Bromeliads

I have two, a "guzmania" and a "blue rain". When I bought them a few months ago the flowers were stunning, not so much now. They're fading and no longer do the plant justice.

The leaves are still ok, nice and green, and both are also pushing the next generation up, as in pups.

My question is, is it ok to just cut the flowers off at this point and allow the plant to concentrate it's energy on growing those pups? Is this an acceptable practice with this species when the flowers start deteriorating, or do you just leave it be until the time comes to separate and replant the new pups?

 

If the flower is dead I'd cut it off just to tidy it up a bit but leave the old plant in place and let the pups get to a decent size before trying to pot them up separately, it's easier then to separate them with some roots.

 

I would do the same but I do cut the parent leaves back to concentrate growth in the offsets when about 1" high but nothing is going to happen now until the Spring.
I have a Guzmania Hope offset with a flower bud just forming in the base of the vase, divided three years ago so the are slow growers.

 

Is it right that the new pups, once separated and growing independently, can take around 3 years before they flower, or can you get lucky and get a flower in its first year?

And if you didn't split the pups at all from the parent plant year on year, would you end up with a huge multi layered plant with several of those spectacular flowers, as in the wild maybe?

 

They usually take three years. I sometimes leave the dead parent plants on Billbergia nutans which does make a clump but not with Guzmania.

 

Probably need to be growing in the tropics to get flowers every year.

 

Just a quick follow up question regarding my two bromeliads. One has 4 pups, the other has 3. Pups are growing nicely, both mums not dying back yet.

Rather than try and cut the pups away trying to get some roots on them in the process, can I do the opposite and carefully cut mum away right at her base instead, being careful of course not to harm the pups?

That way the young root system of the pups won't be disturbed at all. Has anyone done it this way?

 

I'd leave well alone for a while, you can cut back the foliage of the old plant if its looking tatty.

 

You can do it that way but I tend to wait until the parent plant is almost dead.

 

My thinking, rightly or wrongly, is that the parent plant is going to die anyway so why not take it away now so all the nutrients go to the pups.

 

All the nutrient is already going to the new shoots, probably some of it from the old plant, so best to not try removing it too soon.

 

Just a quick follow up on my two bromeliads. Both mums are well and truly dead now, I cut them both away some time ago at the base and the pups on both plants are doing great. There are four pups on one plant, and three on the other, see pics below.

I'm not expecting any of those magnificent flowers anytime soon, it might be a couple of years yet. My question is....I rather like the clumped look you can see in the pics and due to this i'm not planning on separating them.

Is there a chance that, when they do flower, I will get a flower from each pup, or will the plants combine their energy into producing one magnificent flower from the strongest plant?

 

Just a guess, but I think you will get multiple flowers at around the same time, but they will be smaller.
But equally you may get some sections that wont flower in the same year and take an extra year.

 

I have always separated Guzmania offsets and grown them individually. I only have the one plant now 'Hope' which has two close together but I will wait until next Spring to divide them if they are big enough. I also think if yours flower together they will be smaller.
I have a couple of Billbergia nutans var which I leave as clumps.

 

I think I'll take the chance and not split them. I rather like the idea that I could get multiple blooms, albeit possibly smaller blooms than if they were single plants.

I will update this thread with pics in due course, though I suspect it won't be for a long long while yet!