Bromeliad care guide

Bromeliads are tropical plants with stiff, strappy leaves and a bright, long-lasting bloom in red, pink, orange, or yellow. The color lasts for months. Then the mother plant dies over several months, after making babies. That is not a failure. It is how bromeliads live.

The pineapple is a bromeliad. So are air plants.

Light

Give bromeliads bright, indirect light, such as a spot near an east window. Most can handle a little morning sun.

In low light, the leaves get dark and floppy and the plant will not rebloom. Hot direct sun bleaches the leaves.

How to water a bromeliad

Many bromeliads, like guzmania and the urn plant, grow their leaves in a rosette that forms a cup, or tank, in the center. In the wild, the cup catches rain.

1. Keep the cup about a quarter full of water.
2. Flush it with fresh water every week or two, so it does not go stale.
3. Give the soil a little water when the top 2 to 3 cm (1 in) is dry.

Rainwater or distilled water works best. In a cool, dim room in winter, let the cup run dry between waterings to prevent rot. Read how to tell if a houseplant is overwatered or underwatered.

Soil and potting

Bromeliads grow on trees in the wild, so the roots are there to anchor the plant more than to drink. Use a chunky orchid bark mix and a small pot. Soggy soil rots the base.

Repotting is seldom needed. See how to repot a houseplant step by step.

Humidity and temperature

Average room air is fine. More humidity helps. Keep it between 16 and 27°C (60 and 80°F), away from cold windows and drafts.

Feeding

Bromeliads need little food. Feed monthly in spring and summer with a balanced fertilizer at quarter strength, poured on the soil. Too much fertilizer in the cup can rot the plant.

After it blooms

Each bromeliad rosette blooms once. After the color fades, the mother plant stops growing and declines over several months. Before it goes, it makes pups at its base.

Cut the faded flower stalk off. Keep caring for the mother until the pups are big enough to pot up. Once the mother turns brown and dry, cut it away.

Propagation

1. Wait until a pup is one third to one half the size of the mother.
2. Cut it free at the base with a clean knife, keeping any roots.
3. Pot it in damp orchid mix.
4. Put a little water in its cup. It blooms in one to three years.

A grocery store pineapple top roots in water or soil too, and becomes a pineapple plant.

Problems

What you see	Most likely cause
Mother plant browns and dies after blooming	Normal. Raise the pups.
Soft, brown base	Rot from soggy soil or a stale cup
Brown leaf tips	Dry air, or minerals in tap water
Bleached, pale leaves	Too much direct sun
No bloom on a pup	Too young, or not enough light

Pests

Pests are uncommon. Scale and mealybugs can hide at the base of the leaves.

Pet safety

The ASPCA lists common bromeliads, such as guzmania and earth star, as non-toxic to cats and dogs. Stiff, spiny leaves on some types can poke curious noses.

Varieties

• Guzmania has a star of red, orange, or yellow bracts in the center.
• Flaming sword, Vriesea splendens, has a flat red spike and striped leaves.
• Urn plant, Aechmea fasciata, has silver-banded leaves and a pink bloom.
• Blushing bromeliad has a center that turns red when it blooms.
• Earth star, Cryptanthus, grows flat, starfish-shaped rosettes and has no cup.