Anthurium clarinerveum are a great anthurium for beginners. I LOVE mine, even though it’s pretty much a thrips farm.
Are Anthurium Clarinerveum easy to care for?
They are easy to care for – or least, they are in my opinion.
This is NOT the norm for velvet-leaved anthuriums.
It doesn’t care what substrate it’s in (anthurium roots are…something else) and it enjoys the ambient environment in my home. It doesn’t seem too fussy about drying out, and it one of the only plants I have that I can water on weekly schedule.
HOWEVER
It has had thrips pretty much since i got it. There’s some damage on the leaves, and it slows the growth, but the main issue is that it passes them around to my other plants, so has to live with my other thrips-y plants in the bathroom.
It also flowers too much. They’re not pretty and they smell like a bin.
How much light do Anthurium Clarinerveum need?
They like a TONNE of good light, but NO direct light.
Perfect for my south-facing, frosted glass window.
They’re probably ok with a bit of gentle direct light in the morning, but they won’t thank you for leaving them outside in the sun.
Anthurium clarinerveums are epiphytes, so rather than growing in the ground, they grow in crevices.The internet seems divided on whether they grow in trees or rocks, but the most trusted sources say that they’re lithophytes, so grow on bare stone, namely karst (limestone)
How much humidity do Anthurium Clarinerveum need?
They won’t thank you for putting them in a dry environment, but they also don’t need SUPER high humidity. Mine is happy at 55% humidity. My bathroom actually has the lowest humidity in my house because the window is always open.
This seems to be the only velvet anthurium that doesn’t require high humidity. It’s the only one I have, but most people with anthuriums that I see online keep them in cabinets to ensure consistently high humidity.
Unless I just got a very calm one?
How to water Anthurium Clarinerveum
I once repotted my anthurium and found I had two plants. I split them and kept one in soil and one in leca. And then I bought a massive pot a couple of years later and consolidated them. Literally just dumped both plants and all the substrate in one pot.
Since it was a chunky potting mix to begin with, and now it’s 50% leca as well, it’s VERY well draining, so I water it once a week.
I water my anthurium clarinerveum with tap water. Sometimes rainwater, sometimes aquarium water…but usually tap water.
The white stuff at the bottom of the leaf below is dust. I just sprayed it down with insecticidal soap and all the dust clumped together at the bottom.
A piece of commonly heard advice is to not let velvet-leaved anthuriums wet, but again, clarinerveums don’t seem to mind. Mine gets sprayed down a LOT (probably at least twice a week) due to his little thrips problem (I need some predatory mites) and it doesn’t show on the leaves. Other than a bit of thrips damage, the leaves are pretty much perfect.
I will say, for all the issues you can get with clarinerveum leaves – for example, have you EVER seen a waroqueanum with more than one healthy leaf?? – their roots are STRONG. They’re suuuuper thick, like udon noodles.
In the past I’ve kept my anthurium in a self-watering pot, and it did really well.
How to fertilise Anthurium Clarinerveum
I fertilise mine every other time I water and it’s doing well. HOWEVER, when anthurium clarinerveum are growing quickly, they tend to grow leaf, flower, leaf, flower repeat. When you never feed them, it’s all flowers.
I’m not quite sure what the formula for just leaves, no flowers is. Or even just fewer flowers! Perhaps leaf, leaf, leaf, flower repeat.
Is that too much to ask??
What soil do Anthurium Clarinerveum need?
They’re epiphytes, so strictly speaking, they don’t need any soil at all. If you want, you can keep them in a jar with no substrate and soak the roots every week.
They do super well in leca or a really chunky potting mix. Pure orchid bark is another option, though again, you’ll need to soak the whole root ball.
Many anthurium enthusiasts swear by keeping them in poon, which is a semi-hydro substrate that contains fertiliser – a great option if you think you’ll forget to feed it.
When I kept one of mine in leca and the other in soil, neither grew better than the other, so I think you should just pick what you think will suit your watering habits best.
What type of pot do Anthurium Clarinerveum need?
Mine is currently in an old nursery pot with a cache pot. As I mentioned before, they quite like self-watering pots. I wouldn’t go with terracotta unless you like watering multiple times a week – though if you do, go for it. I bet the roots are strong enough to crack it though.
Do Anthurium Clarinerveum bloom?
Yes, copiously, and I hate them. They’re a very nothing flower, and they start to smell like garbage quite quickly. I just chop them off.
HOWEVER
If you’re looking to get into growing houseplants from seed, anthuriums are a great one to start with.
Botanists will scream at these instructions, but I’m explaining it as best as i can.
The flower starts off female (calm down botanists) and produces, er, goo. This is useless to us at the moment. After a bit, it’ll start to smell, because it needs to attract pollinating insects (or you!).
Then the flower becomes male (ok, it doesn’t, it’s a male stage, but I like the drama) and will produce pollen
You can collect the pollen off a flower using a paintbrush, and store it somewhere cold and dry. It needs to be in something airtight, so a jar will do. It’ll last in the freeze for up to a year.
Then we wait for another flower. Wait until it’s a couple of days into it’s female anthesis (i.e. is super gooey) and then paint the pollen on the flower.
And then wait again. Over time the spadix should start to swell and it’ll produce a fruit. The seeds are in the berries. Clean them, put them in moss, and keep them damp and in the dark until they germinate and you have anthurium babies.
Are Anthurium Clarinerveum toxic?
Yes, most aroids are. They have calcium oxalate crystals in their leaves designed to deter things from eating them.
Whilst they are toxic, they’re not deadly, so don’t worry unduly – it’ll likely just be a numb mouth/upset stomach situation – but also keep them out of the way of anything that might chance a nibble.
The berries are technically edible but they’re not tasty.
They’re not self-pollinating, so unless you have bees in your home (no judgment if you do!) you’re not going to accidentally end up with berries no one wants to eat.
Is Anthurium Clarinerveum rare?
I don’t think so. They crop up quite often in my local garden centre. I think they’re a common rare plant, if that makes sense? You’re unlikely to happen upon one, but if you want one they’re pretty easy to get hold of.
IN THE UK
Anthuriums in general seem to be more expensive in the US (I’m assuming they’re popular with growers in the Netherlands, who supply most houseplants to the UK).
Is Anthurium Clarinerveum expensive?
They vary a LOT in price.
Mine was £26.99 about four years ago. I don’t think the price has changed much – it might have gone up a wee bit. They’re about $45USD, so I think prices are dropping. but prices are HIGH in Australia (at the time of publishing – they change a lot). High as in $450AUS.
Crystallinums are more expensive and, in my opinion, look too similar to justify it.
Are Anthurium Clarinerveum prone to pests?
Yes, thrips, and while they don’t seem to do much damage (the leaves are leathery and THICK) but MAN do they stick around.
Weirdly, it doesn’t seem to inhibit growth, though I do try to keep numbers under control. Are they friends or something?
How to propagate Anthurium Clarinerveum
You can propagate anthuriums in four different ways, depending on your skills.
- Division
- Cuttings
- Seeds
- Tissue culture
We’ve covered seeds, and I’m gonna assume that most of us (80%, say) don’t have a tissue culture lab.
I go division every time. Anthurium clarinerveums have such thick roots that it’s super easy to do without damaging any roots.
Whilst you do technically need to cut some cuttings, taking anthurium clarinerveum cuttings is just dividing a plant when it’s still in it’s infancy and very close to the mother plant. So whilst are cutting it, it’s not really a cutting.
For example, I cut off the circled portion of the plant and call that a cutting, but it has its own root system, so it’s more like a violent division.
So I suppose there’s only three ways to propagate them.
Final thoughts
My anthurium clarinerveum is a very easy care plant, and she has stunning leaves. They’re velvety and glittery and perfect. I just wish the thrips would bog off.
