Did Lowe's play me fo' a sucka with this Bromeliad?

So, I went to Lowe's to buy Dremel Bits and somehow found myself wandering around the Garden Center, but putting the unexplainable tractor beam aside...

I found this Bromeliad on the clearance rack, and got excited 'cuz I've seen them here on DG and thought they were really cool. I totally noticed that the leaves were ratty - I figured that's why it was on clearance, but I also reasoned to myself... "it's a plant! It still looks relatively healthy... Take care of it, be patient, and the leaves will grow back" - it's been known to happen!

So I shelled out my five sheckles and brought the 'lil guy home. While dinner was simmering, I started Googling Bromeliads, and much to my dismay... the sites all say that it's a once flowering plant that doesn't live for more than a year or so after flowering, and makes pups to propagate. GRRR. My Bargain Brom already has a big ol' flower, and looks like someone "made it presentable" by ripping off dead stuff (and maybe any pups?!).

I'll probably re-pot it and just hope it still grows some pups. I'm pretty patient - when it comes to plants growing, anyway... I'm guessing the plant would probably like some fresh potting soil/coir mix. The soil it's in looks tired, and I don't like the little treasure trove of green fertilizer balls(?) I found just underneath the surface.

So, what do the pros think? Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Rose

here's a pic of what I'm pretty sure are fertilizer of some sort...

somebody definately put way too much fertilizer in it....if you repot it in a slightly larger pot it will probably still have pups

I agree with trinawitch- broms usually put up quite a few pups before they finally die. And I'm all too familiar with that plant tractor beam! ;)

I got a bargain bromeliad in similar condition to yours I think, and it put out many pups after the flower died. I think it will be fine.

Also, maybe you can learn from my mistake. I also repotted my bromeliad in a larger pot, and it didn't do so well after that. Apparently the pot was a bit too large. I read that bromeliads like to be a bit pot-bound. So my advice would be to not put it in a pot too much larger than the one it's already in.

Thanks for the replies, y'all... I feel a little better about Brad the Bromeliad now! I don't usually name houseplants or other (relatively) inanimate things - but since I'm cheering it on, I guess he needed a name.

He looks a lot happier in the new pot. Hope it's not too big jlisewski! I gave his leaves a little trim too so at least they'd be symmetrically brown-edged instead of all torn looking.

I filled the pot with a 50/50 mix of MG Moisture Control and BocaBob Coir. I've found that the MG mix still gets a little too compacted by itself, and I don't know about how "airy" the coir seems by itself (at least for some plants). The combination of the two seems to work really well for "regular" houseplants.

Here's a pic of Brad in his new home...

Looks great!

Bromeliads are epiphytes that should not be fertilized (especially with a granular fertilizer). A soil-less organic growing medium is all they need.

Poor Brad passed away... not sure what went wrong. Unless they REALLY just don't like partial soil and whatever fertilizer MG puts in their moisture control mix. But why do the stores sell the things in potting mix if they're not supposed to be in it in the first place?

The pink in his flower stalk just started going brown, and one day I kinda tapped the stalk to see if it still felt "strong" - and it was LOOSE. The stalk was just kinda sitting in the leaf clump - which seemed to be only loosely held together by the dirt too.

Oh well. I'm shaking my fist a little at Lowe's, but bonking myself on the head with it for falling for a "bargain".

Hey you didn't completely throw rad away did you? I found out something knew that I didn't know, aparently after they flower they do die, but there not really dead, they have babies, maybe?

Hey you should be having a box come to you to I sent you some swedish Ivy and stuff

Yup, Brad became "Chuck". I had read that too, Trina... about the pups coming after the flower died. But this plant seemed done for. The stalk part had shrunken and wasn't even part of what was left of the leaf clump. It was just rattling around like a pestle in a mortar, and the leaf clump was not looking very good.

Oh well, at least it frees up a pot for some of those new clippings you're sending!

Thanks a bunch!

Rose

true it does, when the weather warms up a bit this spring I gotta a whole bunch more stuff that should be big enough by then if you want to take a look too!

Hey Rose, just because the top of the Bromeliad looks bad, does not necessarily mean the plant is dead. Suckers may still shoot up from the base. Place the plant out of the way and leave it alone for awhile. Bromeliads do best when they are not disturbed.

I don't know much at all about Bromeliads but I have a couple planted in orchid bark mix. They are pretty much ignored and just watered with the garden hose every week along with everything else. When I see brown foliage I just pull or cut it off.

My neighbors went on a cruise about five years ago and I took care of their cat while they were away. They know I like birds and that I have a lot of feeders in the yard, so they brought me this coconut carved into the shape of a pair of woodpeckers. They thought I would use it for a bird feeder because it had a small opening that could hold seed. Well, I decided to plant a little Brom in it. The thing has grown quite a lot and bloomed a couple of times the past few years. The original plant died but the pups grow on.

Here's the plant from the front. You can see where one little one has died back - the brownish part in the bottom front.

Home Depot and Lowes always sell Brom's planted in a heavy soil, I guess they come from the nurseries that way but it is not what the plant prefers. As Dave stated above, they are epiphytic plants that grow in the crooks of tree branches and not in soil so a light, well draining mix is preferable for them.

Hey Plantlady that is adorable as a planter!

Thanks Trina. I've always thought it was a bit ugly/tacky, but hey ... it holds a plant!

I think as a birdfeeder where you could see the whole thing it might creep me out but with the Brom in it it looks great, don't have any broms myself, but I do like them