Periodically, new indoor plants appear in the homes of our fellow citizens. At the same time, it is not always possible to preserve them, which can usually be explained by improper care. Growing bromeliads at home is also not easy, as it has its own characteristics associated with growing and care. Although this plant is not among the picky ones, it needs to be given enough attention.
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Place bromeliads in your home
This plant is best grown indoors where it is supported highest humidity level... The main rule that every florist should not forget is that the plant will feel good only if the air in the room is sufficiently humid. With the onset of summer, the flower pot can be kept on the windowsill. But at the same time, you need to take care of its protection from drafts and direct, solar scorching light. The most favorable conditions for growing this plant are created on the east window. However, if the above conditions are met, then bromeliads can grow well on the south side.
Soil requirements
Regardless of the variety of bromeliads that you are going to grow in your apartment, you need to plant it only in porous and loose soil. The prepared growing container must have drainage, taking up 1/3 of the volume... Most often, the following soil mixtures are used to grow this flower:
- 2 pieces of leafy land;
- 1 part of humus;
- 1 part peat;
- 0.5 parts of sand.
Sometimes in the substrate you can add additional components:
- bark of coniferous trees;
- crushed sphagnum moss;
- sod land;
- charcoal.
In order for bromeliad to feel good in an apartment, it is necessary to create not only a favorable temperature regime for it, ensure optimal humidity, but also to prepare fertile soil. If we talk about the bromeliad variety Vriesia, then it grows best in soil with the following composition:
- 3 parts crushed sphagnum moss;
- 1 part finely chopped pine bark;
- 1 part peat;
- 1 piece of leafy land;
- 0.5 part dry mullein.
To increase the fertility of the soil, you can add a little perlite and pieces of charcoal.
Air temperature and humidity
When growing bromeliads, it is necessary to maintain the temperature within + 25 degrees. When the plant begins to bloom or goes into a dormant state, the temperature is lowered to + 18 degrees. Moreover, it should not fall below + 12 degrees. It is also necessary to pay attention to humidity: the most favorable conditions for plants are created if this indicator is 70%.
In the conditions of a city apartment, it is often not possible to sustain such a percentage. Therefore, humidity is allowed with a small error - at 60%... To ensure this percentage of moisture, the owner will have to work hard. If we turn to the experience of flower growers, then the easiest way to solve this problem is with the help of household air humidifiers.An alternative solution is to place a container filled with expanded clay or wet moss near the flower.
Proper watering
Regardless of the type of bromeliad that is grown at home, it must be provided with sufficient moisture. Therefore, you need to correctly determine the watering rate. In solving this issue, much depends on the root system of the flower. A feature of the plant is that the roots cannot absorb water that enters the soil. Because of this, proper watering of bromeliads requires the supply of moisture strictly to the outlet from its leaves. You also need to keep in mind that dressings should be applied in a similar way.
However, it does not follow from this that no need to water the substratein which the flower grows. This is one of the mandatory activities that must be carried out while growing bromeliads. Moreover, flower growers recommend using only soft water here.
When using a sprayer, the necessary fertilizing is added to it along with water, which provides the flower with nutrients. Also, during watering, you should remember that you need to monitor the cleanliness of the outlet. It is recommended to do this at least once every two to three months.
How to plant bromeliads?
Most varieties of this plant are extremely negatively affected by transplantation. In principle, this flower may well do without it, because most often this only leads to injury to the plant. However, if you need to get a new bromeliad bush, then as a material for propagation use shootsforming at the base. Young seedlings are best rooted if they are provided with the necessary amount of heat and moisture.
Training
Given that, if possible, transplantation should be avoided, it is best if the gardener uses young shoots to propagate the plant. In this case, you will have to prepare a special soil mixture, which should include the following components:
- soil for orchids;
- peat;
- sand.
Highly it is important to maintain optimal proportions: all components must be taken in equal quantities, mixed well to get a homogeneous mass.
Having prepared the substrate for planting young shoots, it is necessary to find a suitable container, which must be of sufficient size. Its bottom must be filled with expanded clay or clay shards, after which soil is laid on them.
Transplant process
A suitable moment for separation of the shoot from the parent flower is the stage of development when the shoot will have a length of at least 1/3 the size of the parent. The seedling needs to be buried 2 cm in the soil.Until the moment, until the root system is formed, the shoot must grow in a pot with a support that can make from stone or wooden peg.
At this stage, the seedling is looked after according to the same scheme as in the case of an adult plant. If you have experience in growing adult bromeliads in a city apartment, then you can probably get a bush from a young shoot without any problems.
How to get bromeliads to bloom?
Not always, even if you carefully look after bromeliads, you can achieve its flowering. This plant can please the gardener with flowers only if he is aware of some of the nuances and will take them into account when growing. Even if you grow this flower in an ordinary pot, then its flowers will not differ much from those relatives that grow in the wild.
The main success factors are related to maintaining the required temperature, which should be at + 21C... In some cases, the temperature can be reduced to + 18 degrees, but it is advisable not to allow this, since this negatively affects the condition of the plant. The flower gets the greatest stress if the room temperature drops to + 12 degrees.
Most often, bromeliad mix begins to bloom in the summer.However, with the appropriate approach to growing this flower, this process can be accelerated. Moreover, this does not require increased attention to the plant during its cultivation at home. It's all about the peculiarities of this plant: in the wild, at the stage of ripening, the fruits produce ethylene, which can cause the formation of flowers.
How can this knowledge be applied in practice? First of all, we need unripe bananas. They need to be placed next to the bromeliad pot, after which this structure needs to be properly wrap in a plastic bag... Soon you will witness your flower blooming earlier than usual.
Pest control
If you do not follow the rules for caring for a bromeliad flower, then you can expect that at some point it can be struck by serious diseases. Most of them are caused by parasites, which, once on a flower, carry out activities to destroy the plant.
The greatest danger to bromeliads is mealybugs and scale insects... The harm of the latter is due to the fact that they feed on the juice, which is obtained from the stems and leaves. At the same time, after them, a liquid necessarily remains, which creates favorable conditions for the development of the fungus. There are no fewer problems when bromeliads affect the thyroid glands. To remove these pests, they must be hand-picked. After that, the leaves of the plant must be treated with soapy water, and the end is sprayed with tobacco solution.
Moreover, even such processing does not guarantee that these insects will not appear on the flower later. Therefore, after the measures taken, it is necessary to constantly monitor the condition of the plants. Control measures mealybug suggest its collection, which is carried out manually. Further plants need treat with green soap solution... The best effect can only be achieved if this operation is performed with three repetitions. This gives confidence that the bromeliad will not be affected by this pest again in the coming months.
Conclusion
It is not so easy to grow bromeliads at home, and even experienced gardeners cannot always cope with this task. The fact is that it has certain characteristics associated with cultivation and care. Attention to the plant must be shown from the very beginning, because for it it is necessary not only to prepare the soil of a suitable composition, but also subsequently to create favorable conditions for development. Taking proper care of bromeliads requires protection from pests, otherwise they can quickly die.
