Is there HOPE???

When I cut away the old and dying Mother plant, this poor pup starting looking
like this. The Mother plant was in pretty bad shape and very unsightly. I usually
wait as long as I can to give the pup a good chance of survival. The pup was the recommended one quarter size of it's Mom, (or so I thought), and it was so
buried by the larger plant that it wasn't getting hardly any light. So I cut off the Mother plant.

Have I killed it? Is there any hope of it coming back to health, or is it too late?

If any body has any advice about reviving this poor baby, I'd sure appreciate it.
It's a fourth generation, and I don't even know it's name. I've always wanted
one of these green & white striped Bromeliads, and when I finally ran into it I just had to have it. If this one dies, I hope I can find another one.

PLEASE HELP!!!

MY PHOTOS DIDN'T SHOW UP!!! I'M RE-POSTING THE PHOTOS NOW.


This message was edited Jul 9, 2014 9:16 PM

This message was edited Jul 9, 2014 9:27 PM

Hopefully my photos show up this time!!

I'd put it in the shade and give some time to recover, it doesn't look good.

I agree, perhaps a few hours of early morning sun or a few hours of very late afternoon sun, but mostly shade. I would repot the plant though. This large pot will simply hold too much moisture for too long. Bromeliads need hardly any moisture, other than in its "urn". I would put it in a 4-6" unglazed clay pot. Mist the plant daily but don't fertilize until you see healthy growth. This is an epiphytic, tropical plant.

P. S. I grow hundreds of bromeliads in NE Mississippi.

Ken

Thanks, It's just kind of left over in this big pot from the original rather large mother plant 4 generations ago. Can I cut away most of the old
"roots" and stuff and put it a smaller pot? Seems like I hear somewhere that after too many generations, it's just no good anymore.
Is that true?
I'm going to try to find a photo of the original Bromeliad.
Can you tell me the name?
I've always kept them inside in a pretty sunny room. Lots of windows. It's 106 outside here in Las Vegas, with NO humidity.

YAY!! I found it!!
Thanks so much,
Diane, (bluemerle)

This message was edited Jul 14, 2014 7:12 PM

I divide mine like every 2 years. I usually get two new pups per plant. If the pups have their own roots they can be cut away from the parent plant, if not you can just cut the old cup off the parent so there is more room for the babies to grow in the pot. I have had bromeliads that I have divided and repotted dozens of times. Since you end up with more than you started with I have given many away.
I usually mix the potting soil with small orchid bark and fertilize them when I divide them. They appreciate a little care and will bloom better if fertilized. Never buy a blooming bromeliad that doesn't have a pup to replace the mother plant!

Thank you for the information, but I think my pup is dead.
What did I do wrong? As suggested, I cut away the parent plant to give more room to the pup. I've been growing Bromeliads for about
20 years. I've never had this happen.

Has anyone come up with an ID for this Neuroglia?
This is what it used to look like....
The second pic is my Vriesea splendens that bloomed for the first time in 15 years. It had me worried at first because I couldn't find the new pup on this "upper-pupper".

Good advice, Domehomedee. That's what I tell folks when I lecture on bromeliads: "Look for the pups before buying bromeliads, particularly those in the big-box stores". Commercial growers force their plants to grow fast and bloom fast. Many times the plants simply don't have time to form pups by the time they are blooming. My guess, and that's all it is, is that one out of ten bromeliads in the big-box stores will have a pup. That's just been my observation.

I am sorry but I cannot ID your neuroglia. I only grow a few varieties, and there are now hundreds if not thousands of them.

I would get some orchid potting mix and put the little guy in a small pot with that...give him a regular misting and put him in the shade...looks like he's getting cooked! Bromeliads are pretty tough, he might recover. Don't give up! Humidity...not watering like a regular potted plant...and regular potting soil is not good for them..nice, airy bark, like they have atop a tree branch. Good luck!

Good advice, Karmatree.

Ken

I think the problem may have been lack of moisture/humidity. When Bromeliad leaves curl up it's an indicator of this. Winter indoors is particularly difficult since our heated air gets very dry. Although Bromeilads are epiphytes (no need for roots) they adapt (most do) readily to pot culture. But to keep the roots alive and working, you have to keep some moisture in the soil mix.Overwatering, especially in winter can lead to rotting. Just don't pot too deeply and water whenever the soil mix has mostly dried.

Yep, I agree with all you say, except the "no need for roots". Though bromeliad (the vast majority anyway) don't actually do much feeding through their roots, the roots do serve a purpose to anchor the plant, whether in a pot or on a mount. I keep water in that "urn" of my plants, allowing a little to overflow into the potting soil or into the roots that are attached to my mounts. You really can't overwater those that are mounted but you sure wouldn't want your potted ones sitting in saucers full of water.

Ken

You are quite right. I was thinking only about nutrition.

I knew you were, just didn't want anyone to think that there was no need for roots.

Ken