4Aroids Encyclopedia
How to Anthurium crossing
We are repeatedly asked about the various topics concerning anthurium crosses. This prompted us to create a small "How To" guide for each area for you. It serves as a general guideline. Everyone probably has their own personal approach. Our idea behind it is that it is a rough guide, outlining what needs to be considered, whether you're a beginner or a pro.
If you are not satisfied with any of the content, we would be happy if you wrote to us. We all learn continuously. And everyone can benefit from collective intelligence.
We have identified the following four "How Tos" as important:
1. Collecting anthurium pollen
2. Pollinating anthurium flowers
3. Harvesting ripe anthurium berries
4. Extracting anthurium seeds from berries and germinating them
1. Collecting anthurium pollen
Goal: Collect and store pollen from an anthurium flower in its male phase.
How do you recognize the male phase of an anthurium flower?
The male phase follows the female phase and can occur several days to weeks after the flower opens.
In the male phase, the spadix appears dry, and a yellowish/whitish "dust" is visible; these are the pollen grains you want to collect.
If you run your finger over the anthurium flower, you will find pollen on your finger. During this time, there are no more shiny or moist drops of liquid.
How do you collect anthurium pollen? – Step by step:
You can use a fine brush or a small makeup brush. Stroke the entire spadix with the bristles of the brush to collect pollen from multiple spots on the spadix into a collection container.
What do you use to collect the pollen?
You can use, for example, the following items:
Aluminum foil
Baking paper
Thin cardboard
Petri dish
Small glass jar
Hard plastic film (beware of static electricity)
If necessary, let the pollen dry for a short time to prevent potential mold due to moisture.
Then, ideally, pack it airtight.
Where do you store anthurium pollen?
You can use different containers for this:
Eppendorf tube / centrifuge tube / sample tube
Film canister
Small glass jar
It is best to label the container with the name of the pollen donor and the date on which you collected the pollen.
How do you store anthurium pollen?
You can store them in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. In the freezer, anthurium pollen will last for several months. If you want to apply them to a receptive flower, you can let them come to room temperature before use.
Usually, the flowers in the male phase are so abundant that you can collect pollen repeatedly over several days.
2. Pollinate Anthurium Flowers
Goal: Apply pollen to a receptive anthurium flower in its female phase.
How do you recognize the female phase?
The female phase always precedes the male phase of an anthurium flower.
When the anthurium flower shows shiny and moist/sticky droplets, it is in its female phase. It is then receptive. You can also recognize it by its glistening in the light.
If you carefully run your finger over the anthurium flower, it will feel somewhat sticky/moist.
The female phase of an anthurium flower lasts from a few hours to a maximum of a few days.
How do you pollinate an anthurium flower in its female (receptive) phase? - Step by step:
First, take the pollen out of the container and allow it to warm to room temperature, if necessary.
Then, use a dry brush to pick up the pollen and brush it over the entire receptive anthurium flower. Make sure you don't just pollinate one side of the flower; ideally, cover all sides. If the anthurium flower is still receptive after 1-2 days, you can repeat the process – but it's not strictly necessary.
You'll know your flower has been successfully pollinated if:
The anthurium flower initially retains its color and does not dry out. After a few weeks, the spadix thickens, and the anthurium flower appears plumper. Later, berries develop. You can recognize them by the gradual formation of swellings. The entire process from pollination to mature berries can take from a few months to over a year.
In our "Anthurium Flower Duration" overview, you'll find an approximate timeline for many species and hybrids.
What else you should consider:
Label the pollinated anthurium flower with the name of the pollen donor (father) and, if applicable, the date you pollinated it. For example, "Antolakii RA3 April 1, 2026."
We also recommend protecting the flowers with, for example, an organza bag. This provides relatively good protection against cross-pollination by pollen from other anthurium flowers. Additionally, it is helpful in the final phase if berries fall from the spadix, as they will be caught directly.
Some growers say that morning is the best time to pollinate and that it can be helpful to pollinate the anthurium flower multiple times during its receptive phase to increase the success rate.
When your mother plant is in its reproductive phase, it needs more energy. Consider this in your fertilization routine. A little more PK at this stage is very helpful and can support your anthurium.
3. Harvesting anthurium berries
Goal: Harvest ripe berries from your anthurium flower
As you read in Phase 2 "Pollinating Anthurium Flowers," your flower will steadily thicken as the berries form; it is now developing the berries that contain the seeds. The berries will now slowly grow and ripen. This can take anywhere from a few months to more than a year. And not all berries will ripen at the same time, but rather gradually. This can also take several days or weeks.
How do you recognize ripe berries?
When the berries are ripe, they will push out of the spadix or even fall off on their own. Here it is helpful to use an organza bag to protect the flower from the beginning (see Phase 2).
The berries can have different colors, from red or purple to orange or yellow or even multiple colors. In their final ripening phase, they appear somewhat translucent and shiny and feel soft.
You can also pull the berries out yourself. Carefully pull on them with two fingers. If they can be easily plucked off, they are usually ripe. But be careful: don't pull too hard on them. Otherwise, you could damage the spadix and it might break off.
How do you harvest the seeds from the berries? - Step by step:
Once you have harvested the ripe berries, you can put them in a bowl or similar container and wash them. They don't store particularly well and should ideally be harvested immediately.
Next, move on to Phase 4 "Extracting Anthurium Seeds from the Berries"
4. Extract anthurium seeds
Goal: Extract and sow seeds from the fruit pulp.
Here's how to get the seeds from berries – step by step:
Place the seeds on a piece of paper towel and gently press the seed out of the berry's pulp with a finger.
Alternatively, you can squeeze the berry between your fingers. But be careful: most of the time, the seeds quickly pop out of the berry and fly all over the place.
An anthurium berry usually has 1-2 seeds. Sometimes there are more. The seeds are usually green. You'll recognize them immediately when you see them. The seeds usually still have a kind of protective film around them. This is an almost transparent layer that you also need to remove.
This is also where the first selection begins. You should immediately remove seeds that are brown or mushy. This prevents the risk of them molding and, in the worst case, infecting the healthy seeds with mold as well.
Once you have harvested all the seeds from the berries, we recommend thoroughly washing them to remove any remaining pulp. Afterwards, you can briefly dry them. Caution: they must not dry out and should not be stored dry for hours. Ideally, you should sow them immediately.
At this point, opinions differ. Some swear by moss, some on fine-grained substrat, others on perlite, and still others on soil.
What applies to all applications: Anthurium seeds are light-requiring. This means they need light to germinate. So you shouldn't bury them in your chosen substrate. They also need moisture and high humidity. Simply place the seeds on top of your substrate and do not cover them. They like a certain temperature somewhere between 22 and 26*C.
After 1-4 weeks, the anthurium seeds should have germinated, and you should be able to see the first small green dots / sprouts. Afterwards, the first small leaves will form. At the beginning, this takes quite a while. So you should be patient.
What fundamentally helps you in this process:
Work cleanly to avoid mold and other possible pathogens, and ventilate your seeds regularly.
Goal: Collect and store pollen from an anthurium flower in its male phase.
How do you recognize the male phase of an anthurium flower?
The male phase follows the female phase and can occur several days to weeks after the flower opens.
In the male phase, the spadix appears dry, and a yellowish/whitish "dust" is visible; these are the pollen grains you want to collect.
If you run your finger over the anthurium flower, you will find pollen on your finger. During this time, there are no more shiny or moist drops of liquid.
How do you collect anthurium pollen? – Step by step:
You can use a fine brush or a small makeup brush. Stroke the entire spadix with the bristles of the brush to collect pollen from multiple spots on the spadix into a collection container.
What do you use to collect the pollen?
You can use, for example, the following items:
Aluminum foil
Baking paper
Thin cardboard
Petri dish
Small glass jar
Hard plastic film (beware of static electricity)
If necessary, let the pollen dry for a short time to prevent potential mold due to moisture.
Then, ideally, pack it airtight.
Where do you store anthurium pollen?
You can use different containers for this:
Eppendorf tube / centrifuge tube / sample tube
Film canister
Small glass jar
It is best to label the container with the name of the pollen donor and the date on which you collected the pollen.
How do you store anthurium pollen?
You can store them in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. In the freezer, anthurium pollen will last for several months. If you want to apply them to a receptive flower, you can let them come to room temperature before use.
Usually, the flowers in the male phase are so abundant that you can collect pollen repeatedly over several days.
Goal: Apply pollen to a receptive anthurium flower in its female phase.
How do you recognize the female phase?
The female phase always precedes the male phase of an anthurium flower.
When the anthurium flower shows shiny and moist/sticky droplets, it is in its female phase. It is then receptive. You can also recognize it by its glistening in the light.
If you carefully run your finger over the anthurium flower, it will feel somewhat sticky/moist.
The female phase of an anthurium flower lasts from a few hours to a maximum of a few days.
How do you pollinate an anthurium flower in its female (receptive) phase? - Step by step:
First, take the pollen out of the container and allow it to warm to room temperature, if necessary.
Then, use a dry brush to pick up the pollen and brush it over the entire receptive anthurium flower. Make sure you don't just pollinate one side of the flower; ideally, cover all sides. If the anthurium flower is still receptive after 1-2 days, you can repeat the process – but it's not strictly necessary.
You'll know your flower has been successfully pollinated if:
The anthurium flower initially retains its color and does not dry out. After a few weeks, the spadix thickens, and the anthurium flower appears plumper. Later, berries develop. You can recognize them by the gradual formation of swellings. The entire process from pollination to mature berries can take from a few months to over a year.
In our "Anthurium Flower Duration" overview, you'll find an approximate timeline for many species and hybrids.
What else you should consider:
Label the pollinated anthurium flower with the name of the pollen donor (father) and, if applicable, the date you pollinated it. For example, "Antolakii RA3 April 1, 2026."
We also recommend protecting the flowers with, for example, an organza bag. This provides relatively good protection against cross-pollination by pollen from other anthurium flowers. Additionally, it is helpful in the final phase if berries fall from the spadix, as they will be caught directly.
Some growers say that morning is the best time to pollinate and that it can be helpful to pollinate the anthurium flower multiple times during its receptive phase to increase the success rate.
When your mother plant is in its reproductive phase, it needs more energy. Consider this in your fertilization routine. A little more PK at this stage is very helpful and can support your anthurium.
Goal: Harvest ripe berries from your anthurium flower
As you read in Phase 2 "Pollinating Anthurium Flowers," your flower will steadily thicken as the berries form; it is now developing the berries that contain the seeds. The berries will now slowly grow and ripen. This can take anywhere from a few months to more than a year. And not all berries will ripen at the same time, but rather gradually. This can also take several days or weeks.
How do you recognize ripe berries?
When the berries are ripe, they will push out of the spadix or even fall off on their own. Here it is helpful to use an organza bag to protect the flower from the beginning (see Phase 2).
The berries can have different colors, from red or purple to orange or yellow or even multiple colors. In their final ripening phase, they appear somewhat translucent and shiny and feel soft.
You can also pull the berries out yourself. Carefully pull on them with two fingers. If they can be easily plucked off, they are usually ripe. But be careful: don't pull too hard on them. Otherwise, you could damage the spadix and it might break off.
How do you harvest the seeds from the berries? - Step by step:
Once you have harvested the ripe berries, you can put them in a bowl or similar container and wash them. They don't store particularly well and should ideally be harvested immediately.
Next, move on to Phase 4 "Extracting Anthurium Seeds from the Berries"
Goal: Extract and sow seeds from the fruit pulp.
Here's how to get the seeds from berries – step by step:
Place the seeds on a piece of paper towel and gently press the seed out of the berry's pulp with a finger.
Alternatively, you can squeeze the berry between your fingers. But be careful: most of the time, the seeds quickly pop out of the berry and fly all over the place.
An anthurium berry usually has 1-2 seeds. Sometimes there are more. The seeds are usually green. You'll recognize them immediately when you see them. The seeds usually still have a kind of protective film around them. This is an almost transparent layer that you also need to remove.
This is also where the first selection begins. You should immediately remove seeds that are brown or mushy. This prevents the risk of them molding and, in the worst case, infecting the healthy seeds with mold as well.
Once you have harvested all the seeds from the berries, we recommend thoroughly washing them to remove any remaining pulp. Afterwards, you can briefly dry them. Caution: they must not dry out and should not be stored dry for hours. Ideally, you should sow them immediately.
At this point, opinions differ. Some swear by moss, some on fine-grained substrat, others on perlite, and still others on soil.
What applies to all applications: Anthurium seeds are light-requiring. This means they need light to germinate. So you shouldn't bury them in your chosen substrate. They also need moisture and high humidity. Simply place the seeds on top of your substrate and do not cover them. They like a certain temperature somewhere between 22 and 26*C.
After 1-4 weeks, the anthurium seeds should have germinated, and you should be able to see the first small green dots / sprouts. Afterwards, the first small leaves will form. At the beginning, this takes quite a while. So you should be patient.
What fundamentally helps you in this process:
Work cleanly to avoid mold and other possible pathogens, and ventilate your seeds regularly.
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