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Guzmania Care And Propagation

Question:

I have a plant that has green spikes and then in a center there is a large group of colored spikes and it kind of looks like a pineapple. The center colored spikes are looking like they are dying. Should I cut this entire piece out of the plant? Will a new one grow? Please help. Thanks.

Answer:

Your plant is indeed related to a pineapple. It is a Guzmania plant and belongs to the Bromeliad family same as the pineapple.

Guzmanias flower for a long time but eventually the flower dies off. Unfortunately the whole plant dies as well. Most of them though produce small side-shoots that can be take off to grow new plants.
Once the center of your plant has died back remove it.

Repotting and Propagation Of Guzmanias

Take the plant out of the pot and gently pull off the side shoots with some roots. They can be repotted into fresh potting soil. Keep them in a shaded spot until they have re-rooted and spray regularly with water to keep humidity levels high. It might take two to three years for the new plants to produce new flowers.

Most of the time the plants get discarded after flowering. It is fun though to grow on the offsets and produce your own Guzmania plants.

Guzmania Care

Guzmanias like a bright, warm place with high humidity levels. Water the plant into the center of the leaves and spray with water. Feed them every two weeks.

You can also mount Guzmanias onto trees and branches. These plants are epiphytic and grow on trees in their natural habitats in Central and South-America.