Bromelia • The 10 Best Care Tips (Bromeliads)

origin

Bromeliads not only look exotic, they are exotic too: Their home area is the so-called Neotropic, which mainly extends over South and Central America, but also over the West Indies extends. Their original habitats are therefore very different in terms of climate than in our latitudes - namely above all tropically warm, humid and not subject to four seasons. Still, some of the very numerous Bromeliad species We cultivate them very well as ornamental plants in the room - they can thrive without any problems at normal living temperatures in heated rooms.

The bromeliads are named after the Swedish doctor Olaf Bromel. The first came to Europe

Bromeliad Incidentally, with the famous discoverer Christopher Columbus - in the form of a pineapple, which is probably the best-known bromeliad species because of its fruit. Because of her, the plant family has also been nicknamed the pineapple family.

To note:

• Origin of the bromeliads in South and Central America
• some species can be cultivated well in our room
• first bromeliad species - pineapple - reached Europe through column

growth

The vast majority of species of the bromeliad family are evergreen perennials. The strong rosette structure with broad, pointed, upright leaves is typical of its appearance. In the funnel-like center of the leaf rosette, rainwater collects in some species. Many species are xerophytic, so they can reduce their evaporation through various mechanisms.

Another characteristic of the Bromeliceae is their epiphytic growth - they belong to the so-called epiphytes, such as orchids. In nature they grow without roots mainly on trees or on rocks. In indoor culture, they are only kept in pots for stabilization purposes.

The most important things again at a glance:

• Bromeliads are mostly evergreen perennials
• have upset stem axis with leaf rosette
• most of the species belong to the epiphytes, the rootless epiphytes

leaves

The leaves of bromeliads are not only characteristic of their appearance - they are also essential nutrient channels for many species. After all, as epiphytes, you cannot cover your nutritional needs through roots. Instead, they get nutrients and moisture directly from the air through absorbent scales and flaky hairs on the tops of the leaves. A light hair is used to reduce evaporation and protect against sunburn.

blossom

Many keep a bromeliad in their room or office because of the sometimes quite spectacular and colorful blooms. What is so impressive, however, is not the actual flower at all - in most ornamental species it is rather small and inconspicuous. However, it is surrounded by large bracts, which often appear in gorgeous colors and also last much longer than the actual flowers.

For most bromeliads, the flower formation is a very power-consuming and therefore only one one-time thing that leads to the death of the rosette of leaves or, in the case of the giant bromeliad, even the end of life pulls.
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Which location is suitable?

The small selection from the huge range of species of the Bromeliceae, which we keep as indoor plants, originally come from the tropical rainforests of South America. The species that come from airier, cooler mountain regions are generally of little relevance to our concerns.

It goes without saying that you should give an ornamental bromeliad - the Guzmanias are particularly popular and widespread - a location with the most tropical conditions possible. So it should be light, consistently warm and as humid as possible. It is best to place them next to a window that lets in a lot of light but not full sunshine all the time.

The ambient temperature preferred by bromeliads practically corresponds to a room temperature of around 20 ° C, which many find pleasantly warm. Of course, it can also get warmer, but the thermometer should not drop below 18 ° C.

The most important site conditions for ornamental bromeliads:

• bright, but not full sun
• the highest possible humidity
• Warm all year round, around 20 ° C and warmer

You can also put most of the ornamental bromeliads outside in the summer. But again make sure that it does not get intense direct sun. In addition, putting it outside is usually only possible in phases - because on nights with temperatures below 15 ° C the bromeliad freezes too much so that you have to bring it back in.
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What soil does the plant need?

As I said - as rootless epiphytes, most bromeliads do not actually need a pot with a soil substrate. In any case, you can't feed them with it. You can therefore plant the actually rootless varieties like an orchid in a loose substrate made of bark and peat moss. The bromeliad only needs to hold on to this - until it has managed that, you can offer it help with a little wire at the beginning. The epiphytic bromeliads can even be cultivated on stones.

In a pot with soil, however, you can handle the bromeliad a little better and integrate it structurally and visually more homogeneously into your indoor plant kingdom. In the case of terrestrially growing, i.e. also root-forming varieties, which are also found among the ornamental species, an earth substrate is necessary in contrast to the epiphytic bromeliads. It should be free of lime and permeable. You can also use special Orchid soil use, optionally mixed with normal Potting soil.

The substrate design at a glance:

• for epiphytic species: culture in bark and peat moss substrate or on stones is possible
• for terrestrial species: lime-free soil substrate made from orchid soil and potting soil

Water bromeliad

When it comes to watering, too, a distinction must be made between rootless and terrestrial bromeliads. The terrestrial ones are naturally watered with a watering can and supplied with moisture via the earth substrate. You should always keep the substrate moist - don't forget that the bromeliad is a rainforest plant. It is also important to always keep the rosette funnel filled with water, especially in summer. It is best to use lime-free water at room temperature for watering.

In winter, however, the bromeliad may only be watered a little parallel to the reduced amount of light. You then also only fill the leaf funnel very sparingly.

Epiphytic bromeliads that you have just put in a dry base to hold on to will not pass over the watering can, but a disperser directs the water to the leaves, which it with its suction scales take up. The above-mentioned water quality criteria also apply here.

By the way, you shouldn't refrain from spraying terrestrial bromeliads - they too like one or the other gentle tropical rain, of course!

To note:

• keep terrestrial bromeliads moist throughout
• central funnel(€ 4.58 at Amazon *) Always keep the leaf rosette filled with water
• Use low-lime water at room temperature
• Just spray epiphytic bromeliads

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Fertilize bromeliad properly

Bromeliads do not need much fertilization. During the main summer vegetation phase, you can add a little liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water once a week.

Trimming bromeliad properly

The topic of cutting is also rather subtle with the indoor bromeliads. Their compact, even rosette growth makes formal trimming unnecessary.

The question remains about the possibly rejuvenating, refreshing removal of dead plant parts. Of course, the leaves of the bromeliad also bless the temporal. When they wither and dry up, you should only carefully pluck them out or let them fall off on their own. The fiber structure of the bromeliad leaves does not tolerate cuts particularly well.
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Dried up

You should of course avoid dried up leaves of your indoor bromeliad by diligently keeping them moist. It is normal for the beautiful bracts to dry up sometime after the flower has bloomed and does not need to be “treated”. Just keep watering as normal - this promotes the child development, which the bromeliad is ready for after flowering.

Propagate bromeliad

That brings us straight to the subject of reproduction. Most of the time, bromeliads reproduce themselves via Kindel. These grow as side shoots - so you only need to cut them off as soon as they have matured with the leaf rosette and roots. Then the side shoot is usually about half the size of the mother plant. However, you should be very careful when cutting. It is best to use a freshly sharpened knife and disinfect it with high percentage alcohol before cutting.

The child is placed in a low-lime, loose substrate and best covered with a foil. In this way you can offer it an evenly moist, protected microclimate in which to take root.

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Dividing in the classic sense, i.e. cutting through the root ball, is of course out of place with bromeliads. They can only be divided in the sense of separating the child from the mother plant for propagation purposes.
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Is bromeliad poisonous?

In the case of exotic ornamental plants, one often does not know for sure whether they are not poisonous - for humans or for pets. After all, this is definitely the case with some splendid-looking varieties. However, bromeliads are generally not poisonous. So much for the good news. However, the leaves of some ornamental bromeliads contain skin-irritating substances such as calcium oxalates and the enzyme bromeline. They are not toxic, but young children and pets should not necessarily consume bromeliad leaves either.
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eat

Due to their typical pineapple-like growth, one might wonder whether other bromeliads besides pineapple are in any way edible. However, only the fruits of the pineapple are actually edible. There are a few different types of which the average consumer in this country does not notices a lot - because only the smooth variety is marketed commercially and worldwide Cayenne. Varieties from other groups such as the Queen or Pernambuco groups are primarily grown in South America for fresh consumption.

sorts

Guzmania

The Guzmanias are probably the most popular and most widespread group of the ornamental bromeliads cultivated in this country. You can find them on many window sills, where they conjure up exotic splashes of color with their bright bracts in red, orange, pink or yellow. The flowering time is in winter, around the time between December and February - however, the joy of flowering is not only unique, but unfortunately also short-lived. Overall, a guzmania can reach a height of 30 to 60 cm. There are up to 200 species within the Guzmania species.

Air carnations

Botanically, the aerial carnations make up around 550 species Tillandsia, the most diverse genus of the Bromeliceae. They are of the epiphytic type, so they can be cultivated in bark peat moss substrate or on stones and only need to be sprayed with water. However, there are also isolated species that grow terrestrially.

Their inflorescences offer with their bizarre structures and shapes, mostly in reddish to pink tones, a very original and eye-catching sight. The many subspecies can reach very different sizes. Some only grow to 30 cm high, others alone form leaves up to 50 cm long.

Tillandsias are also specifically suitable for temporary outdoor use.

Flaming sword

This genus of bromeliads, botanically called Vriesea, got its pathetic name from its sword-shaped, curved, shiny inflorescences with bracts in bright orange to scarlet red, which appear singly or in groups appear. The flowering time can be at different times of the year depending on the environmental conditions. The leaves of the Vriesea can be up to 75 cm long, depending on the variety, such as the Vriesea hieroglychipca. The flower stem is usually not much smaller.
The leaves of the Flaming Sword can also be very decorative with delicate ribbon structures in creamy to reddish tones.

Nest rosette

The nest rosettes, botanically Nidularium, are characterized by a nest-like arrangement of the leaf rosette. Its leathery, soft leaves are prickly serrated and coated with a natural sheen. The inflorescences delight with the brightly colored bracts in reddish, yellow or orange tones that appear well before the flowering period. The flower itself produces the nest rosette between June and September. Depending on the species, a height of up to 30 cm can be achieved.

Lance rosette

Also with the lance rosette, botanically Aechmea, the name is indicative - it describes the high, up to 30 cm long inflorescences, which are adorned for months by brightly colored bracts. The small flowers are colored blue and only last a very short time. Depending on the subspecies, lance rosettes reach between 35 and 50 cm in height. The strong leaves are also up to 50 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. They are armed with spines at the edge and at the tip of the leaf. Aechmeen, like Tillandsia, can stand outside for a while relatively easily in warm summer periods.

Ornamental pineapple

Not all pineapples are grown with the sweet, aromatic fruits in mind - there are also some ornamental varieties that look very nice on the windowsill. Some species are adorned with attractive color accents on the otherwise gray-green leaves and thus offer a great exotic sight. The fruits are not edible in these varieties, but with their dark pink color they are decorative in their own way. For an ornamental pineapple, however, you need some space: at a height of about one meter, it can be up to two meters wide.