Anthurium warocqueanum
The Anthurium Warocqueanum can grow immense leaves under proper care. The leaves on this plant are pendent and as thick as cardboard and have dark green velvety leaf blades. Thick and sturdy leaves are called coriaceous in plant botany terms. … This houseplant is often referred to as the Queen Anthuriu
For a long time, I was not a big Anthurium fan. This genus of around 1000 species was not very appealing to me.
I was into Monstera plants and slowly transitioned into heartleaf-shaped Philodendron. Anthuriums didn’t interest me at all.
It all changed once I received my first Anthurium, the Anthurium warocqueanum.
The Anthurium Warocqueanum can grow immense leaves under proper care.
The leaves on this plant are pendent and as thick as cardboard and have dark green velvety leaf blades. Thick and sturdy leaves are called coriaceous in plant botany terms.
Anthurium Warocqueanum care is what I want to talk about in this article as there are very few resources online and offline that highlight all relevant aspects from soil to watering to problems with this plant.
Anthurium Warocqueanum Plant Care Guide
Soil
These plants do not tend to grow in soil. The Queen is an epiphyte. Epiphytes are plants that are growing on other plants instead of in the soil.
In nature, they are growing in moss and leaf litter and any debris they might come across in tree branches.
A loose breathable very airy mix is therefore a must.
The substrate I am using is 100% Sphagnum moss and the Anthurium warocqueanum seems to love it.
A great suggestion is to provide Sphagnum Moss along the whole stem of your plant.
This way the Anthurium Warocqueanum will develop roots all along the stem.
There are other growers who are successfully growing it in an airy and well-draining
Yet others are growing it in a mix between coarse bark and Sphagnum moss.
Whatever medium you are using, it needs to be well-draining and hold moisture at the same time.
Keep the pH level between 6.6 – 7.5 between acid and neutral.
Light
Medium to bright indirect light is advised. Based on my personal experience a lot of bright indirect light is best in indoor conditions.
This way your Anthurium plant will grow the best.
They generally need more light than usually advised as most people base their judgment on how these plants grow in situ in their natural habitat.
There they might be in semi-shade but one has to remember that sunlight is usually so much stronger than anything that we can provide an Anthurium Warocqueanum indoors.
Avoid direct sunlight as this will burn the leaves of your indoor plant.
Read my to find the perfect spot in your house.
Watering
Anthurium warocqueanum is a thirsty plant. I heard other growers say the opposite on the internet about how you should not water these plants as you would water a Monstera or any other Philodendron.
This makes no sense to me as these plants are from tropical rainforests where it tends to rain almost daily.
I water mine weekly by giving it a thorough shower. Since my plant is in 100% Sphagnum moss, it will soak up the water and keep the plant hydrated for a full week just until the moss gets crispy again.
Never let this plant dry out completely.
Temperature
Anthurium Warocqueanum is grown in warm temperatures. Temperatures of min 68°F (20°C) and max. 86°F (20°C) given high humidity are best to grow these Anthuriums.
Humidity
These plants need very high humidity. This doesn’t mean that they cannot grow and survive in lower humidity conditions but a humidity above 70% is best.
Make sure you are providing sufficient air exchange. Air circulation is very important to an Anthurium Warocqueanum. They are susceptible to damage on the leaves when the airflow is not sufficient.
If you are growing your Anthurium in a terrarium or greenhouse you need to make sure that you are making use of fans to allow for air circulation.
Fertilizer
Since Anthurium Warocqueanum is epiphytic, they get little nutrients found in the debris of tree branches such as from rotting leaves and what the wind and rain bring to them.
However many experienced growers suggest fertilizing them frequently, like weekly throughout the year.
Using a quarter of the proposed strength of eg. a liquid fertilizer is sufficient.
If you want to get to know more about nutrients and the you can read my complete guide about this topic.
Propagation
Propagate from new crowns that will emerge from the trunk (stem) of the plant. Propagation is done by division.
Growth
The Anthurium Warocqueanum grows leaves up to a length of 6.6 feet (2 meters).
The abaxial side of the leaves is velutinous and has clearly visible silvery veins that become more and more prominent the bigger the leaves grow.
Whar is really interesting is that new leaves are starting off very small and are then expanding.
With most Monstera and Philodendron you get a good idea of how big leaves are going to get upfront.
Not with the Anthurium warocqueanum. Its leave are starting really small and can get very big within days.
A good indicator that your Anthurium warocqueanum is happy is, when it is keeping its leaves.
If the care is not ideal, these plants will always loose a leaf when forming a new one or will lose all of the leaves altogether.
So take the number of leaves on this plant as an indicator of plant happiness.
0 means the condition is critical, 1 is barely surviving and an anything above 2 leaves means you are doing a great job.
Potting
These plants are best potted into wooden orchid baskets. These are a great way to support their epiphytic growing habit.
The roots can attach to the wood or even grow out of the basket. In nature, the roots are venturing down and to the sides quite a lot.
A wooden basket is supporting this growing habit perfectly.
Although a wooden orchid basket might be the best, I am growing mine in a clay pot. It has a drainage hole in the bottom and the clay itself is porous and allows for air exchange.
The advantages of clay pots can be read in
Anthurium Warocqueanum Propagation
Propagation from seeds is feasible but there are not many records of successful propagations from seeds.
A different way is a propagation from division. They are producing offsets from time to time that can be removed from the plant and that will grow into a new plant.
How to propagate Anthurium Warocqueanum step-by-step:
- Look for offshoots on your plant
- Use a pruning shear, knife, or scissors that are disinfected beforehand. Disinfect using rubbing alcohol and by holding under a flame for a couple of seconds
- Cut the offshoot section and ensure that there are roots present on the cutting in the best case
- Put cinnamon on the wounds of the offshoot and the main plant
- Put the offshoot in damp Sphagnum Moss
- Ensure a humid and warm environment so roots can produce quickly on your cutting
- Voila you have a new baby Anthurium Warocqueanum
From a pleasant topic to a not so pleasant one. Let’s now have a look at common problems.
Anthurium Warocqueanum Problems
Leaf Damage
The velvety thick leaves are getting damaged easily. A common cause is if water remains on the surface of the leaves for too long.
Bacterial infection in the form of brow circles with yellow hues is the visible damage that can be spotted.
The best countermeasure against this is to allow for sufficient air circulation. Wet leaves need to be able to dry quickly.
A different cause can be rough handling of the leaves. As an example, these houseplants do not like to be shipped.
Damaged leaves in the form of slits and broken leaves are often the result.
They often get severely damaged after shipping and need to be trimmer or fall off entirely.
The damage itself if it’s not bacterial on the leaves is not a big issue for the plant and the leaf can stay on it.
It is more that it can be unappealing for the eye and this is why some people will decide to cut off damaged leaves or sections of it.
Brown Leaves
Brown leaves can be a cause of your plant being sunburnt because of too much sunlight. Other reasons might be nutrient deficiencies as well as underwatering.
To get to the root cause let’s have a look at sunburn. In most cases, multiple leaves will start to show browning that is caused by too much direct sunlight.
If nutrients are not readily available, your Anthurium warocqueanum can develop brown leaves. Make use of a liquid or slow release fertilizer to counter nutrient deficiency.
Last but not least we have the most likely cause of browning leaves if sunburn can be ruled out, underwatering.
Anthuriums do not like to dry out completely. Specifically the Anthurium warocqueanum likes to sta lightly moist and should never dry out completely as this might lead the plant to go downhill quickly.
Let’s now move over to yellow leaves.
Yellow Leaves
Yellow leaves can have many different reasons such as overwatering, underwatering, stress, nutrient deficiency, not enough humidity, or the cause can be natural as old leaves will turn yellow and fall off at some point in time.
However I would say the most common reason is overwatering. Whenever leaves are turning yellow on my plant and it is not the oldest leaf I will check the roots.
This should be fairly easy to do as Anthurium warocqueanum is an epiphytic plant and shouldn’t be in dense substrate.
If the roots are brown and mushy you can have a look at the next section on what to do about it.
Black Mushy Roots
Black mushy roots are a bad sign. Not everything is lost but it is cleary a sign that you have to act fast.
If you spotted that roots come easily off from your plant and they feel mushy and rotten, you are dealing with root rot.
I wrote a whole article about how to that you can consult in addition.
In a nutshell what you have to do is to remove and soft and mushy roots that are black. It is best to snip them off with a disinfected pruning shear or scissors just above the rotting sections.
Since rooting can easily transfer over to healthy roots it is important that you remove these unhealthy roots.
Once this is done you need to wash the remaining roots thoroughly under running water in your sink.
Then you will have to disinfect your pruning shears or scissors again so you are not transferring the infection to a different plant you might be cutting next.
Now you will have to change the substrate your Anthurium warocqueanum is in completely and also disinfect the pot it was in.
The pathogens leading to root stay in the soil and also on your pot and you need to get rid of them for good to stop the spread.
If you would not do anything about the rooting roots it would spread quickly to the rest of the roots and would kill your entire plant in no time.
In the next section I will answer the most frequently asked questions about the Anthurium warocqueanum.
Pests
Like most other houseplants, Anthuriums such as the Anthurium warocqueanum are prone to be attacked by plant pest
To make your life easier, I have written extensive articles on each of these pests and how to counter them. You can follow the links above.
It is best practice to check for pest infestations frequently. I would suggest to check your plants every couple of days and also to have a look at the underside of leaves.
The earlier you spot pests on your plants, the easier it will be to get rid of them.
Frequently asked questions about Anthurium warocqueanum care
Why is my Anthurium warocqueanum dying?
There are many different reasons why an Anthurium warocqueanum could be dying. The reason can be underwatering, overwatering, a pest infestation or the substrate can be the wrong choice. The best is to look at the foliage as the leaves will tell you what is wrong with your plant.
Why does my plant loose leaves?
Losing leaves is an indication that your Anthurium warocqueanum care is not on point. It is quite common for Anthurium warocqueanum to shed its leaves and only maintain one of the leaves if the conditions it is kept in terms of humidity, watering, temperature, substrate, and fertilizer are suboptimal.
Why are the leaves on my Anthurium warocqueanum turn yellow?
Yellowing can have a myriad of reasons such as overwatering, underwatering, an old leaf turning yellow naturally, not enough nutrients, stress. The next step is to rule out all the different reasons to find the cause and thus adjust the care.
How to propagate an Anthurium warocqueanum?
Anthurium warocqueanum can be propagated from new crowns building on the plants. Once these start to build roots they can be removed by cutting them off and be put into their own pot and substrate.
Should I mist my Anthurium?
High humidity is vital for your Anthurium warocqueanum. The humidity level should be kept above 70% if possible. Misting your plant daily is a great idea as long as you can ensure that there is sufficient airflow present that will dry the leaves quickly. Otherwise, bacterial leaf spots can start to form on the foliage.
Conclusion
I would not describe Anthurium care as particularly easy. The Anthurium warocqueanum is no exception.
To best care for this aroid, make sure to choose a suitable pot in the form of an orchid basked as well as proper potting mix.
Sticking with pure Sphagnum moss or a mix between Moss and coarse orchid bark is a great choice.
In addition, allow for high humidity above 70% if possible and ensure good airflow to the leaves.
If you can fulfill these needs you are off to a good start with your Anthurium warocqueanum.
What are your best practices caring for an Anthurium warocqueanum?
