How to Grow Heartbeat
iNaturalist
Heartbeat
Anthurium clarinervium
flowerHeartbeat is a striking tropical houseplant featuring deep green, heart-shaped leaves with distinctive white or pink veining that resembles a heartbeat pattern. This epiphytic aroid is prized for its dramatic foliage rather than its flowers, though it does produce small, inconspicuous spathes. It's a relatively compact plant that works well as a specimen houseplant or in terrariums.
When should you plant Heartbeat in your zone?
Get a personalized planting timeline — when to start seeds, transplant, and harvest — based on your USDA zone and local frost dates. Free to start.
Example Heartbeat timeline · Pittsburgh, PA (Zone 6b)
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Plant Heartbeat
Around Apr 17Near Pittsburgh's average last spring frost.
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Tend & protect
Late spring–summerWatering, feeding, and pest-watch reminders.
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First Heartbeat blooms
Mid-to-late summerBefore the first fall frost (≈ Nov 8)
Sample dates for Pittsburgh, PA. Sign up to get exact Heartbeat dates for your own zip code.
Growing Conditions
Soil
Growing Zones
Find your zone →USDA zones 11-12; best grown as an indoor houseplant in temperate climates
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Get my Heartbeat timeline →Growth Stages
Newly Established
2-4 weeksSmall plant with 3-5 heart-shaped leaves, minimal veining visible. Plant is acclimating to new environment.
Maintain stable temperature (65-80°F), high humidity (60-80%), and avoid moving plant frequently. Water carefully without oversaturating.
Vegetative Growth
6-12 monthsPlant produces new leaves regularly with increasingly prominent white/pink veining. Leaves grow progressively larger and more deeply lobed.
Support with moss pole or stake as plant grows. Fertilize every 2-4 weeks with diluted balanced fertilizer. Maintain high humidity with misting or pebble tray.
Mature Foliage
Ongoing, 12+ monthsPlant reaches 12-18 inches tall with 6-10 full-size heart-shaped leaves displaying striking vein patterns. Bushy, established appearance.
Continue regular feeding during growing season. Wipe leaves monthly with damp cloth to enhance appearance and improve gas exchange. Prune any leggy growth.
Flowering (Occasional)
Sporadic, 2-4 weeks when they occurSmall cream or red spathes with yellow spadixes appear among foliage. Blooms are modest and secondary to leaf display.
No special care needed; flowers are brief. Focus remains on maintaining foliage health. Remove spent flowers if desired.
Propagation Ready
As neededMature plant develops aerial roots or stem nodes suitable for propagation via stem cuttings.
Take cuttings with at least one node and aerial root. Propagate in water or sphagnum moss in high humidity. Rooting takes 4-8 weeks.
Companion Planting
Plan your garden →Plant with:
Avoid planting near:
Common Pests
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Increase humidity, mist leaves regularly, spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap weekly until controlled. Isolate affected plants.
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Remove with cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol. Spray with neem oil or insecticidal soap every 5-7 days for 2-3 weeks.
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Remove with rubbing alcohol on cotton swab. Treat with horticultural oil spray weekly for 4 weeks.
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Allow soil surface to dry slightly between waterings. Use yellow sticky traps. Apply mosquito dunks to soil if infestation is severe.
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Improve drainage and air circulation. Reduce watering frequency. Repot into fresh soil if affected. Remove rotted roots with sterilized scissors.
Uses
Decorative Indoor Houseplant
HouseholdHeartbeat's striking heart-shaped leaves with white or pink vein patterns make it an attractive focal point for modern interiors, offices, or plant collections. The dramatic foliage adds tropical elegance to any room. [source]
Living Plant Wall & Terrarium Display
CraftIts compact growth habit and epiphytic nature make Heartbeat ideal for mounted plant displays, living plant walls, terrariums, or enclosed plant vitrines where humidity can be controlled. [source]
Tropical Plant Ecosystem Support
WildlifeIn appropriate climates or controlled environments, Anthurium species provide shelter and food sources for tropical arthropods and insects as part of humid plant collections. [source]
Traditional Anthurium Use
MedicinalIn Southeast Asian traditional medicine, some Anthurium species have been used in folk remedies, though scientific evidence is limited and the plant should not be ingested due to calcium oxalate crystals. [source]
This is not medical advice. LizPlants is not a medical resource. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before using plants medicinally.
Harvest Tips
Not a harvest plant. Propagate via stem cuttings in spring or early summer when plant is actively growing. Remove 3-4 inch cuttings with at least one aerial root and node. Propagate in water or sphagnum moss under humid conditions (65-75°F).
Fun Facts
- 🌱 The Heartbeat plant gets its common name from the distinctive white or pink vein patterns on its dark green leaves, which resemble an electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) heartbeat line.
- 🌱 Anthurium clarinervium is an epiphytic plant in nature, meaning it grows on tree branches in tropical rainforests without parasitizing the host, and prefers very airy, loose growing media that mimics this natural environment.
- 🌱 The plant is sensitive to high salts and chlorine in water, making it perform best with filtered, rainwater, or distilled water—tap water can cause leaf tip browning over time.
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