| How do you get bromiliads to bloom again or get their young to bloom? |
| Individual rosettes of leaves of most bromeliads bloom only once, but will continue to live for a year or two after the flowers fade. The young offsets can be potted up any time--use a very free-draining mix with lots of organic matter. Interestingly, in commercial settings, flowering is induced by treatment with various chemicals. You can mimic this at home with the daughter plants, once they've achieved their mature size. Enclose the plant in a plastic bag with a couple of ripe apples, leaving it tightly closed for about 48 hours. The ethylene gas given off by the ripening apples may induce flowering. It may take some time, so be patient. |
