Bromeliad Care

Bromeliad general information:

Bromeliaceae is one of the most biologically novel of the 400 plant families. Many are epehyites (air plants ) like most orchids, that is they grow upon tree branches or lithophytes growing on rocks. They gather nutrients from moisture absorbed through the leaves even trapping debris and water. Others like the Ananus Comosus, the Pineappple are terrestrials, absorb nutrients from the ground with their roots. Unlike orchids, Bromeliads are nearly exclusive to the Americas, only one species out of about 3400 grows elsewhere on a small portion of Africa’s West Coast, likely a recent colonization from South America. Bromeliad can also be semi-terrestrial in that roots can handle lose soil, or potted in bark, and much medium. In time you will find they revert back to an epiphyte as offsets, new spouts build upon the parent, grow on top of the ground and old stems and if potted protrude out and over the pot. So in nature they are found in the trees as well as on the ground at the trees base attaching to the trunk, or even on rocks. Bromeliads can handle great amounts of water and many hold small pools of water for a long period of time but also tolerate long dry spells. The plant once it blooms has finished growth and will not bloom again. Leave bloom as bracts often hold or change color after the small flowers fade. The parent plant may last another two years before needing to be removed and will have developed one to several new plants (offsets or pups) from the base. These pups can be divided, (removed), but wait until plant is 1/4 to 1/3 the size of mature plant.