Home & Garden Television

To print this page, select File then Print from your browser

URL: http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gl_plants_tropical/article/0,1785,HGTV_3614_5240100,00.html

Bromeliads: Low-Maintenance and Long-Lasting

Learn about this low-maintenance family of plants known for its clustered leaves and showy, long-lasting flowers.

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-1402 -- More Projects »

	As bromeliads reach the end of their life span, they sprout a new plant, or pup, at their base.

Behold the beautiful bromeliad! Native to South America, this low-maintenance family of plants is known for its clustered leaves and showy, long-lasting flowers. In their native environments you may find them in the desert or clinging to trees and rocks, surviving off rain and leaf mold or growing on the jungle floor. With their amazing ability to adapt to indoor conditions, however, bromeliads can actually make very good houseplants.

Bromeliad basics from guest expert Ciscoe Morris:

• Many bromeliads are epiphytes, which means they grow on other living plants but take their nutrients from the air and an occasional watering or spritzing.
  
• When buying a bromeliad, look for one that is not in full flower; a flowering bromeliad is one that is aging and may not last very long.
  
• As bromeliads reach the end of their life span, they sprout a new plant, or pup, at their base. With a lot of patience you may be able to grow the pups to maturity and they may bloom as the parent plant did, but that’s a big maybe, according to Ciscoe, who prefers to replace his spent bromeliads with new plants altogether once they bloom.
  
• Some of Ciscoe’s favorite bromeliads, featured on this episode, include Guzmania ‘Claret’ and ‘Fool’s Gold’, Tillandsia and Cryptanthus.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

Make a Bromeliad Tree

A stunning way to display your bromeliads at home is to make a bromeliad tree. You’ll need:

a heavy decorative pot with a plastic saucer to fit the bottom
driftwood for your "tree trunk"
rocks to fill the pot
sphagnum moss
plastic coated wire
an assortment of bromeliads

First, drop the plastic saucer into the bottom of the pot. Fill the pot half-full with rocks of your choice (figure A). Hold the driftwood in the center of the half-filled pot (figure B) and add rocks to the rim of the pot so that the "tree trunk" stands securely.

Wrap the roots of larger bromeliads in sphagnum moss and push them firmly around the base of the tree trunk. Use plastic coated wire to wrap the moss around some smaller bromeliads, which will be attached with the wire to branches of the tree (figure C). Use as much wire as needed to secure the plants firmly to the tree. You can use as many or as few bromeliads as you choose. Tiny Tillandsia, or air plants, can even be attached to the trunk with drops of glue (figure D).

To care for your bromeliad tree, keep it out of direct sunlight and simply spray the plants with water to keep the sphagnum moss moist. Guests
Ciscoe Morris
Gardening radio show host
Website: www.ciscoe.com
Also in this Episode

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-1402
•	Time for Inspection
•	Bromeliads: Low-Maintenance and Long-Lasting
•	Witch Hazel
•	Pest-Controlling Oils