Rana Guzmania Bromeliad: Post-Bloom Care & Propagation

I have a Rana Guzmania received as a gift over a year ago in a 6-inch pot. Can I get it to keep blooming?

Expert Advice

Your Guzmania is a bromeliad—monocarpic, meaning it dies after flowering (slowly, over up to 3 years). Meanwhile, it produces 1–3 offsets (pups) to continue the species.

Propagating Pups

Wait until pups are ⅓ to ½ the mother's size (6–9 months). Remove soil at the attachment, pull or cut the pup away, let it air-dry a day, then pot in a small pot with peat-perlite mix. Keep damp, in bright indirect light, above 65°F. A clear plastic bag helps humidity for the first month.

Future Blooms

Offsets take several years to mature. Keep them tightly potted (≤6" pots), in very bright light, watered properly. At maturity, place in a clear bag with a ripe apple for 7–10 days—ethylene gas stimulates flowering.

If this is too much, just continue current care. Eventually the mother dies; remove dead leaves. You'll still have healthy green offsets, even if they never flower.

Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC
wcreed@HorticulturalHelp.com