• Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
Gardening Tips 'n Ideas
No Result
View All Result

How to Care for a Bromeliad Plant

08/10/2008 - Updated on 21/10/2021
in Growing Plants
Reading Time: 3 mins read
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Arguably the most beautiful genus of tropical plants would have to be the bromeliads and it’s close relatives, tillandsias, guzmanias and billbergias. Commonly known as the ‘pineapple plant’ these adorable plants are responsible for adding vivacious colour to tropical gardens where green foliage is the order of the day.

One reader emailed me yesterday asking for some info and growing tips and insights into bromeliad care. I was bemused that I hadn’t written on these tropical stalwarts before but after checking my archives realised that it was a plant that had been sorely missing. Not that it should have been for I have three different bromeliad plants in my garden and one tillandsia. Don’t ask me their scientific names though as they were all given to me by my green thumb mother without id labels and I haven’t taken the time to wade through the possible 2400 species and more derivatives. If you want to try and id yours here’s a good place to start – The Bromeliad Society of Australia – and begin with the Photo Gallery.

How to grow a Bromeliad

Bromeliads are as diverse in their growing needs and requirements as they are in their structure, foliage and flower colours. Some, like many tillandsias are epiphytic – that is they can grow without soil – while others are trichomes (receive their water and nutrient needs through their leaves) and others grow just like normal plants. Due to their very different growing needs it pays to know which type of bromeliad you have unless you have already been informed how to grow and care for it.

Most bromeliads, although tropical, can grow well in milder climates provided they’re not subjected to frosts. They can handle the occasional one but if your area is prone to a few each year you may want to limit their outdoor activity to a minimum. Don’t let that stop you though as bromeliads make great indoor plants provided they can get enough sunlight each day they will grow just as well, and in some cases better, than those left to their own devices outdoors.

  • Epiphytic tillandsias – as these don’t need soil the best place to grow them is on a wall or in the limbs or trunk of a large tree. In most cases they will need to be supported by wire to keep them attached to their host and this is just a matter of keeping them in place rather than binding them completely.
  • Trichome bromeliads – the obvious problem with growing trichome bromeliads is planting them in your garden and expecting that your reticulation will keep them watered. Due to most bromeliads height and structure they could easily avoid getting any water at all. For this type you’re better off hand watering them and making sure that that each plant is supplied within their cupped foliage.
  • Normal bromeliads – these are usually bottom-dwelling plants within a tropical rainforest and need to source their moisture and nutrients from the soil. Caring for this type of bromeliad should take little to no extra effort than most of the plants that already reside in your garden.

Bromeliad Care 101

Most bromeliads are very hardy plants and can usually survive without too much maintenance. They are susceptible to some pests, especially scale – which should never be treated with white oil or any other chemical, but merely cut out of the plant – but in most cases bromeliads have few predators.

One of the major problems for the bromeliad plant is it’s ability to clump, rot and die. It propagates itself by sending up pups alongside the mother plant. These can be cut off once they’ve reached a third of the size of the original plant and transplanted. If they’re not, they will eventually grow up and take over the plant and the mother will die. This isn’t completely problematic and it’s not always necessary to remove the pups but if you have problems with your older bromeliads surviving then this may be the cause.

The bromeliad plant can often become a home for garden snails and it’s not uncommon to find them within the safety of their foliage. This shouldn’t be a concern as they won’t harm your bromeliads but it may alarm you that this army of pests is snoozing in your garden.

Bromeliad care is almost an oxymoron as they’ve learned to survive some of the hardest places in the world to grow. Devoid of light, nutrient and competing with a plethora of other species, bromeliads can truly take care of themselves.

Pictures of Bromeliads

Apart from the great collection of images stored at the Bromeliad Society of Australia (linked above) there are some other gardeners who have great photos of their own collections. Here’s some of Rusty’s fantastic collection of bromeliads and here’s one of my bromeliads in bloom last year.

Previous Post

11 Garden Paths and Pathway Ideas

Next Post

Artificial Trees Could Save The Planet

RelatedPosts

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny
Growing Plants

Why Gardening Is Your Destiny

16/10/2013 - Updated on 21/10/2021
The beautiful Erempholia Nivea
Growing Plants

Eremophila nivea – Outback Silver Foliage

03/10/2013 - Updated on 21/10/2021
Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas
Growing Plants

Foolproof Shade Plants For Dimly Lit Areas

25/09/2013 - Updated on 21/10/2021
How Many Plants Have You KILLED This Year?
Growing Plants

How Many Plants Have You KILLED This Year?

05/07/2012 - Updated on 21/10/2021
Growing Lemongrass - Tips to Grow This Amazing Herb
Growing Plants

Growing Lemongrass – Tips to Grow This Amazing Herb

01/07/2012 - Updated on 21/10/2021
Gardening For Apartments With No Balconies
Growing Plants

Hanging Gardens for Apartments

14/05/2012 - Updated on 05/11/2021
Next Post
Artificial Trees Could Save The Planet

Artificial Trees Could Save The Planet

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

GardeningTipsnIdeas.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Additionally, we participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • DMCA
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Gardening Tips
  • Growing Plants
  • Landscaping Ideas
  • Garden Furniture
  • Garden Shop
  • Contact Us

© Copyright 2006-2021 - All rights reserved. Gardening Tips ‘n Ideas

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.