Bromeliads are unique plants that make gorgeous additions to any indoor plant collection. They are pretty easy to grow indoor plants, but caring for bromeliads is quite different than caring for your average houseplant. Don’t worry, bromeliad plant care isn’t difficult, it’s just… well, different.
If you’re lucky enough to live in a tropical climate where the temperatures never get below freezing, then you can grow bromeliads outside in your garden! The rest of us have to stick to them indoors.
Bromeliads make wonderful flowering houseplants that grow well in low light conditions. They are also pet friendly houseplants that are safe to grow if you have cats or dogs! Woohoo!
There are tons of different varieties of bromeliads, and many of them will grow well indoors as houseplants. I love the variety of colors they add to my houseplant collection, and they are very unique indoor plants.
In this comprehensive bromeliad plant care guide you will find…
- Bromeliad Plant Facts
- Bromeliad Flower -vs- Flower Bracts
- Bromeliad Plant Watering Tips
- Humidity Requirements
- Lighting For Bromeliads
- Best Bromeliad Potting Mix
- Best Fertilizer For Bromeliads
- Propagating Bromeliad Plants
- Bromeliad Houseplant Pests
- Pruning Bromeliads
- Troubleshooting Common Problems
Bromeliad Plant Facts
Like orchids, bromeliads are epiphytic, which means they grow on trees, rocks or other plants, and they get their water and nutrients from the air and rainwater. In many ways, caring for bromeliads is similar to orchids, so if you already have orchids, bromeliad plant care will be a snap!
Unlike most plants, they don’t get their nutrients from their roots, their roots are what they use to attach themselves to the growing support.
Epiphytic bromeliad growing on a tree
Some types of bromeliad types can be difficult to grow as houseplants, because they like humidity and can dry out too quickly in the average home (especially during the dry winter months).
But for the most part, bromeliads make great, easy-care houseplants.
Bromeliads are slow growing plants, and most of them will only bloom once in their lives. They are also short lived plants, and most bromeliad varieties will die after flowering.
Sad I know, but they usually have lots of babies before they die so you’ll get even more plants out of the deal (but more on that later).
Amazing epiphytic bromeliad tree
Bromeliad Flower -vs- Flower Bracts
Many people think that the large colorful growth that makes bromeliads so popular is the flower, which is a common misconception. But that is the flower bract, and not the actual flower. Bromeliad flowers grow out of the floral bracts.
Some bromeliad flowers are large beautiful spikes, and others are tiny and insignificant. Many people are confused when their bromeliad starts to flower, since they thought the flower bracts were the flowers all along.
Another common question I get is “how long does it take for bromeliad pups to flower”? Bromeliad pups have to grow to full maturity before they will bloom. So, depending on the variety of the plant, it’ll likely take 1-3 years for the pups to reach full maturity.
Bromeliad flower spike
Bromeliad Plant Care Guide
If you’re new to growing these tropical beauties, you’ll find that bromeliad plant care is much different than any other plant you probably have.
Since they take up nutrients and water through their leaves, you’ll need to take special care in watering, feeding, and potting your bromeliads.
Don’t panic, I’ve got you covered…
How to take care of a bromeliad
Bromeliad Plant Watering Tips
One thing that’s different about bromeliad plant care than other plants is that you don’t want to water your bromeliads through the soil, instead you should keep their center cup filled with water, and their soil dry.
As long as there’s fresh water in the center cup, your bromeliad will be happy.
It’s also important to keep the water in the cup clean and fresh, you don’t want stagnant water sitting in the cup. Dump out the water and refresh it every week or so to keep the water from going stagnant.
Also, be careful about the type of water you use on your bromeliad plants, because they are very sensitive to the chemicals in regular tap water.
Using tap water on bromeliads can damage or even kill the plant. Rainwater or filtered water are the best types of water to use on bromeliads.
Bromeliad plant watering in the center cup
Bromeliad Humidity Requirements
Bromeliads like humid air, so consider misting your plants on a regular basis if the air in your home is dry.
You could grow your bromeliad houseplant in rooms that are more humid, like a bathroom or in the kitchen close to the sink.
You could also run a humidifier near your bromeliads during the winter to help keep the humidity level consistent in the room. An indoor humidity monitor is handy to help you give your bromeliads the perfect amount of humidity.
Bromeliad red houseplant
Lighting For Bromeliads
When it comes to light, bromeliads aren’t super fussy, and they make great low light indoor plants.
Direct sunlight can burn the leaves, but some bromeliads grown indoors can suffer it they’re not getting enough light too.
For best results, put your bromeliad in a spot where it gets medium to bright light. A small grow light helps a ton if you don’t have any natural light.
Best Bromeliad Potting Mix
Technically speaking, bromeliads don’t need to be potted in soil at all. They don’t get their water or nutrients from the soil, their roots are only used to hold onto trees, plants or other growing supports in the wild.
Bromeliads could be mounted on logs, wood or rocks, or they can be grown in a pot. If you prefer to grow bromeliads in pots, you can buy bromeliad soil mix, or use an orchid soil mix.
Otherwise, you can make your own bromeliad potting soil. The best homemade bromeliad potting mix would be a fast draining soilless mix made with sphagnum moss, bark, perlite and/or other coarse organic materials.
If your potting bromeliads in regular potting soil, take care to keep the soil dry or your bromeliad could rot.
Gorgeous yellow bromeliads
Best Fertilizer For Bromeliads
Bromeliads don’t really need to be fertilized. They are naturally slow-growing plants, and fertilizer isn’t going to help them grow much faster.
But, like any plant, bromeliads will benefit from getting some added nutrients – just make sure to fertilizer sparingly. Also, be sure to always use a natural organic liquid fertilizer, because bromeliads are very sensitive to chemical plant fertilizer.
If you’d like to fertilizer your bromeliads, use a half strength liquid organic houseplant fertilizer or compost tea during the spring and summer (don’t fertilizer bromeliads during the winter).
Bromeliad starting to bloom
Propagating Bromeliad Plants
Like I mentioned above, most bromeliads will eventually fade and die after they’re done flowering.
This is a sad fact of life, but the good news is that they usually have lots of babies before they die. Bromeliads that are coming to the end of their life will grow tiny baby pups around the base of the main plant.
To propagate your bromeliad, you can simply remove these pups from the mother plant, or just allow them to grow after the main plant has died back and been removed.
Colorful bromeliads, a tropical indoor plant, for sale at a local garden center
Bromeliad Houseplant Pests
Bromeliads don’t usually have too much trouble with bugs, but houseplant scale or mealybugs can be a problem, so be sure to keep an eye out during your regular bromeliad plant care routine.
Organic neem oil is a natural insecticide that is very effective at getting rid of these nasty houseplant pests. Horticultural oil or organic insecticidal soap also works great.
You can also use a cotton swab dipped in rubbing alcohol to kill mealybugs and houseplant scale on contact, and to remove them from the plant.
Never use chemical pesticides on houseplant pests because they can build up a resistance to chemicals, making pest problems worse, and chemical pesticides can also damage your bromeliad plant.
Pruning Bromeliads
For the most part, you don’t need to worry about pruning your bromeliad plants. Dead or dying leaves can be pruned off at any time. Trim off the flower spike after it dies back, but keep the plant growing as long as you can so that it will have plenty of time to grow pups.
Once the main plant dies back, you can prune it out and leave the pups growing in the pot. Otherwise, you can remove the pups from the dead mother plant, and pot them up on their own.
Stunning pink bromeliad plant (Aechmea)
Troubleshooting Common Problems
Bromeliad flower turning brown, or the color is fading – Once the flower bract (what most people refer to as the flower) starts to turn brown or the color fades, it’s a sign that the plant is done blooming and is starting to die, which is a normal part of the bromeliad life cycle.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to save the plant once it starts dying. But, before you toss it out, be sure to check around the base of the plant to see if there are any bromeliad pups growing. I so, you have lots of new plants to replace the dying one! Leave the pups growing, and trim away the mother plant once it has completely died back.
Small, hairlike blossoms growing out of the flower – This actually IS the flower! What most people refer to as the bromeliad flower is the floral bract, and not the actual flower. Many types of bromeliad flowers are tiny and insignificant, and can look weird once they start to grow – which can be alarming if you’ve never seen a bromeliad flower before!
Miniature bromeliads for sale at garden center
If you’re wondering where to buy bromeliads, you’re in luck! They are one of the most common plants sold in the houseplant section at most garden centers, or you can buy bromeliads online.
If you’re thinking about buying a bromeliad, I recommend giving it a try. They look like they’d be harder to grow than they actually are, and bromeliad plant care is pretty easy once you get the hang of it!
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More Posts About Growing Houseplants
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- How To Care For Rubber Plants: The Ultimate Guide
- Tropical Houseplant Care Guide: How To Grow Tropical Plants Indoors
- How To Care For A Voodoo Lily Plant
Do you have any bromeliad plant care tips to add to this list? Please share them in the comments section below.
Mary Hilsman says
I am new to bromeliad and was always intimated to try them. This gives me confidence. I live inFlorida and want to try them on the lanai which has proper temp and humidity.
Thanks for this information, so helpful. One questionI have is if I wanted to see if I could get it to attach to something, how would I do that.?
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome! You should have no problem growing bromeliads in FL. 🙂 To mount your plant, you can attach the roots to a log or a sphagnum moss pole using something like florist wire or garden ties.
John Taffee says
I have a bromeliad plant given to me by a friend many years ago. It bloomed twice since I got and it was maybe two years between blooms. It looked root bound so I repotted it in a much larger pot. I used regular dirt from outside. I think I purified it by baking. After about two years it bloomed, one or two flowers on one spike. The “flowers” are a brilliant orange. That was in the October, November 2019 time frame.
This past February it sent up a new spike. On this spike were many flowers pointing in all directions. It was a knock out beauty. I just trimmed off the dead and dying leaves. I had been watering the roots and when I repotted it I put an a light application of 10-10-10 fertilizer. I just did not know better.
I will now water only the leaves. I can’t really see any watering cups. I was thinking of dumping out the whole plant and pulling off the many pups and putting them in separate pots. After reading wonderful article on bromeliads I am thinking of leaving the whole plant as is and letting it do want nature would directs it to do.
What do you think?
I would like to send you a pictures of the plant, one with the two blooms and one with the many blooms. Is this possible? It is different from all of the website pictures that I see.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You can remove and pot up the pups if you want, that’s really up to you. Bromeliads do just fine being pot-bound, since they don’t use the soil for their roots, so no worries there. However, if they are extremely overcrowded and crawling out of the pot, then you can put them into a bigger one.
There are many different varieties of bromeliads, and I don’t have pictures of each one. So yours may very well look different than the ones in my photos. You can share your photos on my Facebook page if you’d like.
Frances says
My brother is Ray Coleman and he was known for his Bromeliads he’s no longer with us he grew a large amount outside as will in the green house but under oaks my question is where I live we get a rainy season and I have them under oaks banked I know you water them inside? But to much water should I pull them up? And put them in pots until it’s over
Amy Andrychowicz says
As long as your bromeliads are mounted and not planting in potting soil, then the rainy season shouldn’t hurt them at all. They are tropical plants that come from rainy regions of the world, so it sounds to me like you may just live in the perfect climate for them! 🙂
Rae Matthew says
Thanks for your very informative article. I have been struggling with the bromeliads I inherited from my late mother-in-law who was a fantastic gardener and grew her bromeliads in an outside garden. She lived in a warmer climate over near the sea coast. I planted mine outside (in the mid-island, cooler region, frosty in winter) and they hated me. I gave up trying to force them to thrive and chucked them in a plastic bin crammed together. I left them round the side of the shed where it’s quite sheltered and forgot all about them. They lived in banishment under some ornamental taro for the last year and I recently rediscovered them thriving in a bucket of rotted bromeliad leaves and water. Ho ho, I thought, and I took them back round to the front garden and planted them deep in rich, organic mulch and sheep pellets. Arggggg . Thanks to your article I plan on rescuing them tomorrow and letting them grow back where they were but nestled in bark.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome! That’s so funny that the bromeliads ended up thriving on your neglect. Haha! They like a lot of humidity. So, since your mother in law lived by the sea, and you’re further inland, that may be why yours aren’t doing as well. Good luck, hope they will grow great in their new spot!
Pamela M says
What great (and simple) information! Thank you. Mom just got her first bromeliad as a birthday gift, and is bewildered. I knew bromeliads are different, but wasn’t sure of the details of their proper care. Your info will be a blessing for this beautiful plant! Thanks again…and now I print it out….
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome! So glad that you’ve found my bromeliad care tips helpful! That’s always great to hear. Hope your plant will thrive. 🙂
Ultan Fitzsimons says
Hi Amy, I bought a bromeliad a few weeks ago and the yellow leaves at the top are starting to wilt already. Any tips or suggestions? Thanks.
Amy Andrychowicz says
If your bromeliad was blooming when you got it, that might mean that it’s starting to die back. This is the normal lifecycle for bromeliads, and unfortunately, there’s nothing you can do to stop it. 🙁 Just watch for pups to grow around the base, and keep those once the mother plant dies.
Ultan Fitzsimons says
Thanks Amy, I really appreciate your help and advice.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome!
Robin Ferrin says
I had one given to me and under each plant there are roots but holding them together it looks like skinny branches? is this a common thing?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, those skinny branches between your bromeliads are called stolons, and it’s how the babies grow from the mother plant. That way, the babies can still get nutrients from the mother as they work to grow their own roots, and become mature enough to eventually be separated and live on their own. You can think of it as an umbilical cord I guess, LOL!
Patricia Overbey says
hanks for the tips on the Bromeliads plant I bought it as my husband liked the flower has died & we now have 4 pups which are quite big I would like to transplant however I am not sure how to do this help
Amy Andrychowicz says
If your bromeliad pups are large, then they should have their own roots by now. I would remove the entire plant from the pot, and then gently brush the soil away from the base of the pups to make sure they have established their own roots. If they have, then you can loosen the entire rootball, tease the roots apart to separate the pups from the mother plant, and then pot them up into their own containers. If the pups don’t have any roots yet, then give it more time.
Billy Jones says
I have four Bromeliad plants they’re all doing really well but only one has pups why do the others not have any pups
Amy Andrychowicz says
Bromeliads usually won’t start to form pups until the mother plant blooms. So, if your bromeliads haven’t flowered yet, then that’s why they don’t have any pups.
Elizabeth Reichek says
Hi Amy,
This is the best site I have found on bromeliads. Thanks Amy!
I bought a bromeliad 1-2 years ago. It bloomed and looked great. After the flower died, the leaves were still green and healthy, so I re-potted it using potting soil (I didn’t know). Placed it outside on the porch in semi shade (I live in San Diego). It continued to produce more leaves and looked good even with no flower! About 6 weeks ago, a spike came out! YAY—what a surprise! It’s now grown to 24″ from the cup to top, which is far bigger than the original one was.
Now it has the the small hairlike blooms that you said was actually the flower blooming. They are yellow and the floral bract is red/pink. There are only a few of these yellow blossoms and some are brown and did not bloom. Should I be concerned about this? Also, do you think this flower bract is from the original flower—or did it come from a pup?
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome, thanks so much! 🙂
That is fantastic that your bromeliad has bloomed again, great job! You definitely live in the perfect climate for them, I’m jealous! 🙂 Some bromeliad varieties can rebloom, so it’s not totally uncommon. But the flower may have come from a pup too, it’s difficult to know for sure. Enjoy!
Lorna B Dyer-Maden says
Am a bromeliad novice…this is the best website about the plant that I have found! Hope mine gives me years and years of pleasure…it already has one pup growing
Amy Andrychowicz says
Wonderful, I’m so happy that your bromeliad is growing well for you! Thanks so much about the nice comment about the site, so glad to hear you’re enjoying it and have found this article useful! 🙂