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| BROMELIADS |
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INTRODUCTION TO BROMELIADS
What is a Bromeliad?
Bromeliads are wonderful plants. They require very little care, and will reward you with long lasting beauty. The most well known bromeliad is the pineapple (Ananas comosus), but the family includes a wide range of plants from the Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), seen hanging from trees throughout the southern United States, to the exotic "King of Bromeliads" (Vriesea hieroglyphica), with its bizarre leaf colorations. All but one genus are found only in the New World. These are truly America's plants.
Growing Conditions:
Knowledge of the plant's natural habitat will usually tell you the conditions in which the plant grows best. Light conditions for growing different bromeliads range from full sun to dense shade. The most popular of the bromeliads are described in the book Bromeliads, by Victoria Padilla. As a rule, you may say that a thin leaved plant will require less light than a thick leaved plant. Most bromeliads do well in 60% to 70% shade, with watering two to three times per week. A thorough drenching and flushing is recommended every few weeks. Most cultural problems are caused by too much watering. Bromeliads thrive on neglect.
Potting Medium:
In general, bromeliads are succulent and epiphytic (air plants); therefore, the potting medium is mostly needed to hold the plant in an upright position. The potting medium should have enough compaction to hold the plant erect, give good aeration, good drainage, and have some water retention. Bromeliads do not like constantly "wet feet". A good medium would be 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 perlite, and 1/3 medium ground tree fern, or any other combination of materials which meet the above requirements. Most bromeliads may be mounted on tree fern slabs or driftwood. The pot size is not critical, but should be only large enough to hold the plant erect and not tip over easily.
Fertilizing:
Fertilizing is not required, but a 1/4 recommended strength solution, like Peters® 10/30/20 formula, applied every two weeks will produce much more vigorous growth. Time release fertilizers may also be used.
Problems:
Bromeliads are one of the most pest free groups of plants. Cleanliness is the key to few problems in any collection. Remove dead leaves and keep plants free of trash. A preventive program of any good commercial fungicide is best to reduce the possibility of fungus infection, but DO NOT use any compound which contains copper. Scale may be eliminated by using a solution of two teaspoons of Cygon 2-E® per gallon of water. (Read and follow label warnings).
 http://www.connix.com/reingg/orlando.html, Bromeliad pictures
http://orlandoonline.com/bw.htm, Picture
Bromeliad Photo index
http://orlandoonline.com/bw2.htm, HOW TO GROW
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