How to grow Guzmania? Detailed explanation of cultivation precautions

Humidity is very important for the growth of Guzmania, and the suitable relative humidity is 50%-75%. Above 80%, ventilation should be strengthened, otherwise diseases or leggy growth are likely to occur. Below 40%, leaf tips are prone to withering, so water should be sprayed regularly to maintain moisture.

The care of Guzmania also depends on the variety. For light-loving varieties such as the variegated-leaf Guzmania, more light should be given, and they should be placed on a windowsill or balcony for care.

The quality of the water used for watering is also very important for Guzmania. It likes to grow in acidic soil, and the water quality is also required to be weakly acidic. It does not like salts, especially calcium salts and sodium salts.

Precautions for growing Guzmania

   Daily cultivation precautions for Guzmania

In daily care, remember not to fertilize Guzmania when it is blooming, otherwise it will cause excessive nutrients. Also, after flowering, the flowers can be cut off in time, and then fertilizer can be applied. Generally, cuttings are taken during the young plant growth stage.

Guzmania blooms only once. After blooming, cuttings or transplanting should be carried out in time. Flowering generally occurs in the third year after the plant matures.

Its growing environment should be placed in a semi-shaded place with long-term ventilation, and it should always be kept moist, because it is an epiphytic plant and its roots do not go deep into the soil. Too much fertilizer is instead harmful and can cause root rot. Therefore, for home cultivation, small pots are suitable.

Watering is generally done before noon or in the morning and evening, and it needs to be watered thoroughly. If watered again at night, photosynthesis cannot proceed, and it is instead more prone to surviving pathogens. Also, excessively high temperatures can cause pest problems, so it is recommended to control the temperature well.

Key points for growing Guzmania Precautions for growing Guzmania

Guzmania, namely bromeliad, is an indoor ornamental flower for winter and spring. It is evergreen all year round, and its inflorescence is beautiful and varied with rich colors. Commonly cultivated varieties include bright red, pink, golden yellow, rose red, and others. Below is a detailed understanding of the key points for growing Guzmania and precautions for growing Guzmania.

Brief introduction to Guzmania:

"Guzmania" is a flower of the Bromeliaceae family, with flowers opening at the top or middle of the plant. Guzmania is a perennial evergreen herb. The leaves are broadly strap-shaped, curved outward, and dark green. The spike inflorescence is conical, with densely growing bracts, bright red, with yellow tips. It is native to the Andes Mountains, and in places such as Guangdong and Shanghai in China, greenhouses are used for growth and cultivation. Bromeliads like a warm and humid environment. The suitable growth temperature is 21-28°C during the day and 18-21°C at night, and the maximum temperature cannot exceed 35°C. High temperatures are unfavorable for growth, but long-term exposure to 10°C can easily cause slowed plant growth, and fading such as leaves or bracts turning red or white. If the temperature continues to drop, it will cause plant death.

Guzmania cultivation methods and precautions

1. Ventilation

Ventilation, temperature, and humidity are closely related to the growth of Guzmania. When the weather is cool, ventilation is not important; when it is hot and humid, the greenhouse or shed is extremely stuffy, and at this time good ventilation is extremely important for the growth of Guzmania. In a cultivation site with good ventilation, the plant leaves are wide and thick, the flower spikes are large and long, and the flower colors are bright and beautiful; in a cultivation site with poor ventilation, the plants are prone to leggy growth, the leaves are narrow, long, and weak, the flower spikes are short, and the flower colors lack luster.

2. Water

Generally, in the cultivation site, attention should be paid to separating the growth period and dormant period of Guzmania. Summer is the peak growth season for Guzmania, and the water requirement is relatively high. About 3 mm of water is needed each day, and spraying 10 mm of water once every 3 days is sufficient. Room-temperature water should be used for watering, poured into the center of the plant (the tubular heart), so that the water flows through the leaves to the roots and the medium in the pot, and it is enough to moisten them. In winter, Guzmania enters the dormant period, and watering should be controlled. Spray water once a week at noon, 3 mm each time, keeping the pot soil slightly moist. Do not water if the pot soil is not dry; if the pot soil is too wet, it is easy for the roots to rot. It is enough to keep the bottom of the leaf tube moist. Do not give too much water, so as to avoid odor and even causing ornamental bromeliads to rot.

3. Temperature

Guzmania is a CAM-type plant in photosynthesis and adapts to a relatively wide temperature range, so it grows better in an environment with a large day-night temperature difference. Its optimal growth night temperature is 14°C to 18°C, and the day temperature is 21°C to 32°C. The day-night temperature difference is best above 6°C, with 10°C being optimal. Guzmania is not cold-tolerant, and the minimum growth temperature is above 12°C. If it grows under conditions below 10°C for a relatively long time, Guzmania is prone to cold damage. Therefore, after the Beginning of Autumn, attention should be paid to the problem of cold damage to Guzmania, and Guzmania planted outdoors should be moved indoors early or protective facilities should be added. If the plant is relatively mature and encounters low-temperature stimulation, Guzmania is prone to natural flowering in spring, so producers in the north should pay attention to heating in winter.

4. Light

When light intensity is relatively strong, combined with high humidity and high ventilation, the growth of Guzmania can be accelerated, making the plant shape robust, the leaves wide, short, and stiff, and the flower colors brighter and more beautiful. Insufficient light easily causes leggy growth of the plant, with narrow, long, weak, drooping leaves and poor color, and a low flower-forcing rate. Guzmania likes strong light in the 2 months before flower forcing. Poor sunlight will affect the development of the inflorescence and the brightness of the flower spike color. Guzmania needs at least 12 hours of sunlight per day, and if it can be increased to 16 hours, it will grow faster. If sunlight is less than 12 hours or more than 16 hours, the plant will not grow normally, and the flowering rate will also be greatly affected.

5. Fertilizer management

The appropriate ratio of elements such as N, P, and K is the key to cultivating high-quality Guzmania. When the concentration of nitrogen fertilizer is too high relative to potassium fertilizer, it will lead to narrow and long leaves and dark green leaf color; when the concentration of potassium fertilizer is too high, it will form short and long leaves; excessive phosphorus fertilizer will cause tip burn of Guzmania leaves.

The three elements boron, zinc, and copper are harmful to Guzmania. Guzmania is a boron-sensitive crop, and applying boron fertilizer will cause tip burn. Zinc and copper will kill Guzmania. All Guzmania need magnesium, and the fertilizer applied must contain 3% MgSO4 (magnesium sulfate). At the same time, appropriately increase some calcium.

Guzmania is suitable for liquid fertilizer, used together with slow-release fertilizer. The formula of the liquid fertilizer should meet the following requirements: pH value 5.5 to 6.0; the ratio of various nutrient elements N P2O5 K2O MgO should be 1 0.5 1.5 0.5. Nitrogen fertilizer should be removed 2 months before flower forcing, and liquid fertilizer should be sprayed once every 7 days, 30 ml per plant each time. Because the leaf cup of Guzmania has the function of absorbing water and fertilizer, liquid fertilizer can be applied directly to the leaf cup.

6. Pest and disease control

Guzmania is a plant with very few pests and diseases. The main diseases are heart rot and root rot.

1. Pathogen Heart rot and root rot are both caused by infection by fungi.

2. Symptoms Heart rot is when the tender leaf tissue in the heart of the affected plant becomes soft and rotten, brown, with a clear boundary from the healthy part, and the heart part detaches with a light touch of the finger. Root rot is when the root tips of the affected plant become black-brown and rotten, do not grow lateral roots, and the diseased plant's absorption of water and nutrients is greatly affected, the plant's growth vigor becomes weaker, and growth is slow.

3. Disease-causing environment During the rainy season with continuous overcast and rainy weather, high temperature and high humidity, and poor ventilation. Poor medium drainage or excessive water spraying, medium pH higher than 7, or water quality containing high calcium and sodium salts, and seedlings piled too long, are likely to cause heart rot after transplanting. After seedlings are packaged with poor ventilation, heart rot is also likely to occur after planting.

4. Control methods Avoid a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, require well-drained medium, and avoid water quality containing high Ca and Na salts.

Precautions;

1. In an environment with excessively high temperature and humidity and poor ventilation, Guzmania is prone to pest and disease damage, such as sooty mold and scale insects. If disease is found, carbendazim can be sprayed in time, and for pests, omethoate can be sprayed.

2. No matter which medicinal solution is sprayed, it must be done outdoors to prevent contamination of the indoor environment.

3. In addition, sterilization and insecticide tablets can also be purchased from the flower market and buried in the pot soil to eradicate pests and diseases.

4. Guzmania likes water, but watering needs to be done before noon, or in the morning and evening in summer, but it must be poured into the leaf cup, not only into the pot soil. Also keep the leaves dry and clean at night. If humidity needs to be increased, water should be added in the growing environment to increase humidity, such as sprinkling water on the ground or turning on a humidifier.

The above is the relevant introduction in this article. I believe that after reading it, you also have a simple understanding of this. If needed, you can continue to follow No.1 Home Network to learn more information.