If you live in an apartment in SE Asia, and are looking for some care tips on the Anthurium Crystallinum, below are 3 key learnings in the past 4 months. For context, I keep mine at room temperature in Singapore by a North facing window.
Check the substrate. This plant originally came in a mix of about 80% soil and 20% perlite. For the Crystal, this mix stays too wet for too long in an indoor environment. It loves to air out quickly. Now that it’s in an equal mix of sphagnum moss, coco chips and soil, it’s finally settled. The new leaf has emerged much more vibrant with its signature velvet coating. Have a look at the before / after photo to see the difference. The old mix resulted in new leaves dying before rising, and the ones that did unfurl took a very long time to turn velvety and dark. Even then, the velvet is spotty and the leaf is kinda sad. With the new substrate, it unfurled and turned dark in a few days.
Check the light. For 3 months, I had it by my North facing window without any protection. The plant was getting overhead morning sun and continued to receive bright light throughout the day, without the sun rays touching its leaves directly. This was too much light as the leaves curled and started to lighten. So I brought the blinds down and reduced the light by about 30%. The crystal is now much much much happier. New shoots are sprouting. And I’m also happy because it’s reduced the brightness (and glare) significantly in the house. Now I know what plant experts mean when they say “If you’re comfortable in the space, so will your plants”.
Water only when necessary. With the new mix, I water when the top two inches dry out. Just stick your finger in and feel. This could take a few days or over a week. Maybe even 10 days. It really depends on the weather. How sunny and windy it’s been. Resist all urge to water unless necessary (I know its tough when you love routines). Just keep telling yourself that underwatering is always better than overwatering - you have a much higher chance of saving something that’s thirsty than something that’s drowning.
You might ask how do you know when the soil is dry? I learnt this by making it a point to feel soil mixes when I’m repotting plants. Grab the soil mix with your hand and feel it. Know how it feels dry before you water it. Over time, the process becomes a little more instinctive.