How to Care for Bromeliad Plant
- 1). Plant bromeliads in one-gallon, 5- to 7-inch diameter pots that have at least one drainage hole. Larger plants may require larger pots to prevent them from becoming top heavy and falling over.
- 2). Fill pots with a well-drained potting mix that is rich in organic matter for soil-based bromeliads. Use tree-fern bark or an orchid potting mixture for air plants and other bromeliads that usually pull their nutrients from the air and not from soil.
- 3). Set bromeliad plants in an area that receives bright, indirect sunlight such as near a south- or east-facing window. Too much sunlight may cause leaf yellowing or plant die-back.
- 4). Water bromeliads when the top 1 inch of soil begins to feel dry. Water from the top of the pot until the excess drains out the bottom. Provide humidity between waterings by filling the drip tray with small pebbles. Maintain a water level in the tray that is level with the top of the pebbles. As the water evaporates, it provides moisture to the plant's leaves.
- 5). Fertilize bromeliads once every two months from spring until fall. Apply a soluble, general-purpose houseplant fertilizer at half the label's recommended rate.
- 6). Repot bromeliads when their roots completely fill their current pot. Fill a pot that is one size larger than the current pot with potting mix then transplant the bromeliad into the new pot. Plant it at the same depth it was growing at in its old pot. Repot in late winter or spring before the plant begins actively growing again.