Bromeliad Cuttings
Bromeliads are relatively easy plants to strike from cuttings (called pups), especially those which are like a vase plant (which is most of them). These plants can access water and food through their leaves indefinitely, this is one of the reasons bromeliads can survive growing on trees, roots are often only used to anchor the plants to the tree. The vase in the center of the plant allows water and food to last much longer so plants should be stored with vase up and vase kept wet all the time until they develop roots.
The pups may be stored unpotted for a long time, though it is usually best to pot them after a couple of days, ie. after the wound from separation has healed. The pups should be at least a third of the size of the parent plant when removed from the “mother”, as this maximizes the chances of the plant growing strongly after removal. Pups ¼ size or smaller can be removed, but this may result in the pup struggling or dying unless conditions are optimal.
The treatment of the pups will depend much on the species and its requirmenst, some can be tree mounted directly to branch, some require some packing on branches to allow roots to remain moits whist other may only be grown in potting mix. Plants in potting mix will grow much faster that tree mounted plants.
Pups should be potted into a pot which looks right to the proportions of the plant, if anything use a little smaller pot than what looks proportional. Most pups will grow well in a good quality potting mix, though some plants require different mixes. We usually advise adding 1/3 orchid bark to the mix to keep it open –which should suit the majority of bromeliads. Do not plant too deeply. You may use bamboo skewers or similar, in the pot beside the plant, to hold the plant securely in place until roots form.
The pups can usually be watered in with plant fertilizers or plant starters without side effects, as long as they are used at ½ strength. We have used Osmocolte and Nutricote in our potting mixes, and applied ½ strength liquid “flowering orchid fertilizers” (eg. Campbells and Peters) with good results. We have never experienced adverse effects when using these products, and they help the plants grow without the support of the mother.
Water the potted pups overhead when the potting mix feels dry, filling the vase and wetting the mix.
Note that some tropical bromeliads may need more care than the many other bromeliads which are very hardy in the garden so long as they are grown in the shade. Taking pups from these tropical plants may take more care.
