Im the proud owner of a brand spankin new Bromeliad, Guzmania. I was looking up how to care for them and found that they're epiphytic....after i found out what epiphytic means i look over and what do i see? My not so new (found out they only flower once) Brom was sitting in a pot of dirt. I live in a dorm and tying it down to a piece of bark wraping it in moss and hanging it from the ceiling just isnt gonna happen. So im just wondering what kind of soil mix, if any, i could use to keep it healthy?
Epiphytic plants do vary in their substrate requirements. Regular potting soil will usually suffice for those Bromeliads as long as you let it dry out between waterings. Keep water in the vase of the plant though, that's how the hydrate primarily. Incorporating perlite or bark into the soil so it is fairly light & airy would be even better for the plant. They do flower again....off of the pups that will form on the original plant. Depending on your growing conditions, this can take 1 to 'forever' years. Simon
Thanks for the help. Yeah, i know about the pups...now. But when i got it all the little tag said was "Bloom: all year". So i figured id have a low care plant and a nice little flower all year round. I know its not that big a deal to repot a pup every couple years(free xmas gifts for family :) )...just would have been nice to have proper instructions when i bought it.
The flowers do last a long, long time -- I don't know about a year but at least six months. They like regular misting, too. I mist mine, as well as my orchids, every morning.
smivies comments re potting soil are appropriate, but you might consider the soil as something to just hold the bromie upright. Keeping water in the top cup is critical.
I'd never use potting soil (mostly peat) for anything but azaleas! A good orchid mix is much better for epiphytes, as is just mounting them on a piece of log with some sphagnum at the base.
How about a totem pole? Have you seen those that they use for Philodendrons. They are stuck into soil or what have you and the plant is tied to and around the pole. Could be a cool way of displaying your plant??
Not every epiphyte is created equal! Using an orchid mix or attempting to mount the standard florist type bromeliads on a log would be a disaster in our climate. They need something more substantial to anchor the roots & need a higher ambient humdity around the roots than we can easily provide in a northern climate. I have at least 4 'orchid mixes' that I use for my orchids, all of different densities & water holding abilities depending on the species. None suitable for the Bromeliad in question. Simon
