Bromeliads - Removing the Flower - The Bloom is Gone - Now What?

A few months have past since you got your bromeliad, the "flower" was beautiful and added color in the right spot. You’ve held on as long as you could and now, that flower is fading, in fact it is getting ugly. The question is "The bloom is gone and what do I do now with the plant?"

Questions You Need Answers To:

• Do I cut the flower off?
• Will the plant die?
• Will it ever bloom again?

Do I Cut The Flower Off?

The answer is yes. The plant has finished its course and no matter what you try you’re not going to be able to make the flower "hang on". The varieties that you will have to do this on are the aechmeas, guzmanias and Vrieseas.

Take a sharp knife or a pair of your favorite pruning shears and cut off the bloom spike as far down as you can. You may not have any color but you can keep growing your bromeliad plant.

Will The Plant Die?

You can keep growing your plant just as you have in the past. It probably is a good time to give the leaves a cleaning with some clean water and a soft cloth.

The plant over time will begin to put out new plants or what we call "pups" from the base. These pups should remain on the parent plant until they reach a approximately 1/2 to 3/4 the size of the parent.

Now is also a good time to move the plant into some brighter light if possible.

Will The Plant Bloom Again?

The plant will never bloom again for the original plant. The new "pups" will grow up and they can flower if given enough care and light.

Remember that most of the bromeliads produced today never grow to their full size. When the plants reach about 3/4 their full size they are treated to flower and shipped out.

The treating is simply a gas such as ethylene (which is given off by ripening fruit) that will force the plant to induce a bloom.

Bromeliads are wonderful plants for indoor use that can add color to any interior. Sooner or later as B.B. King sang "The Thrill is gone" and the flowers must go, but the plants can still live on and provide you with indoor green.