transplant shock, but should recover in a couple of weeks.
Thanks, I water it once every 1-2 weeks.
I had my Anthurium doing just ok. I bought it from the half price shelf from the Army PX in Kuwait. I went on leave and while I was gone the AC went out and it suffered at around 120 deg for about 3 days. My co-workers said that they watered it but all the leave are withered. I had bought it a new larger pot and brought good potting soil back. I want ahead and re-potted it, the pot has the fill thing at the bottom and i’m making sure to keep it watered. There are only 5 leaves left and they are VERY wilted. Help, what can I do to save it. Honestly it’s the only green thing I have here in Kuwait…
Steve
Oh no Steve! Your plant has gone through a lot of stress. Not only from overheating, but repotting also causes a plant to briefly stress out. The only thing you can do is give it proper care (as outlined above). Although your container has a spot at the bottom to water, it’s a good idea to water from the top so the roots are completely saturated. You might also use a mist bottle to give it additional moisture between waterings. Anthurium is a tropical plant and enjoys water, just be careful not to over-water. Water when soil becomes dry to the touch. Hope this helps, good luck!
3 years ago I had surgery and to this day I still have this plant. Just found out today at a Home Depot what this plant was. My problem is this, I have repoted this plant twice, each time to a slightly bigger pot because of the rooting but my plant has never flowered since I first got it after my surgery. I thought it might be a plant that doesn’t reflower but it’s a big healthy green plant, now I am reading about it and it’s supposed to keep flowering. It’s in a potwith no bottom holes so I have the bottom of my pot with rock and broken clay pots so that way the roots are not sitting in water so it’s has proper draining, water it one or twice a week and once a month i will water with an all purpose fertilizer, it’s in my kitchen on a table next to a window with good lighting but not direct, I want it to flower again! what am I doing wrong?
Anthurium can sometimes be a tricky flower to get to bloom. It’s kind of picky about it’s environment. First, understand that an anthurium is a tropical plant and being so, it loves moisture. Watering once or twice a week might be okay, but keep checking the soil with your finger, if it is dry to the first knuckle, go ahead and water again. Misting will also help keep the humidity up around your plant. (Because there are no holes in your container, be very careful not to over-water.) Lighting is the second requirement for getting an anthurium to bloom. Although it may get a good amount of sun certain times a day, it may not be getting all that it needs to bloom. Indirect light is best for these plants, but they like a lot of it. Another reason your plant may not be blooming is the type of soil it is in. You mentioned that you repotted it, did you use regular potting soil? These plants naturally live in trees in the rainforest, they prefer being in an organic mixture of bark, peat, and even nut shells, this is sometimes referred to as an Orchid Mix. Most of the time, when we transplant a plant, it goes into a bit of shock. If you have recently replanted your anthurium, you might consider waiting a while to make sure it’s healthy before changing it’s soil, if necessary. Lastly, how often do you fertilize your plant? I would suggest an orchid fertilizer diluted in water every couple of weeks. Hopefully one or all of these solutions will work for you! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Hi, please can you tell me what I may be doing wrong with my plant? I have had it about three months. It had one flower on it when I bought it which lasted about two and a half months before slowly dying away. Since then, another flower started to grow as seen in the picture, but then stopped growing and shriveled up. The leaves have started turning yellow. So far in three months it has lost about five leaves which have gradually turned yellow before drying up altogether and falling off. The only thing I have done that I can think is to have bought it indoors to have as a houseplant. Since it became ill, I have put it back out on my balcony with all my other plants which is a partially shaded area and does not receive any direct sunlight. Since putting it back outside I was hoping it would perk up again, but this doesn’t seem to have been the case so far. Also, I don’t think I’ve been responsible for over watering it. I live in south east Asia so don’t have to consider problems with cold or lack of humidity etc. Thank you for any help or tips that you may be able to offer.
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Anthurium is a bit finicky when it comes to getting it to bloom. What concerns me is that it is turning yellow. The trickiest thing about caring for an Anthurium is watering. These are tropical plants natively and do like water and humidity, but not too much. These plants are very susceptible to root-rot. Check the drainage on your container. Does water drain effectively? If not, you may try to add pebbles or additional holes to help. I would also recommend misting the leaves of your plant. Hope this helps!
Hi,
I really hope you can help me. My Flamingo has big dried patches in the middle of the leaves and browning at the roots. I went to Sheridan Nurseries and they think its over watering. My gardener friend said it was under watering. After reading your forum, I think it could be fungal, but I am uncertain. May I ask for your help? I have attached pictures.
Sincerely,
Neena Sethi
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Thank you for your quick reply and advice. I have added pebbles to the bottom of the pot as you’ve suggested. It would appear as you have quite correctly pointed out that the drainage wasn’t very good and it did indeed become waterlogged. I thought I hadn’t over watered it, but that now seems otherwise, so hopefully the problem will be fixed with the added stones in the bottom, thanks again for your advice.
One more thing, I have just forgotten to mention is that when I was re-potting it with the added pebbles, I found the soil to have quite a lot of worms in and moreover, it was full with white insect eggs of some kind or another. Is this likely to pose a danger? Thanks again for any advice. As you may have guessed, I’m just a beginner when it comes to keeping plants and suffer quite a lot of mishaps.
Neena,
Lets take a look at environmental issues first. Too much light can cause a bleached look in the center of the leaf and brown tips along the margin. Your leaf has this appearance. So the first thing to check would be how close to a light source is the plant. If it is directly in front of a window or right under a lamp this could be the problem.
Now as for the over/under watering issue. The problem with problems caused by watering is that the symptoms are similar for both cases. Also people tend to bounce from one extreme to the other. So this is what needs to be done – check your soil as it is right now. Determine if it is wet, dry or just right. Make sure the container allows any excess water to drain away from the plant. Now the soil needs to be moist to the touch, but not soggy and the air surrounding the plant needs humidity. Once you make sure the soil is at its proper moisture, you can check it once a week. Don’t water it unless the soil is dry. Every couple of days mist the air around the plant with lukewarm water — this will create the humidity the plant needs. Now water the plant — if the new lleaves are healthly you should be fine.
Chris,
If your soil was too wet, it could have created a breeding ground for shore flies. The shore are a nuisance , but they really don’t cause a problem. If you aerate so that it doesn’t stay soggy the shore flies should go away.
Hi there,
Thanks for your sharing of your expertise on anthuriums.
I bought one 5 months ago on a lava rock. It had 1 flower at that time. I placed it in a water garden with about 1 inch of water. I have discovered that the middle of the dining room table was too dark so now it’s closer to the window and I finally have my first new leaf. I also lifted it out of the water on more rocks so only one corner is in the water. The other day I discovered tiny white worms about 3 mm long and tiny brownish bugs living in the rock. I read that some soapy water might kill the bugs so I covered the entire rock with water with a little washing up liquid in it for a few mins, and I believe the worms did die, but I now see some bugs a few days later. As I write this I’m thinking I should have cleaned out ALL the water in the water garden, but none of the other plants seem to have any bugs. You will also see the brown marks on the leaves, but I don’t see any signs of bugs there. I do try to pull down the shade so it doesn’t get any direct sun at the end of the day. Any advice you could give me would be appreciated. Thank you.
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Here’s an image of the entire garden, kind of a poor attempt at a water garden.
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Fiona,
I know this might be cumbersome, but try picking what few bugs there off. If they continue to appear, you might need to use an insecticide on them. However, I am a little concerned about using an insecticide for a water garden. We might have to research the best product if it comes to that. The brown spot may be a case of previous stress. Watch the new leaves — as long as they are healthy your plant should be ok.
Thanks Jamie. I have removed the rock from the garden and am using scotch tape to nab the bugs that I see. I now see that there were a lot of worms about as thick as a human hair, but they all seem dead. I’ve noticed a little white stuff on the leaves which I believe is a different bug or something. What brand of bug spray do you recommend that won’t be too harsh for the plant, and do I soak the rock (and get rid of the remaining bugs in the rock as well) or simply spray the leaves, or both? Thanks again.
Fiona try fertilome houseplants spray
. It is permethyn based and should be safe for you plant
Hi my plant is concerning me the roots are brown and it looks like it falling over what do I do this plant is very important to me my mom bought it for me when I found out I was pregnant and I feel like its grown with me & my son please help
Please tell me how I can keep my anthurium from tipping over. We have a post in the pot and zip ties attached to the plant and the post to keep it upright. It’s a very healthy plant, as it’s always blooming and growing. Thanks in advance for your help.
Kelly,
I recommend bumping the pot up a size and using a trellis instead of a pole or you could trim the plant back to a more manageable size.
Good Morning Jamie, Please help!!! I have anthurium that is having problems… Okay let me first admit this is my first shot at growing house plants…plants of anykind for that matter…its suppose to be relaxing:) okay so i bought two of them at the farmers market 4 wks ago and they were pretty…that’s all that mattered to me at that time…but now they have started developing these lite colored then brownish colored blemishes on the once pretty dark shiny green leaves…they are also splitting a little here and there mostly the spots.. Okay so I read your blog and new I had did a few things wrong..one I packed the two new plants in the miracle gro..nice and tight…with no drainage other than the hole in the bottom of the nice new pot I bought that same day…okay so i re-potted I bought a drainage filter for the bottom of the pot it looked like a brillio pad kind of…and you place the dirt on that so that when you water it will supposedly drain better…i didn’t pack the soil down like before..instead i loose put the soil back in the pot…then I put it back in the corner by two windows to get filtered light and ventilation…then i got another one this past friday..so i went to the nursery and explained my problem…they really didnt have a grasp on what I was telling them…I even brought in one of the leafs I cut that had been effected…okay so i got this fungus spray that says its for black spot…i sprayed it and it seemed to help one leaf in partcular its slit sealed up and the color started to turn a slightly darker green again…BUT then I woke up this morning and another leaf started lighting in a spot which is pictured below…I haven’t watered it…in 6 days and I am at a lost what to do to not loose this plant…help *wimper*
Thank you for your time and Elijah (that’s my plant) thanks you too:)
Sorry… I didnt see the other picture I attached so I sent it again..
Just curious, I’ve had an anthurium spp.or andreanum flamingo for 5 yrs. I thought it was just a green houseplant–never bloomed. Then one day, out of no where, no change of soil or climate, it bloomed with the prettiest pink flower. A month later, another pink flower, eventually there were blooms everywhere. It’s been blooming year round since and growing like crazy. I’ve had to re pot twice. Why did it take years to bloom?