How to Care for Bromeliads

Bromeliad

Bromeliads are the go-to houseplants for beginners. With their attractive bright flowers, they can brighten up any room. And the best thing is, they are easy to care for and hard to kill!

These tropical plants come in a multitude of colors including orange, pink, purple, and yellow.

Bromeliads will only flower once in their lifetime. This means that Bromeliads do not have a long life-span. Once the plant begins to die, it will begin to have offsets or pups so do not throw your plant out until you separate the pups. Each pup will become a Bromeliad plant on its own! You will likely have 1-4 pups depending on the plant. Even if the mother plant dies, you will still have the pups.


Light: Give them bright light but not direct sun. This means put them near a window, but do not put them too close. If they are too close they will start to get brown ends. If this happens, just move the plant away from the window a bit. If you do not give your Bromeliad enough light, it will begin to lean to one side. To correct and prevent this, rotate your plant a little bit every week.

Water: Keep the plant moist. This means water twice a week. For Bromeliads, you do not want to water directly in the soil. You should water Bromeliads between the flower and the base. It is okay for there to be standing water in this area. Do not let your Bromeliad dry out completely.

Pot: Any pot will work. It does not have to be very big as Bromeliads have very small root systems.

Soil: I have found that all-purpose potting mix works fine. You could also get a specialty mix for Bromeliads.

Pests: Bromeliads are prone to spider mites. To prevent spider mites, dust off the leaves with a damp washcloth once a month. Make sure you do not underwater your Bromeliad as this can weaken your plant and make it more susceptible to spider mites. Another good prevention measure for spider mites that works on Bromeliads is neem oil.

Propagation: Once the plant gets old enough, it will start to produce pups. One the pups get big enough pull the mother plant and the pups out of the pot, and then carefully separate them. You can not force propagation for Bromeliads with cuttings. You generally just have to wait for the plant to produce pups on its own.

Pup

Where to water

The actual flower is only the very center part!

Bromeliad

Bromeliads have become a popular houseplant due to their bright colors and hard to kill nature. Bromeliads are also pet-friendly! They are not poisonous to cats or dogs so you do not have to worry if your pets like to nibble on your plants! Bromeliads are also safe to have around young children.

If you are looking for a plant to brighten up your space, Bromeliads are a great choice. The main care points to remember are keep watered, dust off every once and a while, and give it a good amount of light!

Good Luck!

Lily's Indoor Jungle