Pineappele family

 

The plants are native to tropical areas of America. There are more than 2,000 species in nature. Most members of this family are plants with a short stem and long xiphoid leathery leaves that wrap around each other and form a funnel-shaped rosette. It is from the center of the outlet that peduncles appear. The flowers are collected in a simple or complex spike-like, paniculate, capitate or racemose inflorescence, depending on the species. In many bromeliads, during flowering, the upper leaves of the rosette change color to a brighter one - red, yellow, blue, etc. After flowering, the mother rosette dies, but by this time the plant has many lateral daughter shoots.

Most bromeliads are epiphytic plants growing on tree trunks. Some bromeliad rosettes of leaves are dense and wide, designed to collect moisture. In others, loose and thin leaves trap moisture with their thin scales or hairs.

бромелиевыеатмосферные бромелиевые

All bromeliads can be assigned to one of the two groups listed below

Bromeliads originating from places with a humid climate and more or less uniform rainfall throughout the year Bromeliads originating from locations with pronounced dry dormancy
- do not have a pronounced period of rest, therefore, throughout the year they are kept in approximately the same conditions. - have a pronounced period of rest.
- during the whole year warm conditions - within 18 - 24 ° С, at least 15 ° С. - normal temperature in summer and cooler conditions in winter - within 16-18 ° С, but not lower than 12 ° С.
- high humidity - regular spraying, about once a day and twice in summer in hot weather. - high humidity in spring and summer, in winter only periodic spraying - once a week.
- watering plentiful, preferably warm water, somewhat more moderate in winter. - in spring and summer watering plentiful, in winter watering rare, about once a week.
This group includes: pineapple, gusmania, vriesia, cryptanthus, some types of nidulariums, etc. This group includes: echmea, bilbergia, neoregelia, etc.

Care for bromeliads

  • The location is very well lit but shaded by direct sunlight in summer, although some bromeliads, such as pineapple or cryptanthus, like direct sunlight.
  • Plants that have a dense rosette of leaves are watered by pouring water directly into the rosette. However, in winter, if plants are kept in cool conditions, watering is preferable in the soil to avoid rotting leaves. The irrigation water is preferably soft, lime-free.
  • All bromeliads love clean fresh air, so you need to regularly ventilate the room, protecting plants from drafts.
  • Fertilizers are applied in the form of root dressing with complex mineral fertilizer (especially for bromeliads according to the instructions or for ordinary indoor plants, but taken in half or even less dose). Feeding begins in May and takes place once a month until August. Diluted fertilizer is either poured into the rosette of leaves during watering, or the plant is sprayed with it.
  • Transplant as needed in early spring. The root system of most bromeliads is poorly developed, even despite the impressive size of the aerial part of the plant, so the transplant capacity should not be very large.
  • An important role is played by the physical properties of the soil - it must be very loose, well permeable to moisture and air. The soil acidity for bromeliads should be moderate, i.e. pH 5. Good drainage for bromeliads ranges from 1/3 to 1/2 pot height. To make the soil loose, finely chopped bark of coniferous trees (for example, spruce or pine, can be combined with needles), as well as pieces of birch coals are added to it. The approximate composition of the soil mixture is the 2 part of the sheet humus, the 1 part of the humus soil, the 1 part of the peat and the 1 part of the sand. The composition of the soil depends on the species of bromeliads - some of them necessarily add turf, others chopped sphagnum moss, chopped fern rhizome.

Bromeliad propagation

Bromeliads are propagated by seeds and offspring that have roots. It should be noted that overgrown plants, with inseparable children, bloom much more willingly. The success of propagation of bromeliads from seeds increases soil sterility and seed etching. Seeds are sown in plates in a mixture of leaf earth and sand or a mixture of chopped sphagnum moss and crushed fern roots. Seedlings are kept in soil heating at a temperature of about 30 ° C, in humid conditions and in light partial shade.

   
Pineappele family

By the way

The value of bromeliads, in addition to the unpretentiousness of some species, lies in the fact that most of them bloom in winter.

By the way

The fruit of bromeliads is a box or berry. And in some species of bromeliads, they form juicy large fruits, such as pineapple. This is due to the fact that after flowering, the ovaries of fertilized pistils grow together.

Important

In the bromeliad family, a separate group of plants can be distinguished - the so-called petrofilic bromeliads. Their homeland is the prairie of Mexico, they grow in dry rocky places, and the conditions for their maintenance are not much different from the conditions for growing cacti. In particular, they contain such bromeliads in the brightest place, without shading from the sun's rays. In winter, they also need to be provided with good lighting and cool indoors - within 8-12 ° C. Watering is rare - about once every two weeks. In spring-summer, they are watered more often, but moderately - 1-2 times a week.

Growing features

Both terrestrial and epiphytic bromeliads can be grown in pots or planters, although epiphytic bromeliads are often grown on pieces of bark, fancy snags, even coconut shells. The roots of the plant are placed in the substrate for epiphytic bromeliads - very loose, light and small in volume, wrapped in sphagnum moss and fastened with fishing line or wire on a piece of bark or other base. Here, an important point is the watering of bromeliads, since moisture evaporates very quickly from the soil.

Тилландсии на куске корыTillandsia on a piece of bark

Atmospheric bromeliads are a separate group of plants that do not need a soil substrate, as it traps nutrients from the air. They are usually attached with a small piece of moss to snags. The difficulty in growing atmospheric bromeliads is that they need a very humid climate, so they can only be grown safely in enclosed terrariums. True, some grow atmospheric bromeliads, placing them on a room fountain with constantly circulating water.