Want to see your Bromeliad Flower with multiple and bigger blooms? Follow these tips and tricks!
Getting your bromeliads to flower can be a tricky business if you don’t know the right method – don’t worry! This is where we come in!
Do Bromeliads Flower
A Bromeliad will flower once in its lifetime (except for a few species), and the bloom can last several months and sometimes up to a year.
You may not get the same old bromeliad to rebloom but the plant will grow pups (offsets) around it, which will produce new flowers.
How to Get a Bromeliad to Bloom
1. Ethylene Gas Exposure
Ethylene gas can promote flowering by a good margin, so keeping a ripe apple or a banana (both release the said gas as the overripe) near the plant can do the trick.
2. Manipulate Light Conditions
You may trick the plant into flowering by keeping in a dark spot for about two week – why you may ask? Well, as these plants are quite sensitive to photoperiod changes, this tricks them into thinking it’s time to bloom!
3. Temperature Fluctuation
Keeping the plant at a constant temperature exposure will do no good when it comes to blooming. Expose it to the lower nighttime temperature (by 5-10 degrees Fahrenheit) for a couple of weeks.
This mimics the native atmosphere where it is used to growing and this signals the plant – it’s time to produce a flower!
4. Reduce Fertilization
You don’t have to go full bore in feeding to make these plants bloom – remember, the right method is the key here. Reducing the fertilizer can stress these plants, which often triggers it into go into reproduction mode (i.e., flowering) rather than vegetative growth.
Do it once in 10-12 months, using a balanced liquid feed, diluted to 1/4 of its strength.
5. Controlled Drought
Don’t water your bromeliads daily if you want to see them bloom! Reduce the time to about once in 2-3 weeks – mild drought stress like this can make it blossom, similar to how it works in other flowering plants.
6. Root Pruning
This can be a bit controversial and may require a careful move, but this works! Remove the plant from the pot and snip away all the excess, damaged, and rotting parts of the roots.
This causes mild stress to the plant, which can often stimulate flowering.
7. Use Bloom-Boosting Fertilizers
Go for a high-phosphorus fertilizer, like a 10-30-10 – it will boost the flower production. Dilute it to 1/4 of its recommended strength and use it every 10-12 days to boost the flower production.
8. Check the Water Source
Using mineral laden water is no good for flowers and the overall plant health in the longer run – use rain or RO water instead of tap water.
9. Keep it Root Bound
Keep the plant in a slightly root bound state – how? Well, continue to cultivate it in the same pot even if you see 1-2 strands of roots popping out from the drainage hole or the topsoil.
This causes mild stress to the plant, which can often stimulate the flowering process as the plant diverts its energy into flowering rather than using it for root development.
Note: Do not continue to grow the plant for long periods like this as it may kill it – re-pot it into a one size bigger container after a while.
Bromeliad Flower Longevity: How Long Do They Last?
You can expect a Bromeliad flower to last anywhere from 3 weeks to as long as 1-2 months, depending on the variety, species, and growing conditions.
I love bromeliads, I have worked with these garden beauties on many interior scape projects but what I found so amazing is this family is one of the biggest in the plant kingdom comprising 2,700-3000 species. I love the colors, the shapes and the many sizes.
For anyone who wants a plant that is low maimtenance bromeliads make the idea plant, these beauties can be grown indoors as well as outdoors. Some species can even be tied to tree trunks and they will grow. For that instant color pop bromeliads are the go plants.
Thanks so much on sharing on how to cause bromeliads to bloom, I did not know that Ethylene Gas Exposure help to force bromeliads to bloom. I learn something new. Thanks so much for sharing!!