If you have ever looked at an Anthurium and wondered why it seems determined to grow roots in every direction, you are not alone.

Roots may appear from the stem, emerge above the substrate, climb over the edge of the pot, or stretch into the surrounding air. On a mature plant, it can sometimes look as though the Anthurium is producing roots everywhere except where you expected them.

The important thing to understand is that roots growing above the soil are not automatically a sign of a problem. Anthuriums are tropical aroids, and many species naturally grow in ways that make aerial and adventitious roots extremely useful.

So why does your Anthurium do it, what are those roots actually doing, and should you cut them off?

What Are Aerial Roots on an Anthurium?

Aerial roots are roots that develop above the main growing medium. Instead of remaining completely buried inside the pot, they can emerge from the stem or nodes and grow through the air.

In Anthuriums, these roots may appear:

• From the lower part of the stem.
• Near older leaf nodes.
• Above the surface of the substrate.
• Over the rim of the pot.
• Along a moss pole or other support.
• Into open air around the plant.

They are a form of adventitious root — roots that develop from tissues such as stems or nodes rather than from an existing root system.

Why Do Anthuriums Grow Aerial Roots?

The easiest way to understand aerial roots is to stop thinking of an Anthurium as a plant that was designed to sit permanently in a pot of soil.

Many Anthuriums have lifestyles that involve growing on trees, rocks, banks or other exposed surfaces, often with their roots moving through bark, moss, leaf litter and open air rather than through deep soil.

That gives aerial roots several potential jobs.

Why Does My Anthurium Suddenly Have Roots Everywhere?

There are several reasons you may suddenly notice aerial roots becoming much more obvious.

Your Anthurium is getting bigger

As an Anthurium matures, its stem becomes longer, the leaves become larger and the plant becomes physically heavier. More nodes also mean more places from which adventitious roots can develop.

A tiny juvenile plant may barely show any aerial roots. A mature specimen can produce them constantly.

This is especially noticeable in climbing or climbing-capable Anthuriums, where roots can become part of the plant's support system as the stem advances.

Your humidity has improved

If you recently introduced a humidifier, moved your plant into a cabinet, grouped several plants together or simply created a more humid growing environment, you may notice more aerial-root activity.

Aerial roots are far more useful when the surrounding environment provides some moisture. In very dry conditions, exposed roots may begin growing and then stall, dry out or become shrivelled.

The root zone is becoming crowded

A dense root system can encourage roots to explore beyond the original space available to them.

You may see roots appearing at the top of the substrate, travelling around the inside of a clear pot or escaping through drainage holes.

This does not automatically mean your Anthurium is badly root-bound.

A well-established Anthurium can simply have a vigorous root system that is using every available space.

The better question is whether the plant's overall growth has changed.

Are Lots of Aerial Roots a Good Sign?

Often, yes.

If your Anthurium is actively growing and producing healthy foliage while also producing thick, firm aerial roots, there is usually no reason to be concerned.

Think about the entire plant rather than judging the roots in isolation.

• Are new leaves developing normally?
• Is leaf size remaining healthy for that plant?
• Does the foliage have good colour and firmness?
• Are the aerial roots firm rather than mushy?
• Is the plant continuing to grow from the stem?

If the answer is yes, your Anthurium may simply be expressing its natural growth habit.

Which Anthuriums Can Produce Lots of Aerial Roots?

Prominent aerial roots are particularly unsurprising on Anthuriums that naturally have climbing, climbing-capable or epiphytic growth habits.

You may notice them on plants such as:

• Anthurium crystallinum
• Anthurium magnificum
• Anthurium warocqueanum
• Anthurium vittarifolium
• Anthurium veitchii

Of course, the amount and appearance of aerial roots varies between species, hybrids, individual plants and growing conditions. Two Anthuriums can be perfectly healthy while producing very different numbers of visible roots.

This is another example of why plant appearance should not always be judged against a single "perfect" example.

The same principle applies to leaves. If you have noticed your Anthurium changing shape as it matures, it is worth reading Why Do Anthurium Leaves Change Shape as They Mature?.

When Should You Actually Be Concerned?

Aerial roots themselves are rarely the problem. The important thing is what they look like and what the rest of the plant is doing.

Should I Cut Off Anthurium Aerial Roots?

If the roots are healthy, there is usually no need to cut them off.

A healthy root is living plant tissue. The Anthurium has spent energy producing it, and it can contribute to anchorage and resource capture.

Removing it purely because it looks untidy does not make the plant healthier.

In fact, if the plant is actively growing, you may simply find yourself cutting one root today and watching another appear from the next node a few weeks later.

What Should I Do With Aerial Roots?

You actually have several options, depending on how you want your Anthurium to grow.

Can I Bury Aerial Roots?

You can often guide suitable aerial roots into the growing medium, but there is an important distinction between giving a root access to an airy root zone and burying it deeply in dense, permanently wet material.

Anthurium roots generally benefit from oxygen around the root system. If you force an exposed aerial root deep into a heavy, saturated substrate, you can create an environment that is very different from the airy conditions the root was previously experiencing.

If you want to redirect aerial roots, an airy, well-draining medium is a much better environment than compacted, waterlogged soil.

Can Aerial Roots Help With Propagation?

They can be useful when an Anthurium is being divided or propagated, particularly when a section of stem already has established roots.

But remember that an aerial root alone is not necessarily a complete new plant. Successful division depends on having viable stem tissue, a growth point or node, and the appropriate structures needed for continued growth.

This is one reason established, well-rooted sections can sometimes have an easier transition after division than completely unrooted pieces.

Aerial Roots vs. a Root Problem: A Simple Diagnosis

Do Aerial Roots Mean My Anthurium Is Root-Bound?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the most common misunderstandings about visible Anthurium roots.

An Anthurium can produce aerial roots even when there is plenty of room inside the pot. Root production is influenced by the plant's natural growth architecture and environment, not simply by a lack of pot space.

Instead of asking, "Are there roots outside the pot?", ask:

• Has growth slowed?
• Are new leaves getting significantly smaller?
• Is the root mass filling the container?
• Is the substrate breaking down or staying wet for too long?
• Are roots circling excessively or lifting the plant?

Those clues are much more useful when deciding whether repotting is actually necessary.

Aerial Roots Can Tell You Something About Your Plant

One of the interesting things about Anthuriums is that their roots can give you clues about how the plant is interacting with its environment.

A mature plant producing aerial roots while steadily producing substantial leaves may simply be expressing vigorous, natural growth.

On the other hand, aerial roots that repeatedly dry out while the plant struggles may point you toward an environmental problem.

They are therefore best treated as information, rather than as something that automatically needs fixing.

How Aerial Roots Fit Into the Bigger Anthurium Picture

Anthuriums can change dramatically as they mature. Roots become more substantial, stems become more prominent and leaves can change shape, texture, thickness and overall architecture.

That is why a plant should not always be judged against what it looked like when it was young.

If you have noticed other maturity-related changes, you may also enjoy:

• Why Do Anthurium Leaves Change Shape as They Mature?
• Why Do Anthurium Leaves Feel Thicker as They Mature?
• Why Does My Anthurium Have Long Petioles?
• Why Is My Anthurium Growing Sideways?

Frequently Asked Questions