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Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Anthurium

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CHARACTERISTICS: Cut flowers are a wonderful gift, but after they die, all you're left with is an empty vase! An everlasting alternative is the Anthurium plant. Put it in an attractive container, and "voila". The foliage is shiny and dark green, while the flowers are very showy. Available in reds, pinks, lavender, and whites, the flowers are heart shaped, and can last up to 8 weeks. Anthuriums require little care, and bloom almost continuously in good conditions. This blooming plant likes bright light and needs to dry out to the touch between watering, making good drainage essential. Even when they are not in bloom, they are a beautiful foliage plant. To get continual blossoms, you will need to use a blooming plant food. Look for a food where the middle number is the largest of the three numbers, representing high phosphoric acid content. When the first number, representing Nitrogen, is the largest number, it is good foliage plant food, and the third number, representing Soluble Potash, is for stronger root development, which is a good transplanting food. Feed your Antherium every other month to ensure a healthy blooming plant. With the Anthurium, as with any houseplant, the more light, the more foliage, the more water, the more plant food. One common problem with blooming plants is they seem to come with gnats. Gnats are the small black pesky flies that seem to fly up your nose and into your eyes! They like dark moist environments. I found the best way to avoid gnats is to keep your decorative containers cleaned out, and don't let water sit in the bottom. If your plants are directly planted in the containers, let them dry to the touch between watering.

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