Having an Anthurium at home is becoming easier and easier since they are common plants in shops and florists which, due to their beauty, are made with them. However, diseases can wreak havoc on Anthurium, to the point that they die.
Since we don’t want this to happen to you, today we are going to be more practical and then we are going to talk about each of the diseases that affect this plant and we will give you tips to try to avoid them and, in case you catch them, how to solve them. So keep reading.
Contents
red spider
Red spider mite is one of the Anthurium diseases to be more attentive to. It’s actually a pest and these spiders are often not visible to the naked eye because, in case you didn’t know, they are very, very small (0.5 millimeters).
What you will notice is what causes them, which in this case will cause leaves and flowers curl up and begin to dry inevitably until they eventually fall.
To fix this, you can water the plant with a little water because spiders don’t like it at all. Another option is to put it in a cooler, shady place, but here it will depend on the needs of the Anthurium.
bacterial blight
This strange name refers to a disease caused by a bacterium, the Xanthomonas campestris. And what does this little guy do? Then it invades the plant from the inside, affecting the passage of water and nutrients. Something similar to what cholesterol does in our body. This is how it behaves.
Physically what you will see is your plant’s leaves starting to fall off without remedy. Thus, to avoid this, experts recommend placing it in one of the areas of the house with the best sunlight (always indirect) and avoiding areas where air and humidity circulate as much as possible.
Another action to do is remove the leaves to prevent the disease from spreadingbut it is not good to put chemicals in it.
root rot
Another of the most common diseases in anthuriums is root rot, which is caused by the appearance of the bacterium Erwina Carotovora. What it does is eat the part of the roots and the base of the stem, causing very little noticeable injury at first (until it’s almost too late).
What is certain is that the plant will deteriorate very quickly and there is a sign that will alert you to this problem: the bad smell it will give off. Also, it will start to darken and when that happens there isn’t much of a fix (keep in mind that the roots are the most important part of the plants).
To rot
If we have already talked about root rot, you must also consider root rot, which is another Anthurium disease to consider. Occurs by a fungus that can stay on the plant for years without doing anything. Until it is activated.
This causes this fungus to feed on the plant as it deteriorates, causing it to wither and dry up almost irretrievably. Because? Well, because it is the fungus that receives all the nutrients and also feeds on the energy of the plant.
To solve this problem, what you could try is exchange the land for another of good quality. But since the fungus is not well visible to the naked eye, this can be difficult to achieve.
Xanthomonas
Although we told you earlier about a specific bacterium, in this case the disease is more general and you will see it physically on the side of the leaves and on the spathes. What does it produce? what spots appear, first yellow, then brown. These start especially on the edge and little by little they invade the whole sheet causing them to die inevitably. But not only that, but in the end the rods are also damaged.
To solve it, it is important not to water it too much, and above all without wetting the flowers or the leaves, and to support it with fertilizers rich in nitrogen, since they allow it to fight against this disease.
Ralstonia solanacearum
This strange name refers to one of the usual problems with Anthuriums: that the leaves turn yellow and thin. The correct term for this is chlorosis but the truth is that this is only the first stage for this bacterium because after affecting the leaves (all or a good part) the next thing is to move on to the vascular system and this is when all the leaves and stems turn brown.
If it happens it’s hard to save the plant because it will be consumed within.
mosaic virus
Have you ever looked at the leaves of your Anthurium and seen it as small, much lighter yellow or green spots scattered over the leaves? You may not have given it much thought, but over time these little spots will become more and more noticeable, and they will take on a brown color and then turn black and invade more parts of the leaf.
We are sorry to tell you that this is one of the Anthurium diseases which, in addition to being common, is caused by a virus and has no cure.
What you can try is if you only see one or two leaves, cut them off and check that they don’t show up on the rest of the leaves. So you anticipate that it can be dispersed, not only by your Anthurium, but by other plants that you have nearby or that may rub together and affect each other.
anthracnose
Although this name may evoke a “spider”, it is in fact a fungus, the Colletotrichum gloeosporoides. This will cause your Anthurium to lose its flowers if you don’t catch it in time.
In the beginning, the flowers will have a small brown spot on the spadix. With humidity, these spots will grow and it will also seem that this part is very humid. At the same time, it will make the leaves sticky, and orange spores will appear on the brown spots.
The solution? give him a fungicide before it’s too late.
As you can see, there are many Anthurium diseases to consider, in addition to pests. Knowing them often gives you the power to fix them before you lose the plant. Has this ever happened to you? How did you act?