bromeliad care-How to care for a bromeliad plant

Bromeliads are mainly a particular type of plant. It flourishes the inner beauty of indoor environments. Taking proper care for bromeliad care plant is easy don’t require special tools. But it is different from many other house plants, so its caring procedure is quite tricky. But At first, it’s essential to acquire some basic knowledge about its habitat and types. If you don’t know its unique features, then you will face problems to take proper care. Here in this whole article, I have included the parts of bromeliad care plants and how to take care of bromeliad plants.

Now it’s time to know the types of bromeliads. There are many types. Some can be grown indoors as house plants. Other can be planted outside of your garden, but most of the people like indoor planting. Their color variation attracts everyone. You will love the color variation that enhances the inner beauty of your house.

There are some species of bromeliad plants such as Aechmea, which are epiphytes having colorful bracts. Billbergia is a narrow, vase-shaped plant. Cryptanthus are called earth stars because of their shape. Dyckia: These are desert plants.

Considering all these, you can grow bromeliad care outside in your garden if temperatures never get below freezing. Otherwise, you have to stick to grow bromeliads indoors.

Some facts you have to consider for the bromeliad plant:

Bromeliads are epiphytic. This means they grow on trees, rocks, or other plants. However, they thrive on other plants but get their nutrients from the air and rainwater. Their roots are used to attach themselves to the growing plants as support. But they don’t get their nutrients from their hearts. You will find a similarity with orchids caring. If you already have an orchid in your house, then it will be easy to take proper care of the bromeliad plant.
They are shorty lived plants. And the sad but actual fact is that some bromeliad care varieties die after flowering.
Bromeliads are slow-growing plants, and most of them only bloom once in their whole life cycle.
Bromeliads are considered as excellent flowering houseplants. This grows well in low light. They are also adjustable to other house plants. So it’s safe to grow with other plants.
These can be grown under a pot or a mounted on pieces of wood with nylon ties or nontoxic or waterproof glue. But you have to keep one thing in mind that some types of bromeliad are also difficult to grow as houseplants. They like humidity and can dry out too quickly in an average home. Especially suitable to grow during dry winter months
Bromeliads grown in the air have to water regularly, and tank bromeliads that hold water don’t need watering regularly.

Why will you choose bromeliad care to grow?

They require inadequate water and less maintenance.
They have beautiful forms including foliage and flowers,
Its flower bract (mainly inflorescence) lasts for three months or more.
They reproduce continuously and quickly.
Less pest control is required.

Bromeliad flower VS flower Bract:

Many people think its massive colorful growth is a flower that’s the most popular part of bromeliads plants. But the thing is that it’s a misconception. They are considering it as a flower rather than a flower bract. Bromeliads flowers grow out of the floral bracts.

Some bromeliad flowers are large, having beautiful spikes where others are tiny and non-significant. Some are confused between the bromeliads flower and flower bracts.

Again some common question is how long it takes time to form a flower from the pups?

Mainly pups have to reach full maturity. After their full maturity, they will bloom. So, considering this matter, it depends mostly on the variety that can take 1-3 years.

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Bromeliad plant care guide:

If you are a beginner, then this article will help you to know the right things about caring for bromeliads. At first, I have mentioned it’s different but not challenging. But you have to take special care in watering, nourishing, and potting your bromeliads.

Watering:

The most important thing for watering bromeliad plants is that you have to water in their center cup filled part. But you have to keep the soil dry. As long there freshwater is present, you don’t have to worry. But if there any bad smells and stagnant water is present, then your bromeliads will suffer. So it’s important to keep the water clean and fresh in the cup. If there is stagnant water is present in the cup, then clean it as soon as possible.

So, you have to maintain it every week. Also, you have to be careful about the type of water. Bromeliads plants are sensitive to chemicals. If there any kind of chlorine or water purifier is used, then it can be harmful to your plants. Again regular tap water for watering your bromeliads is also harmful. It can also kill your plants. You can use rainwater or filtered water for bromeliads.

Humidity fact:

Bromeliads are fond of humidity. Most bromeliads are benefited due to humidity and good air circulation. Putting a tray of wet gravel under the pots is also an easy way for humidity. You can also use a special humidity tray with a unique drainage system that will maintain water in the tray for constant humidity. So try to mist your plants as regular work if dry air is present in your home. Again if an adequate amount of humidity is present in your room, then you can grow your bromeliad houseplant.

Considering this matter of humidity, the bathroom or kitchen sink is a suitable place. As in this place, a large amount of humidity is present. You can also use a humidifier near your bromeliads. In winter, it will help to maintain the humidity level of your room. An indoor humidity monitor is handy as well as give your bromeliads the perfect amount of humid.

Lightening fact:

Light is another important fact for bromeliads plants as bromeliads aren’t super fussy. So you can grow even in low light indoor plants. Windows and Fluorescent light is favorable for bromeliad grow. In summer, they can be grown outdoors. Keep in mind that direct sunlight can burn the leaves. So maintaining the right amount of light has to provide to your plants. But some indoor bromeliads can suffer it they don’t get enough light. For best results, it’s helpful to put your bromeliad in a spot where it will get a medium to the bright level of light. You can use small grow light that can be helpful if you don’t have natural light.

Temperature:

Bromeliads tolerate a broad range of temperatures. Its range varies from freezing to 100 F., but its suitable temp is 65 to 90 f at day time and 50 to 65 at night.

Potting mix:

Bromeliads don’t need to be potted in soil. Potting soils can be acidic or have to hold moisture so that it can drain quickly. As they don’t get water or nutrients from the soil, but their roots are only used to hold onto trees, plants, or as growing supports. You can mount bromeliads on logs, wood, or rocks or can be grown in a pot. But if you prefer to grow on bromeliads in pots, it’s better to use bromeliad soil mix and orchid soil mix. If you don’t want to use any of this, then you can make your bromeliad potting soil. The best homemade bromeliad potting mix is made with sphagnum moss, bark, perlite, and other course organic materials as a substitute. Try to keep the soil dry so that your bromeliad could spread its roots.

Fertilizer for bromeliad plants:

You don’t have to put a large amount of fertilizer for proper care. As they are slow-growing plants, so fertilizer doesn’t help them to grow fast. But some added nutrients are beneficial for this plant. Such as organic liquid fertilizer helps bromeliads to grow in a proper state. But make sure about the presence of chemicals in fertilizers as bromeliads are sensitive chemical plants. So better to use half-strength liquid organic houseplant fertilizer or compost tea during the spring and summer season.

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Propagation of bromeliads plants

As I have mentioned before that bromeliads eventually fade and die after flowering. But the good part is that before the end of their life, they grow tiny baby pups around the base of the main plant. To propagate, you have to simply remove theses pups from the mother plant. Even you can allow them to grow. When the main plant dies, you have to remove it carefully.

Pests for bromeliads plants:

It’s a good part that bromeliads don’t have to face trouble due to pests. But houseplant scale or mealybugs are a matter of concern. Organic neem oil, horticultural oil, or organic insecticidal soap can also be beneficial as a natural insecticide. Cotton swap dipped in rubbing alcohol I also effective to kill mealybugs and houseplant scale. If these pests come in contact, then remove them from the plant. Don’t use chemical pesticides. They can form a resistance to chemicals. Thus pest problems will be worse than before. So chemical pesticides can damage the bromeliad plant.

Pruning:

You don’t need to worry about pruning your homemade bromeliad plants. You can easily prune dead or dying leaves. For that first, trim off the flower spike after it dies. Also, keep the plant growing so that you will get plenty pf growing pups. After the end of the main plant, you can prune it out and leave the pups growing in the pot. Otherwise, you can remove the pups from the dead mother plant and pot them in your preferred place.

Problems of bromeliad plants:

Change of flower color:

It’s often found in the bromeliad plant. If flower bract turns brown or color fades, then it’s the sign of the blooming period. After that, the plant will die. It’s a normal phenomenon of the bromeliad life cycle. You can’t change this normal fact, but you can be sure to check around the base of the plant to see other bromeliad growing pups. So not to worry. You will found lots of new plants replacing the dying one.

Uncommon Structure:

Sometimes you can find small hair-like growing out from the flower bract. This is the flower part of bromeliad plants. Most of the people are confused with the bract part and the flower as they have not seen the original flower. But if you found this structure, then you have to happy. You can now find the differences between these two.

Some quick tips for bromeliad plant caring:

Use a water-soluble fertilizer mixing it at 1/8 to ¼ dose on the bottle.
Do not fertilizer in the winter months when the plant reaches maturity level; fertilize during the growing season.
Pups can be separated after they are 1/3 to 1/2 inch in length, or again you can cut down the mother plant if its die.
To induce flowering, you have to increase the light level.
You can also place it in a fruit bowl with apples next to the plant for 7 to 10days. The ethylene gas produced by the apple will help to increase the flowering fact.
Bromeliads form colonies by producing new plants on stolon.

Some avoidable things:

Do not use garden soil.
Do not add a layer of drainage material at the lowermost part of the pot.
One most important thing is that it doesn’t fertilize during winter.

Now you know the right thongs for your bromeliad plant. Provide bright light without sun exposure, maintain humidity, and keep the air around the plants. Make the plants moist, provide drainage, and fertilize sparingly. All these will help to take proper care of the bromeliad plant.