plantladylin said:Great growing Linda, that is a beautiful Anthurium! I'm with Planto ... I say if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I have a heck of a time keeping Anthurium's alive for very long, indoors or out. I currently have one that's been hanging in there for @ 8 months or so but it's beginning to look a bit ratty and I thought about trying to find a shady spot outside but then I know I'd forget about watering it so it's still indoors. You should upload your lovely photo to the general Anthurium entry in database: Anthuriums (Anthurium)

I could not find the link to let me upload,
i tried!

Neve mind, I figured it out and uploaded.

I see it waiting in the queue for a moderators approval, then it will appear in the database!!

While I also have no doubts that our tropical house plants will almost always show improvement if taken outside during weather they like, a lot of things can happen to a plant outside. The adjustment 2x per year can cause some plants (seemingly possibly unnecessary) stresses. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" has always been good advice to consider. I wouldn't recommend, or not recommend, just offer anecdotes for consideration for your own decision.

sunburn
eaten by animals (rodents, caterpillars, grasshoppers)
torn up by animals
torn up by storm/hail/wind
stolen
baked too dry
drowned by rain too often

Plants outside should be secure, by either hanging, or by putting a few rocks or bricks around the pot so it's still there after a storm. Under some kind of cover is usually best too, though I do move porch plants out into the rain if the timing is good (not expecting the sun to come back out before it gets dark) and it doesn't look like a strong storm. I love plants under trees, but debris can fall on them, and those are the first to be investigated by squirrels.

AFAIK, I've never brought a plant pest inside, just soil-dwellers.

purpleinopp said: AFAIK, I've never brought a plant pest inside, just soil-dwellers.

LOL, bringing in soil dwellers or hidden critters is something I didn't think to mention. Years ago (1970's) I moved a large Ficus tree outside to get rained on, something I'd done from time to time. It was left out overnight and then moved back indoors to the corner of our bedroom where it regularly resided. One morning @ 6:00 a.m. I got up to get ready for work, walked around the bed to go to the bathroom, came back around to my side of the bed to get clothes from the dresser and I stepped on a large black snake! I began screaming (very loudly) and jumped up on the bed as my hubby came running. He thought I was having a nightmare until he realized that there was indeed a large snake slithering on the floor. He is not afraid of snakes at all and picked it up and took it outside as I was screaming "Get that thing outta here!"

.... I've never again moved plants outside and back in without thoroughly checking them for hidden surprises.

That is quite a (snake) story, Lin. I have never brought a snake in.

Here's a story that I have told before but it is fitting with the "bringing in critters" posts. I promise to keep it in a shortened version.

Two (perhaps it has now been three) years ago I shipped a fiddle leaf ficus to a nice lady in New York City. Because of the large root-ball, those ship (sort-of) bare-root, having some potting media but that's supplemented with moist sphagnum moss. The day she got the plant I got an email from her telling me she found a large pest in the root-ball, donned latex gloves, and that she flushed it down the toilet. I asked her to describe the "pest" and she described an earth worm. I patiently explained that earth worms were good and not pests (I can be patient ). Living in the concrete expanses of New York City and having always lived in apartments, she had never seen an earth worm. I thought she was joking but she swore that's the first one she had ever seen. I assured her that it was fine to leave earth worms in the potting soil but she said she could never do that. She said she was sure she would have nightmares with thoughts of an earth worm escaping the pot and crawling up on her bed. I kid you not.

After all this time I still chuckle thinking about this lady and her fear of earth worms.

Ken, that is such a funny story! Those of us who garden love to find earthworms in our plants but I know many non-gardeners who do not like critters ... including worms. I've also known a few folks who are afraid of the little Green Anole Lizards: http://www.floridiannature.com... that we have here in Florida. I've rescued and released many of them to keep the family cats and dogs from killing them. They are good to keep around because they eat bugs.

We have those here in GA.

I discovered a large one living in a pot of hostas one year by mistake. It was mulched, so to find this large dark brown pile in the pot, I thought maybe I had ants (I couldn't figure out what the "stuff" was). I removed it with my hands and went about my day. A couple days later, a large Anole hops from the pot and runs off. I'm not sure who scared who more, me or him. Well, that taught me not to touch unknown substances... I'm convinced it was a large pile of Anole poop.

Planto

Micro-compost, Planto.

If only I knew that before sticking my fingers in it!

Planto

I learned that the little Anole Lizards lay eggs in my outdoor plant containers. One time I was re-potting a plant and pulling out handfuls of old soil when I squished what I thought was Perlite between my fingers ... turns out it was a tiny egg with a perfectly formed teensy lizard in it.

In October 2008, I found another tiny egg that I put in a terrarium and it hatched. We don't know whether it was a male or female but we named it "Lucy Lizard". I guess it maybe could have been a "Larry." Anyway, my husband would go out by the porch light each night and catch moths to feed it. I kept her in the enclosed terrarium through the winter and when the weather warmed up, released her outside. I don't know what their lifespan is but I like to think that little Lucy's offspring are still running around out there somewhere. Here's little "Lucy Lizard" on a leaf at the back of the terrarium in this picture from November 2008.

That's just so neat, Lin.

Thanks Ken ... we thought so too. We had cats in the family at the time and they sure thought little Lucy was very interesting! Luckily she was in an enclosed terrarium.

How is your plant doing, Linda?

purpleinopp said:How is your plant doing, Linda?

Great, still blooming all the time, it must like where it is located, so just leaving it there.

Sounds great! If it's ain't broke, don't fix it. This plant gives so many people fits.