Hey there, first time poster! So, I bought two bromeliad plants for a cheap price without having any houseplants at all, and a bad history with plants as a kid. They gave me *10* pups! all of the pups have been repotted and seem to be doing well, but I would like advice on wither they are doing well, and how best to look after them, as most guides online are simply about repotting.

They have been repotted at various stages and different dates, but all I think are under a year old. Every plant except two (two tiny new pups from a new plant) have come from the two Mama Broms, as I call them. Mama Brom #1 has finally decided to start her final death and was disposed of. Mama Brom #2 is still got some green in her.

The Pups are in houseplant soil (Westland Houseplant Potting Mix), they are in separate little pots and are living in an indoor greenhouse that has sun from the latter part of the day. I moved the bigger pups to the back recently and put the smaller ones in front for some more sun. They are watered with filtered water, and have not been given fertiliser for a long while (they have been fed Baby Bio for houseplants before).

Pupping is addictive!

[Also in the greenhouse; 5 non flowering orchids - meaning alive, some making new leaves, none have new spikes yet - 1 Arthurium that has gone HAM and looooves being in the greenhouse, a draconae that similarly loves the greenhouse and is actually gaining height, a fern thing I forget the name of. I did have a Chili plant in there, but he got too big!]

My opinion is that most of those pups were removed from their mother plants way too soon. Just my opinion. You might find more helpful information on the dedicated Bromeliad forum. @ScotTi, what do you think?

Ah, shoot, I only just saw the dedicated Brom area after I posted! I got conflicting images and advice from online sources about when to remove the pups. It doesn't excuse it, right enough, it's a learning experience. I'm curious as to why have some leaves that have turned red?

What you have done is fine and it seems you have provided an excellent environment for them. Be careful about soliciting more information. There are many ways to do what you are trying so you can expect lots of conflicting advice. You may be better off staying with what you know and what you have already had success with.

I don't agree. Taking pups off when very small and potting them in houseplant soil is kind of a recipe for rot possibly starting up. Pups that small generally do not have any roots. The usual rule is to leave a pup on the mother plant until its at least half the size of the mother plant. The pups draw pretty vital energy from the mother plant as the mother declines and finally dies. It may look unsightly as it occurs but it is the better cultivation method. Having grown hundreds of bromeliads of all different species and intergeneric hybrids for over 25 years, I don't think this advice is advice that would be considered inappropriate by other bromeliad enthusiasts.

Not to go off topic, but Gina's advice is also for Sansevieria (or cactus even). Some plants reproduce by pups that take time to develop their own roots and get large enough to survive on their own. In the meantime, they draw energy from Momma until they can survive on their own.

Well, now I am very confused I thought the pups were doing quite well, although I was curious about the reddening of some of the leaves of the bigger pups. Would clearer pictures help? None of the pups have died or rotted since I separated them from the Mama Broms (though I'm very well aware that 'not dying' is not the same as 'thriving'). Could more people chip in here? I would like all opinions, since I do love tending to the pups and want to do best for them

Unfortunately, what's done is done (I mean, you can't stick them back to Momma). I'm not sure on the reddening. They blush before they bloom, but those are obviously too young to bloom. Does that side get more light than the other?

You will get as many opinions as you have pups! Good luck.

I agree that some of those Brom pups look quite small to have been removed from the mother plant but hopefully they will survive and thrive for you. I don't grow them in soil so I can't offer more advice. I wonder if the leaves turning red on some of them might be due to lighting. I have some that get redder when grown in high light.

The only bromeliads that I grow in soil are ones that are planted out in the yard as landscaping plants. Otherwise a medium like orchid mix and sphagnum moss is better for cultivation in pots. And since they absorb water mainly through their leaves and the cup in the center of the leaves, you might mist them if you are keeping them indoors all the time. Your post header does not say where you live.

LadyChilli said:Well, now I am very confused I thought the pups were doing quite well, although I was curious about the reddening of some of the leaves of the bigger pups. Would clearer pictures help? None of the pups have died or rotted since I separated them from the Mama Broms (though I'm very well aware that 'not dying' is not the same as 'thriving'). Could more people chip in here? I would like all opinions, since I do love tending to the pups and want to do best for them

Do you have photos of the original mother plants? Do you know the type of Bromeliad that the pups were removed from?

I forgot to say LadyChilli

Gina1960 said: Your post header does not say where you live.

Gina, her microbadge is Europe.

WillC said:You will get as many opinions as you have pups! Good luck.

Will, What size are the pups when you remove them from your plants with success?
Just curious how a professional plant consultant and educator handles them.
What types do you grow?

plantladylin said:I forgot to say LadyChilli


Gina, her microbadge is Europe.

I had no idea what that meant! Thanks Lin!

Gina1960 said:

I had no idea what that meant! Thanks Lin!

Just an FYI (in case you didn't know), you can click on the badge and it'll bring you to another page that tells you what the badge is.

I didn't know what the badge was until I hovered my cursor over it.

plantladylin said:I didn't know what the badge was until I hovered my cursor over it.

On my ipad, I have to click on it instead.

ScotTi said:

Do you have photos of the original mother plants? Do you know the type of Bromeliad that the pups were removed from?

I bought them from a supermarket, the blooms from the Mamas are long gone, I'll try to find some archived pictures. I still have the mother of the two newest pups, she's healthy and has pups still on her as I had run out of potting soil, I'll take a photo of her!

EDIT: I don't seem to have photographs of the mamas, which is odd? They are definately Guzmanias, perhaps Guzmania lingulata.

Guzmania makes me even a bit more concerned now seeing the color appearing on the largest pups.
The leaf coloration will not normally appear until the plant has matured and is ready to begin the actual flowering on Guzmania. If you are up to carefully removing the larger pup from the soil and check for any root development.
Looking forward to seeing a photo of your remaining mother plant with the pups still attached.
Thanks for being patient and understanding answering my questions. I really want to help you and your pups and will give advice from actual hands-on experience.