Question
QUESTION: Hi Nick,

I recently received a bromeliad as a gift but I have very limited knowledge on how to care for it.  The type of bromeliad I have is a Silver Face or Urn Plant (Aechmea fasciata 'Primera).  

I have a couple questions.  The pink spikey part at the top, is that the bloom?  Shortly after I received it a lot of purple flowers started growing from it, then they all dried up and I picked them off.  There is now a small pup coming up from the mother plant.  Am I supposed to cut off the pink top or just let it be?  

Also, because the shoot is so tall it's leaning quite a bit in the pot.  Should I re-pot it?

Any information would be really appreciated.  It's such a lovely plant and I want to take good care of it but I have no idea what to do besides water it.  It's a strange plant.

Thanks so much.

Kelly

ANSWER: Hi Kelly, very easy plant to care for, the spike is the bloom, and when it fades it will usually pull out easily, if not, just cut off; if the plant is too big for the container then just lift the entire root ball and plant and put it in a bigger container at the same dept that it was planted in the original one. It will send out pups and this is normal, as it gets bigger, it may need to re contained again. Water it when needed,but don't give it wet feet, partial shade, morning sun and fertilized with a liquid fertilizer once every couple of months will be fine. If you want, separate the pups as they develop and put them in separate containers. The parent plant will die after blooming, the pups are the perpetuation of the species, and when separating, cut down into the soil and make the cut up against the mother, then lift the pup out (sometimes they have roots, sometimes they don't) and put it in its own pot. Nick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Nick,

Thanks for your reply.  I have a few more questions if you don't mind.  So the pink spikey part is the bloom.  How will I know when it fades? Will it dry out like the purple flowers did?  When you say the bloom will pull out easily, does this mean just the pink part or the whole shoot it's on?  

It's been in bloom with these pink spikes for months now.. probably 4 months or so.  So it's inevidible that the whole plant will die now, and the only thing to do is re-plant the pups and grow a new one?  Is that right?

How big should the pups be before I cut them and re-pot?

Thanks again.

Kelly

Answer
Kelly, the plant will take awhile before it declines, even after the blooms fade; the blooms will discolor and the spike will begin to flop over, this is the sign of decline to watch for, eventually the bloom/spike will begin to discolor and even shrink in some cases, if it doesn't pull out easily and it is aesthetically displeasing, then just cut it at the base to remove it. Again, the mother will last quite awhile until it too will begin to fade, this is when you can allow it to fade and just let one of the pups develop, or if you have numerous pups, you can sever them once they have developed into a smaller version on the parent plant. After the parent plant declines to a state of disarray, then cut it at the base to remove it, leaving the pup to fill the space, the pup will still be attached to the parent and this is normal, for it will grow quicker attached, then the ones you detach and move into another container. Nick