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anthurium under artificial light
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Posted by mpetrizzle wisconsin (mtpetri@uwm.edu) on Mon, Dec 7, 09 at 20:48
| I have an anthurium growing in a terrarium with artificial lighting in a pot with lots of bark, lava rocks, and peat to please it's epiphytic demands. I purchased the plant from walmart some months ago and im not sure the exact species although i know it is a flowering variety of either scherzerianum or andraeanum. It is one of my favorite plants and i want it to do well,and it is recovering well from when i massivly pruned it down to fit it in the terrarium. However, it has yet to re-flower despite the lots of light and humidity. I have a 15 watt 5000�K bulb roughly two feet away from the plant at almost 80% humidity. I've read that artificial light is bad for anthuriums and will never really flourish and bloom constantly compared to sunlight from a window sill. is it best to move it to natural sunlight, or should i just stick with the terrarium? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Anthurium under artificial light
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| Although your potting medium and humidity are great the light is not adequate to make an Anthurium produce inflorescences. However, there is likely another problem as a result of how the plant was commercially grown. Plants from outlets such as the one where you purchased the plant are forced to bloom using a commercial product known as GA3. Some people believe the chemical does no harm but qualified scientists are far more skeptical. I've quoted sources in the piece. If you read the link I'm posting and look for the portion on forced blooming you'll understand more. I grow over 100 species of Anthurium and all produce inflorescences best in bright indirect light. The equivalent would be at least 300 watts placed very close to the plant. I strongly recommend the plant be placed in a bright window if you want to see inflorescences on a regular basis. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Aroid pollination and forced inflorescences
RE: anthurium under artificial light
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| I read your link and i am intrigued. I took the plant out of the original soil and cut off most of the flowers and leaves when i purchased it, so i dont know if that made a difference, but i hope it will be able to rebloom again. what do you think? And the cost of light output i need to please this plant seems barely worth it, so a windowsill seems my best option, i have a south window, but in wisconsin we have a lot of short, cloudy days, and some days i will see no direct sunlight at all. that, along with temperature, seemed my biggest concern for putting it into the terrarium, but i guess i cant beat natural sunlight, right? |
RE: Anthurium under artificial light
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| In many cases the plant will eventually outgrow the need for its "fix" and will begin to produce inflorescences on a regular basis. I realize the difficulty in providing ideal light and would suggest you give it the southern light. During the spring, summer and fall move it to an area of your home where it can gather as much light as possible, just not direct sunlight. Ideally the species needs humidity and you can provide that by placing a tray of gravel beneath the pot with a half inch or so of water in the tray. In nature your plant would be up on a tree limb! The plant should be in a fast draining soil mix which you can easily mix. The mix is not critical but the goal is to duplicate the fast draining soil found in the rain forest. The soil in the forest is composed largely of decayed vegetation, burned trees, and the droppings of animals. Use about 40% moisture control potting soil, 20% peat moss, 20% Perlite and make up the balance with orchid bark, aquarium charcoal, and finely diced pieces of sphagnum moss. Just keep the soil evenly moist all the time. I hope that helps but just in case you might want to read this one as well. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Growing Anthurium
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