Anthurium Veitchii Plant Care Guide

The King Anthurium is a magnificent plant that needs no kingly care.

The Anthurium Veitchii is both elegant and bizarre that will provide undeniable magnetism when displayed in your home. It has a charming look with hulking leaves and distinct flowers, saying I belong to the tropical jungle. The best news is that it is easy to grow as an indoor plant in your living space.

What is the Anthurium Veitchii?

Meet the king of the Anthurium family, a tropical plant native to Colombia. It looks similar to your lily flower. The name derives from John Veitch, a plant nursery owner in London dating back to the 18th to 20th century.

He was responsible for bringing back different tropical plants to Europe, including this one.

It is an epiphytic plant, and the leaves grow up to six feet when in its natural habitat. So you can expect the leaves to grow up to three feet in your home, making it a gigantic plant. Your King Anthurium looks magical and mesmerizing when it flowers, sure to keep your guests intrigued for a while.

The leaves have a metallic dark green shine on the front with light green tones to pale at times. On the underside, it is powdery pink with prominent veins on the leaf.

Anthurium Veitchii Classification

Anthurium Veitchii Care Basics

The plant can tolerate different levels of indirect light, but growing it in low light produces fewer flowers. However, you can plant it inside the home or outside on your patio. Furthermore, they grow best in bright indirect sunlight and are easy to care for. 

Best Potting Mix

The epiphyte plant can grow on other trees without soil as it gets its nutrients from the rain, winds, and debris growing in its natural habitat. However, it develops a spathe, spadix, and needs very airy, well-drained soil as an aroid plant.

As with the other tropical plants discussed here on Plantly, overwatering causes root rot. A general soil comprises perlite, peat moss/coconut coir, orchid bark, activated charcoal, volcanic rock, and sphagnum moss. All of these contents provide an airy and well-drained habitat for the plant.

Alternatively, you can grow it in sphagnum moss, and it works well.

Depending on where you grow the plant, the Anthurium Veitchii growth rate can be slow or fast.  As mentioned, placing it in low light slows down the growth rate.

Watering Needs

You can water your King Anthurium once a week, but it depends on the soil medium used and the conditions it grows. For example, when grown in humid conditions with chunky soil, it may need less watering. In contrast, in dryer conditions, it may need more.

Therefore, we recommend you check the ground before watering to prevent overwatering your plant.

Ideal Lighting

Growing your plant is best in bright filtered light near the top of trees to let in natural sunlight. Place your plant indoors in a good window direction east-facing as it gets indirect light through the day. Filtered light through a curtain works well. If treated as an outdoor plant, partial shade is best suited for this plant.

So if you want to keep your Anthurium Veitchii inside, get a hanging pot as it makes for a fabulous growing place hanging from the ceiling.

Temperature & Humidity

Your plant grows best in cooler temperatures ranging between 59°F (15°C) and 79°F (26°C). When it stands at a low temperature for a long time, it cannot tolerate the cold. Another crucial thing is that the plant needs a high humidity above 60% with sufficient airflow.

Too much water on the leaves can damage them. You can place your plant closely together with others to increase the humidity. Alternatively, you can place a pebble tray with water below the pot.

Yet, a humidifier still works the best. You can set up the appliance to 80%, and some even come with auto settings to adjust when the humidity drops.

One more solution is using a bioactive vivarium, it depends on the size you can place in your home.

Fertilizing

While the King Anthurium plant needs little fertilization in nature, it does not make it when grown in your home to keep it happy. We suggest using a water-soluble fertilizer with an NPK of 9-6 or one with a value of 12-12-12 used with every second of watering.

To keep your plant healthy, you can add some coffee grounds to provide some plant growth. You can make coffee ground compost and mulches to enhance your plant. Here is an interesting article you read about jolting up your plant using coffee beans.  

Propagation

When you buy an Anthurium Veitchii baby plant, it can take years to grow. You will notice that the young plant is still as beautiful as the full-grown one. However, it is challenging to develop an Anthurium Veitchii seed. It is difficult to collect and needs loads of patience.

You will need to keep an eye on your plant to see if the female inflorescence has developed into male parts. Once it forms pollen, you can collect it by introducing it to a female plant. After it creates fruit, you can plant it. When it comes to propagation, there is not much information available.

A viable option is to use stem propagation by cutting off a section with nodes and roots attached.

1. First, find a section with at least one node with roots and a leaf.
2. Use sterilized pruning shears cleaned with rubbing alcohol.
3. Make a clean cut and clean the wound with cinnamon to protect it.
4. Place your cutting in some sphagnum moss or in water to wait for the root to grow.
5. Wait until the roots are a couple of inches long and place them into a pot of choice.

Growth Zone

Native to Colombia, this tropical plant thrives best in places with temperatures higher than 60 degrees and 80% humidity, with temperatures between 59°F (15°C) and 79°F (26°C.  They love full sunlight to light shade depending on seasons and appreciate moist, acidic, and well-drained soil.

Their ridiculous, stunning leaves can grow up to 6.6 feet ( 2 meters ) when they mature. Better, give them your tropical plantly care if you want to see this gorgeous reach its maximum growth.

 Potting and Repotting

Depending on the size, your King Anthurium needs enough room to grow and works well in containers from eight inches to ten inches in diameter that are ten inches deep to get started. During its growth, you will need to re-plant it every three years.

If your plant roots are coming out of the drain holes, it is time to replant them in a bigger pot.

To make the process simpler and the best time to do this is in Spring.

Anthurium Veitchii Varieties and Similar Plant

In the King Anthurium family, you can find different species available.

Anthurium Magnificum x Crystallinum

Is a hybrid of two species with velvety leaves and a bright white venation. You will find the new leaves are bright red.

Anthurium Ace of Spades

Is another velvet-leafed hybrid with darkish purple-green leaves that looks nearly black. Anthurium ace of spades is one of the most beautiful heart-shaped leaf species of all anthurium plants.

Anthurium Superbum

This grows in a dense rosette with rounded yet ruffled upright leaves.

Anthurium Clarinervium

This has a compact velvety heart-shaped leaf that looks perky. Still, it is hard to find in many states.

Anthurium Veitchii Diseases & Pests

The King Anthurium is susceptible to pests, and the leaves can damage when you touch it. Another cause for damaged leaves is the lack of humidity. Moisture helps to keep the new leaf lubricated to emerge and grow.

Another culprit if you find tears or perforation is too much air movement, and best to keep them away from fans or your heater. The most common pests are Scale, Thrips, Whiteflies, Spider Mites, and Mealybugs. Always check the underside of the leaves for infestations of these pests.

If you find any present, you can use Neem oil or Castille soap or high-pressure spraying with water.