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We’ve seen a lot of foliage plants marketed in supermarkets and garden centers, but Anthurium clarinervium is a bit different.
This gorgeous plant is sure to warm up your household with its luscious dark-green leaves and is a great conversation starter.
Because a lot of people are in love with this type of Anthurium, I decided to make this guide to help people understand how to grow it.
So let’s not waste time and jump straight to it!
What is Anthurium Clarinervium?
Anthurium clarinervium is a type of foliage plant from the Araceae family and is an epiphyte type plant which means it can grow on top of other plants or even tree trunks.
Because the Anthurium clarinervium is native to southern Mexico, it’s used to hotter weather but it’s not hard for the plant to adapt to colder climates.
It has recognizable thick and oval dark-green leaves with white veins and the shape of the leaves resemble that of the spades symbol in playing cards. It resembles its close cousin, anthurium crystallinum that is equally beautiful and easy to care for.
There are really numerous types of Anthurium, but some of the most popular ones are:
The plant stems can grow up to 15-20” or 38-50cm and the leaves can grow up to 8-10” or 20-25cm.
In comparison to other types of Anthurium, it is quite small but that means that it’s ideal for growing it indoors and it is also a lot easier to grow it and to care for.
So now that we’ve had this brief overview of what the Anthurium clarinervium is and what it looks like, let’s see what it takes to grow this lovely plant.
Light Requirements of the Anthurium Clarinervium
Because Anthurium clarinervium is native to Southern Mexico, you can already tell that it thrives in hot and sunny conditions.
However, it is also tolerant of colder weather but once the temperature drops below 53-59 °F or 12-15 °C you should put your Anthurium clarinervium indoors.
Sunlight is also an important part but Anthurium clarinervium doesn’t like direct sunlight.
It thrives in shady conditions and if you plan to grow it indoors, keep it a bit further from the window, or if you have a grow room, artificial lighting is also fine.
When the temperatures get quite high, you shouldn’t keep your Anthurium clarinervium near the window at all as the window can get hot and if the leaves touch it they can get burned.
In this situation, you can get a light filter to block some of the sunlight and keep your windows from heating up or just place it behind a thin curtain.
Of course, during the colder months, you can keep your Anthurium clarinervium near the window as long as you want but take care that it doesn’t get too cold as it will get frost-burns.
If your Anthurium clarinervium starts to bend and the leaves start to look a bit flimsy it means that it needs more light.
These signs can help you understand how much light your Anthurium clarinervium needs so that you can adapt the conditions to its likings.
Watering the Anthurium Clarinervium
As with any other plant, watering your Anthurium clarinervium is an important step in not only growing it but also taking care of this plant.
Watering Anthurium clarinervium depends on the growing season and the growing season can change depending on where you live and what’s the clime of your location.
In a medium climate that is predominant in Western Europe and in the USA, the growing season starts in mid-to-late March and ends in mid-to-late September.
And if you live in these areas, you should water your Anthurium clarinervium more often during the growing season than in the winter.
So when the season starts, or when temperatures rise to about 59 °F or 15 °C, you should keep the soil damp enough it retains some water, but also let the top part of the soil dry out before you water it again.
This means that you should water your Anthurium clarinervium once a week and check the dryness of the first inch of the soil either with your finger or with a wooden stick before watering it.
Because the roots of the Anthurium clarinervium are fragile, you shouldn’t water the plant extensively and it isn’t a crime if the soil gets dried out because you can easily water it again and the plant will be fine.
All in all, as with the lighting conditions, you need to adapt the frequency of watering sessions to your plant’s needs and it’s always better to let the soil get a bit dry than to overfill the flower pot.
Fertilizing Velvet Cardboard Anthurium
For many plants, fertilization is always optional and isn’t something that will make or break the growing process and Anthurium clarinervium is no exception to this rule.
However, if you do decide to fertilize your Anthurium clarinervium, you should know that it only needs a mild fertilizer and that you should only use it during the growing season.
Now, because there are many types of fertilizers for Anthuriums on the market, it’s difficult to say which one is the best because they all offer different effects.
If you ask me, I would suggest using a liquid fertilizer that’s high in phosphorus levels which will add strength to the roots and the stems of your plant and won’t add any unnecessary chemicals.
Also, because such fertilizers are strong and long-lasting, you should use it once in 3 or 4 months which means you can use it only twice during the season.
Of course, many people use ordinary fertilizers such as Miracle-Gro which is a medium-strength fertilizer and can be used for many different types of plants, so if you go for that, use it once a month during the season.
You should never use fertilizers during the winter season as the Anthurium clarinervium is vulnerable in the colder months as is so by adding any fertilizers you can damage it quite easily.
And one more thing, if your Anthurium clarinervium starts looking a bit sad – the stems start to bend or the leaves look paler than they should, you can always use fertilizer to get it back to its natural shape.
Repotting Anthurium Clarinervium plant
Whether you are growing your Anthurium clarinervium from seeds or from cuttings, you’ll surely have to report it more than once during its early growth stages.
However, because Anthurium clarinervium is an epiphyte, it can get root-bound pretty quickly because the roots can run out of space and the plant will easily wilt.
Because you can never guess how much space the roots will take and simply putting your Anthurium clarinervium, repotting it once a year or once every six months can be necessary.
And no, putting it in a very large pot won’t do the job as you’ll never be able to water it properly as a large amount of soil will either not soak up enough water or retain more water than needed.
When repotting your Anthurium clarinervium, you’ll need the following:
- Pot with good drainage that is about 2-3” larger than the previous one
- Coffee filter, cotton or linen bag, or even a clean old t-shirt to put the root-ball of your Anthurium clarinervium in until the repotting is done
- Trowel or even an old spoon for the digging parts
- Watering pot
- Fresh potting soil
Repotting Process
Once you get all of these things, you can start your repotting.
First, you want to water your Anthurium clarinervium as it will be easier to deal with the root-ball once you dig it out.
Then, you dig the root-ball of the plant out and put it in some kind of cloth or fabric and tie it loosely where the stem starts.
This step will ensure that the root-ball stays intact and it’ll also be a lot easier to place the plant in its new container.
Put a new potting soil mixture into the new pot and create a hole about 3” or 10cm deep where you will place the root-ball.
Once you place the root-ball into the soil and remove the cloth by carefully pulling it out beneath the root-ball, you just fill the hole with more soil and gentle level the surface of the soil.
Repotting is an easy process and you can finish it in less than an hour but it can take a toll on your Anthurium clarinervium and it can start to wilt
So I suggest putting it somewhere shady for 3-4 days so it can rest and water it only when the soil is starting to look a bit dry.
You also shouldn’t use any fertilizers for at least 2 months so that your Anthurium clarinervium can get used to the new environment.
Overall, if you do the repotting correctly, your Anthurium clarinervium will have more room to grow and will look much better real soon.
Pruning Velvet Cardboard Anthurium
It is essential to prune your Anthurium clarinervium at least once every six months because you want to cut off the wilted leaves and stimulate further growth.
And even though the Anthurium clarinervium doesn’t take up too much room, the leaves can get a bit heavy and the plant has a tendency to bend outwards and it may lead to stunted growth.
That being said, when you trim off some of the wilted leaves every once in a while you’re not just stimulating growth but also maintaining the shape of the stems and the plant itself.
So what should you trim away and what should you leave alone?
It’s a general rule of thumb (or green thumb in this case) that you should remove any leaves that seem to be wilted, have bite marks from pests, are looking a bit yellowish, and so on.
When cutting the leaves, cut them right where the stem begins so, that you don’t leave any leafy parts, as you want to let them re-grow again.
Always use a pair of gardening shears or scissors when cutting the leaves and make sure that they’re sharp and won’t crush the stems and making the plant vulnerable to diseases.
Also, because the Anthurium clarinervium can release dangerous chemicals when it’s cut, always use gloves and goggles and make sure that you’re pruning it outside or in a well-ventilated area.
I advise you to do the pruning before the season starts so that your Anthurium clarinervium has time to recover.
How to Propagate Anthurium Clarinervium
If you decide to propagate your Anthurium clarinervium, you should do it when you’re repotting because you’re already have access to the roots and you can choose which stem you want to use.
There may be multiple stems on the root and you want to divide the ones that have new sections of growth and re-plant those in a different, smaller pot.
However, if your Anthurium clarinervium has only one stem and you wish to propagate it from that stem, you can cut the top off to re-root and make sure that it has some leaves left.
Please note that the Anthurium clarinervium can’t grow solely from leaves so it is crucial that there’s some stem left.
And just as with repotting, you should put your propagated Anthurium clarinervium somewhere shady and don’t give too much water and don’t use fertilizers until it starts to bloom again.
Some gardeners would suggest using the air-laying method, but in my opinion, it is unnecessary as it takes too much time and the Anthurium clarinervium can adapt to imperfect conditions.
Overall, propagating Anthurium clarinervium isn’t that hard and you shouldn’t be too worried about your plant looking a bit flimsy as it will start to regenerate with time.
Anthurium Clarinervium Pests, Problems and Solutions
Even though Anthurium clarinervium is relatively a pest-free plant, there are some problems you can stumble upon when growing it.
These problems include:
1. Mildew on the Leaves
As I already mentioned, you can encounter mildew on the leaves of your plant as a result of water and moisture accumulation.
And there’s no perfect solution for this problem but to be careful when watering the plant and also to ensure that it doesn’t sit in an overly humid environment.
If you do start to see mildew on the leaves, you can use one part baking soda and two parts non-detergent soap and mix it with a gallon of water and spray the mixture on the leaves.
Then you just wipe the leaves with a clean and dry towel and you’re done.
2. Sunburns
Although sunlight is the main source of food for every plant, Anthurium clarinervium is heavily susceptible to sunburns.
Sunburns can mildly damage the leaves, which isn’t that of a problem as you can cut off the burnt parts and the leaves will regenerate.
However, if your Anthurium clarinervium has too much exposure to sunlight, even the stems can get sunburnt and if that happens, your plant will surely wilt.
The only way to prevent this is to keep your Velvet cardboard anthurium in a shady place or under artificial lighting and try to balance how much light it gets during the day.
3. Root Rotting
The roots of your Anthurium clarinervium may be slowly rotting away and you won’t even notice it until it’s too late.
Rotting may occur when the roots get wet for long periods of time and when this happens, you will have to propagate the left-over roots or just throw away the whole plant.
To avoid this, you need to keep the soil of your plant relatively dry and only water it when the first inch of the soil is completely dried out.
Also, you’ll need a pot with good drainage such as a plastic pot that won’t retain moisture as opposed to clay pots.
The type of soil is also crucial as you want to use loose soil so that the water can seep through it and won’t accumulate around the roots.
By using these precautions, you hopefully won’t end up with rotting roots.
Here’s the list of several best soil products that you can find online, and that are not only good for Velvet Cardboard anthurium, but for other plants as well..
Related Questions
1. Does Anthurium Clarinervium Produce Flowers?
Yes, it does.
Anthurium clarinervium usually has long cylindrical flowers with a white leaf attached to them that bloom during the growing season.
When the season ends, the flowers will change their color and even bend but you don’t have to worry about this as it is natural.
2. Can I Grow Anthurium Clarinervium Indoors?
As I mentioned in the guide, you can but you’ll also have to make the right conditions for it to grow properly.
Things such as artificial lighting, a good humidifier, and fertilizers will help your Anthurium clarinervium stay healthy and make your home more colorful.
3. How Often Should I Water My Anthurium Clarinervium?
You shouldn’t either overwater or underwater your Anthurium clarinervium but rather see how much water your plant actually needs.
When you get the right measure, you should water it once a week or when the top layer of the soil feels dry enough.
Velvet cardboard anthurium is a tough plant and won’t suffer from lack of water in short periods but you shouldn’t keep it dehydrated for too long either.
4. Is Anthurium Clarinervium Poisonous?
It is poisonous if you or your pet consumes the leaves but it doesn’t release any of the toxins into the air.
As long as you take precaution by wearing a mask and gloves when trimming off the damaged leaves and also keeping the plant away from your pets, you should be fine.
5. Can I Plant Other Plants Alongside My Anthurium Clarinervium?
You don’t want to do this as the roots from other plants may take up the nutrients and the water of the roots of the Anthurium clarinervium.
Remember that the roots of this plant are quite delicate and that you need to take special care.
If you’re growing your Anthurium clarinervium in your garden, it is highly recommended that you check for weeds every now and then and quickly remove them because they can also damage your plant.
