Guzmania Guzmania - care at home, reproduction of guzmania and transplantation, photo of guzmania

Bromeliad family. Homeland rainforests of South America. The genus has about 130 species of epiphyte plants. A fairly common plant that is appreciated by bromeliad lovers for its chic inflorescences. Guzmania grows a lot in width, so it requires a lot of space, it is best to place it on a separate stand next to the window. Otherwise, look after like other bromeliads.

Types of guzmania

Guzmania reed Guzmania lingulata is especially popular - its leaves are lanceolate, on average 25-40 cm long and 3-3.5 cm wide. Peduncle reaches 30 cm in height. From bright red fused petals in the center of the inflorescence, yellowish-white flowers peek out. There are only three recorded variations, all different from those described - just clones of a particular variation.

Guzmania purple Guzmania lingulata var. cardinalis - a variation with a wide rosette of green leaves 3-4 cm wide, with a multi-flowered inflorescence, bracts scarlet, red, purple;
Guzmania tongue modestly colored Guzmania lingulata var. concolor - compact variation, rosette of light green leaves, bracts faded orange with brighter tips, inflorescence up to 15 cm in height;
Guzmania fire guzmania lingulata var. flammea - leaves green about 25-30 cm long, 1-2 cm wide, leaves sticking up, has fiery red bracts, inflorescence small-flowered;

Guzmania reed

Guzmania blood red

Guzmania blood-red Guzmania sanguinea - unlike the previous species, has wider leaves, 5-6 cm wide, up to 35 cm long. At the time of flowering, perianth leaves are red-brown with longitudinal purple spots. The inflorescence is racemose, but it does not rise on a long peduncle, but remains in the center of the rosette of leaves. Bracts are short and thin, 1.6 cm long and 1.5 cm wide, flowers are tubular yellow-orange 5-6 cm long. It is rare on sale.

The two species have some differences: the blood-red gusmania should have some water left in the rosette, about 2.5 cm. The gusmania of the reed rosette is loose, almost all the water flows into the soil, but some remains in the axils of the leaves. It is necessary to water only in the lower leaves, but not in the place from where the peduncle grows. Since reed gusmania very often has loose sockets that almost do not hold water, there is a threat of waterlogging of the soil, so the soil for them should be very loose. It is better to periodically loosen it near the walls of the pot, or make holes in the pot only at the bottom, but also on the side.

Care for gusmania

Temperature: guzmania heat-loving. The usual room temperature in summer is about 22-28 ° С, in winter it is cooler than 18-20 ° С, the minimum winter temperature is 18 ° С.

Lighting: light partial shade, with mandatory protection from direct sunlight from 11 to 15 hours. For spring and summer, the best place for gusmania is the windowsill of the east window, or in the immediate vicinity of the south or west window. In winter, you need a bright window without shading (until mid-February).

Watering: like all bromeliads, gusmania is poured directly into the rosette of leaves, part of the water flows into the ground, and once again watered only when the substrate in the upper part dries. The water must be necessarily soft (better boiled) and have a room temperature. In spring and summer, the water in the rosette of leaves should always be, and is renewed at least once a month for fresh. In winter, gusmania is watered very carefully so that the soil dries half the height of the pot.

Top dressing: from May to August, fertilizer top dressing is carried out once a month, while fertilizer is diluted with water for irrigation and poured into an outlet. Fertilizer is used special for bromeliads or for ordinary indoor plants, but taken at a dose four times less than for other plants. The ratio of NPK in the fertilizer should be approximately the same, in equal shares.

Humidity: Gusmanias like regular spraying, which is mandatory if the plant is in a too warm room (with central heating in winter). But you can put the pot on a wide tray with wet moss-sphagnum.

Transplantation: Usually carried out after the end of flowering, when the mother plant dies and the children grow up. Goose mania is planted in a soil mixture consisting of 1 part of light leaf earth, 1 part of coconut fiber (coconut chips or coconut substrate), 1/2 part of pieces of pine bark, 1/2 sand or vermiculite, and a handful of cut dried moss sphagnum can be added here. You can use a purchased soil mixture for bromeliads. The container for landing should not be too deep, it is better to use wide plates. You can make a soil mixture based on a purchased store, for this use universal soil (for example, terra-vita), to it add pine bark, broken into fractions of about 1 cm, large sand sifted from dust, all in equal parts. Sand can be replaced with vermiculite. Add a few pieces of birch coals. Drainage to the bottom of the pot, from expanded clay or pieces of wine cork.

Planting guzmania (personal experience, severin): Several options can be offered as a substrate for bromeliads:

a mixture of half-decayed leaves, sphagnum, peat, sand, pieces of charcoal or broken shards
softwood bedding mixed with peat in a ratio of 1:1
pine bark mixed with peat in ratio 1:1.
peat land, sheet, humus, sand 1:1:1: 1/2

Sharing experience in growing Guzmania

Guzmania after flowering

These children are separated when they grow about 8-10 cm in height.

Guzmania flowers only once in a lifetime, but at home it can grow for several years before flowering. Lateral abductions appear throughout the growing season, and sometimes just before flowering. In this case, until the "mommy" fades, the children do not need to be seated, the children are seated when they grow up to half their maternal height. Sometimes daughter rosettes appear one after another, but flowering does not occur. Perhaps the plant is uncomfortable - not enough humidity, too dark or too dense nutritious soil.

Reproduction: lateral shoots that are cut off after they grow their roots. They also propagate with seeds that are sown in loose soil (a mixture in half of vermiculite and leaf earth). The area with crops must be put in a warm place at 24-25 ° C, sprayed and ventilated daily. Gusmania seeds germinate in 12-20 days .

Seedlings must be placed on a bright window or illuminated with lamps. Daylight lamps can be used, placing them above the plant at a distance of 10-20 cm, turn on for 10-12 hours a day. Plant young gusmanias in separate pots about 2 months after the emergence. Do not forget to sterilize the soil and add a piece of birch coal to it.

Pests of guzmania

Bromeliad shield - settles on both sides of the leaves, looks like brown, sometimes almost black, tubercle plaques. Affected leaves turn yellow and die off. Carefully inspect the plant in the store! Control measures. Pests are removed from both sides of the leaves with a sponge moistened in an insecticide solution (actellic 15-20 drops per 1 liter of water), or the plant is sprayed with the same solution. You can water the ground with a solution of the systemic insecticide actara .
Mealy worm - white pests, shaggy insects, do not fly, concentrated mainly at the base of the leaves, basal zone. The mealybug damages the leaves, and sooty fungus settles on its secretions. The plant is stunted, the leaves turn yellow, if not taken measures, the plant may die. Control measures. Wipe all leaves on both sides with a sponge with laundry soap or alcohol. Water the ground with a solution of the systemic insecticide actara or confidor.
Spider mite - irregular yellow spots appear on the leaves, and puncture points are visible in the leaf lumen. The leaves gradually turn yellow and die off. Control measures. Wipe all leaves with soap solution, then spray the plant with acaricide (sanmite, nissoran, oberon).