Guzmania
Enjoy it as a long-lasting flower: the colour lasts months, then the plant passes on to its pups.
Care
Bright indirect light; no direct sun.
Keep a little water in the central cup (changed every week or two) and the compost just moist; use rainwater or filtered water.
Small pot of free-draining bark-based or orchid compost.
Cut off the bract once it fades. The mother rosette flowers only once and slowly dies.
A very dilute feed occasionally in summer is enough.
Pups form at the base after flowering; separate them when they are about a third of the mother's size and pot individually.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- MaySeparate pups from the old rosette once they are a third of its size.
- JulyRefresh the water in the central cup regularly.
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- MaySeparate pups from the old rosette once they are a third of its size.
- JulyRefresh the water in the central cup regularly.
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilSeparate pups from the old rosette once they are a third of its size.
- JulyRefresh the water in the central cup regularly.
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilSeparate pups from the old rosette once they are a third of its size.
- JulyRefresh the water in the central cup regularly.
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Rosette browns after flowering.
What to do. Normal — keep the pups.
How to spot it. Central cup turns soft and brown.
What to do. Stagnant water or cold; empty the cup in winter.
How to spot it. Dry tips.
What to do. Dry air or hard water.
Questions
Guzmania: is it hardy?
H1a: True houseplant, needs above 15°C. It survives heated glasshouse.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — a houseplant in a small pot.
Guzmania: when do you prune it?
Cut off the bract once it fades.
Guzmania: when does it flower?
In the climate of UK it flowers in January–December.
When do you feed it?
A very dilute feed occasionally in summer is enough. Feeding months, UK: June, August.