Nutrient Deficiency and Anthuriums

Who doesn't know it? Our anthurium's leaves turn yellow even though they are still fresh. The edges of our anthurium's leaves turn yellow to crispy. The veins of young leaves are green, but the leaves themselves are greenish-yellow. The list probably goes on and on.

Basic information:
Anthuriums often show nutrient deficiencies with a delay. Some deficiencies can be remedied, some at least visually no longer. If you are a little experienced, you can already tell what helps based on the deficiency symptoms.

Basically:
A deficiency is not only caused by too little fertilizer. It can also be that your anthurium was fertilized with a bottle pH value and thus cannot absorb the nutrients properly. Or your anthurium was fertilized with a low microsiemens value, so it hardly gets any nutrients. But it can also be due to your substrate being too old and perhaps too compact. Or the roots of your anthurium are damaged, so they can no longer absorb nutrients.
There are probably many other reasons. But this shows how important the interplay of individual factors is.

Let's take a closer look at nutrients and their effects or absence.
A distinction is made between macronutrients (primary) and macronutrients (secondary). In addition, there are micronutrients. You can read about their importance and use here: Plant nutrients (macronutrients and micronutrients)

Here is a small overview of the most common problems due to nutrient deficiencies in anthuriums:
Further down you will find a more detailed overview - based on damage patterns.

If nitrogen (N) is missing, the leaves are usually light green to yellow. This means that your anthurium has received too little fertilizer. The leaves grow slower and remain smaller.

If iron (Fe) is missing, your anthurium usually has yellow young leaves and looks chlorotic (veins are green, the rest of the leaf is not). This happens when the pH value is set too high and the anthurium cannot process the iron properly.

If your anthurium has yellow spots between the leaf veins on older leaves, it lacks magnesium (Mg). A result of, for example, too soft water.

A weak leaf structure and brown leaf margins indicate too little potassium (K). Your anthurium thus becomes more susceptible to stress and can suffer more quickly.

If your anthurium forms deformed leaves and suffers from growth disorders, this can be an indication of too little calcium (Ca). This can quickly happen with pure osmosis water or rainwater without additional fertilization.

Basically: it is better to fertilize a little weaker, but regularly.

Here is a more detailed overview of damage patterns based on nutrient deficiencies in anthuriums.

Chlorosis and leaf colors:

• If the older leaves of your anthurium are light green to yellow, iron (N) is missing,
• If the younger leaves of your anthurium are light green to yellowish with green veins, iron (Fe) is missing.
• If the spaces between older anthurium leaves are yellowish, while the veins remain green, magnesium (Mg) is missing.
• If young anthuriums grow very slowly and have yellowish leaves, sulfur (S) is missing.
• If the leaves of your anthurium show spotted chlorosis or marbled areas, manganese (Mn) is missing.

 

Necrosis

• If the leaves of your anthurium have brown leaf margins (so-called marginal necrosis), potassium (K) is missing.
• If the leaf tips, especially on new leaves, die back, calcium (Ca) is missing.
• If your anthurium shows dark and punctate necrosis on younger leaves, boron (B) is missing.

 

Deformations and growth problems

• If the leaves of your anthurium are deformed or twisted, calcium (Ca) and/or boron (B) are missing.
• If your anthurium grows slowly and produces small leaves, nitrogen (N) and/or phosphorus (P) are missing.
• If your anthurium has a weak root system and forms few new shoots, phosphorus (P) is missing.
• If your anthurium grows in a rosette-like manner, zinc (Zn) is missing.

 

Special and rare deficiencies:

• If your anthurium shows poor or hardly any flower formation, phosphorus (P) is missing.
• If the leaves of your anthurium look withered even though they have enough water, copper (Cu) is missing.
• If the leaves of your anthurium show irregular leaf spots and have problems with growth, they lack molybdenum (Mo).

Often, deficiency symptoms are an interplay of several factors. This can be, for example, a blockage due to an incorrect pH value, which affects the processing of, for example, iron, copper or zinc.

Please note that this is a list that provides guidance. We naturally cannot guarantee it. The information is based on accumulated knowledge and our own experiences.

If you want to know more about various topics such as microsiemens, pH value, or nutrients, feel free to check out our 4Aroids Encyclopedia. There you will find helpful information on many topics.