Bromeliad plants: overview, features, care and requirements

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:47

The huge family of Bromeliads (formerly known as Pineapple) includes more than two thousand species. Bromeliads are monocotyledonous flowering plants included in the order Cereals.

Distribution

Plants of the Bromeliad family come from the tropics of North and South America, Africa. They are found in most of the tropical and subtropical climate zones of America, from deserts to evergreen rainforests. Under natural conditions, bromeliads live on soil, fallen tree trunks, and even on rocks.

Due to the unusual habitat, all plants have a rather weak root system. Although many species grow on the ground, they get their nutrition from the soil, like most plants.

Description

Bromeliads are monocarpic plants. They are rosettes of rather hard, often prickly leaves. During flowering, often the leaves are partially painted in bright colors and become original home decorations for 2-3 months.

Most species belong to the so-calledreservoir plants: they have narrow leathery leaves collected in a rosette and form a reservoir. Water accumulates in such a funnel, insects get there, and then insects die. In this way, organic residues are formed that plants feed on. This feature must be taken into account when growing many members of the family. For example, Gusmania should be watered and fertilized only in the outlet. The same feature is characteristic of cryptanus, vriesia, neorehelia, echmea.

One of the most famous members of the family is the pineapple. Along with cryptanthus, it grows on the ground, receiving all the necessary nutrition from the soil. Often at home, these plants are grown on a piece of epiphytic tree. The result is very interesting and original compositions. A recess is made in a bizarrely shaped snag, filled with a light earthen substrate and a plant is planted. The roots are covered with moss on top, which must be regularly moistened.

Do not be surprised if when you buy a plant of this family on the label you see the name "Bromeliad Mix". Indoor plants, as a rule, in specialized retail chains are united by this common name.

Since in natural conditions many species grow on rocky areas, in home floriculture they are trying to create conditions for them as for succulents - they are placed on the southern windows and provide rather poor watering.

Bromeliad plants: types and features

All plants related toThis family can be divided into three categories depending on the habitat. In this section, we will try to explain which plants are bromeliads.

Reservoir bromeliads

Among this group there are many plants with beautifully colored leaves and large bright inflorescences. These include: gusmania, vriesia, neoregelia, cryptanthus, blue tillandsia, echmea. These plants are distinguished by a funnel-shaped rosette of leathery narrow leaves. An inflorescence rises from its center on a high peduncle. The leaves forming a rosette are so close to each other that a reservoir is formed in which water collects.

Most of these plants are native to the American jungle, where they grow on the forest floor or in trees. The roots in this case play the role of a kind of anchor holding the flower on the tree trunk. The rosette develops for several years before flowering, and the flowering itself can last several months, after which the main rosette dies off, and it is replaced by side shoots growing at the base.

The attractiveness of this inflorescence is given by the original bracts, since the flowers themselves are quite small and short-lived. The peculiarity of caring for reservoir plants is their watering: pour soft water into a funnel, and only after that slightly moisten the soil surface. At the same time, at home, try not to let the water in the funnel remain for a long time: the leaves will rot, especially with a sharp drop in temperature. In epiphyticBromeliad houseplants have rather weak roots, so they should be planted in such a way that they sit firmly in the substrate. Waterlogging the soil for these plants is disastrous.

Atmospheric

These bromeliad plants prefer to settle on the thorns of huge cacti, at the ends of tree branches, etc. They have a very weak root system, and in some cases the roots are not developed at all. They do not have bright leaves, but the shape of the plants is very diverse. The most common and well-known plants of this group are gray tillandsias. Under natural conditions, they get water from dew drops or fog that settles on the leaves. They get their food from dust particles. They can not be watered, but only sprayed with soft water from a spray bottle. Atmospheric bromeliads need a lot of light, but diffused. They do not require a special earthen substrate, it is enough to fix them well on a decorative stand.

Terrestrial Views

These plants have a well-developed root, so in the care they are practically no different from most indoor plants. Leaf tissues, especially desert species, accumulate moisture, so they are very fleshy, smooth and shiny. Watering these plants needs moderate watering, waterlogging of the substrate should not be allowed.

Water for irrigation must be soft. The soil for ground bromeliads should contain pine bark, pre-shredded leafy soil, humus, and coarse river sand (4:1:2:1). Lighting requirements for these flowers depend on the conditions in which they grew in their homeland: pineapples need the sun, and ground cryptanthus prefer shade.

Bromeliad houseplants and their care

First, we will introduce you to some popular varieties of these exotic plants, and then we will talk about how to achieve such a beautiful flowering, as in the photos posted in the article. These flowers are easy to care for.

Pineapple

Perhaps this is the most famous houseplant from this family. Most of our readers know it by its large, cone-like fruit. And experienced flower growers know that at home, pineapple is a small bush with long and sharp leaves, which loves warmth and sun, spraying and abundant watering. Few people know that this exotic flower can be grown from the top of the fruit, which is sold in the store.

Bilbergia

A completely unpretentious plant with long leaves hanging down. It blooms only once in a lifetime. Its leaves are painted in rich green color, the edges are slightly serrated. This plant needs bright light and moderate humidity. Billbergia is undemanding to watering and can exist without top dressing, loosening and other care procedures.

Vriesia

And this plant is better for those who already have some experience in growing bromeliad epiphytes. They plant it not in the ground, but on an oak log, a vine shoot, or on any other part of some plant.

Vriesia require high humidity and soft settled water for watering, which should be moderate. The plant is watered in a rosette of leaves. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that moisture does not stagnate.

Gechtia

This is a terrestrial species of bromeliads, so the plant has basic requirements for the composition of the soil: it must be light and nutritious. Hekhtia requires frequent loosening and abundant watering. Likes sunlight (even direct sunlight) and dry air, though most bromeliads can't stand these conditions.

Gusmania

The plant forms a dense rosette of bright long leaves. He needs high humidity, abundant watering, a well-lit place, but it is desirable to cover the plant from direct sunlight. It blooms in winter with bright showy buds, which should be removed as soon as they begin to dry out.

Neorehelia

The flower is distinguished by very long leaves - up to 35 centimeters, which form a dense basal rosette, the base of which turns red before flowering. They have neoregelia in a bright place where the sun's rays do not fall. Water the plant into the ground, and on too hot sunny days, you can pour water into the outlet.

Bromeliad care

To make these exotic plants bloom, the owner will need certainskills and patience, but caring for already flowering plants is quite simple. A rather high temperature (at least +25 °C) will be required for the transition to flowering, for already flowering plants it will be quite moderate, but it should not drop to +12 °C.

Most bromeliads require bright light. Representatives of this family do not tolerate waterlogging of the substrate, and they need good drainage. The soil is watered only after it dries. In species that do not form rosettes, the soil should be moderately moist. Spraying is allowed for most species only in summer. These plants are fed by spraying the leaves, so periodically replace the water in the sprayer with top dressing (liquid).

In nature, these plants are practically devoid of nutrients. Fertilizers for bromeliad plants use only mineral fertilizers, and their concentration should be five times less than the instructions recommend for other plants.

These plants reproduce by shoots that appear at the base. You should wait some time after the death of the outlet before the shoots appear. Shoots at the age of two to three months are planted in a light substrate and kept warm until rooting.

Bromeliad tree

To make it, it is necessary to strengthen the selected snag in the container with the help of stones and gypsum. You can install it strictly vertically or with an inclination. From above, the container is covered with earth or small colored pebbles are used for decoration. For such a “tree”, plants with a pronounced funnel-shaped rosette are suitable.

The selected plants are taken out of the pots, the roots are wrapped in sphagnum moss and tied to the branches of driftwood with wire protected by polymer insulation. One or two flowers can be planted in a container. Rosettes of flowers should be constantly filled with water, and once every seven days the roots, wrapped in moss, are sprayed with soft water.