In pruning your anthurium, you are enhancing its aesthetic appearance and, at the same time, its ability to bear fruit. When the plant reaches full bloom it will have many, very blooming flowers. If they’re fully developed, they will cover the entire canals in a thick wall of white or yellow blossoms. While they’re not unattractive by any means, their main function is to provide support for the plant’s root systems.
Pruning your anthurium helps to keep it healthy. It will also prevent it from getting sickly in the cold winter months and from going into a dormant stage when the rest of your plants do. Because the leaves and stems of this plant are short, it requires less water than most other bulbs. This is why in tropical climates it is usually pruned in the spring. If it is pruned in the winter months when it is dormant, it may die. It also needs fewer trips into the greenhouse to produce pollen, so in the long run you save on watering, fertilizing, and pest control.
The general rule of thumb is to shorten the branches that grow in the heart-shaped cut and to leave long graceful stems above those with shorter growth. The main types of pruning for anthurium plants are cutting back to the middle of the flower heads or towards the base. You should be careful about cutting antheriums (or even other flowering bulbs) too much away from the main trunk where they originate. This can stunt their growth.
The best way to prune your anthuriums is to shave off their strong heart-shaped leaves. Even though they’re called “heart-shaped,” the main foliage doesn’t actually face forward. These leaflets are usually all pointing in the same direction, toward the middle of the plant. Shave these off if you want to keep the center more open and less congested. You can also shorten the flower heads by cutting away at the stalk between them. This is best done when growing them indoors, during warm months, when the floral spikes are active.
When you do prune your Anthuriums, be sure to clear away any dead leaves or twigs. Clear signs that your plant is in distress include dead leaves or twigs that you can’t see through the leaves of the plant. Also, if your specimen isn’t producing new leaves, there could be problems with its root systems. The best time to check the root system of your specimen is in the late summer or early fall, after the leaves have produced new growth. That’s when the root systems are fully developed.
In general, how to prune anthurium plants isn’t too difficult, but there are a few key steps you should take for best results. One important thing to remember is that you want to make sure that you don’t prune the plant too much, since it will just cause it to produce more seeds. Instead, you want to focus on either shortening or removing certain parts of the stem. For example, if you have a specimen that’s got a heart-shaped blossom, you’d want to remove about half of it. Or, if your plant has long, narrow flowers, you can prune the entire flower from the stem. Of course, pruning is only necessary when you are taking care of a plant that’s going to grow as a shrub or a vine.
Some useful tools for handling your specimen are simple hand pruners and knives, but if you’re serious about how to prune anthurium plants, you should invest in a high-quality pruner. Of course, you’ll need to know how to use a knife properly, so look for knives that have smooth blades. Also, it’s important to wear protective eye goggles when you handle any pruning you do, especially if it involves touching the leaves or the stems. Some people use alcohol and rubbing alcohol to clean their hands before they begin pruning, which is a good idea, but you should also wipe your hands thoroughly afterwards, just in case. Once you’re done, it’s relatively easy to prune your anthurium.
Another common question about how to prune anthuriums is how to deal with yellowed leaves. Anruitinosis, or “yellowing of the leaves”, is actually a common part of the plant’s life cycle, and it’s nothing you can’t handle. Simply move the specimen out of the sunlight as often as possible, and keep it in a warm place like a dark garage or basement where it will stay cool. This also allows the roots to absorb the water. It’s not hard at all, and pruning often seems to resolve the problem.
