Anthurium Cultivation.

Anthuriums are flowering plants and belongs to family Araceae. inflorescence is cup shape and it consists of spathe and spadix. Anthurium are evergreen plants. flowering any time of the year. In the certain year anthurium can produce flowers in every leaf axial.

Anthurium Cultivation – Media

Can grown on various media charcoal, coco husk, leaf mould, tree bark, coco peat, sand. Well drained media is essential for better growth.

popular ratio are below:

  • Cattle manure: sand: leaf mould 2:1:4
  • Coconut husk only
  • Coconut husk: Tile pieces 1:1
  • Coconut husk: Tile pieces: charcoal 1: 1:1

Anthuriums Cultivation – Elevation – grown below than 600m less.

Anthurium Cultivation – Temperature

  • The minimum temperature 150C – 170C
  • The maximum temperature 320C – 350C
  • Ideal temperature range 260C – 300C
  • Shade level 70% – 80%
  • humidity 70% – 80%

Anthurium Cultivation – Growing Systems

  • Pots, Beds, Gutters are used. Gutters are used full in cultivated anthurium.
  • The ‘U’ or ‘V’ shaped gutters as well as the raised bed system are recommended for commercial cultivations.
  • Beds should be 8-9 inches above ground.
  • Growing media should be free from soil and polythene is recommended to be placed at the bottom of the beds to avoid the contact with the soil.
  • Drip irrigation and micro sprinklers are preferred for watering.

Anthurium Cultivation – Planting Distance

  • Bed cultivation – Width 0.9m – 1.1m, Length 30m, Minimum spacing 45cm * 45cm, Maximum spacing 60cm * 60cm
  • Gutter cultivation : spacing is 30*30 cm

Anthurium Cultivation – Nutrition

  • Anthuriums is fertilized by irrigation water at the roots and spraying a leaf fertilizer.
  • Albert’s solution is given daily through irrigation system.
  • The roots are shallow since they absorb nutrition and moisture from the atmosphere.
  • Anthuriums may perform best with a slow, steady supply of nutrients rather than a large dose of fertilizer at once.
  • The most common fertilization method is constant liquid feed with 200 ppm N of a 3-1-2 ratio of N-P-K is preferred.

Anthurium Cultivation – Watering

  • Once a day preferably in the morning.
  • Surrounding should be wet to keep the high humidity around the plants but plant should be dry on order to prevent the growth of microorganisms.
  • Micro sprinklers would be used.

Anthurium Cultivation – Plant propagation

  • Asexual propagation – Suckers, stem cuttings, tissue culture, Asexual propagation preferable in more commercial uses.
  • Sexual propagation – Pollination and seeds developments

Anthurium Cultivation – Diseases

Bacterial Diseases – Bacterial blight

Can be controlled by strict sanitation, controlled watering of plants and local quarantine before placed in mass cultivation.

Once the disease is recognized plant is removed and burnt.

Fungal diseases – Anthracnose

  • Tiny brownish spots on the flower spadix
  • During the high humidity these spots are enlarge appear water soaked and turn necrotic.
  • Can be controlled by strict sanitation, controlled watering of plants and local quarantine before placed in mass cultivation.
  • Fungicides are for treatments (Mancozeb)

Damping off is fungal diseases that, captan fungicide is used for treatments.

Burrowing nematode decline

Stunting, poor growth, fewer and smaller flowers, nutrient deficiency symptoms and roots and lower stems are poorly developed.

Use of pathogen free plants (use tissue cultured product), use pathogens free plotting media and hot water dipping the cuttings (500C for 10 min)

Anthurium Cultivation – Pest control

The mites
  • The mites are tiny, they are inserting the plant cell by their stylets, sucking out the cell contents.
  • Mite population is high during the dry seasons. therefore increasing the humidity around the area can prevent the mite growth.
  • Sulfur is used large scale controlling
Thrip
  • One of the most serious infection for the anthurium industry. Damage occurred 6 to 8 weeks prior to flower harvest
  • Infested plants and flowers are removed from the field.
  • Carbosulfan is used for chemical control 3 to 4 application at 2 week intervals
  • Thrip population is increased in summer and decreased in winter.
Mealy bugs

White, cottony masses in leaf axils. In initial stage watering with soapy solutions if infection is serious chemical treatments are used.

Anthurium Cultivation – Mechanical, physiological and environmental injury

  • Mechanical injuries occur during the harvest.
  • Sunburns
  • Crooked stems – curved petioles due to excessive nitrogen feeding and fluctuating wet and dry conditions.
  • Phytotoxicity – incorrect fertilizer, high rate for pesticides applications.

Anthurium Cultivation – Post harvest

  • Anthuriums are harvested during early in the morning, harvested with disinfected sharp cutter. only mature plants should be harvested signs of maturation are increased the colour intensity of the spadix up to 50%-60% and hardening the stem.
  • Flowers are covered with polyethene bags 10 flower bunches are made basal stems are covered with wet cotton. the cotton is covered with the polythene bag.
  • For storage 150C – 170C and relative humidity would be 90%

Anthurium Cultivation – Post harvest – Packing methods

  • Polyethylene bags over the flowers
  • Styrofoam mats under the flowers
  • Moist paper shredding around the flowers
  • Foam inserts
  • Corrugated fiberboard boxes

References

  • Thrips – Wikipedia. (2014, October 25). Thrips – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips
  • Mites of livestock – Wikipedia. (n.d.). Mites of Livestock – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mites_of_livestock

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