Propagate ornamental bromeliads like this after the flowers wither, and they can still bloom after two years of growing

Recently a friend asked me how to deal with ornamental bromeliads after their flowers have withered. Below I will teach you how to keep ornamental bromeliads propagating continuously. This method is actually division propagation, using their side shoots to re-root and propagate, and afterward they can still keep blooming.

Ornamental bromeliads all like warm, humid environments. Even in winter, the temperature must be kept above 10 degrees, and relatively high air humidity must be maintained. This way, ornamental bromeliads can keep a longer flowering period.

After the flower bracts of ornamental bromeliads wither, some pups will grow again from the sides. These are new seedlings. Ornamental bromeliads have more than 3,000 varieties, and they are generally propagated by division. Once their side shoots have grown relatively large, they can be re-rooted for propagation.

Did you see the side shoot in the red circle in the picture above?

The flowers of most ornamental bromeliads can bloom for more than two months, and some even bloom throughout the entire winter and spring. The red and yellow parts are actually their flower bracts; their flowers are hidden inside and are very small.

After you see the flowers of an ornamental bromeliad wither, do not water inside the flower bracts, otherwise it is easy to cause rot and also easy to give off a bad smell. Withered flower bracts should be removed promptly. After that, maintain a certain level of air humidity, keep the growing environment with appropriate scattered light, keep the environment ventilated, and keep the growing temperature above 15 degrees.

Many people throw away ornamental bromeliads after their flower bracts wither, but in fact they can continue to be grown. They will grow new side shoots, and as long as these grow to about 15 cm, they can be transplanted.

Their side shoots generally appear after the flower bracts wither, and some appear during or before flowering. If you want to grow the side shoots to flowering, it takes a very long time, generally about 1 to 3 years.

After the flowers of ornamental bromeliads are cut off, keep as many leaves as possible. This can promote the sprouting of side shoots, benefit growth, and bring more nutrients to the side shoots. In subsequent care, avoid watering directly into the center of the leaves. Water directly into the soil in the pot. It is best to use peat soil mixed with bark, sand, or perlite. This can maintain good drainage, allow the roots to breathe, and also retain a certain amount of moisture.

Why do your ornamental bromeliad side shoots still not bloom after growing up?

Some friends re-root and propagate the side shoots of ornamental bromeliads, but after growing them for two or three years they still do not bloom. This is actually because of insufficient nutrients.

I asked some friends at the nursery. For relatively young ornamental bromeliads, ethylene gas is generally used to promote flowering. During the flowering period of ornamental bromeliads, giving them ethylene can make them bloom.

But ordinary home gardeners cannot have ethylene gas at home, so we can place some ripe fruit next to it. An apple left out naturally will release ethylene gas.

Generally, put an apple that is not yet fully ripe into a bag, then put the apple and the bromeliad together into the bag. Then, as the apple gradually ripens, the apple ripening in the plastic bag will slowly release ethylene. This generally takes about three weeks, and the bag needs to be opened every day for appropriate ventilation.

After 8 to 13 weeks, the ornamental bromeliad can develop a new flower spike.