Cheryl, I have several varieties now in bloom. Bromeliads have their own blooming cycle(s) and I don't know that there is a "trick", but mine bloom every year and sometimes twice a year. In my opinion the most important thing is to always keep water in the "urn" of the plant. Too many people only water the potting soil, but the potting soil watering is not important. Whatever flows out of filling the urn will trickle into the potting soil. In nature, drowned insects, rain-water, organic matter, and perhaps bird droppings feed the plants via the urn. You might have to add water every week during the spring, summer, and fall and then every couple of weeks during the winter months. I also fertilize my plants every-other-watering, but this is not a rigid schedule. I mix the fertilizer at 1/2 strength, but since there will always be at least some water already in the urn, the dilution might be closer to 1/4 strength. Since I grow 100's of orchids, I will either use orchid fertilizer, something like 8-12-20 or an epiphyte fertilizer, 17-9-26. General purpose 20-20-20 perhaps would do as well, but since I have these specific epiphyte fertilizers on hand, I just use them.
Now here is where I do things a bit differently than most. When the last danger of frost has passed and the night-time temperatures stay above 50 F, all my bromeliads (and mature orchids) go outside, hanging or sitting under oak trees. All my plants are already outside and will remain out until October. By now all the oak trees are fully leafed out, providing shade from 10 AM until 4 PM. My plants will get a few hours of early morning sunshine and/or a few hours of late afternoon sunshine. Is this necessary? I don't really know but I think EVERY plant does better if it spends some time outside.
Ken in Mississippi
