Guzmania care

These bromeliads are actually a whole genus of plants, boasting over 200 accepted species . These are epiphytic plants of tropical origin, which means that, in their natural environment, they grow anchored on the trunks or branches of other plants or rocks instead of burying their roots in the ground.

The leaves of the Guzmanian bromeliads are arranged in a ribbon shape, they are bright green and grow arranged in a rosette, giving shape to a small water tank where they are inserted, as is the case in almost all bromeliads . Its inflorescences are of warm tones that can go from yellow to reddish, with a central stem and some showy bracts that give a lot of life to the plant.

Like many tropical plants, the guzmania needs a warm and humid environment , but at the same time it does not resist direct sunlight , since in its natural environment it is below and the tree dome blocks the sun’s rays.

Place your guzmania in a very bright room with a temperature between 15 and 20 ºC , but always away from windows or direct light sources, which can burn the leaves of the plant. In the same way, avoid areas with drafts, as well as the proximity of artificial sources of heat or cold such as air conditioners or radiators, which dry out the environment and deprive them of much-needed moisture.

Ideally, you should always water your plants with lime-free water or rainwater, although with some plants this is more of a necessity than a recommendation. Guzmania is one of these cases, so always try to water it with water that is not from the tap and if possible at room temperature, so that you save the plant sudden changes in temperature that do not suit it.

When watering, pay attention that the water falls on those small spaces in the birth of the leaves and on them, since this plant absorbs moisture through them. Water every 2-3 days in warm months and 1-2 times a week in cold ones. Also try to change and renew the water of the bud weekly or fortnightly.

Additionally, it is necessary to spray the plant at least two or three times a week with warm, lime-free water to provide it with that environmental humidity. At this point, another option is to place a small plate with gravel and water under the pot, so that they provide moisture without keeping the substrate soggy.

In this other post you can learn more about When to water the plants .

Use a specific substrate and fertilizer for epiphytic plants , as these have very different nutrient needs than ordinary plants. For example, a normal fertilizer could burn its roots, which are more sensitive.

For the substrate, if you prepare the mixture yourself, a mixture with six parts of peat, three parts of perlite and one part of worm castings will suffice. Here you can learn how to make worm castings .

The pruning of the guzmania is based on a very simple maintenance, since you simply have to remove the dry leaves as they spoil, as well as the inflorescence when it withers.

The most common is that, no matter how good the conditions in which it is, the plant dies after flowering , so do not worry because it is normal. Also, when a guzmania leaves, it never leaves us alone. The plant generates lateral shoots or suckers , which you can carefully separate from the mother plant, preserving several roots, to re-plant it and give rise to a new plant.

The most common thing when a guzmania does not flower or does not produce its inflorescence is that it does not have the contribution of all the nutrients it needs.

To solve this problem, you can choose a specific foliar fertilizer to apply on its leaves, or a low nitrogen fertilizer , which does not damage the delicate roots of this epiphytic plant.

Guzmanias flower only once and their flower begins to dry naturally when their life cycle ends. The best thing when this time comes is to always prune the inflorescence as soon as it looks bad, so that the plant saves energy to be able to prepare more suckers. Sometimes a guzmania can survive after pruning for one or a few more years.

If the leaves of the plant appear dry and brown it may be because they are exposed to direct sunlight that is burning them, or to dryness due to drafts or lack of humidity .

To solve this situation, put the plant under cover from direct sun, spray the leaves with lukewarm lime-free water and keep it away from drafts.

If you want to read more articles similar to Guzmania care , we recommend that you enter our Growing and plant care category .