The huge Bromeliad family (formerly called Pineapple) has more than two thousand species. Bromeliads - flowering monocotyledonous plants that are part of the Originous.
Spread
Plants of the bromeliad family come from the tropics of North and South America, Africa. They are common in most tropical and subtropical climatic zones of America: from deserts to evergreen rainforests.
Under natural conditions, bromeliads settle on soil, sunken tree trunks, and even on stones.
Due to the unusual habitat, all plants have a rather weak root system. Although many species grow on the ground, they receive nutrition from the soil, like most plants.
Description
Bromeliads are monocarpic plants. They are rosettes of rather rigid, often spiky leaves. During flowering, often the leaves are partially painted in bright colors and become original home decorations for 2-3 months.
Most species belong to the so-called reservoir plants: they have narrow, leathery leaves collected in a rosette and form a reservoir. Water collects in such a funnel, insects get there, and then insects die. In this way, organic residues are formed that the plants feed on. This feature must be taken into account when growing many members of the family. For example, gusmania should be watered and fertilized only at a power outlet. The same feature is characteristic of cryptanus, vriesia, neoregelia, echmea.
One of the most famous members of the family is pineapple. Along with cryptanthus, it grows on the ground, receiving all the necessary nutrition from the soil.
Often at home, these plants are grown on a piece of epiphytic tree. The result is a very interesting and original composition. In a snag of a bizarre shape they make a recess, fill it with a light earthen substrate and plant a plant. The roots on top are covered with moss, which must be regularly moistened.
Do not be surprised if, when buying a plant of this family, on the label you will see the name “Bromeliad Mix”. Indoor plants, as a rule, in specialized retail chains are united by this common name.
Since many species grow in stony areas under natural conditions, they try to create conditions for succulents in home floriculture - they place them on southern windows and provide rather scarce watering.
Bromeliad plants: types and features
All plants that belong to this family can be divided into three categories depending on the habitat. In this section, we will try to explain which plants are bromeliads.
Reservoir Bromeliad
Among this group there are many plants with beautifully colored leaves and large bright inflorescences. These include: gusmania, vriesia, neoregelia, cryptanthus, blue tillandsia, echmea. These plants are distinguished by a funnel-shaped rosette of leathery narrow leaves. An inflorescence rises from its center on a high peduncle. The leaves forming the outlet fit so tightly together that a reservoir is formed in which water collects.
Most of these plants come from the American jungle, where they grow on forest litter or on trees. The roots in this case play the role of a kind of anchor holding the flower on the tree trunk. The rosette develops within a few years before flowering begins, and the flowering itself can last several months, after which the main rosette dies, and it is replaced by lateral shoots growing at the base.
The attractiveness of this inflorescence is given by the original bracts, since the flowers themselves are quite small and short-lived. The peculiarity of care for tank plants is their watering: pour soft water into the funnel, and only after that slightly moisten the surface of the soil. At the same time, at home, try to prevent the water from remaining in the funnel for a long time: the leaves will rot, especially with a sharp drop in temperature.
Epiphytic bromeliad indoor plants have rather weak roots, so they should be planted in such a way that they sit stably in the substrate. Waterlogging of the soil for these plants is disastrous.
Atmospheric
These bromeliad plants prefer to settle on the spines of huge cacti, on the ends of tree branches, etc. They have a very weak root system, and in some cases the roots are not developed at all. They do not have bright leaves, but the shape of the plants is very diverse.
The most common and well-known plants of this group are gray tillandsia. Under natural conditions, they get water from drops of dew or fog that settles on the leaves. They get food from dust particles. They can not be watered, but only sprayed from the spray bottle with soft water. Atmospheric bromeliad plants need a lot of light, but scattered. They do not need a special earthen substrate, they are well enough to fix them on a decorative stand.
Terrestrial species
These plants have a well-developed root, so in care they practically do not differ from most indoor plants. Leaf tissues, especially for desert species, accumulate moisture, so they are very fleshy, smooth and shiny. Watering these plants requires moderate, waterlogging of the substrate should not be allowed.
Water for irrigation must be soft. Soil for terrestrial bromeliads should contain pine bark, pre-shredded leafy soil, humus, and also large river sand (4: 1: 2: 1). The lighting requirements for these flowers depend on the conditions in which they grew in their homeland: pineapples need the sun, and terrestrial cryptanthus prefer shade.
Bromeliad indoor plants and their care
First, we will introduce some popular varieties of these exotic plants to you, and then we'll talk about how to achieve such beautiful flowering as in the photos posted in the article. Caring for these flowers is a snap.
A pineapple
Perhaps this is the most famous houseplant from this family. Most of our readers know it by its large fruit, which looks like a bump. And experienced gardeners know that at home, pineapple is a small bush with long and sharp leaves, which loves warmth and sunshine, spraying and plentiful watering. Few people know that this exotic flower can be grown from the top of the fruit, which is sold in a store.
Bilbergia
A completely unpretentious plant with long, hanging down leaves. It blooms only once in a lifetime. Its leaves are saturated green, the edges are slightly jagged. This plant needs bright lighting and moderate humidity. Bilbergia is undemanding for watering and can exist without top dressing, cultivation and other care procedures.
Vriesia
And this plant is better to be planted by those who already have some experience in growing bromeliad epiphytes. They plant it not in the ground, but on an oak log, grape shoot, or any other part of any plant.
Vrieses require high humidity and soft, standing water for irrigation, which should be moderate. The plant is watered in a rosette of leaves. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that moisture does not stagnate.
Hechtia
This is a terrestrial type of bromeliad, so the plant makes the basic requirements for the composition of the soil: it must be light and nutritious. Hectia requires frequent cultivation and abundant watering. He loves sunlight (even direct rays) and dry air, although most bromeliads do not tolerate such conditions.
Gusmania
The plant forms a dense rosette of bright long leaves. He needs high humidity, abundant watering, a well-lit place, but it is desirable to protect the plant from direct sunlight. Blooms in winter with bright spectacular inflorescences, which should be removed as soon as they begin to dry.
Neoregelia
The flower has very long leaves - up to 35 centimeters, which form a dense basal rosette, the base of which turns red before flowering. They have neorelia in a bright place where the sun's rays do not fall. Water the plant into the ground, and on too hot sunny days you can pour water into the outlet.
Bromeliad Care
To make these exotic plants bloom, the owner will need certain skills and patience, but caring for already flowering plants is quite simple. A transition to flowering will require a rather high temperature (at least +25 ° C), for already flowering plants it will be moderate enough, but it should not drop to +12 ° C.
Most bromeliads require bright lighting. Representatives of this family cannot tolerate waterlogging of the substrate, and they need good drainage. The soil is watered only after it dries. In species that do not form rosettes, the soil should be moderately moist. Spraying is allowed for most species only in summer.
These plants feed by spraying the leaves, so periodically replace the water in the sprayer with top-dressing (liquid).
In nature, these plants are practically devoid of nutrients. Fertilizers for bromeliad plants use only mineral fertilizers, and their concentration should be five times less than the instruction recommends for other plants.
These plants multiply by shoots that appear at the base. You should wait a while after the death of the outlet until shoots appear. The processes at the age of two to three months are planted in a light substrate and kept warm until rooting.
