bromilliads

13 Jun '08 3:02 am

Hi,
Probably spelled this wrong. Does anyone know what to do to get them to bloom?

13 Jun '08 3:50 am

I have not had a lot of success with this plant, I seem to be a compulsive over-waterer with these and cactus. Anyway I have done research on them in my attempts to grow them. From what I have read, they only bloom once, at about a year old. They need a difference of about 10 to 15 degrees in their day and night temps to bloom. 55 to 65 night time and 70-80 farenheight daytime, altho short periods up to 95 should not harm them. One trick I have read about to promote bloom is to empty the water from the cup of the plant, place in a tightly closed clear plastic bag with a ripe apple for 7 - 10 days. After being exposed to the ethylene gas the apple produces the flowers should appear within 6 to 14 weeks depending on variety. I have not tried this as mine were in flower when I got them, maybe someone else has tried this or knows of another trick.

13 Jun '08 11:46 am

Hi! I have never had bromeliads before moving to this property some years ago. The gardens here are full of them - mainly Neoregelias and Aechmeas I think. I find they thrive on pure neglect! I never water them - even in the driest of summers, and every year they flower like mad.

Where are you in the world and what kind of bromeliads do you have?

15 Jun '08 1:53 am

But I'm now growing 4 or 5 kinds. I believe most are Aechmeas but I'm also growing Bilbergia nutans, "Queen's Tears". As I understand it, many are aboreal, requiring no soil at all in their native warm and humid habitats. The ones I"m growing are terestrial. I have them in well drained raised locations, in varying amounts of light (light to full shade). For a long time I just put their plastic pots into holes in the ground for most of the year and brought them under cover when frost threatened. Last fall I left them in the ground through the winter without losing any. Apparently even the terrestrial kind expects to get its water from its 'cup' and not the ground it is rooted in.

Kerole, the ones you have growing at the base of that palm are lovely even out of flower. Are they located in as sunny a location as it appears?

15 Jun '08 8:54 am

I'm less of a no-expert, but I loved seeing the bromelliads in the Singapore Botanical gardens growing like Mark says - perched on branches of trees. How beautiful are nature's connections!

15 Jun '08 10:32 am

Mark - yep, the one in the pic is in a raised north-facing bed. It is in the soil but only just! Mostly they're just nestled in amongst the stones. Some of the Neoregelias are in this sunny bed too, and others are in a much shadier part of the garden. They all seem to flower, though I have to remember to empty the lawn clippings out of them every now and then! Don't let the palm and sunshine fool you... it is a warm, dry, sunny spot, but it is not considered tropical here. The palm is a hardy Queen palm. We get the odd frost too, and the bromeliads don't seem to care.

Moosey - yes I would love to have them hanging out of trees... I'm not brave enough to uproot one and have a go!

15 Jun '08 11:10 am

Thanks to everyone who replied about Bromeliads. I tried the apple in the plastic bag with one last year but it did not work. Will try again. Two I have are Marjan Guzmania-one is yellow and one is red. The 'flowers' last about 3 months. They each made several 'pups' which I have transplanted to small pots. Don't know the names of the others as I got them in a plant swap at my garden club. Also have several air plant types from Florida.
I am in Central Georgia, USA. This is zone 8-B

4 Jul '08 9:03 am

Well I hope things go well for you with your plants.

6 Jul '08 11:58 pm

Next time try an apple wedge without the plastic bag.
Bill

bromilliads

bromilliads

blooming

Southern Hemisphere Bromeliads.

I'm no expert on Bromeliads.

Bromeliads in the sun.

Bromeliads

Apple