How Long Do Anthurium Plants Live? (5 Steps To Make Anthurium Live Longer)

If you are looking to add some tropical feeling to your home, then anthurium plants are a great addition.

They are relatively easy to care for and that makes them one of the most commonly seen houseplants in the western world.

But, like many others, you may also have the question, how long do anthurium plants live?

The average lifespan of anthurium plants is approximately 3 to 5 years depending on the environment and conditions where it lives. Even though it is pretty good for an indoor houseplant, the real lifespan of your plant totally depends on how well you care for it throughout the year.

And, in this article, I will be going through everything you need to know about growing your anthurium to its full potential.

Here are the topics to be covered,

• Factors affecting anthurium life
• How to make anthurium live longer?
• Lots more.

So, without wasting any time, let’s get started.

Factors Affecting Anthuriums Life

The lifespan of any plant, not just anthuriums is totally dependent on multiple factors like plant location (whether indoor or outdoor), environmental conditions, climatic changes, and the quality of care it receives.

Let’s have a brief description of each of these factors so that you get a better idea.

1. Plant location

The plant location is the number one factor that determines the life of your anthurium plant.

Among houseplant owners and gardeners, anthurium plants grown indoors have a longer lifespan compared to anthuriums grown outdoors. 

It is due to the fact that the conditions are far more controllable indoors. For example, if the humidity in your region is very low it is very easy to add in a humidifier indoors, whereas it is very hard to increase the coverall humidity of an outdoor garden.

Takeaway: Anthurium plants have a longer lifespan when grown indoors due to easier environment control. 

2. Environment & Climate

It is not a surprise to see environment and climate as a factor in anthurium’s lifespan, right? 

Climate and environment play a big role in the plant growth and life starting from the propagation of a seed or cutting all the way to its death. 

Anthuriums come from the tropical forests of North America where the climate is hot and humid throughout the year. A research paper published in a journal from Doklady Botanical Sciences mentions that the lowest and highest humidity is 75% and 95% sometimes. 

It is also supported by another greenhouse research conducted in Hawaii where anthurium plants kept at 80% humidity had better health in roots, leaves, stems, and flowers compared to the anthurium kept at 50% humidity. 

Better health correlates to a longer lifespan for sure.

Takeaway: Anthurium plants live longer if you can provide a hot and humid environment throughout the year. The best spot to grow anthurium naturally is USDA zones 9 or above.

3. Quality of care

When you grow a plant, irrespective of the climate and conditions, the quality of the care that you provide determines the health and lifespan of that plant.

The quality of care includes,

• Soil medium quality
• Water quality
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Timely pruning
• Timely repotting
• Pest and insect removal, etc.

Even if you fail on a couple of these, it will have a toll on the plant’s health and might reduce its overall lifespan.

Takeaway: As much as environment and climate, the quality of care including growing medium, water, pest removal, etc can affect anthurium lifespan.

How To Make Anthuriums Live Longer?

The best way to make anthuriums live longer is by providing indirect bright light, consistent watering based on climate, and a nutritious growing medium while your plant is in an environment that’s similar to its natural environment.

If the above statement is vague, check out the below step-by-step instructions.

Step 1: Choose a nutritious growing media

The first step to making your anthuriums live longer is to choose nutritious soil that has very good aeration, enough water-holding, and drainage capabilities.

Based on numerous studies and research, potting soil mixture comprising peat moss, coco coir, leaf mold, and perlite in equal parts is an ideal choice for anthurium plants.

Fertilizing your anthurium plant also comes under a nutritious growing medium. It is advised to fertilize your plant once every month during the growing season and once every three months during the off-season.

Step 2: Provide indirect light

If the soil medium is spot on, then proving the perfect light should be your next priority.

In their natural habitat, anthuriums are covered by a canopy of trees. All the light they get is the one that comes through the dense branches and leaves. As a result, anthuriums are conditioned to grow under indirect bright lights and prolonged direct sunlight exposure can lead to sunburn.

So, in order to make your anthurium live longer, always make sure that you are providing indirect bright light. If sunlight is not an option, a full spectrum LED grow light for 10 to 12 hours a day is also a good choice.

Pro tip: Use a light meter app on your smartphone to check the intensity of light. The suggested range for anthurium plants is 1500 – 2000 fc.

Step 3: Consistent watering

Even though anthurium plants can tolerate a little bit of overwatering or underwatering in the short run, they would expect a consistent watering schedule for longer life.

A consistent watering schedule does not mean that it’s a hard rule like water every other day. 

No, it’s not what it means.

Instead, it is to set up a watering schedule considering the climate and environmental factors in your region.

Every region or zone is different. For a region with higher temperatures, watering once a week is a bad choice, on the other hand, watering every day is detrimental in a colder region.

So, based on your region set up a watering schedule and stick to it for a couple of weeks. Then check for any overwatering or underwatering symptoms and make adjustments. 

Pro tip: While fixing a watering schedule, don’t neglect the soil mixture you are using.

Step 4: Set the right climate

As I already mentioned, climate and environmental factors affect the lifespan of anthurium plants in a big way.

If you are growing your plant indoors, then it’s pretty easy to set the ideal conditions even though you might have to spend some money on products.

Here are the parameters that come under climate settings that you need to check and control for your anthurium love longer,

• Temperature: 60 – 90 ⁰F (15 – 30 ⁰C), use a room heater or air conditioner to adjust the temperature.
• Humidity: 60%+, use a humidifier or pebble tray to improve humidity.

If you are growing your anthurium outdoors, then there are not many changes you can do to control the climate. Maybe move around and find a spot where the temperature and humidity match its requirements.

Step 5: Proper maintenance

Once the environment and everything else is in check, then your plant will start to grow.

As time passes, it will overgrow its current pot which will trigger issues like root bound, root rot, and similar problems. It is advised to repot your anthurium every two years.

Other maintenance tasks include pruning, cleaning the plant, removing pests, small insects, bugs, etc.

How Long Do Anthurium Plants Live? -Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

In this section, I will be going through some of the most commonly asked questions and doubts on different forums regarding anthurium lifespan and growth.

Wrapping Up

Anthuriums are one of the celebrated houseplants in the western world for their beautiful blooms.

With the right environmental conditions, climate and maintenance, your anthurium plants will live for more than 5 years easily. 

Sources

To back up the information we provide in our articles, the Plantials team only uses high-quality sources published in peer-reviewed university or scientific research journals.

1. Potential Distribution of Humid Mountain Forest in Mexico, Doklady Botanical Sciences.
2. Anthurium In Horticulture, Horticulture Magazine