Queen's Tears (Billbergia) Not Flowering: Light & Maturity Issues

I have a 5-year-old "Queen's Tears" (Billbergia zebrina) in a half-gallon pot. It gets a little less than filtered sunlight, occasional Miracle-Gro in spring. No flowers—only long banded leaves. Suggestions?

Expert Advice

Has it ever flowered? Like most bromeliads, they flower once, then produce offsets (pups) from the base. The mother plant only flowers once; pups flower when mature.

A mature Queen's Tears needs moderate pot-binding and lots of very bright indirect light. I suspect insufficient light. Move it to an east-facing windowsill with uncovered daylight hours.

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