Bromeliads are a beautiful family of tropical and subtropical plants. Most bromeliads possess colorful foliage, beautiful flowers or both. With their many sizes, shapes, colors and ease of culture, once you have one bromeliad you are likely to want more.
Undemanding and easy to grow, their main requirements are sufficient light, proper watering and good air circulation. Indoors, bromeliads thrive in an east, west or south windows that receive plenty of light. Outside, these plants generally prefer semi-shaded locations that receive morning sun but shade from the intense light of midday and afternoon. Those with plain green leaves often require the most shade, and those with silvery or gray foliage will generally tolerate the most sun.
Although summering your bromeliads outside when temperatures are warm is a good idea, they generally need to be brought inside and protected during freezing weather.
Interestingly, a number of gardeners I know have been leaving some of their bromeliads outside during winter. The potted bromeliads are set among other plants at ground level. They have found that they are surprisingly hardy in sheltered, protected locations as long as temperatures do not go below the upper to mid-20s. This past winter, bromeliads outside would have needed to be brought inside during the unusually severe freezes in January. So, don't leave more outside in winter than you can conveniently move inside if needed.
Most bromeliads are grown in pots of well-drained potting mix. You won't have to repot your newly purchased blooming bromeliad into a larger container. The container you buy it in will be big enough. If you purchase a young plant that still has a lot of growing to do, you will need to repot it into a larger container as it outgrows the one it's in. When you do, use a light potting soil with some extra perlite added, or make your own with equal parts of sphagnum peat moss, medium-grade horticultural perlite and fine fir bark.
Because most bromeliads have rather limited root systems, they are generally grown in pots that are somewhat small for the size of the plant. Clay or plastic pots are equally satisfactory as long as they have drainage holes. Clay pots are more stable due to their weight and may be better for plants that tend to be top heavy. A layer of pea gravel in the bottom of the pot can also add weight and stability (this does not help drainage).
The mix should not be kept constantly wet as bromeliads do best when allowed to dry slightly between waterings. Many species of bromeliads are able to hold considerable reserves of water in the vase-like center of the plant. This should generally be kept full of water as the leaves themselves can absorb water.
Although we generally grow bromeliads in containers for convenience sake, in nature these plants are typically epiphytes -- plants which grow upon other plants (generally trees) but are not parasites. The water holding vase-like shape of many bromeliads is an adaptation to their tree dwelling nature. Without soil to retain moisture, you can see how the reserved water held by the leaves helps the plant survive between rains. This trapped water is also very important to many animals that live in the trees. Spanish moss, our native epiphytic bromeliad, does not produce a cup. It traps water under the silvery scales that coat the leaves, and absorbs the water and nutrients it needs directly into its leaves.
Because of their natural ability to grow on trees, you may purchase bromeliads mounted on a piece of driftwood or other material. These plants are a little more trouble to maintain than potted bromeliads and require more frequent watering. This is because the roots of mounted bromeliads dry out faster than potted ones. Also, keep gray-leaved mounted bromeliads well misted and the cups of others filled with water. They are worth the extra effort as mounted bromeliads are strikingly beautiful.
Bromeliads that produce attractive flowers are often purchased in bloom. The flower spikes are exotic and beautiful and usually stay attractive for an extended period of time. Some genera, such as Neoregelia, do not produce especially showy flowers, but the foliage in the center of the plant turns a brilliant color when they bloom. Indeed, for most bromeliads it is not the flowers that provide the primary show, but the colorful bracts or modified leaves that accompany the flowers that add much to the display.
It is important to know that after blooming, a bromeliad plant will never grow or bloom again. They go into a gradual decline and eventually die. Before they do, however, they produce one to several offshoots from their base called "pups."
These young plants can be separated from the original plant when they are about one-third its size. They can usually simply be pulled off or cut off with a knife at the point where the pup is attached to the mother plant. Pot the pup in a small container with the appropriate mix and provide it with somewhat less light while it forms a root system, then move it into the bright light recommended. As the young plant grows, repot it into larger containers until it is in about the same size pot in which you bought the original plant. Pups will, with good care, usually bloom about a year or two after being separated.
It's nice to know that when you buy a bromeliad or receive one as a gift, if all goes well you will end up with more plants than you started out with. This is one of the great joys of growing bromeliads and why they are so much fun to collect. You always have extras to share with friends or trade for new types. And dividing bromeliad pups is a great way to develop your plant propagation skills.