Anthurium is a beautiful plant that can decorate any room and diversify the interior. A he althy flower should have leaves without yellowness and dried spots. This plant needs special care. If the anthurium leaves dry, what to do to fix this problem is a question that will be discussed in the article.
Features of care
Anthurium is considered a capricious plant, for the proper growth of which many conditions must be observed. Sometimes even experienced gardeners make mistakes when growing it. The main thing to know is that anthurium deteriorates due to direct sunlight, so you need to keep it in a slightly shaded place or illuminate it with bright enough but diffused artificial light.
The optimum air temperature for plant growth in summer is +20…+24°С, and in winter - +14…+16°С. But in winter there is a short daylight hours, so anthurium will have to be provided for this time.additional light source. If you ignore this requirement, the plant will inevitably fade. If the question arises why anthurium leaves dry and what to do to solve this problem, then you first need to determine whether the following conditions and recommendations are met:
- A plant that stands in a room with dry air must be constantly sprayed with a small spray bottle. But it is impossible to splash water on the inflorescence, because of this it will be covered with white spots.
- It is desirable to water the anthurium with a little warm water. In summer, this should be done three times a day, and in winter, once a week.
- The growing season starts in March and ends in October, so during this period you need to fertilize the plant with various nutrients (for example, foliar top dressing), which should be applied in small portions.
- Faded inflorescences should be cut off, because they form seeds.
- After transplanting, anthurium is extremely sensitive to lack of moisture, so at first it needs to be constantly sprayed and watered.
These are the basic rules that the florist must follow. However, if the leaves began to dry at the anthurium, what to do to correct this situation, you need to decide quickly, because in this case there is a high risk of death of the plant.
Causes of drying up
To make a diagnosis and start treating a plant is a difficult task, since more often the disease occurs due to improper care. If anthurium leaves dry, what should I do to fix it?Few flower growers know the answer to this question. As a rule, such a nuisance occurs when the flower is in a room whose humidity does not correspond to the required indicator for proper plant growth, which is 65–80%.
In this case, the anthurium will be attacked by spider mites, due to which the leaves will lose their fresh appearance, turn yellow and curl up. In turn, in rooms without proper ventilation, there is a high probability that the plant will undergo an infectious disease.
But there are many other reasons why leaves begin to dry:
- weak or poorly organized watering;
- mealybugs or thrips infestation of a flower;
- various diseases (e.g. anthracosis or stem rot);
- draft;
- non-compliance with the feeding schedule and excess nutrition;
- dry air;
- lack or excess of lighting, etc.
The result of a long violation of the rules of maintenance is a dead plant. Experienced flower growers should know for sure why the leaves of anthurium dry. According to them, this can also happen due to the attack of insects, the result of the harmful activity of which is the damaged root system of the plant, and, consequently, the destroyed above-ground part. However, it is necessary to take a closer look at the main reasons so that beginners growing anthurium can cure it in a timely manner.
The natural cause is aging
Anthurium leaves may turn yellow due to old age. This is an inevitable process, so don't worry too much about it. Ataging, the leaves that are closer to the ground gradually die off. Yellowness captures the edges of the leaf plate, and then covers the entire leaf, as a result of which it loses its elasticity and turns brown. If the anthurium is kept in proper conditions, the fall of old leaves is a natural process that does not harm the plant, since new foliage will appear on its top over time.
However, the flower can be helped in some way. To do this, cut off the yellowed old leaves, making the anthurium more attractive and making life easier for him. In order not to infect the plant with an infection, the knife must be treated with alcohol, and the place of the cut should be sprinkled with a little charcoal. However, do not forget: the leaf should not be torn off manually, as this will lead to injury to the stem.
Irrigation disturbance
Anthurium does not tolerate both waterlogging of the soil and lack of moisture. The roots of the plant are sensitive to an excess of water. Moist soil is an ideal environment for bacteria and fungi. In addition, anthurium can only be watered with melted or settled water (settling time is at least two days)
If the plant stays in waterlogged soil for a long time, the tips of the leaves near the anthurium will begin to dry. What to do in this unpleasant situation, when tissue necrosis begins to develop from the edges and gradually spreads to the entire leaf? To solve this problem, it is necessary to dry the soil in the pot. If this does not help, then the root system of the plant has rotted, so the leaves lack nutrients. The only solution is to remove the damaged parts andtransplant anthurium into fresh soil.
However, the leaves may begin to dry in the middle. The reason for this may be the accidental ingress of water on the leaf plates. For sunlight, such drops are a kind of lens, so they simply burn through the living tissue of the plant. In addition, in an anthurium that is in a cool room, improper watering can cause a fungal disease.
Incorrect lighting
Anthurium is best placed in partial shade. If the plant grows poorly or stops blooming altogether, it means that it lacks sunlight or artificial light. During a short daylight period, when the anthurium ceases to receive the proper amount of energy, the leaf plates become smaller and dry out a little. In this case, the flower must be placed in the place where sunlight falls more in winter. As a result, the stains will disappear over time.
However, it is impossible to stay under the direct rays of anthurium for a long time, because of this the leaves will turn yellow. According to the recommendations of flower growers, to solve this problem, it is necessary to seal the glass with a tint film, the purpose of which is to reflect most of the solar radiation. In addition, the plant can be placed away from the glass.
If the tips of the leaves of the anthurium dry, what should I do to save the plant in winter? Flower growers, when they hear this question, say: you need to provide the flower with an additional source of lighting. For these purposes, special phytolamps or other lamps are used for supplementary illumination.
Lack or excessfood
If the anthurium has suddenly stopped growing, and its leaves have dried up or turned yellow, this may happen due to a nutrient deficiency. Lack or absence of phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, magnesium and other elements will cause the plant to turn brown.
As top dressing, special ready-made products in liquid state are used. Thanks to their effect, a diseased anthurium will restore a he althy and flowering appearance. These drugs should be used weekly. As soon as the plant acquires its former strength, mineral dressing is applied every 14 days.
However, not only a deficiency, but also an overabundance of fertilizers can be the reason why Anthurium leaves dry. In this case, the root system must be washed in warm water and treated with a disinfectant, and then transplanted into a pot with new soil.
Dry air
This is a fairly common problem in homes with central heating. If the tips of the leaves of the anthurium dry, the plant may lack moisture, because it evaporates too quickly in a heated room. More often this happens when the flower stands on a wide windowsill, under which a heating radiator is installed. There are several ways to increase humidity and improve the microclimate of the room for better growth of anthurium:
- Put the plant pot on a pallet with wet expanded clay or sfangum (another name is peat moss).
- Constantly spray the leaves with warm water so that the drops do not fall on the inflorescences.
- Place a special humidifier next to the anthurium.
- Place a container of water near the battery or place a wet towel on it.
In any case, placing an anthurium near a heater is a bad idea. In addition, do not water the plant often to increase the humidity in the room.
Draft and cold
If anthurium leaves dry, what should I do (the photo shows a good example of this problem) to save the plant? Flower growers answer: you can’t put a flower pot near the balcony door, which residents often open in winter. If you ignore this advice, there is a high probability that the anthurium leaves will still dry out. To protect the plant from drafts and cold air, it must be taken out of the room for the time of airing.
If the leaves of the anthurium are slightly frozen, the plant will be restored. All damaged flower organs must be carefully cut off and placed in a warm room. The next step is to treat the plant with a growth biostimulator. However, the root may be damaged, so in this case it will be necessary to replant the anthurium, after cutting off the rotten areas. It is desirable to treat the cut points with cinnamon.
Lack of oxygen
The soil should be loose, light, moisture and breathable. If the plant is planted in a heavy substrate, its root system will constantly hurt due to lack of oxygen. The ideal soil for anthurium is a mixture of soddy soil, peat and coarse sand. These components must be mixed in a ratio of 1:2:2. If dry tips still appear on the leaves, inground you need to add charcoal or cones.
Due to pests, anthurium leaves dry in spots: what to do
The plant may turn yellow not only due to improper conditions. An equally common reason is leaf damage by various pests:
- When the anthurium becomes covered with yellow spots and begins to dry out abruptly, you must immediately inspect the underside of the leaf plate. If small insects of green, black or gray colors are visible there, it means that aphids attacked the plant. They feed on the juice of the leaves. To save the plant and destroy aphids, you need to treat the anthurium with infusion of garlic, onions or tobacco. But it is better to use chemicals - insecticides.
- About the presence of thrips on the plant - insects that look like small flies - say the dried leaves of a yellowish-white color. Various drugs are used against them (for example, Intavir or Fitoverm) and sticky traps.
- If the leaves are covered with spots, and the shoots are cracked, then the plant was struck by mealybugs. To eliminate them, karbofos is used.
- Due to the spider mites that attacked the anthurium, the leaves dry in the middle. What can be done to eradicate these pests? You need to use insecticides against ticks, otherwise the leaves will quickly dry out and turn yellow.
The main thing is to clean the anthurium with water a day after the chemical treatment to protect the plant from toxic substances. But first you need to protect the ground from excessive moisture with a plastic film.
Infectious diseases
If the leaves of Anthurium dry, the flower must be isolated from he althy plants, examined and a final diagnosis made. There are the following diseases:
- Root rot occurs due to the low acidity of the soil and constant waterlogging. With such a disease, the leaves of the anthurium will begin to fade. To save the plant, it must be transplanted into new soil in a timely manner, cutting off the rotten parts of the root system and washing it with a solution of potassium permanganate. It is advisable to add perlite to fresh soil to distribute moisture in the ground.
- Stem rot is a fungal disease that causes black spots to appear on leaves and stems. Most often, this disease occurs due to high soil moisture. To save the anthurium, it is necessary to cut off the rotten parts, and then treat the flower with fungicides (for example, "Fitosporin").
- Anthracosis is an infection that often occurs at elevated temperature (more than 25 ° C) and humidity. The leaves will suffer more severely: dry spots will appear on them, which can crack. If the plant is not cured, its ground part will be completely covered with ulcers, which will cause the death of the flower. With anthracosis, you need to reduce watering and spray the anthurium with fungicidal preparations.
Conclusion
When anthurium leaves dry, what to do and how to fix the situation is definitely hard to say. However, this article provides information that will help to identify the cause of the disease in a timely manner.
Don't forgetabout prevention: you need to constantly wipe the leaves of anthurium in order to immediately notice the foci of the disease. But the main thing is to comply with the conditions of detention, since the plant suffers more precisely because of improper care. In addition, you need to transplant the flower into new soil at least once a year to avoid nutrient deficiencies.
