I broke away 3 pups from my bromeliad guzmania early this summer. They were good size, I thought I had waited too long. They are doing great and already almost the size of their mother plant. Do you think they will bloom if I help it along using apples slices etc this spring? Or do you have other hints on making a pup bloom?

I couldn't bear to toss out the mother and just left her alone to live out her life in a small cup of soil. She is a little sad looking today so I went to toss her and found 3 more pups! It would be great to get these to bloom as pretty as the mother plant I was gifted last spring. Any hints??

Are you using the apples to produce ethylene gas? You'll have to enclose them in a plastic bag or something. There's a growth regulator, Florel, that you can use. You have to apply it when the plant is mature enough to accept the application. Why not wait until spring and see if some of them bloom on their own? Maybe you could try one or two with apples as an experiment.