Viewing post #846693 by anmiller86

plantladylin said:Hi Amber, what a lovely Scarlet Star (Guzmania lingulata) I wonder if perhaps the browning of the leaves is due to a bit too much water? My eyes aren't the best but the soil looks to be fairly wet. Guzmania like high humidity and moist (but not soggy) soil and good air circulation. I know it's hard sometimes to find a proper balance, especially when growing indoors. Keep about an inch of water in the rosette/cup but be sure to empty it each week and replace with fresh water to keep it from becoming stagnant. The Scarlet Star usually lives five or six years but thank goodness they produce pups! The pups can be removed and potted up separately when they are about 3 to 4 inches in height. Plant them in a well draining potting medium and keep the soil damp.

The new growth you see emerging between the leaves may very well be another bloom stalk.

I do think that I've been watering it too much. I'm going to let the soil dry and just mist the leaves and check on the cup (which I just put water in) for a while until the soil is much less wet and soggy. My pup is tiny and cute, only about an inch for now so I think I've got a while for it to grow. I think I read that bromeliads are slow-growing. I am nervous to remove the pups but I have time to research to ensure I do it correctly.