Do Bromeliads Die After Flowering?

Flowering

• It takes from one to several years for bromeliads to reach blooming size, depending on the species. In the meantime, bromeliad foliage is usually interesting and colorful in its own right, so flowering is a bonus. When bromeliads flower, the flower stalk is long-lasting, often maintaining itself for months. Gradually the flower stalk will begin to lose color, turn brown and wither. You can cut it off the mother plant for tidiness.

Offsets

• After the flower stalk is finished, the stem of the plant produces one to several offsets around the sides or base. Allow these to remain on the mother plant for as long as it takes for them to reach one-third to half the size of the mature mother plant. The timing and growth rate of offsets can vary. Continue to care for the mother plant as usual, to support the developing offsets. When the offsets begin producing their own aerial roots, it's a good sign that they are mature enough to be removed from the mother plant.

Propagation

• Plant the harvested offsets in a moist rooting medium and wait for roots to form. Continue to care for the mother plant as long as you wish to harvest any additional offsets. Eventually, the mother plant will decline and die. The rooted offsets will grow and bloom in turn. The time to blooming depends on the species, but generally it is one to three years. Care for the offsets as you did the original mother plant, keeping the growing medium moist. For bromeliads with central water tanks, keep the tanks filled with water.

Long-Lived Bromeliads

• Some bromeliads don't die after they bloom. The genus Dyckia (Dyckia spp), native to Brazil, includes spiky, colorful plants that produce red, yellow or orange flowers on a thin stalk that emerges from the side of the plant rather than the tip. They grow on rocks or in the ground. Hechtias (Hechtia spp.) also grow in the ground, and are native to arid areas. They are armed with sharp spines along the leaves. Hechtias flower repeatedly, producing long, thin flower stalks from the sides or centers of the plants. Dyckias and Hechtias are hardy in USDA zones 8 through 11, with some variation depending on the species.