Propagating Bromeliads: How to Remove & Pot Up Bromeliad Pups The mother plant dies after flowering but produces pups (babies) before going through that cycle. Water needs are easily achieved by filling the cup at the base of the leaves. About: gardening, gardens, crafting & creating. Set the pot in a saucer of gravel filled partially with water to increase humidity and help provide a moist atmosphere. You need to let them grow to a fairly good size, at least 6″ tall, so that the roots have started to form. Bromeliads that don’t get enough light will grow long, floppy, green leaves with little of their trademark color. There are a few things that you need to know about this plant. Set the pot in bright indirect light and allow the plant to dry out until the top two inches of soil is dry before re-watering. One day at work, one of my coworkers was asking me a plant question (I’m notorious as the go-to guy for plant questions), and when I finished advising him, he proceeded to tell me a story of his mother’s bromeliad that was languishing. Water in well. Here’s the downside of blooming: Once a bromeliad has flowered, the mother plant will slowly begin to die. How to Survive Your First Winter With Houseplants, RC Arduino Domino Layer With Bluetooth App Control. I put my pups in a shaded corner on the patio right off my kitchen. let's make the world a more beautiful place. Or, grow outside in bright shade in. If you’ve ever eaten a pineapple, you’ve eaten the fruit of a bromeliad. It is usually best to do this by repotting the entire family. The good dose of orchid bark ensures that the mix doesn’t stay too wet. The soil in the pot should be kept slightly damp so the roots don’t dry out. Keep the cup full, using distilled water or rain water, as bromeliads can be sensitive to the minerals and chemicals in tap water. The bigger the pups, the more root there will be. Repot the mother plant as well, as she will produce more pups! Did you make this project? If you see that happening, just move them so they get more light and the color will return. Leave pups in place on the tree, or move them to another location after they form a root structure. Choose an exotic-looking bromeliad and you won’t be disappointed. In general, bromeliads are not heavy feeders. Then fill the pot with water one more time so that the soil is completely moist but not soggy (heavy with water). It is safe to remove and repot your bromeliad pups when they are one-third to one-half the size of the mother plant. Over-watering bromeliad pups can cause rotting at the base of the plant, which could lead to a low chance of survival at this critical stage. Hang as desired. A few saxicolous (growing on rocks) specimens have been found, but they will never grow on my cypress knee stumps along with the epiphytic bromeliads. Bromeliads require a light, open mix with good drainage, so pot up the pups in a 50:50 mix of standard orchid compost and ordinary potting mix. Whether you are just starting out, maintaining or troubleshooting, you'll find advice and answers here for all your gardening needs. After the plant blooms and sends out pups, wait for the pups to develop small root systems of their own. In the wild, bromeliads collect water I also put water in the urns (or cups or vases – the center well) because that’s their main method of collecting moisture. Be sure to keep the new plants watered. The pups on this Guzmania are a good size to remove. Before she does, though, she’ll produce babies, called pups. I really don't pay attention to the root system as they receive moisture and nutrients via the plant vase. Writer Bio Place your bromeliad so that the top of the root ball is about ¾ to 1 inch below the rim of the container (to leave space for watering). Hopefully this video will encourage you to NOT toss your bromeliad after it starts dying back. Unlike other plants, you need to provide water to the plant’s central reservoir, keeping the potting mixture just barely moist, and mist the foliage regularly. Bromeliads are usually found growing on trees so I feel they’re a match made in heaven when it comes to bark! They’ll do fine with morning sun, but will need to be shielded from baking afternoon rays. In the wild, bromeliads collect bits of insects, leaves, flowers, and other decomposing material that drop into their cups. Bromeliad houseplants have a center “cup” formed by their leaves, and that is where you’ll water them. Wet the leaves, potting medium, and roots when you fertilize. Bromeliad Color Is Fading or Turning Brown Don’t worry, though—they’re all gorgeous, so just choose the one that catches your eye. Every few weeks, empty any water, rinse, and fill with fresh water. The Bromeliad mother plant dies after flowering but produces pups (babies) before going through that cycle. It was growing in my garden in Santa Barbara & I dug it out to bring here. Bromeliads are unique in that you water the center of the plant instead of the soil. Types of Bromeliads. In nature, pups fall to the ground spontaneously and root in the rich soil of the forest floor. Room temperature water is best, so you don’t shock the plant. Every 10 days, dump the water out of the plant and refill with fresh water. Keep the central cup full of water at all times; if possible, collect rainwater in a vessel outdoors and use that to water your bromeliad. Then sever the pups carefully and repot individually, making sure they have begun to form their own central cup; this shows they are ready to grow themselves. While newly potted pups enjoy bright indirect light, they require less light than full grown, mature bromeliads. You may not need to water yours that often. Use an acidic, water-soluble liquid fertilizer diluted to between one-quarter to one-half strength. Watering a Bromeliad is very easy and doesn’t have to be done too often, especially if you have a good water supply in your garden. ©2020 The Scotts Company LLC, all rights reserved. Fill in around the root ball with more potting mix. Rinse out the tanks of tank-type bromeliads from time to time to remove any accumulated salts left by the fertilizer. Their root systems will grow approximately as wide as the foliage, so make sure the pot is large enough. Use a good moist peat mixture for planting bromeliad pups. When there's no room to grow out, grow up! If the pup has no roots, you can tie it to a cork board or even a branch. The bromeliad pups are very easy to remove. True, bromeliads are not orchids, but they come from similar families and should be fed in the same way: by misting the leaves. Here are some of the best plants to help you do that. How to care for a vriesea plant – Pot in well-draining bromeliad mix and place in bright filtered sunlight. (Add a little less water when the plant is in bloom, to help keep the flower spike from rotting.) You may have to tie the young bromeliad to a wooden stake to keep it upright until it forms a strong enough root system to support itself.