Not to worry, Planto. Keep in mind that in nature, the mother plant is never "removed". She just slowly dies back as the pups grow. For me at least, I remove the mother plant when she becomes un-esthetic. Thus, her removal is purely a personal thing, not one of necessity.
P. S. I have well over 100 bromeliads. Here is one with a spectacular bloom, and this plant now has five bracts on its stem. There are no pups yet. This is a Vriesea variety, also called a "Spear Bromeliad" or "Arrowhead Bromeliad".
