Brom care

[bshmerlie]

Looking for the best techniques for healthy broms. How are you mounting them? How often do you water them? What about clay backgrounds? GS backgrounds? On cork? Etc...etc.

[poison beauties]

Pressing them into the clay background has by far beent he best way to keep them thriving though they will grow in any media will good drainage. They also do well under bright lighting and decent air circulation. Ive planted them in anything from hydroton to viv soil and sand at damp sand at one point. They will die off pretty quickly if planted in media that stays saturated in water. They also rot and melt away in higher temps when humidity is high,

Michael

[1beataway]

Pressing them into the clay background has by far beent he best way to keep them thriving though they will grow in any media will good drainage. They also do well under bright lighting and decent air circulation. Ive planted them in anything from hydroton to viv soil and sand at damp sand at one point. They will die off pretty quickly if planted in media that stays saturated in water. They also rot and melt away in higher temps when humidity is high,

Michael

Do you only know about broms, or do you have a green thumb?

[bshmerlie]

Question: Is there good drainage if they're pressed into the clay? You would think it wouldn't drain at all. My next build is mostly going to be clay. Also what is the best type of moss to grow on the clay?

[poison beauties]

Ive grown all kind of moss and riccia on clay with good success. As for the drainage issue with clay is that clay does not hold enough water to cause the broms to rot, like planting them in the viv soil at the base of the viv does. This is why most people use the broms in elevated place in the viv. Im going to be using another clay base in the new viv again and will be trying out planting ideas for larger broms in the base of the viv.

Michael

[wesleybrouwer]

It all depends on what bromeliad you like to grow.
There is a difference in care.
Just as with all plants, there isn't just 1 method for all of them.

Clay is a very compact material, allowing little air.
In my experience, most bromeliads like to be mounted in stead of planted in soil,
except for very loose soil which allow lots of air so the roots are able to dry.
The roots of most species are just for holding.
Most bromeliads thrive best, when you cut most of the excisting rootings,
just leave 2 or 3 roots in place and mount them on something like wood, cork or tree fern panel.
Mounting them with some wire or robe, some moss around it to keep it moist a bit untill the new roots will start to grow and get a hold.
Then you might get rid of the wire and moss as the plant secured itself.

There are some species that could be planted in soil as well, but most of them grow up in the trees.

The watering part, humidity, air movement and temperatures are specific to different kinds of bromeliads.
So when you know which species you like to keep, you can see where to put it best, according to it's needs.
Most of them don't like to be wet all the time, giving the oppurtunity to dry up, as for all plants, before lights out will prevent them from rotting.