Aroids to keep the orchids company

[piping plover]

I really like this thread. I began collecting anthuriums in 2021. Made some very $$$ mistakes with imports. I think the bare root aroids are so much more vulnerable to root rot than orchids. Anyway, I only purchase online potted anthuriums where I can see the roots in the photo. No more chonks! A few of mine below.

The veitchii and regale are recent arrivals and are still acclimating in a grow tent situation; once they put out a leaf under my care I’m okay removing them from the nurturing box and are free to circulate with the general inmate population. 😁

[smweaver]

Those are very nice seedlings (adolescents?). I like the regale a lot. Do you grow Anthurium clarinervium? I recently acquired one, and the leaves actually do feel like they're constructed of a thick felt-like material. So far I've not been brave enough to go for any of the imported plants that I've seen for sale. And I've made a point of confirming with sellers that the plants they offer are well-established and shipped in pot. Are you growing these--once they leave the protection of the tent--alongside the orchids?

Thanks for posting the pictures!

Steve

[piping plover]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Those are very nice seedlings (adolescents?). I like the regale a lot. Do you grow Anthurium clarinervium? I recently acquired one, and the leaves actually do feel like they're constructed of a thick felt-like material. So far I've not been brave enough to go for any of the imported plants that I've seen for sale. And I've made a point of confirming with sellers that the plants they offer are well-established and shipped in pot. Are you growing these--once they leave the protection of the tent--alongside the orchids?

Thanks for posting the pictures!

Steve

Steve, you’re welcome and thanks for the kind words. Yes, clarinervium is the first pic posted. I love em, they seem better able to go a week without watering than the others. You are wise to confirm the root situation with sellers. Problem I encountered was relying too much on my green thumb and experience with other plants to pull them out of death spiral but they are not as forgiving when starting out disadvantaged with import stress, root disease, etc.

Interesting question about growing with orchids: I do in the winter in the sunroom but learning after last summer, the orchids go outdoors and anthuriums stay in sunroom, Screens. Too much wind damage, desiccation and insect damage to those anthurium leaves that you just want to be perfect and symmetrical.

One annoying thing about my anthuriums (and may be due to small pot sizes) is they need watering every 4 or 5 days whereas my orchids can go a week or more until watering. A bummer when wanting to travel. I’d like to get them up to 8 - 12 “ pots eventually and that will likely help.

Feel free to discuss any questions, after the mistakes and assumptions I made about them in past 18 mos I’d be glad to pass along my amateur anthurium experience if it saves someone else the same learning curve.

Joe

[estación seca]

I have bought about 20 bare-root Anthuriums from Ecuagenera over the last year. They all survived. Some dropped leaves but all are now growing. Don't be afraid of bare root plants. My friend says many people overwater bare root plants. He said to use an extremely open medium, clear pots to see the humidity in the pot, water once on planting, and don't water again until the pot is dry. When new root growth begins you can water more, letting them get almost dry between watering. Growing low-humidity or intermediate temperature Anthuriums too hot or too humid is also a problem.

I'll edit this post later with a photo.

[piping plover]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Instead of making a house payment this month, I decided to splurge on a few aroid seedlings to keep the orchids company: Philodendron El Choco Red (if anyone knows the actual species name for this--assuming it's not a hybrid--please let me know), Anthurium regale, and Anthurium magnificum. I have an Anthurium clarinervium and an Anthurium warocqueanum still in transit. Hopefully they will arrive in as decent of condition as these three.

If anyone has experience growing any of these, I would greatly appreciate knowing what you've done right and wrong (especially in regards to high and low temperature tolerances).

Steve, for my aroid mix I use a porous mixture similar to yours. I basically made a variation of my palm mix and orchid mix. Generally 1/3 potting media (peat and perlite); 1/3 orchid bark media; 1/3 leca clay pellets for (mega aeration) . I do find myself adding in some horticultural charcoal; large perlite chunks; coco coir and spagnum moss pieces. I guess i just pretend to have an easy 3 part mix. lol. Have been also adding a “scarf” (for lack of better word) of spagnum moss around the stem where it meets the media. Many say the extra humidity there encourages rooting, and I avoid keeping the scarf too damp in winter season. Photo below of potting mix. As I gain more confidence in this I may add sufficient peat to get them through 7 days til next watering. Staying on safe side with aeration since I lost some $$ plants to rot in my first year.

[piping plover]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I have bought about 20 bare-root Anthuriums from Ecuagenera over the last year. They all survived. Some dropped leaves but all are now growing. Don't be afraid of bare root plants. My friend says many people overwater bare root plants. He said to use an extremely open medium, clear pots to see the humidity in the pot, water once on planting, and don't water again until the pot is dry. When new root growth begins you can water more, letting them get almost dry between watering. Growing low-humidity or intermediate temperature Anthuriums too hot or too humid is also a problem.

I'll edit this post later with a photo.

Thanks ES. I wish I knew this 18 months ago. And kudos to you for keeping all those alive. I’m gun shy after losing over $1500 worth in bare root anthurium imports in 18 months. It hurts my head to do the mental math; especially when I had success with so many other tropical plants.

I like your advice on the clear pots and watering only when the moisture spots are gone. Took me awhile to figure out that growing culture. I find this better than the black mesh pots I was using.

[estación seca]

I only buy the ones on sale, lol.

[piping plover]

Originally Posted by smweaver

Instead of making a house payment this month, I decided to splurge on a few aroid seedlings to keep the orchids company: Philodendron El Choco Red (if anyone knows the actual species name for this--assuming it's not a hybrid--please let me know), Anthurium regale, and Anthurium magnificum. I have an Anthurium clarinervium and an Anthurium warocqueanum still in transit. Hopefully they will arrive in as decent of condition as these three.

If anyone has experience growing any of these, I would greatly appreciate knowing what you've done right and wrong (especially in regards to high and low temperature tolerances).

Steve, the Choco Red philodendron is a beauty. You will enjoy the worocqueanum for sure; mesmerizing to look at.

You can all call me crazy in unison, but I added a philodendron giganteum in my sunroom. Ideally it should go outdoors but am concerned the squirrels will trash it like they did my white bird of paradise. Anyone have a Harpy Eagle i could borrow? 😆.

My sycamore keeps dropping branches so I used some to create a support for my philodendron; the roots seem to like it.

My phal White Dream’ ‘V.3’ AM/AOS is one of few orchids remaining indoors with the aroids as the nights are still below 60 F ; and I don’t want anything blemishing the pristine white blooms.

[estación seca]

White bird of paradise (Strelitzia nicolai) is very easy from seed. If you ever visit southern California or Florida you will see it used extensively in landscapes. Old flowers within your reach will probably hold viable seed. They are very large, with a tuft of white hair. In the orange bird of paradise (Strelitzia reginae) the seed hair tuft is orange.

[smweaver]

Originally Posted by piping plover

You can all call me crazy in unison, but I added a philodendron giganteum in my sunroom. Ideally it should go outdoors but am concerned the squirrels will trash it like they did my white bird of paradise. Anyone have a Harpy Eagle i could borrow? 😆.

I actually thought about getting a Philodendron giganteum. But after seeing how big it can potentially become in the right environment, I decided against it.

I bought three alocasias over the winter to provide shade in the sunroom: two of Alocasia 'Regal Shield' and one Alocasia macrorrhiza 'Black Stem.' They didn't do all that much during the colder months, but now they're making up for lost time. Since they "woke up" about two months ago, they've been putting out lots of new--and progressively larger--leaves. I'm now thinking this may not have been the best idea.

Thanks for a description of your potting mix for the aroids!