Bromeliads Care Info

Bromeliad Classification Overview

Bromeliad Flower Family Classification Overview by Bromeliads.info

The bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae) consists of 51 genera and about 1,500 strictly American species. They grow from the dry deserts of southwestern United States to equatorial tropical rain forests. Based on growth habits and other characteristics, Bromeliaceae is divided into the subfamilies Pitcairnioideae, Tillandsioideae and Bromelioideae.

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May 25, 2006 comments [9] TrackBack-URI

Growing Bromeliads Indoors Overview

Growing Bromeliad Plants Indoors Overview by Bromeliads.info

Bromeliads are excellent indoor plants. They have colorful, long-lasting inflorescence and some have brilliantly colored foliage as well. Bromeliads also readily adapt to the unfavorable growing conditions that exist in most homes.

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May 24, 2006 comments [69] TrackBack-URI

Growing Bromeliads Outdoors Overview

Growing Bromeliad Plants Outdoors Overview by Bromeliads.info

Bromeliads can be used in the landscape in frost-free areas of the state or grown in containers that can be moved indoors in areas where freezes occur. Since bromeliads require minimal care, they are an asset in the landscape.

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May 23, 2006 comments [10] TrackBack-URI

Bromeliads Care and Culture Overview

Bromeliad Flower Family Care and Culture Information Overview

Information about the care and culture of bromeliad plants and flowers including ideal light, temperature, humidity, air circulation, water, soil and planting beds, potting media and fertilization.

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May 22, 2006 comments [43] TrackBack-URI

Bromeliads Propagation Overview

Bromeliad Flower Family Propagation Information Overview

Bromeliads can be propagated by removal of “pups” or “offsets” from the “mother plant” (asexual) or by seed (sexual). Bromeliads slowly die over a period of a year or two after flowering. However, several pups usually develop during the flowering cycle and usually emerge from the soil near the edge of the container. The pups should be separated from the mother plant after they have developed a small rosette of leaves similar to the mother plant. To remove a pup, use a serrated knife, pruning shears or small saw. Coarse hacksaw blades may also be used for this purpose. Push the saw blade into the growing medium, between the pup and mother plant, and cut through near the base of the mother plant. The young pup may or may not have developed a root system of its own. Don’t be alarmed if it hasn’t. Add more potting medium to the area where the pup has been removed and transplant the newly cut pup into another pot. The mother plant, especially if helped along with a small amount of dilute fertilizer, will continue to produce pups until it dies. Pups should begin growing soon even though initially roots may be absent. Don’t overwater. These plants will normally flower in 1 to 3 years. Propagation by vegetative means (pups) is by far the best and most satisfactory method for home gardeners.

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May 21, 2006 comments [20] TrackBack-URI

Bromeliad Blooming Overview

Bromeliad Flower Family Blooming Information Overview

Many factors cause bromeliads to bloom such as plant age, day length, light intensity, water and temperature. Some bromeliads bloom quite regularly while others do not. Research on the flowering process has shown that bromeliads can be induced to flower by exposing them to ethylene gas (a product of burning wood and leaves and ripening fruit and vegetables). After exposure to ethylene gas, the flowers appear, depending on the genus involved, within 6 to 14 weeks. A simple method that a home gardener can use to start bromeliads’ flowering is to place a healthy, mature plant with all the water drained from its cup inside a tightly closed, clear plastic bag for a week to 10 days with a ripe apple. During senescence (aging process), the apple releases ethylene gas that, in turn, induces the bromeliad to flower.

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Bromeliad Diseases Overview

Bromeliad Plant Family Diseases Information Overview

Many problems commonly attributed to diseases are the result of unfavorable growing conditions. Low temperatures (40°F and below) and over watering can cause the crown of many bromeliads to rot. Also, plants subjected to mechanical injury, insects or sunburn may be invaded by one of many fungi. This invasion usually appears as a dark spot on the leaf, either with sunken or water-soaked areas and frequently with a radiating yellow area.

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May 20, 2006 comments [11] TrackBack-URI

Bromeliad Insects Overview

Bromeliad Plant Family Insects Information Overview

Few insects bother bromeliads, and those that do can be controlled. A number of scale insects attack bromeliads. Appearing as small round or oval objects on the leaves, scale insects multiply rapidly. They make plants unsightly by producing yellow spots on the leaves where the insects suck plant juices.

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May 19, 2006 comment TrackBack-URI