Bromeliads

[Tig]

I bought a guzmania - weird looking plant but a little bit different. The main 'flower' spike looks to have seeded, anyone know if I am likely to be able to germinate seed from it?

Also, the plant has produced two sideshoots, the label says the original plant will die, but I can get new ones from the offsets - and no further instructions on how to do this - what is the best way to remove them and try to get them growing as new plants?

Tig

[andy]

Hi Tig. The Bromeliacae family are one of my favourites and are certainly one of the most interesting.

Unfortunately, the gaudy specimens of guzmannias and neoregalias seen for sale in supermarkets are a far cry from their wild counterparts.

Most bromeliads are epiphytes....they attach themselves to a host plant or tree and live on that. The relationship is non symbiotic and neither the host or the lodger either gain or lose from the relationship.

Bromeliads have leaves that form a central "urn" which is kept constantly topped up with water in the tropical rain forests. These urns form a mini micro envitonment which can have loads of tiny aquatic larvae and even small tree frogs and their tadpoles living in the water.

As you've found out, bromeliads flower from this central urn. Once the often spectacular flower has died down, that particular part of the plant will rot and die. New side shoots will come up and the process repeats itself. I've never heard of growing these plants from seeds at all and used division as a preferred method of propagation.

However, if you want to grow the plant on, i would leave it as it is until it's finnished flowering and then wait for the main urn to start dying off. I'd then cut the main urn out leaving the sideshoots to grow.

Keep them humid and keep that urn topped up with water. I'm not sure if you will get a flower anything like the first one....if at all. Dutch growers often "gas" these plants with bromide in order to force them into flower.

Good luck

[Tig]

Thanks Andy - good job I didn't hack the sideshoots off!
I hope that I can keep them going and get more flowers next year, one can only try! And I might have a go with what looks like seed just for fun

Tig

[Deleted]

Wife came home with 2 of these last night nice looking plants they were half price , how you getting on with yours Tig

[Tig]

Well Steve - the seed came to nothing

But my main plant is doing really well - it stayed outside until October (some numpty forgot about it ), and the two side shoots are really growing well, and the middle bit hasn't died down yet either - whether it will ever flower again is another matter, I definitely shan't be gassing it!

I'll take its piccie tomorrow, this was the original flower spike back in July ..



Tig

[Tig]

Not the best photo but you can see it is sprouting well