Anthurium Plowmanii - Care And Propagation

Anthurium Plowmanii (or Anthurium Plowmanii Fruffles) care is all about maintaining a high humidity level, we cover all you need to know about care and propagation…

Anthurium Plowmanii Summary

Light needs:	Bright indirect sunlight.
Watering needs:	Check weekly and water if top 50% of soil is dry.
Fertilizer:	High nitrogen feed once a month in summer.
Soil:	Rich and well draining.
Humidity:	70-80%.
Temperature:	18°C to 25°C (64-77°F).
Where to buy:	Try one of these Rare Plant Shops.
Common issues:	Leaf pests and bacteria.

Introduction

The anthurium plowmanii aka the birds nest anthurium aka the wave plant aka anthurium plowmanii fruffles aka anthurium wave of love (yes, it has loads of names!) is known for it’s elongated wave-serrated foliage. It is named after the ethnobotanist Timothy Plowman (see Wikipedia for more info).

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Light Needs

Bright indirect sunlight is best for an anthurium plowmanii. They do not want to get direct sunlight which can burn them.

How Often to Water An Anthurium Plowmanii

Check your plowmanii weekly and water it if the top 50% of soil is dry. Do not water it without making sure the soil is at least half died out.

Tip: I aim to keep anthurium soil moist, but never soggy or dry. It helps to have a really well draining soil, and check it with your finger once or twice a week. You also want to make sure you get rid of any water left over in the tray under the plant, after watering.

Fertilizer

Use a feed with high nitrogen content once a month in the summer months. High nitrogen is preferred as this encourages leaf growth.

Anthurium Plowmanii Soil

A rich and well draining potting mix with plenty of perlite and organic material. The potting mixture needs to let the roots dry out and not sit in wet soil. For more on anthurium soil (what to buy and how to make your own) see our guide here: Anthurium Soil.

When To Repot

Repot your anthurium in Spring if it has out grown it’s current pot to give them space to grow in the warmer months.

Humidity

70% humidity is ideal, plowmaniis like to be very humid. This is well over the norm for most households, so you need a water pebble tray under the pot or a humidifier. You can mist them too, although it is not quite the same as constantly humid environment. However they will be fine down to about 50% humidity, but will not thrive as well.

Tip: Keep them humid, at least 70% in the day and they’ll be ok with a bit less at night. You can buy a humidity meter (affiliate link) to keep an eye on maximum and minimum levels.

Temperature

18°C to 25°C (64-77°F) is ideal in the daytime, and try to keep them above 12°C (54°F) as a minimum at night. Avoid cold drafts too.

Anthurium Plowmanii Propagation

You can propagate your wave of love plant by division when they are big enough and have spread out, plus you can see a lot of stems. If your plant is not this big, you need to wait (sorry!), but it is so much easier to divide a plant that it big enough and ready to be separated than force a smaller plant. You can then take it out of it’s pot and get rid of a much soil as possible, then gently separate out some plants, trying to minimize damage when splitting them off. Then pot them all up in their own individual pots.

Is It Toxic To Cats?

They are toxic to cats if eaten, call a vet if you think your pet has eaten any as they can cause numbness and vomiting.

anthurium plowmanii flower

It has a big red flower stick that looks like red sweet corn. It is fairly weird looking! Take a look at the image below.

Anthurium Plowmanii USDA Zone

Zones 10b-11

Anthurium Plowmanii Price

At time of writing they go for €50-60 in Europe and $50-60 in the USA.

Where To Buy

These are rare, so try one of the stores from our article on rare plant shops.

Other Names

Birds nest anthurium, wave plant, anthurium plowmanii fruffles, anthurium wave of love. plant

Anthurium Plowmanii FAQs and Common Problems

Keep an eye out on the leaves for plant pests and bacteria.

Anthurium Plowmanii Variegated

There is a variegated version of the plowmanii, sometimes sold as the ‘variegated wave of love’, they are really rare and cost a lot more. They have the same care needs as the non-variegated version, just make sure they get plenty of light to encourage the variegation, but without any direct sun which can burn it.

Additional Resources

Links:

More info on the Wikipedia page.
More info on the Kew Gardens plant page.
More info on the Exotic Rainforest plant page.