I recently set my potted broms outside to make room for a party and forgot about them. Several of the leaves have sunburn to the point of big dry/ brown spots on some leaves. I assume I should just trim those leaves away. The inflorence on two of them (some type of Guzmania I think) also look a little crispy. Should I take those out as well? They have new pups showing up so I know the flowers are old news anyway.
Also, what are the general guidelines for maintenance on broms? I have several in the landscaping (from the previous owner) that are looking a little overgrown, with some dry / dead parts. I think they are Queens Tears (or something similar), Painted Fingernail, and several Guzmania (although I'm not sure and I don't know what kind) Is there such a thing as pruning broms, or cutting them back? If so when and how?
I'm new to all this, but falling in love quickly. Bought 3 small broms at the Winter Park Farmers Market this AM. I commented to a friend that when I lived in the north I always thought of broms as the plants you saw in the mall displays, almost fake looking. For the longest time I didn't know they were even real! And now I get to live in FL and grow them here at home. God sure has a sense of humor!
Thanks for your help.
sunburn & general maintainence
I had a coworker who did the same thing. She bought a bromeliad, left it on the front porch in full sun, and roasted it to a brown crisp. It already had some pups on it so I told her to bring it in to some shade and see if she could get the pups to grow. She did so, and told me this week that she as about ready to divide the pups. Bromeliads are really hardy; I've had some I was sure we're dead, but then here came a little pup out the side!
As far as maintenance, they're pretty easy to maintain. My neighbor inherited hundreds (not kidding here) of aechmea chlorophylla http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/59859/index.html As he is elderly and has a sick wife, I often clean out the area between our properties. (Ok, I took a few bromeliads too!) Basically, I just pulled out any dead leaves I saw. You shouldn't have to tug on them; if they're dead, they'll just pull right off.
Bromeliads don't really need trimming or pruning. Sometimes I cut the bloom off once it's all dried and toasty looking. Once the pups are about a third to half the size of the mother, you can divide them if you like, but some bromeliads do look good in big clumps (especially neos IMHO). Experts will tell you to use a sterile knife and cut them off, but I usually just pull them apart with my hands. My neighbor's aechmeas kept propogating over the years and there were really too many of them in too small a space for them to look good. My main purpose that day was to get to the source of his potato vine, and that requires being a bit indelicate at times. Simply put, I was tearing aechmeas out of the ground, ripping them apart, sticking them back in other parts of the ground, and they didn't seem to mind one bit. The ones I took over to my bromeliad garden looked half-dead and my Dad kept teasing me about them. But sure enough, after a few weeks I pulled the dead leaves off, and there were some little pups in the middle! I guess what I'm saying is don't worry too much if you think you did something wrong, and don't worry about being too rough with them. They're very hardy and can take a lot more than you think.
I was at a doctor's office recently and I had to touch some of the bromeliads to make sure they were real! So don't feel bad - you're not alone!
Yes, you should trim off the old leaves and inflorescence. Use a clean sharp pair of sissors or shears. Whenever you move plants outside you have to be careful not to burn them. Think of the first warm Spring day of the year. (Sorry, I did see you are in Florida!) People get notorious sunburns on that first exposure. Plants too.
As far as outdoor growing maintenance in Florida, I'll have to leave that to your tropical neighbors.
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We grow ours outside in our morning sun/shade garden. I don't think anything likes the full hot summer sun in Florida.
I know I burned one that was a full sun plant in less than an hour.
We cut old leaves and inflorescence.
as a rule of thumb the bromeliads with the smooth edges like more shade and the ones with spines can take more sun.
