Why Does My Anthurium Not Flowering?

Is your anthurium planted in a well-drained potting soil mixture?

Is your anthurium receiving a full day of bright indirect sunlight?

Is your anthurium placed somewhere where there are frequent temperature fluctuations?

Is the air in your home too dry?

Did you fertilize your anthurium?

Does your anthurium need to be repotted?

Waterlogged potting mix can drown the roots by preventing them from being able to absorb oxygen. This weakens the plant and deprives it of the energy it needs for blooming, as well as causing root rot. To maintain healthy anthurium growth and sustain consistent flowering, use a potting mixture made for orchids, or make your well-draining peat-based or pine bark potting mixture that includes growing media such as perlite or volcanic rock to ensure that the roots are always well aerated.

One of the most common reasons why anthurium houseplants don’t bloom is insufficient light. Anthuriums can survive and even produce vigorous foliage in lower lighting conditions, but they won’t flower if they don’t have lots of bright indirect sunlight. Your plant should be in a location where it receives bright but diffuse light all day long rather than for just a couple of hours a day.

The temperature range for these tropical plants is around 70-85 °F. Anthuriums are very sensitive to the rapid changes in temperature that can occur if they are located near an external door or window or close to heating and cooling vents. Exposure to drafts also adversely affects anthuriums, as will air suddenly blown directly at them from a room or exhaust fan cycling on.

Anthuriums need a moist environment, so be sure to maintain high humidity around your plant. Lack of humidity will cause the foliage to lose its sheen, which is an adaptation to the moist rainforest environment and will reduce your plant’s resilience along with its ability to flower. To keep your anthurium’s local humidity level high, group your houseplants or place a humidifier nearby. You can also set the plant on a humidity tray, which is simply a shallow tray filled with pebbles and water such that the pot doesn’t come in contact with the water.

You should give your plant the nutritional boost it needs for flowering by feeding it a small amount of phosphorus-rich liquid fertilizer once a week. Look for a fertilizer that’s formulated for flowering plants, dilute it to a weak 10-20% strength, and add it to the soil after watering or spray it on the foliage.

You should repot your anthurium every two years or so to get rid of the built-up salts in the potting soil. Other reasons why your anthurium may need repotting are if you have it in the wrong type of potting mixture and/or the roots have become damaged from soggy soil or too much watering. Anthurium roots like to be somewhat pot-bound, so don’t increase the pot size by much. You shouldn't repot simply because the roots have filled the pot.

Too much or too little water might be a cause that your anthurium isn't flowering. You should water the potting mixture thoroughly, and allow the excess water to drain out, and then, checking the moisture with your finger or a wooden stick, water again when the soil has dried out a bit but without allowing it to become completely dry. You will need to water more frequently in the hot summer months than in the cooler seasons.