How to grow bromeliads

What are bromeliads?

Bromeliads are a large and diverse group of plants, often from tropical regions. Together they form the family Bromeliaceae. Many make exotic and unusual houseplants – popular choices include air plants (Tillandsia) and urn plants (Aechmea). Pineapples (Ananas comosus) are also bromeliads.

While their dramatic flower-like displays of colourful bracts last several months, their true flowers are usually small and insignificant. The bracts are often vividly coloured, including hot pinks, reds, oranges and electric blues, or dramatic combinations of several hues. Their leathery leaves, too, may be boldly patterned or coloured.

Many bromeliads are epiphytes, meaning they naturally grow on other plants, usually trees. They don't take

To grow well, plants need a wide range of nutrients in various amounts, depending on the individual plant and its stage of growth. The three key nutrients usually taken up from the soil are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Plants also need carbon, oxygen and hydrogen to make carbohydrates — their main energy source. Carbon and oxygen come from the air as carbon dioxide, while hydrogen is drawn from water absorbed by the roots. Other important soil nutrients include magnesium, calcium and sulphur. Most garden soils contain enough of these nutrients to support healthy plant growth.

How and what to buy

Bromeliads are available online, especially from houseplant and tropical plant specialists. The more popular types, such as air plants (Tillandsia), Vriesea, Aechmea and Guzmania, are often available in garden centres, florists and houseplant shops.

Bromeliads are almost always sold and grown in containers, even when they are epiphytes. Air plants (Tillandsia) are the main exception – these are usually sold attached to a piece of bark, in a glass

A miniature garden or ecosystem contained within a glass or plastic container. If sealed, self-sustaining terrariums need very little to no maintenance. Small and slow-growing foliage plants, miniature ferns and mosses are great for sealed terrariums, and succulents and cacti for open terrariums. The first example of a terrarium was a Wardian Case, which helped plant collectors bring back and introduce new, exotic plants in the 19th century.

• Aechmea 'Del Mar' AGM – an urn plant with red-stemmed flower spikes and contrasting purple bracts

• Aechmea fasciata AGM – an urn plant with arching silver leaves and a long-stemmed cluster of pink bracts

• Ananas comosus var. variegatus – a

  Variegated means having leaves or other plant parts with streaks, blotches or patches of different colours. Typically, these would be a combination of two colours, such as green and gold or green and white.

  variegated pineapple with green and yellow-striped leaves and (inedible) small red pineapple fruits

• Billbergia nutans – trailing leaves and stems tipped with pink bracts and tubular greeny-blue flowers

• Guzmania lingulata – glossy green leaves and a dramatic starry bloom of red bracts

• Neoregelia carolinea f. tricolor – green and yellow-striped leaves, blushed with red in the centre of the rosette. The flower spike has red bracts

• Tillandsia cyanea – pink quill has a flat head of vivid pink bracts

• Vriesea splendens AGM – striped leaves and a tall spike of red-tipped, sword-like bracts

Bromeliads that may survive outdoors in very mild parts of the UK, such as Cornwall, and sheltered city gardens include:

• Billbergia nutans – trailing leaves and stems tipped with pink bracts and tubular greeny-blue flowers

• Fascicularia bicolor – with a low rosette of narrow leaves, blushed bright red in the centre

• Puya chilensis – mature plants may produce a dramatic flower spike, 1.5m (5ft) tall, packed with yellow-green, bell flowers, above a dense clump of spiny leaves

Buying: mail order plants

Buying: mail order plants

Tips on choosing healthy plants

Tips on choosing healthy plants

Positioning

Indoors

Most bromeliads like plenty of light, warmth and some humidity. They are tender, so must be grown indoors, either all year round or over winter.

• Position in bright light, but shaded from strong summer sun, which can scorch the leaves. Some can tolerate more sun than others

• Keep at around 21ºC (70ºF) in summer, to encourage flowering, but once the buds form, cooler temperatures of 12ºC (55ºF) will help the display last longer

• Provide a minimum of 10ºC (50ºF) in winter

• They like humid air, such as in a bathroom or kitchen, or you can stand the container on a tray of damp gravel. See Ongoing Care below

• Keep plants away from radiators or heaters, and out of cold draughts

• While most bromeliads are grown in containers, some, including air plants (Tillandsia), can be mounted on a piece of bark or wood, to mimic their natural growing conditions on tree branches. Place them in a bright, humid location, such as a bathroom. They are very vulnerable to drying out and need to be immersed in water every few days. See our guide to growing air plants

Outdoors

Bromeliads can be moved outdoors for a few months in summer, once night temperatures are consistently above 10ºC (50ºF). They can add a splash of tropical colour to borders and containers. Acclimatise them to outdoor conditions gradually – see our guide to hardening off.

Give them a warm, sheltered spot in sun or partial shade, but protected from midday sun. They work well in tropical-style gardens, vibrant summer bedding displays and contemporary settings.

A few bromeliads, including fascicularias, puyas and Billbergia nutans may survive outdoors all year round in very mild areas of the UK, such as Cornwall, or in very sheltered city gardens. They need a warm, sunny, frost-free spot, with free-draining soil or compost and protection from winter wet. See our guide to planting in containers and planting perennials in borders. 

When grown in containers, these bromeliads can be moved into a frost-free greenhouse or conservatory during cold spells. See our guide to preventing winter damage and overwintering plants in a conservatory

Watering

Bromeliads with a central 'well'

Many bromeliads have a well (or tank) in the centre of the rosette, including urn plants (Aechmea), Guzmania lingulata and Neoregelia carolinea f. tricolor. The well should always be kept topped up, ideally with rainwater or distilled water. Empty and refill it every month or two, so the water doesn't become stagnant.

You must also water their compost – in summer water regularly to keep it damp but not soggy, in winter water more sparingly, letting the compost dry out between waterings.

See our guide to collecting rainwater.

Bromeliads without a 'well'

Keep the compost moist at all times, but never wet. Always allow the water to drain away after watering, and never leave plants standing in water. Good drainage is essential. These bromeliads include pineapples (such as Ananas comosus var. variegatus), Billbergia nutans and Cryptanthus zonatus. 

Air plants (Tillandsia) should be immersed in water a couple of times a week and misted regularly. See our guide to growing air plants.

Humidity

Raise the humidity around tropical bromeliads, particularly in summer, as the air in most homes is usually quite dry, especially when the heating is on: 

• Stand the container on a saucer of damp gravel or clay pellets. Keep the water level just below the surface of the gravel, so it doesn't saturate the compost in the container

• Mist the leaves regularly with soft water, especially in hot weather or when the heating is on for long spells. (Hard water tends to mark the foliage)

• Group several container plants together to create a more humid microclimate.

Bright, steamy bathrooms and kitchens are often good locations for bromeliads

With plants that are grown outdoors in summer, position them in a sheltered spot, out of drying winds.

Feeding

Many bromeliads are slow growing and come from low-nutrient environments, so generally need little or no feeding. Overfeeding may sometimes reduce the vibrancy of leaf colours.

However, if you do wish to feed, there are various methods for different types of bromeliads: 

• For bromeliads with a central 'well' – add a balanced or low-nitrogen liquid fertiliser, diluted to half-strength, to the central well once a month in spring and summer. Never place solid feed in the well, as it can burn the foliage

• For epiphytic bromeliads without a 'well' – mist the leaves with balanced foliar feed once a month from spring to autumn

• For air plants – see our growing guide

• For ground-rooting (terrestrial) bromeliads, such as pineapples (Ananas comosus var. variegatus) and Cryptanthus – apply a half-strength balanced liquid feed to the compost every two to four weeks, from spring to autumn

Fertiliser labels explained

Fertiliser labels explained

How to feed plants

How to feed plants

Re-potting

Bromeliads that have outgrown their container can be re-potted in summer, if necessary. Most need a very free-draining compost that doesn’t hold on to moisture, as their roots are prone to rotting in soggy conditions.

• Choose a new container that is only slightly larger, to avoid problems with overpotting. Most bromeliads will be fine in a small or medium container, 7.5–12.5cm (3–5in) in diameter, as they tend to have compact root systems. Larger plants may need to be moved into a 17.5cm (7in) container if they become top heavy or the rosettes start to get overcrowded.

• Use a free-draining compost mix of fine composted bark (or orchid compost), grit and coir fibre, in equal proportions. These ingredients are stocked by most garden centres

• Alternatively, use an equal-parts mix of fine composted bark (or orchid compost) and peat-free multipurpose compost

• Ready-mixed bromeliad compost may also be available, and cymbidium orchid compost can also be used

• Make sure the plant is positioned in its new container at the same level it was previously growing

Overwintering

Bromeliads are tender and won't survive frosts. They can be moved outdoors in summer, but must be brought  indoors in autumn, before night temperatures drop to 10ºC (50ºF).

In some very sheltered, frost-free locations, some of the more resilient bromeliads, such as fascicularias, puyas and Billbergia nutans, may survive outdoors in mild winters. See our guide to preventing winter damage.

Caring for older plants

Most rosette-forming bromeliads flower only once in their lifetime, then start to die off. But before they do so, they usually produce new plants around the base – see Propagating, below.

No pruning or training is necessary.

Most rosette-forming bromeliads are easy to propagate from 'offsets', which are baby plants produced around the base of a mature plant. Bromeliads can also be grown from seed, but this is trickier and slower.

Growing from offsets

With most rosette bromeliads, the main plant will eventually die off after flowering. But it will usually have produced several baby plants, known as offsets, around the base. However, plants bought in flower seldom have offsets, although if you continue to water them, new shoots will usually form. Old plants can be kept for two to three years, and will produce offsets at intervals.

• With a single offset, remove the old rosette after flowering and re-plant the offset into a smaller container

• Use a soil-less mix of fine composted bark (or orchid compost), grit and coir fibre in equal proportions, or an equal-parts mix of fine composted bark and peat-free multipurpose compost. You can also use a ready-mixed peat-free bromeliad compost

• If several offsets form, allow one to grow on naturally as above. Use a sharp knife to remove the others from the crown in April or May, when about one-third of the size of the mature plant

• Trim away any remaining parts of the old crown, then plant each offset into a small container filled with one of the compost mixes detailed above

• Place in a heated propagator or cover with a polythene bag and position in a warm, bright location out of direct sun

Growing from seed

Bromeliads can be raised from seed, although seedlings may take five years or more to flower. Seeds are rarely available commercially, apart from puya seeds, which are more widely sold. The Bromeliad Society International also sells seeds to its members. Alternatively, you can help your plants to produce their own.

Bromeliad flowers don't usually self-pollinate, so if your plants are growing indoors (and not visited by pollinating insects) you will need to hand pollinate them. Use a small paintbrush to transfer pollen from the (male) stamens of one flower onto the sticky (female) stigma of another. If successful, a seed pod should form, and the seeds can be harvested when ripe. It is usually best to sow them soon after harvesting.

• Fill a seed tray with a mix of two parts' free-draining peat-free compost (see above) and one part sharp sand

• Sow the seeds on the surface. Don’t cover them with compost

• Mist to dampen the compost without disturbing the seeds

• Cover with a plastic bag to keep the air humid, and place in a warm airing cupboard to germinate. Alternatively, place in a heated propagator at 26ºC (80ºF)

• Fresh seeds should germinate after a few days

• Acclimatise the seedlings to a less humid atmosphere once they have three or four leaves

• Move the plants into small individual pots of free-draining compost mix (see Planting above)

Bromeliads are generally easy to grow and disease free. However, if the growing conditions aren't suitable, they may show some of the following symptoms:
 

• Failure to flower – plants may take several years to flower. Ethylene gas, from ripe fruit, may be used to stimulate flowering. Place the plant in a large propagator or polythene bag with several ripe apples or bananas for up to a fortnight

• Leaf tips turn brown and roots rot – due to overwatering or waterlogging. Always allow the water to drain away after watering, and never leave plants standing in water. If the container is standing in a tray of damp pebbles to improve humidity, make sure the water level is below the base of the container, so the compost doesn't get saturated. Always plant in free-draining compost (see Planting above)

• Leaves bleached or browned – caused by sun scorch. Protect plants from strong sun, especially in summer

Some bromeliads may occasionally attract common greenhouse pests such as mealybugs and scale insects. Inspect plants regularly, as the earlier you spot any pests, the easier they are to get rid of. 

Managing pests and diseases without chemicals

Managing pests and diseases without chemicals

Preventing pest and disease problems

Preventing pest and disease problems