I think I need to keep my big mouth shut...I tell a few friends I have started trying to keep some plants and here I am now the proud owner of five plants....of which I only know what two of them are....any help would be greatly appriciated...
Namaste,
Kristen
looks a lot like this one
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/77662/index.html
a vriesa hybrid bromeliad, bright light, room temps,keep water in the center of the plant at all times,very little fertilizer.the main plant dies after blooming, but will make "pups" on the sides to replace the adult plant,Occationally flush out the center with clean water to keep it from smelling bad.
I prefer to use bottled water, distilled even more so. I spray mine with a highly diluted orchid fertilizer once a month or so. After the flower dies back, a "pup" will most likely appear. Leave it and the mother plant alone until the pup is half the mom's size, or a little larger. At that point you can gently seperate the pup from its mum. The mum will die, so just go ahead and dispose of it directly.
Let the pup grow for a full year before trying to induce blooming.
To force a bloom on a bromeliad: check the typical bloom time for the given species. In the weeks leading up to its bloom period, partially tent the plant and place slices of apple under the tent. Replace apple slices every few days. The gasses from the near-rotting apple serves as a chemical trigger that encourages blooming in the bromleiad.
Enjoy! These are really enjoyable, interesting plants.
