How To Care For A Bromeliad
Ask the Expert: Bromeliad care/literature?
I have a customer who would like some information and literature on how to care for her new Bromeliad plant. Do you have some printable information I could send her or do you have a suggestion of a website that may be helpful?
November 8th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Maegen,
These are the care instructions we give to our garden center customers when they purchase a Bromeliad
BROMELIAD
Care Instructions:
WHEN FLOWERING - Feed with a 20-20-20 fertilizer once a month. Do not let the soil dry out; evenly moist is the ideal state. Water the soil only. If you fill the cup and let it flow over into the soil, this water must be changed every 2 days. Conditions vary in each household or office, check by lifting the plant daily. The pot should feel heavy versus the rest of the plant. Water should not be dripping from the bottom, nor should it be sitting in an enclosed container holding water. The holes in the bottom of the pot are for good drainage. If the plant seems to lose its luster, you can always mist it with the same rate of fertilizer (only the plant – not the flower).
WHEN FINISHED FLOWERING – Cut the stem off inside the cup. Bromeliads flower once in a lifetime. After the blooming cycle, the mother plant will have offspring sprouting from the base which, at the proper time, will bloom. The feeding in this period is stronger. Use the same fertilizer at the same strength but with every watering. If you lose roots, turn to misting daily for two weeks.
FLOWERING - Bromeliads can be forced to flower after one year of growth. Drop a small slice of tomato, apple, or any fruit into the cup. The decomposition of this fruit will release ethylene gas and induce the flowering. If the plant is older it will flower with the change of seasons. Feeding in this period is stronger. Use the same fertilizer at the same strength but with every watering. If you lose roots, turn to misting daily for two weeks.
ENJOY
January 27th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
I have a red bromelaid that I bought a couple of months ago. It has three flowers. It has lost its red lustre and started to brown. The tip has fell off one flower, and looks like the others will follow. I water the soil, and cups, and have misted too. I have had it living indoors with us until a few days ago, and have now placed it on the patios to try and save it. Is it sick, what should I do? Have read several websites but does not seem to describe my symptoms. Please help us. Thank You
January 28th, 2008 at 8:57 am
Jo,
What part of the plant is turning brown - leaves - flower - fruit? If it is the fruit (oval seed pods that occur after blooming - then browning is a natural occurrence. If the bloom is turning brown this also can be a natural aging process and although disappointing not detrimental to the plant.
However if the leaves are turning brown, that is another story. First unless you live in the very sounther tip of Texas or Florida or along the coast of California or southern California, bring the bromeliad inside - they can't take temperatures under 28 degrees. Check for root rot - if your pot doesn't drain well, the bromeliad maybe experiencing root rot. If this is the case re-pot the bromeliad into a pot with better drainage. Although pests don't usually affect bromeliads, check for spider mites and scale. You will need a magnifying glass to see the spider mites. The scale will look like some kind of bump or cottony substance on the leaves. If you have either one of these insects you will need to treat with an insecticide.
Please let me know if any of these symptoms fit your plant - if not I'll try to find more information for you.
April 6th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
We have a bromelaide that had a big, bright leathery red spear-like flower in the center, encircled with green leaves. Flower was cut out, when it lost color. We had some "pups" along base of the plant. We cut back a few leaves to allow the "pup" room to get heighth. Watered the plant around the base. Now, notice "pups" are rotting. Leaves of main large plant are looking ill. What is happening to the "pups?" Please help
April 6th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Marijane,
Always cut the flower stalk out completely. When the plant delvelops pups it is best to remove them and pot them in their own pot. Make sure during the watering process that the soil is moist but not soggy. Don't leave water in the cups of the plant. I would repot the main plant and any pups into individual pots with a peat based potting soil. good luck
September 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I bought a pink spear/flower (?) bromeliad a few months ago and have kept the soil decently moist and in medium-bright light. The plant gave us a small purple flower off the spear a month or so ago, but otherwise has not opened and the spear has faded to green. It otherwise seems healthy. What am I doing wrong and/or need to do differently to get the color back and main flower to bloom?
September 27th, 2008 at 6:52 pm
Debbie,
Your plant looks healthy but the bloom is in its natural state of decline. All blooms have a life cycle . In this particular one the color will fade but the bloom will hang on for quite a while. Keep doing what you are doing to maintain the health of the plant. You can however dead-head the bloom to encourage it t produce another one. Simply follow the bloom stem to the base of the plant and cut it off. Good luck and keep me posted.
October 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 am
Hi, I received a bromeliad plant as a gift. It was beautiful I went out of town and my husband didn't water it for about 3 1/2 weeks. When I got back the red at the top had turned brown and some of the leaves are turning brown also. Should I cut off the top? I took a few pictures, but I'm not sure I can attach more than one. Thank you so much for your time and help.
October 3rd, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Melissa,
You can try to cut the bloom off and save the plant but it looks really damaged. Keep the soil moist and not soggy hopefully the plant will recover. However it probably won't look good. The best that you can hope for is that babies will form and you can harvest them to create new plants.
Sorry.
October 4th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Thanks, Jamie.
October 28th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Hi. I bought a bromeliad about two months ago from a local greenhouse. They told me to water it 3-4 times a week and I've been doing that faithfully. I keep it on a windowsill with southern exposure, so it gets plenty of sunlight, and the temperature in the room stays at about 70F or so all the time. However, the tips of the leaves are brown and crunchy, one leaf is brown all the way through (I'm very tempted to just remove that leaf from the plant), and there is similar damage lower on the leaves (in other words, not just on the tips). Before, I was noticing some white powder on the leaves as well. My friend, who works in the greenhouse where I bought it, told me they had been having some problems with mealybug infestation, so I bought a combination fungicide-miticide-insecticide spray (thought I'd cover all the bases) and have been spraying it down every Monday for three weeks now. The white powder is gone (perhaps that was a fungus?) but the leaves are still very crunchy. Should I be watering it more than 3-4 times a week? Is it too much sunlight that's causing the damage? Or maybe I'm just expecting it to get better too quickly and I should relax and wait a few more weeks. It just tears me up that it's so unhealthy. What am I doing wrong? I'd be really sad if I couldn't save it. I'll be very grateful for any advice you could give me! Thanks!
October 28th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Michelle,
Once the leaves turn brown they will not recover, so trim all the brown off the plant. Now as to why they became brown in the first place. If the bromeliad is to close to the window, the glass might be acting as a magnifier and may be scorching the leaves. Move the plant slightly away from the window. You should water the bromeliad only when the soil feels dry to the touch. When you do water saturate the soil completely. You will know that it is completely saturated when some water trickles from the bottom. Once a plant becomes stress it takes a little while for it to recover. So be patient and watch your leaves. Once you cut the brown off and you keep your soil moist but not soggy, the leaves should not turn brown. If this still occurs move the plant farther away from the window. Good Luck and keep me posted.
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:27 am
Dear Jamie,
Thanks so much for your advice! I moved the plant away from the window and trimmed the most damaged leaves off the plant. (Trimming all the leaves with some brown on them would've meant trimming off all the leaves!) Then, today, as I was watering it, I noticed a tiny baby plant at the base. The main plant still looks very sickly, and seems to be yellowing from the top down. Is there a way to save the baby plant, because I think the mother is a lost cause…?
Yours,
Michelle
November 3rd, 2008 at 8:54 am
Michelle,
You can separate the "pup" from the mother plant.
According to The Bromeliad Society International "Bromeliads start forming pups after they bloom (and many times before). These pups are ready to be separated when they reach about 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the parent plant. If the pup is starting to form roots, that's a good indication that the plant can survive on its own. Pups may be removed by cutting with a sharp knife or clippers as close to the mother plant as possible."
If you need more information about separating the "pup" check read the rest of the information on the Bromeliad Society International site and go to their FAQ section. Good luck and keep me posted.
May 17th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
I have a new bromeliad and my cat chewed the leaves.. they haveslits in them now…. can I cut them off past the damaged part without a problem?
May 18th, 2009 at 7:50 am
Yes, you can cut the damaged leaves off. However, I would cut the leaves off comepletely rather than just at the damaged part.
June 14th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
We bought a Bromilad tree on clearance, there were several pups and three adults. We seperated all of them to pots and left pups on tree. One of the adults has brown mushy center. It is the kind that is varigated and does not flower, but is the kind that has red leave toward center. What should we do? Should we not keep water in the center? Should we put the pups in potting soil instead of moss in the driftwood tree?
June 15th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Although you can fill the cups with water, you don't want the water to stagnate in the cups. If the water doesn't evaporate after a few days pour the water out of the cup. In very humid areas water in the cup can cause a rotting situation which seems to be what happened to yours.
The brown mushy center will only spread and eventually cause the plant to die. You can try to cut the mushy part off but it will probably still die. If the pups are attached to this one remove them and pot them separately. Normally, I would pot the bromeliads in potting soil. However if the driftwood container has ample room for the root system of the bromeliads and the moss will hold the right moisture level, you should be ok to leave them in the tree.
You might want to send me some pictures. With the pictures I can tell what other factors are affecting the plants.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:53 pm
I have had my bromeliad for a few months now. Are they very slow growing plants? Mine doesn't look as though it has changed much at all. I don't do much with it other than water it every few days. The tips of it's leaves are turning a little brown and curled under slightly. Is this okay?
Thanks!
July 15th, 2009 at 3:53 pm
Yes, they seems to grow slowly. It depends whether the leaves turning brown are the colored "bloom" or the green leaves at the bottom. As the "bloom" leaves age, they will turn brown and begin the process of dying - a natural occurrence for blooms. However, any other leaves should not turn brown. You might need to increase water or move from a direct light source.