Bromeliads are fascinating plants; here is how to grow them with eight elegant varieties to choose from. From Epiphytes to Terrestrial choices, bromeliads can create their own miniature ecosystems, often incorporating various tiny creatures.
Belonging to the Bromeliaceae family, this diverse group boasts over 2,700 natural species and a growing number of cultivars. Many bromeliads form cup-like structures using their stiff, leathery leaves, which can hold water and support a unique microhabitat.
(Credit for the featured image goes to Forest and Kim Starr via Wikimedia)
Bromeliads provide places for tiny animals in which they can lead their entire life cycles. And while they do it they encourage the growth of microorganisms that feed the animals, encourage biodiversity, and cycle the nutrients that feed all the “Little Things That Run The World.”*
*E.O. Wilson, (1929-2021) the American naturalist called insects “the little things that run the world” because of their outsized role in maintaining food webs and overall biodiversity. Wilson was one of the most important naturalists. He won over 150 international awards including Pulitzer Prizes. The bromeliad is an important part of the natural process.
What Are The Benefits Of Growing Bromeliads?
These striking Aechmeia blanchetiana are at Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota Florida.
The Bromeliad Story: Including Epiphytic and Terrestrial Plants
- The plants are widely diverse and beautiful. As gardeners and house plant aficionados, we have enormous choices available.
- Bromeliads have beautiful foliage, often in unique colors and patterns, and blooms also. Some are spectacular.
- Epiphytic Bromeliads: About 75% of all bromeliads are epiphytes that can absorb nutrients and moisture from the atmosphere. Epiphytes are plants that grow on trees and need no nutrients from the soil. They use their roots to anchor themselves onto the trees, however, epiphytes do not take nutrients from the trees and do no harm to trees. (They are not parasites.) Good examples of epiphytic bromeliads are Spanish Moss and tilandsias.
- Terrestrial Bromeliads: Plants in the family that live in soil are characterized as terrestrial. The pineapple is a good example. (There are pretty pineapple varieties designed as house plants. They are forgiving to grow and you can eat the pineapple but it takes about three years!)
- Bromeliads release oxygen and remove air pollutants at night. They can remove toxins like benzene and formaldehyde and are safe for house pets.
- They are low-maintenance plants. The bromeliad dies after it blooms but creates a bonus for you of several ‘pups’ or baby plants that grow from the edges of the mother plant. Read on and learn how to benefit from these new plants. Your bromeliad garden should grow for you with basic reasonable care.
This yellow beauty is growing indoors in one of the famous glasshouses at Kew Garden. Bromeliads make excellent house plants to enjoy all year.
Make sure to provide humidity at the location of the plants. Use a mister or keep the plants on a tray of damp stones.
Outdoors, in the garden, we grow many bromeliads in zones 9 and 10. Their brilliant colors and unique forms serve us as ground cover, in beds and borders. I am looking at a potted collection on a wall in our outdoor dining area.
This discussion is about growing bromeliads in North Florida.
Bromeliads In Our Tropical Garden
We are gardeners who have planted up and down the east coast of the US and have been Florida gardeners, now, longer than we have been in any other place. Now we are South Florida gardeners digging and growing in steamy Zone 10. For us, bromeliads are a plant we know well and use often. You will see them in our house, garden, and in containers. We even hang them on walls. We learned Florida gardening by trial and error and I will happily share our high points and the low ones.
Wherever you garden you quickly discover that getting the tropical look requires making layers of lush foliage plants. The following link will take you to the ‘parent’ article on tropical foliage. This article is part of a series covering our tropical gardening journey. I hope it helps you with yours.
The New Tropical Gardeners Guide To Lush Tropical Foliage Plants
Significant Varieties Of Bromeliads To Choose From
There are more than 70 genera of bromeliads, and many can be grown successfully as houseplants. The eight most commonly cultivated genera include the following. I chose these plants because they are beautiful, plentiful and you will be able to use at least one of them if your environment has limits. For example, they tend to prefer humid environments, but I have included plants that accept drier conditions if you can’t do that.
The best way to learn more about the many cultivars of bromeliads is to use the extensive Bromeliad Cultivar Registry maintained by the Bromeliad Society International. There is also an active Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies. You will find organizations and online information here.
1. Aechmea- (IK-mee-uh)
This painting is from Wikimedia Commons. A photo of the same plant is below. (If you would like to see historic images of plants that interest you Wikimedia Commons is a good source.
This is a photo of Aechmeia nudicalis taken by Marcia Stefani via Wikimedia. Thank you.
Also called urn plant or vase plant for its shape there are 200 species of Aechmea for you to choose from. They are called tank bromeliads because their leaves form a well or vase that can hold water for the plant’s needs. A few bromeliads can hold up to two gallons of water! (Atmospheric bromeliads are those that don’t hold their own water.) Below is a photo of a bromeliad with a water cup. You will find these fascinating.
Look into this beautiful Neoregelia. Like the Aechmea, it has an internal water well. The best way to care for a plant is to duplicate its native environment as well as you can. So in your house or garden you will try to recreate the tropical undergrowth that this plant lives in and has the structure needed to hold its own water. Make sure to replace the water in the cup. Use rainwater, or distilled water for this. (If you need to use tap water, let it sit overnight before you use it.) Add water until about 1/4 of the cup is full.
The Aechmea has a bold, upright inflorescence whose bracts (specialized leaves) come in bold colors that can last for months. Even when not in bloom, the large, leathery foliage is patterned in fanciful designs. You can find them striped, spotted, or banded for year-round appeal. (The edges of the leaf have sharp teeth.) You can find these plants in red, pink, blue, yellow, or black. They are simple plants to deal with indoors or out but give them, bright, indirect light and keep the immediate environment humid.
2. Billbergia
Billbergia also has leathery leaves with sharp edges but a small number of upright leaves that form a narrow vase. You have about 60 species of these to choose from. The inflorescence, in pink, coral, or red, is shorter-lasting and less dramatic than the colorful Aechmea.
This plant has two unique virtues; first because of its shape it makes an attractive hanging plant. In addition, it requires very little maintenance and if your environment is dry, the Billbergia will have no complaints
3. Crypthanthus
We are looking at Crypthanthus ‘Earth Star,’ we grow them in our Zone 10 garden in planting beds. They are also a great houseplant for bright light locations.
Grow the variety; Crypthanthys, purely for its pretty foliage. You can choose from 50 species plus hundreds of hybrids. The succulent leaves of this plant combine both pattern and color. You will find complex, banded and striped patterns sometimes in a zig zag design, wavy margins, and very pretty colors. The colors are more delicate than those of many other bromeliads. We use a pretty striped one, in pink, white, and pastel green. The hybrid is called “Tres Colores” and we combine it with flowering plants in compatible colors. When the neighbors walk by on our sidewalk they find it fun to look at.
The name means “hidden Flower” and comes from the Latin cryptos and Anthos. This tells us that the flower is very inconspicuous. The plant appreciates moisture and has become so popular that fans have formed a society just for Crypthanthus.
4. Dyckia
Dyckia, is a genus of about 120 species of bromeliad, they are terrestrial plants. This photo was taken at the University of South Florida Botanical Garden in Tampa Fl. If you are new to hot climate gardening you will find good plants at the garden’s plant festivals.
If you have a dry place in the garden Dyckia may work for you. Originating in high-altitude parts of Brazil and central South America, Uraguay, Paraguay, and Bolivia, the genus has about 120 species. The plant has stiff, thorny, succulent leaves, and thrives in rocky and sunny locations. They prefer their growing seasons wet but the dormant seasons dry, and they are more cold hardy than many other bromeliads.
The plant will be available in various colors including, red, silver, bronze, purple, and yellow. A unique feature of Dyckia is that, unlike other bromeliads that bloom, produce a ‘pup’ plant, and die, the Dyckia will rebloom.
5. Guzmania
This pretty bloom is on Guzmania lingulata The name tells us that the plant has a tongue-like leaf.
For more help with plant names read this.
If you like the tropical appeal and unique feel of bromeliads and have a low-light space in your garden Guzmania with its over 150 species might be for you. Most have smooth, shiny, green leaves with a fountain-like inflorescence with large and brightly colored bracts. You will see them in purple, red, green, and yellow, and, in addition, that color will last months in your garden or home. Many of the hybrids are designed for home use, so check the descriptions when you buy.
6. Neoregelia
The 100 or so species of Neoregelia are all tank types. The rosettes are generally broad but some are vase-shaped. The leaves vary considerably among these species and may be green, banded, striped, or spotted with various colors. The center leaves of many species turn bright pink, purple, or red at maturity. Newer hybrids are frequently patterned in glowing pastels even when young. The leaf margins are normally serrated (but not spiny). The inconspicuous inflorescence barely rises above the water in the center of the plant, with small white, blue, or lavender flowers, so these plants are grown primarily for their colorful foliage. These species develop the best color in strong light and with cool night temperatures.
This Neoregelia displays purple leaves but look farther. Not that the flowers live inside the water well along with tiny animal life.
The Neoregelia is always a popular option; there are about 100 species to choose from. The plants hall have wide, radiating colored leaves spiraled around a center water tank. Look inside the tank, you will find water, tiny flowers, and the occasional little bug for lunch. The rosette formed by the plant is usually flat but some rise into a vase shape. Put them where you can look down on them to enjoy the colorful features.
The bright leaf colors come in many shades of pink, purple or red. To develop the best color give this plant strong light. (Cool nighttime temperatures are also advised, but we see pretty colors all year round in our hot and hotter climate.)
7. Tillandsia
Tillandsia plants are low maintenance and constantly bring us beautiful surprises. They have specific requirements. This link will take you to a grower with advice.
This is a huge group with about 500 extremely varied species. Tillandsia grow wild in several habitats in North America and are found in forests, deserts, and forests. In South Florida, visiting many of the Everglades natural parks it is quite a treat to see them in bloom on wet days. Normally small gray, inconspicuous plants attached to trees they bloom each with brilliant flowers. After blooming they die, and new plants rise from the ashes of the old.
You can display your tillandsia on wood, bark or even in trees, they sit there quietly and one day you will walk by and see the show.
8. Viresia
You can grow this one on a piece of bark and display it as a hanging plant. Here is some care information from a grower.
Viresea fenestralis, photo by David Stang at Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden
Most of us, worldwide, will use the viresia plant indoors, where we can enjoy its brilliant, flattened inflorescence for three to six months every year. The Viresia is a group of about 250 species in rosette form with smooth-margined leaves in green or patterned form. The inflorescence is single or branched and the bracts are in long-lasting red or yellow.
Viresia is a plant in which the newer hybrids are much easier to deal with and more beautiful than the natural plants. They make good houseplants and adapt well to a variety of conditions
How To Plant And Care For Bromeliads
Bromeliads can be grown as houseplants or in gardens, and they require similar care in both environments: Outdoors use them in Zone 10 and warmer. In Zone 9 and cooler, raise them outdoors in warm seasons and bring them indoors for a cool period. Here is how to acclimate plants that go indoors and out.
Growing And Appreciating Your Bromeliads
Light For Bromeliads
Light: Bromeliads are plants that perform best for you in bright indirect light indoors or out. You will find some varieties with different requirements. For example, plants with soft leaves may prefer lower light, while those with hard leaves may prefer more light. Brown tips or spots on the leaves indicate too much sun if the leaves are turning green and not exhibiting their characteristic colors they are not getting enough light!
Best Temperature For Bromeliads
Temperature: Bromeliads grow best in temperatures between 60–85°F (15.56–30°C), but they can tolerate typical indoor temperatures. They are not frost-tolerant, but you can move them outside in frost-free zones during the late spring and summer.
Humidity Needs Of Bromeliads
Humidity: Most bromeliads need fairly high humidity, so you can mist their leaves daily or place their container on a saucer filled with water and rocks. Make sure the roots don’t get submerged in water, as this can cause rot.
Soil For Terrestrial Bromeliads
Soil: Bromeliads grown indoors do well in fast-draining potting soil. You can use a mixture of 2/3 peat-based soil and 1/3 sand, or you can try orchid mix, charcoal, or soilless potting mix. My husband swears by his own mix of potting soil, and vermiculite in about a 5:1 ratio. He does well with his plants and always grows his stock through harvesting pups.
Water For Bromeliads
Watering: Water your bromeliads well and allow the soil to dry out before watering again. Many bromeliads have a leaf cup called a “tank” that stores water, and you should keep the tank filled with water without letting it soak the soil. In the summer, you can keep the tank about half full, and in the winter, you can keep it about a quarter full. You can also flush the tank every couple of months to prevent bacteria from dirty water.
Fertilizer For Bromeliads
FertilizingYou can feed your bromeliad once in the spring with a slow-release fertilizer. Dilute a general fertilizer to about 1/3 to 1/2 of the recommended dosage. There are fertilizers designed for just bromeliads. Fertilize indoors, about every 1-2 months, outdoors, fertilize twice in the growing season.
How To Make Sure You Get Your Second Generation Of Bromiliads
(How To Harvest The Bromeliad Pups)
Once your beautiful bromeliad blooms it’s a goner! The bloom your plant creates is its only one. But that bloom lasts a long time, often months and then look at the edges. You will see miniature versions of your parent plant forming. There will be several new plants. How do you harvest the pups?
- Prepare: Clean and disinfect your tools. Look the mother plant over. It should look a bit tired but if you see clear signs of disease do not use it.
- Carefully remove the mother plant from its pot, holder or in the soil. If you still read the news on paper, use the old papers. We like to use a big counter near a sink and cover it with paper.
- Cut the top of the mother plant to better access the pups. Remove any dead leaves.
- Pull or cut the pups: Gently pull the pups away from the mother plant, or use a clean, sharp knife to cut them off. You can also use a serrated knife or small saw, but always clean.
- Clean the cutting: Wash the cutting in clean water to remove any old soil.
- Let it air dry: Allow the cut to sit exposed to air for a day to callus over.
- Plant: Plant the pup in a warm and sheltered area, centering it in the pot and making sure you do not set it too deeply into the mix.
Bromeliad pups are small versions of the mother plant that grow from the base of the plant. They can help ensure the survival of your collection while increasing its numbers. Your bromeliad collection will grow this way.
Resources You Can Use
Below are organizations and expert information sources for you. They can help you negotiate this fascinating subject in the world of tropical foliage plant
Florida Council of Bromeliad https://fcbs.org/_index.php
The International Bromiliad Society
You can find a species database here, a registry of hybrids, publications and an annual conference.
University of Florida-universities in tropical climates pay the most attention to tropical plants.
Following Is A Series On Tropical Foliage Plants On This Site
The New Tropical Gardener’s Guide to Lush Tropical Foliage Plants
How To Grow Stunning Cordyline Plants For House And Garden
How To Make Your Peace Lilies Last and Last
Vibrant Varieties Of Croton: Unique Plants For House And Garden
Latin for Gardeners: How to Read and Remember Plant Names
Summary For Bromeliads,
Bromeliads are stunning tropical plants that can thrive both indoors and outdoors with the right care. Indoors, place them in bright, indirect light and keep their central cup filled with distilled water to mimic their natural habitat. Ensure good drainage with a well-aerated potting mix and water the soil sparingly. Outdoors, bromeliads flourish in partial shade and well-draining soil. They are low-maintenance and can add a vibrant touch to any garden or home. Always follow the advice for the specific variety you have chosen.With their unique foliage and long-lasting blooms, bromeliads are perfect for adding a splash of color and exotic flair to your space
Will you plant some bromeliads?