A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods for Bromeliads
Bromeliads are native to the jungles from Mexico to southern Brazil and northern Argentina. The bromeliad is a highly ornamental flowering and foliage plant, and can especially be grown indoors, making it a very refined choice for home gardening. Many people do not know how to grow bromeliads. This article introduces the cultivation methods and precautions for bromeliads.
Propagation Methods for Bromeliads
Bromeliads have become the most important ornamental flowers for indoors, and there are quite a few flower enthusiasts who like to grow bromeliads. The propagation methods for bromeliads can be divided into three types: cuttings propagation, division propagation, and seed propagation.
1. Division propagation: Small buds will continuously grow from the leaf axils at the base of the ornamental bromeliad. When they grow 5 to 6 leaves, they can be cut off for cuttings propagation, and roots will grow in about 1 month.
2. Cuttings propagation: This can be combined with repotting in spring. Cut off the small tubers growing from the tuberous part of the mother plant for cuttings, or use the root-bearing young shoots that sprout from the roots of an old bromeliad plant for division. In both cases, shade, moisture, and warmth must be maintained. Use a soil mix of half leaf mold and half plain sandy soil. When the roots grow to 2-3 cm, they can be planted out.
3. Seed propagation: Under conditions of 25°C to 30°C, sow seeds obtained after artificial supplementary pollination following flowering. Seedlings can emerge in about 4 weeks, and in about 3 to 4 years they can grow into a flowering bromeliad plant.
Cultivation Methods for Bromeliads
1. Light: Bromeliads are accustomed to partial shade. Prevent exposure to scorching sun. Place them in partial shade or near a bright window indoors. The native state of the bromeliad is as an epiphyte under trees in tropical rainforests, so its demand for sunlight is not particularly great. When it is exposed to sunlight for too long, some of its leaves will turn yellow, and then the tips of the flowers will dry out somewhat, and so on. If cultivated outdoors in spring, summer, and autumn, appropriate shading should be provided, especially in summer when 70% shading is needed. Direct sunlight will make the leaf temperature higher than the air temperature. If the leaf temperature is too high, sunburn and scorched leaves will occur, the flower bracts will fade, and leaf growth will slow down.
2. Temperature: The most suitable growing temperature for cultivating bromeliads is 20°C to 30°C. The maximum temperature should not exceed 35°C, and the minimum temperature is 14°C. Below 10°C, there is a possibility of cold damage at any time. In winter, it is best not to place them under a radiator, because in that case they dry out very badly and will be baked by it. Just as people cannot stand next to a radiator all the time being baked, it is easy to get overheated.
3. Water: For watering bromeliads in pots, wait until the pot soil surface is slightly dry, that is, when the top 1-2 cm of soil is dry, then water the second time. It must not be too wet, as excessive wetness easily rots the roots. Plants in the Bromeliaceae family have a leaf tank at the base of the leaves. The leaf tank has a water reservoir, and it must be ensured that there is often water in the reservoir and that it does not run out. The water in the leaf tank should be replaced after a period of time, for example about ten days, to prevent the water from becoming foul. Usually, you can also spray mist-like water onto the surface, leaves, and flowers. The most suitable relative air humidity is 70% to 80%, and it should not be lower than 50%, because maintaining relatively high air humidity in the cultivation environment is the key to successful Anthurium cultivation. Therefore, leaf spraying should be done frequently in all four seasons.
4. Soil: For potted Anthurium, a substrate with good drainage should be selected. For large-scale production, a mixed substrate of peat, perlite, and sand is used, with the ratio: 1 cubic meter of peat: 4 to 5 kg of perlite: 0.15 cubic meters of sand. Its pH value should be maintained between 5.5 and 6.5. If a small amount of decomposed chicken manure, cake fertilizer powder, or bone meal and other base fertilizers can be placed at the bottom of the pot, growth will be even better.
5. Fertilization: During the growing season from April to September each year, apply liquid fertilizer once every two weeks. Fermented organic fertilizer can be applied, or a solution of 0.1% urea plus 0.2% monopotassium phosphate can be sprayed on both sides of the leaves. Some extremely dilute liquid fertilizer can also be poured into the leaf tank to be absorbed by the scale hairs at its base. The ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is 10 to 15 to 20.
Cultivation Precautions
1. From late spring to autumn is the growing period for bromeliads. The amount of watering can be appropriately increased, and some clean water can also be poured into the leaf tank. You should change the water once every half month to prevent the water from deteriorating and becoming foul.
2. Frequently spray water on the leaves. In winter, it is better for the pot to be on the dry side, but it should not be too dry.
3. From May to September, apply nitrogen fertilizer once a week. Before flowering, appropriately increase the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers to promote larger flowers and brighter colors.
4. When flowering, do not pour water into the tank. Store in a place away from sunlight to prolong the flowering period.
5. After flowering, it enters the dormant period. The flower stalk must be cut off to reduce nutrient consumption.
6. In winter, do not pour water into the tank.
The above is the relevant introduction to the cultivation methods and precautions for bromeliads. Bromeliads are very suitable for indoor decoration. They like at least 3 hours of ample sunlight exposure every day, but they are also tolerant of partial shade. In summer, they prefer coolness and ventilation, and they can also tolerate a slightly dry climate.