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My first brom and pups

Here it is:

brom2.jpg


This is my first bromeliad
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and I've had no expierence with broms before. I'm following the few directions given on them in The Savage Garden By Peter D' Amato. It is currently under the same flourescent light as my vft cuttings from fall and I'm giving it the same distilled water.

Here is where my questions start. The plant looks like the description of a Guzmias, but what kind I can't tell, can anyone identify it? At the base of the plant (in the picture below) you can see offshoots known as pups forming into minature versions of the mother. There is about five in total. I don't know how to safely remove and transplant them.
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brom1.jpg


If I do remove the pups I need to know a few things. What is the best kind of soil or mixture for the pups? The parent is in some sort of dark half soil half bark with perlite. What kind of fertilizer/rooting hormone, if any, would I use? Should I wait till they get bigger or will that start to drain and kill the mother plant? It says in the book that some broms die after they flower and leave behind offspring, does that mean this one is near the end of its life or just going through a cycle?
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What is a normal brom lifespan? Is their anything else I should know like a certain special need of the plant? Is it okay to have it in the same conditions as my vfts? How often does it flower?

Any input appreciated.
 
Guzmanias don't need special water. Tapwater will be fine. Any reasonable houseplant compost will suit them - or orchid compst - or a mixture of both (which is what I would use). They're commonly grown as houseplants. They appreciate good light for growth and flowering. If they're in a dry environment, spray them occasionally to up the humidity. They won't like it as cold as vfts. I would suggest a minimum of 12C. Fertilise with a weak fertiliser (or orchid fertiliser) occasionally. Keep the central well filled with water.

I don't know what type you have. I'm not an expert, but there are quite a few cultivars for the nursery trade out there, and it's most likely to be one of them.

They should take about 3-4 years to grow from offshoots to flowering, when the main plant will almost certainly die. I suggest you leave the plant alone, allow the flowering to finish, and wait another year or so for the offshoots to develop into decent-sized plants, and then pot them up seperately then.

Incidentally, this plant is not carnivorous, so this post should probably be moved to the "bromeliads" area, if any mod would be so kind...

Best wishes.

Rob.
http://www.rob-rah.com
udder7@hotmail.com
 
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