Bromeliads: overview, features, care and requirements

The huge family of Bromeliads (formerly called Pineapples) has more than two thousand species. Bromeliads - flowering monocot plants, in order.

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Plants of the family Bromeliads 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 wet forests.
In natural conditions, bromeliads settle on soil, failed tree trunks and even on rocks.

Due to the unusual habitat, all plants have a fairly weak root system. Although many species grow on the ground, they get nutrition from the soil, like most plants.

Description

Bromeliads are monocarpic plants. They are rosettes of fairly hard, often thorny leaves. During flowering, leaves are partially painted in bright colors and become original decorations of the dwelling 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. In such a funnel, water accumulates, there they enter, and then insects perish. In this way, organic remains are formed, with which plants feed. This feature must be taken into account when growing many members of the family. For example, Guzmania should be watered and fertilized only in the outlet. The same feature is characteristic of cryptanus, Vriesius, neoregelia, ehmeya.

One of the most famous representatives of the family is pineapple. Along with the cryptanthus, it grows on the ground, receiving all the necessary food from the soil.
Often at home, these plants are grown on a piece of epiphytic tree. As a result, very interesting and original compositions are obtained. In the driftwood of the bizarre form make a depression, fill it with a light earthen substrate and plant the plant. The roots are covered with moss from above, which must be regularly moistened.

Do not be surprised if you buy a plant of this family on the label you will see the name "Bromeliads mix". Houseplants, as a rule, in specialized trade networks are united by this common name.

Since in natural conditions, many species grow on rocky areas, they try to create conditions in home floriculture for both succulents - they are placed on southern windows and provide rather meager watering.

Bromeliad plants: Species 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. To them carry: гусманию, вриезию, неорегелию, криптантус, синий тиллландсию, эхмею. 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 rosette are so close to each other that a reservoir is formed in which water is collected.

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 that holds the flower on the tree trunk. Rosette develops for several years before flowering, and the bloom itself can last several months, after which the main rosette dies off, and it is replaced by lateral shoots growing at the base.

Attractiveness of this inflorescence is given by original bracts, as the flowers themselves are rather small and short-lived. The peculiarity of caring for reservoir plants is their watering: pour soft water should be in the funnel, and only after that slightly moisten the surface of the soil. At home, try not to let the water in the funnel stay for a long time: the leaves will rot, especially with a sharp drop in temperature.

In epiphytic bromeliad house plants are rather weak roots, so they should be planted so that they sit stably in the substrate. Overmoistening of the soil for these plants is fatal.

Atmospheric

These bromeliad plants prefer to settle on the spines of huge cacti, at the ends of branches of trees, etc. They have a very weak root system, and in some cases roots are not completely developed. Bright leaves they do not happen, but the shape of plants is very diverse.

The most common and well-known plants of this group are the gray Tillandsia. In natural conditions, they receive water from drops of dew or fog settling on the leaves. They are fed from dust particles. They can not be watered, but only sprayed from the spray with soft water. Atmospheric bromeliads need a lot of light, but scattered. They do not need a special earthen substratum, it's enough to fix them on a decorative stand.

Land Types

These plants have a well-developed root, so in the care they are practically no different from most houseplants. Leaf fabrics, especially for desert species, accumulate moisture, so they are very fleshy, smooth and shiny. Watering these plants requires a moderate, you can not tolerate overmoistening of the substrate.

Water for irrigation must necessarily be soft. Ground for land bromeliads should contain pine bark, pre-ground sheet earth, humus, and also large river sand (4: 1: 2: 1). Requirements for lighting for these colors depend on the conditions under which they grew in their homeland: pineapples need sun, and ground cryptanthus prefer shadow.

Bromeliad houseplants and care for them

In the beginning we will introduce some popular varieties of these exotic plants, and then we will talk about how to achieve such a beautiful flowering, as in the photos placed in the article. Care for these flowers is very simple.

A pineapple

Perhaps, this is the most famous houseplant from this family. Most of our readers know him for a great deal, like a lump. And experienced flower growers know that at home pineapple is a small bush with long and sharp leaves, which is very fond of heat and sun, spraying and copious watering. Few people know that it is possible to grow this exotic flower from the top of the fruit, which is sold in the store.

Bilbergia

Absolutely unpretentious plant with long, leaves hanging down. It blooms only once in a lifetime. Its leaves are dyed green and the edges are slightly jagged. This plant needs bright lighting and moderate humidity. Bilbery is undemanding to watering and can exist without additional fertilizing, loosening and other care procedures.

Vriesia

And this plant is best for those who already have some experience in growing bromeliad epiphytes. They do not plant it in the ground, but on an oak log, grape shoot, or any other part of a plant.

Vrieses require high humidity and soft, durable water for irrigation, which should be moderate. The plant is poured into a rosette of leaves. Thus it is necessary to watch that moisture does not stagnate.

Gekhtia

This is a terrestrial species of bromeliads, so the plant makes the basic requirements specifically for the composition of the soil: it should be light and nutritious. Gekhtia requires frequent loosening and abundant watering. It loves sunlight (even direct rays) and dry air, although most bromeliads do not tolerate such conditions.

Guzmania

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 shelter the plant from direct sun rays. Blossoms in the winter with bright, spectacular inflorescences, which should be removed as soon as they begin to dry out.

Neoregelia

The flower is distinguished by very long leaves - up to 35 centimeters, which form a dense basal rosette, the base of which blushes before flowering. Have neo-regalia in a bright place, where the sun's rays do not fall. Water the plant in the ground, and on too hot sunny days you can pour water and into the outlet.

Care for bromeliads

To make these exotic plants bloom, the owner will need certain skills and patience, but caring for already flowering plants is quite simple. For the transition to bloom, a rather high temperature (at least +25 ° C) will be required, for already flowering plants it will be moderate enough, but it should not be lowered to +12 ° C.

Most bromeliads require bright lighting. Representatives of this family do not 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 the summer.
These plants are fed by sprinkling the leaves, so periodically replace the water in the sprayer with additional fertilizer (liquid).

In nature, these plants are practically devoid of nutrients. Fertilizers for bromeliad plants use only mineral, 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. It should wait some time after the death of the outlet before the emergence of shoots. The shoots at the age of two to three months are planted in a light substrate and kept warm until they are rooted.

Bromeliad

To make it, it is necessary to strengthen the selected snag in the container with stones and gypsum. You can install it strictly vertically or with a slope. Top of the container is covered with earth or for decoration use small colored stones. For such a "tree" suitable plants with a pronounced funnel-shaped rosette.

The selected plants are taken out of pots, the roots wrapped in sphagnum moss and tied to the snag branches with wire protected by polymer insulation. One or two flowers can be planted in a container. Sockets of flowers should be filled with water constantly, and once in seven days, the roots, wrapped in moss, sprinkle with soft water.