Some people have a natural knack for growing plants. They just seem to know what to do and do it. My friend, Bob is one of those people and this is his gorgeous bromeliad, a Neoregelia 'Van Dourme'.
He's had it for eight years and you are seeing the mature suckers that grew up after the mother plant died back. That is supposed to happen and the way that bromeliads grow and propagate in nature. If well taken care of, the mother plant sometimes lives for several years, as it did under Bob's care.
Bromeliads are one of the most interesting and easy to keep of the blooming plants that are able to live indoors. Neoregelias are grown mostly for their colorful foliage as they don't have showy bracts like some other bromeliads do.Their bright beauty can grace almost any room. The Neoregelia's flowers are tiny and sweet, and they bloom in the center nest; if you look closely, you can see some sprouting up on Bob's plant.
Care Instructions:
- Bright indirect light or some filtered sun. A north facing window can be ideal.
- Water when the top of the soil media is dry. They are usually sold in 6"pots (15 cm) and require about 2 cups (or almost 1/2 liter) of water when necessary. You will probably find they need water between one and two weeks.
- Factors such as room temperature, the amount of sunlight available, and how much of a root ball they have, will affect how often they need watering. This is true for all houseplants.
- They like a little water kept in their "cup" which is the center of the rosette.
- They do appreciate some humidity by misting or another means but are usually quite tolerant of normal home humidity.
- The Neoregelia can be propagated from suckers or "pups" which are young plants that will start to sprout out on the outside of the mother plant.
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*To see a short video clip on bromeliads from my 90's TV series, click here:
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