I have a bromeliad that I purchased at Lowe's. I have had it for about two months. Last week it started to turn yellow at the top (originally bright red), leaning quite heavily, leaves shriveling from base upwards and smells terrible! I water through the cups and trickles down, and fertilized with plant nutrient after first noticing the leaves turning brown. ( Did I increase sickness???) I keep it inside next to a window which receives morning sun only (filtered however). My first brom, and I have followed advice from my mom who picked the plant out for me...Should this plant go outside? Can I save her???? It will be my first plant loss!!! It is painful to watch it suffer like this!!!
PLEASE HELP SAVE A SUFFERING BROM!!!
I dont know what kind of brom you have but I would say , NO sun is fine.
the smell could be from the water sitting in the"cup" for a long time
its indoors , I wouldnt water so much. they can go a long time without water
and 3 ............ After broms flower, they die, but before they die they have babies or " pups" that should
come up.
You can put the brom outside it will do fine. (shade)
even when you think the brom has had it......... or you cant take the ugly look
any more dont get rid of it just yet. Put it to the side , where you dont have to look at it
and soon you may see some babies .
Sylvia
thank you so much for such a quick reply!! I am new to the brom plant, though i am very interested in learning how to nurture them correctly...they are so beautiful!! I cannot give any identification info as it had no tag when i bought it. Earlier today the top of the plant broke off leaving only two yellow leaves. Also, i'm not sure what flowering is for this plant...is the flower the colorful top section, or does it actually shoot out flowers? what is and where does a baby grow? Once again, thank you so much for your help!
Well I'm no Brom expert , TRopTex but,
most broms have a flower that shoots up or forms in the middle where the cup center is.
Here's a couple of good pix http://www.bromeliadsocietybc.com/ shows the diversity in the flowering
The "Pups" usually grow from at the base of the plant.but I have a huge one , 4ft wide that forms new ones
from in between the leaves at the base of the plant.
To see all the kinds of plants and understand the whole Bromeliad thing check out this site
it shows all the different kinds and category of plants that fall into the bromeliads or close relatives.
Oh also some of the bugs that they fall pray to .
http://fcbs.org/
Hope this helps
Sylvia
I'll try to ge some pix of mine and show you
what I have.
some come small some come huge , LOL
they're lots of fun and easy to care for !
This message was edited May 8, 2009 8:54 PM
P.S
can you get a picture of whats left of your plant?
I'd like to see what broke off .
Sylvia
this is a pretty common one if you can get your hands on this one it
puts out many pups.
Great brom for propagation
Sylvia,
Thank you for your replies....I unfortunately cannot take a pic of my brom as the remainder of the plant toppled saturday. I believe it rotted and my five year old saw the plant on the floor and ran outside and disposed of it in the compost pile! I am very sad that I lost my first, but am going to try to locate the one you posted a pic of...maybe this time I will do better....A quick question...We live in the desert and have so far this year gotten very little rainfall...temps reach 112 easily and often during summer...Is this too extreme for these plants outdoors in a shade garden? I have successfully planted and enjoyed the spring return of many tender tropical plants after the winter low's ( this year 13 degrees) but during the hot months have to mist my plants throughout the day. I think the extreme summers and a deeper planting somehow help them make it through the winter. thanks for all your help!
Cheyenne
Again , I'm no Bromeliad Pro but , I've grown many of them and find them so easy to care for.
You can just leave them alone and they do just fine.
Many people fuss over them and I think they should just do their thing.
They dont need much water, especially when indoors. You'll just rot them out it you water them like
regular plants. Twice a month is fine. ( if you see the water is not evaporating remove the water, and water less)
Outside: they should do just fine. Put them in a shady place, it will help keep them cool they can take the heat.
You can hang them from a tree in a basket if it helps give them shade or even attach them to the tree if it helps.
They are like air plants. Many of them dont need the soil to survive. Use moss or coconut husk at the base of the plant when attaching to the tree. It gives it a real pretty look. ( just an idea)
When outside water 3-4 times a month and it should be fine. A little fertilizer once in a while is fine too. Just a pinch.
Just remember SHADE is the trick. Most not all , but most like shade.
Also remember to water the right time of day when outside, if its going to be really hot water early.
Hope it helps,
Sylvia
Hi Cheyenne, and Sylvia, just dropped in on your conversation and wanted to add 2 cents. Re watering through your hot months, there are tropical bromeliads and cooler climate bromeliads, due to altitudes and countries of origin. http://www.baag.com.au/fsg_bromeliads.html
This site may help you choose a variety that best suits your hot summers.
I water mine in summer, where we get temps around 90 degreesF, about every two days. The secret to keeping them from rotting, is to use well draining potting mix (or soil if outdoors) Orchid mix is ideal. In winter, protection from frost is a must, and don't water much at all, as long as you can see some in the vase/tank in the centre of the plant, then it is ok. My temps go as low as 0 degress, but no frost. I haven't lost one over winter yet! So your low temps are quite acceptable.
If you want to keep them in a shade structure, try using a shade cloth of a cream colour, (to allow as much natural light) and about 70% UV block.
In the garden, plant the bromeliads on the morning sun side of overhanging foliage (such as palms and trees), so as to give them protection from the midday and afternoon sun.
Indoors, put them in the brightest, lightest spot you have, but NO direct sun. They don't mind some air circulation, so draughts are ok. Misting is not really nessecary, as Bromeliads have a complicated system where they can close off the cells of their leaves to reduce moisture loss.
I hope this helps with your next Bromeliad, and I'm very sorry for your loss *sigh* It's happened to all of us at one time or another, so get back on that horse gal, and get yourself a new plant!
Sue
Weed: good advice.
In Florida I find with these plants less is more
I've had broms that have fallen behind a potting bench and sat for the whole summer and when I found them
they were just fine.
Just keep them out of the sun , a little food every now and then.
a pinch of water and they'll do just fine.
( now thats most broms, not all. There are so many types, you have to know what you have, but the average brom needs little or no care.)
Sylvia
Exactly Sylvia. I try not to baby mine (guffaw) as i am frightened of killing them with kindness. If you get them in the right spot, they take care of themselves. One of the most beautiful ones I have has been in the garden for 4 years, clay soil, but on a slope so it doesn't get too soggy.
I recently cleaned up around it to make it a bit more presentable, and removed a pup to put in a protected spot. I wonder if it will acheive the same colour now that I'm looking after it! he he
Aechmea orlandiana 'Black Beauty'
