Caring for Bromeliads

There are many varieties of bromeliads, but they all have one thing in common--a rosette of leaves with a center spike that emerges when the plant blooms.

Gardening expert Mike Hibbard offers his advice on caring for bromeliads.

• Bromeliads are a member of the lily family and they make great indoor plants because of their ability to adapt to their surroundings inside homes.

• Some bromeliads can thrive when they're mounted on a piece of wood or a piece or cork bark (see photo at right). They can sometimes be purchased this way, but it is easy to affix them there yourself. Just push some thin wire through the bark and twist it around the base of the plant. When it needs water, just turn the plant upside-down and immerse in water for a couple of hours.

• Bromeliads are native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere, where they have adapted well to their surroundings by using their roots to hold on to something instead of gathering moisture and nutrients. The plants have developed creative ways of getting moisture through their leaves.

• Bromeliad flowers usually begin to die after they bloom, but as they die, it produces offsets, or "pups," which can be clipped and potted to grow new plants. The division will not prolong the mature plant's life, but it may stimulate to production of another pup before the mature plant dies. To separate the pup, use a knife or pruning shears and cut as close to the mother plant as you can. Dip the wounded plant into a rooting hormone to discourage rot, then plant it with the same type of potting mixture as the mother plant.

• Bromeliads like a coarse, quick-draining, acidic potting mixture. A homemade formula of equal parts perlite, burr bark and commercial potting soil makes a good home for bromeliads.

• Water bromeliads in the center of the plant and check back a couple of hours later. If the water is gone, water the soil. If the water is still there, do not water the soil.

• Stake a bromeliad for stability if necessary.