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For a vibrant, hardy plant, people are now turning to Native American Anthuriums, so it’s easy to persuade them to grow indoors.
While many people mistake their bright red foliage for flowers, they are actually leaves with a slight twist.
This should guarantee an exciting conversation with your guests as they marvel at the beauty of the plant.
It would therefore be quite discouraging to wake up one day to find holes in the leaves of the plant.
As with any other plant relative, your first question would be “why does the Anthurium have holes in its leaves?” We know why! Keep reading!
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Why does your anthurium have holes in the leaves?
The reason your Anthurium has holes in its leaves is because of pests! You see, we often focus on care practices like watering and humidity levels, and we feel like we’ve done our part.
Sometimes, however, it is crucial to go further and judge the performance of the plant by looking outside.
If you’re thorough, you can catch the pests before they do too much damage.
And if you follow all maintenance practices to the letter, you can even prevent pests, as we’ll show you later!
You may also like: Anthurium vs Philodendron
What will my anthurium leaves eat?
Let’s take a look at some pesky critters to watch out for to keep them from eating your anthurium leaves. The main culprits are:
mealybugs
These wingless insects are common in warmer climates and living in a warm region can make your plant more vulnerable to their attacks.
They appear as cottony masses on the leaves and stems of the plant. Once established, they feed on plant juices using their stylets (long mouthparts that insert into plant tissue) and damage the plant.
If there aren’t many scale insects, you may not even notice the damage and they can feed on the plant for a long time before (if ever) you even notice their presence.
However, in large numbers, they can damage the plant to the point of yellowing the leaves, curling and even forming holes in the surface of the leaves.
If left untreated, these pests can kill your plant.
aphids
Almost every gardener has dealt with aphids at one time or another. These pesky bugs come in over 40,000 species!
It’s hard to say which one will affect your plant. In general, these crawling insects act like scale insects by sucking juices from plants and slowly damaging them.
As they feed, they produce honeydew which quickly becomes contaminated with black sooty mold, indicating that all is not well.
Additionally, the leaves of the plant may exhibit a yellowish, curly color and the plant may suffer from general stunting.
Unfortunately, these plants can also spread incurable diseases, resulting in the death of your plant.
excursions
You would be surprised how small these insects are. Their small nature makes them difficult to detect when relying on the naked eye.
However, you can always rely on symptoms instead of trying to get your hands on this pest, which has over 6,000 species.
By absorbing the sap into the leaves, the leaves of the plant begin to weaken and begin to give off a discolored brownish tint.
Additionally, you may notice black spots on the leaves, which are pest droppings.
As small as these insects are, they rely on the power of numbers and feed in large groups, causing a lot of damage in a short time.
red spider
It may surprise you, but they are not real insects, but relatives of spiders and they are arachnids.
Adults have a reddish-brown hue and are quite small (fiftieth inch notes). You can imagine how difficult it would be to detect a mite.
Fortunately, they live in colonies and you can catch them by examining the underside of affected leaves.
The mites take refuge there and feed on the plant fluids, which can be seen as spots on the leaves. If left unchecked, the leaves will begin to turn yellow and eventually fall off.
If you like this article, check out our article on Why is your Anthurium bud turning brown?
Other causes why Anthurium has holes in the leaves
Your plant can also suffer from a disease such as:
1) Bacterial blight: This disease is manifested by yellow spots on the edges of the leaves, which gradually become visible in the form of ulcers. It is important to monitor how you trim or trim your leaves to avoid contamination.
of them) Humidity changes: To regulate humidity we have an article on: What is the ideal humidity for an anthurium.
3) rotten root
4) bacterial wilt
5) High temperatures
How to Fix Anthurium Holes in Leaves?
To repair Anthurium holes in the leaf, you need to fight pests. You can control your pests in different ways, depending on how they are on the plant. Among which:
water them
Use moderate pressure and direct water in short, strong streams at affected areas.
The pests should fall off and you can hose down the area to get rid of them.
Use of natural resources
Gardeners often rely on horticultural soaps and oil sprays when dealing with pests in small numbers.
These natural agents do not harm the soil or the plant and are excellent for a long-lasting method of pest control.
Use of insecticides
Sometimes natural means alone are not enough to cope with the task.
You can look for pesticides that contain a wide variety of natural ingredients and certain chemicals to get the job done.
You will find that people often use such means to control scale insects, which are often difficult.
In general, the best way to control pests is to be vigilant from the start and to deal with them at an early stage with simple and effective means.
How to Avoid Holes in Your Skin Sheets anthurium
A good way to avoid holes in the foliage of your Anthurium is to give your plant the care it deserves, you will hardly have to worry about pests that can damage your plant.
However, keep in mind that gaps and inconsistencies in your skincare routine can also be the cause. In general, you must:
1) Feed the plant with top dressing every three weeks
2) Make sure the humidity does not drop below 70%
3) Keep the leaves moist by wiping or misting with a damp cloth.
4) Maintain a temperature range of 18-25 degrees
5) Water the plant frequently and make sure the soil is well drained and well aerated
It is much easier to prevent pests than to get rid of them. But don’t worry, even if your plant has been attacked. You are only a few insecticides away from a healthy plant.
Before you go, here are some more related articles that I encourage you to read below to help you solve more of your gardening problems:
How to solve problems with anthurium leaf?
Anthurium light requirements
Happy gardening!
Written by: daisy njeric