Anthuriums go by a lot of names, specifically Tailflower, Flamingo Flower, and Laureleaf. Anthurium Forgetii is a species of Anthurium that is native to Columbia. It has round, velvety leaves with deep and detailed veins that are light in color.
For the most part, taking care of Anthuriums is easy. However, they do need certain environmental requirements that your other plants may not need. Anthurium Forgetii plants need temperatures between 59 to 68°F (15 to 20°C), high humidity, bright, indirect light, aerated soil, and consistent watering.
Most Anthuriums can be taken care of in similar ways, but there are slight differences between them. Anthurium Forgetii is a bit slower growing than some other Anthuriums, so you can often reduce the amount of fertilizer it needs. They may also do well with a little less water than other Anthuriums.
How Do You Take Care of Anthuriums Indoors?
In the wild, most Anthuriums grow in thick rainforests, specifically in South America and the Caribbean. This means that you need to create a similar environment. At the base level, this means that all you need is plenty of humidity and heat.
Humidity and Heat
Anthuriums enjoy having humidity higher than most people have in their homes. To remedy this, you can put your Anthurium into a room where humidity is higher, add a humidifier to the room your plant is in, or create a pebble tray to put under your plant.
If you have a lot of other plants you are growing that like high humidity, you can also put them next to each other. By putting these plants close together, they create their own humidity. For the most part, Anthuriums do well in heat that most people have in their homes. They can handle and thrive anywhere between 59 to 68°F (15 to 20°C).
Light
You want to make sure your Anthurium has the right amount of light. They like to be somewhere they can get bright light, without sitting in direct sunlight. Usually, a room that faces south with sheer curtains is best so they can get the maximum amount of light without burning.
Soil
In their natural environments, they tend to grow as epiphytes, where they live on other trees and not the soil. This means you can potentially grow these plants in water if you know what you are doing.
However, if you do want to keep planting them in soil, you want soil that has a good amount of compost, usually orchid compost. The soil mix shouldn’t contain any peat.
Watering
Anthuriums are used to humid and wet environments. This means that they don’t do well with drying out. While they can handle being a little wetter, they will start to wither when left dry for too long.
Once the top inch (2 or 3 cm) is dry, it is time to water again. You can also mist the leaves regularly, but be careful to not mist the flowers. You can reduce your watering usually in fall and winter as the plants slow down their growth.
Nutrients
Finally, you need to think about nutrients. Once a month, you want to feed it with plant food that is high in potash, and half-strength. Tomato food is a good option, but there are also specific fertilizers for Anthurium plants if you can find them. Stop feeding nutrients in fall and winter when plant growth is severely reduced.
Liquid fertilizers are best, because they are easily absorbed by the plant, and are evenly concentrated.
What Is the Easiest Way to Take Care of Anthurium?
It is easiest to take care of Anthuriums indoors. Once you get them in their perfect habitat, you can simply leave them alone and let them grow. When they are outdoors, their care requirements change based on the weather or season, and it can be difficult to keep control of their environment.
Additionally, keeping them inside protects your plants from pests and disease, so you won’t have to worry about their health as much.
Does Anthurium Forgetii Have Specific Care Requirements?
There are over 1,000 Anthuriums available to purchase and grow in your home. While they are all similar plants, they do have slight differences that can make them have different care requirements.
Anthurium Forgetii, while it can still do well with the same care you give any other Anthurium, does have specific requirements. By catering to these requirements, you can help your Anthurium Forgetii grow faster and healthier.
Humidity and Heat
It has about the same requirements as other Anthuriums, so give it lots of humidity and heat and you will have a happy plant.
Light
Like other Anthuriums, the Anthurium Forgetti likes a lot of bright, indirect light. However, it also does well with medium light, so you can place it at a different window facing any direction to free up space for some other plants that might need more light.
Soil
The soil often needs to be a little bit more aerated. Regular indoor potting mix is often too dense for these plants, so something high with vermiculite, perlite, and orchid bark works best. You can easily make your own or purchase Monstera potting soil, which has a similar structure that an Anthurium Forgetii needs.
Watering
You can also water a little less than other Anthuriums. You can wait until the top 2 inches (5 cm) are dry before watering again. You can check this with a piece of wood, your finger, or a moisture meter.
Nutrients
Unlike some other Anthuriums, this plant doesn’t need much in the way of fertilizer. It is a light feeder and a very slow grower, so you can fertilize a little in the spring and summer, with fertilizers high in nitrogen, but try for every other month instead of monthly.
How Fast do Anthurium Forgetii Grow?
Anthurium Forgetii grows very slowly. If you are lucky, it may grow one or two leaves every couple of months. Height-wise, you may not see much more than 1 or 2 inches (2 to 5 cm) a year.
Is Anthurium Forgetii Rare?
Anthurium Forgetii is a somewhat rare plant. It isn’t well-known and can be hard to find. The fact that not many people know about it is part of the reason it isn’t extremely rare. However, its slow growth makes it hard to propagate and sell in mass quantities, so you will be unlikely to find this plant just sitting around in your local plant store.
What Are Other Anthurium Forgetii Forms?
There are a couple of different forms of Anthurium Forgetii. The standard one has deep green leaves and light veining. There is also a dark form which has very dark green leaves and bold veins. Finally, there is a silver form. This plant has more of a silvery-green appearance and bright silver veins.
The standard form is still considered rare, but the other two forms are much harder to find. Usually, they are more in demand due to their unique coloring, and there just aren’t as many of them.
Does the Anthurium Forgetii Dark Form Have Different Care?
For the most part, all varieties can be cared for in the same way. However, the dark and silver forms may need more light. Since they aren’t producing quite as much chlorophyll in the leaves as the standard green plant, they need light for longer to absorb the same amount of energy.
Try to put these versions in a room with a lot of bright and indirect light or you may see that they don’t grow as healthy or even revert to a more standard green color.
Besides that, every other care requirement is the same.
Summary
Anthurium Forgetii is similar in care to most other Anthuriums. They need high humidity and heat thanks to their tropical background, and don’t like a lot of direct light. However, they grow a little slower than other Anthuriums so they don’t need as much light or fertilizer.
Be sure to use aerated soil, like a potting mix made for Monstera plants and you can wait until the top 2 inches (5 cm) are dry before watering again.
The other two forms of Anthurium Forgetii, besides light requirements, have almost the exact same care needs, so no matter which version you get, you can make sure that they are well taken care of.