Flower mother's heart how to care. Guzmania reproduction and care at home

Despite the popularity of the popular nickname “bottle palm”, it is very difficult to confuse the authentic bottle palm giophorba with its relatives. A real indoor giant and a rather rare plant, giophorba - it is one of the most elite palms. She became famous not only for her special, bottle-like barrel, but also for her very difficult character. Caring for giophorba is no more difficult than for ordinary ones. indoor palm trees. But the conditions will have to be chosen.

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Pie for Easter - home recipe a simple sponge cake stuffed with nuts, candied fruits, figs, raisins and other goodies. The white icing that decorates the cake is made from white chocolate and butter, it won't crack and tastes like chocolate cream! If you don’t have the time or skills to mess around with yeast dough, then you can make these simple holiday pastries for the Easter table. Such a simple recipe, I think, will be mastered by any novice home pastry chef.

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Savoy cabbage gratin vegetarian recipe tasty and healthy dish without meat, which can be cooked in fasting, as no animal products are used in its preparation. Savoy cabbage is a close relative of white cabbage, but it surpasses its “relative” in taste, so dishes with this vegetable always turn out to be successful. If for some reason you do not like soy milk, then replace it with plain water.

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Lean salad with avocado - light vegetable salad, which is suitable for lean and vegetarian menus. This dish can also be included in the diet menu, however, if you decide to part with extra pounds at the waist, then reduce the amount olive oil in dressing and take only half an avocado. Prepare the salad just before serving - chopped fresh vegetables lose taste qualities, the salad will become "wet" and tasteless if stored for several hours.

Guzmania (or Guzmania, that's also true) is easy to recognize from thousands of other indoor flowers, it is very bright and unusual. If you see on the shelf flower shop a bright red, pink or yellow star sitting in a rosette of long bright green leaves, know that this is it, Guzmania. Interestingly, in fact, bright petals are not part of the flower at all, they are bracts, and the flower itself, in the form of an ear, appears later. But even without a flower, with bright bracts, guzmania has a pronounced decorative effect, which is why it is sold in this form as a flowering plant. Bracts do not fade for a very long time, so one guzmania can please you for up to six months. And if you collect at home a collection of different types guzmanii, with different periods of flowering, you can admire them all year round.

Guzmania belongs to the bromeliad family, its homeland is South America, there it grows in moist forests. In the wild, you will not find this plant on the ground; it prefers tree branches, snags, stones. That is, guzmania is a real epiphyte, with an underdeveloped root system and requiring special care. Without preparation, it is almost impossible to guess how to properly grow Guzmania, because these plants come to us in pots with soil. And caring for this South American beauty as an ordinary houseplant is tantamount to targeted sabotage.

It's a paradox, but the fame of Guzmania goes like an unpretentious flower, although one can hardly say that about it specifically. There are really easy-to-care bromeliads, and an experienced florist or a beginner armed with detailed instructions care, which you can read below.

Types of Guzman

Guzmania has quite a lot natural species, new hybrids have also been bred that have greater decorative appeal. Plants differ in color of leaves, bracts, shape and color of flowers. The size of the outlet can also be different, but the shape of the leaves remains the same - they are long and pointed at the ends. Bracts in some species and varieties are strongly open, in others they are tightly adjacent to the peduncle. The flowers themselves have little in common, but in general it is an ear or a kind of panicle on a long and thin peduncle that emerges from the bracts. Bracts and flowers of guzmania can be red, pink, lilac, yellow, orange, white color. Leaves may be solid bright or dark green or variegated.

The most popular types of guzman

• Guzmaniya Tsana (Zana). close-up view, a rosette in diameter can reach half a meter, leaves with a red and yellow tint and with burgundy veins, stipules and flowers are yellow.
• Guzmania Donnell-Smith. The leaves are 50-60 cm long, closer to the middle and the peduncle have a red tint, raised up, the rosette is loose. Inflorescences of a complex, asymmetric shape, crimson and yellow.
• Guzmania blood red. The leaves are wide, the tips are twisted down. The rosette is neat, symmetrical, dense and flat; during the flowering period, the leaves completely or partially turn red in the middle. The peduncle is absent, flowering occurs in the depth of the rosette. There is a variety of tricolor - with variegated leaves.
• Guzmania mosaic. This species is famous for its variegated leaves. The rosette is large, up to 1.4 m in diameter, the leaves are rich green and horizontal white blurry stripes, the peduncle is of medium length, a simple red-brown spike with pink bracts and pale yellow petals.
• Guzmania Nicaraguan. Compact appearance, leaves up to 10 cm long, collected in a dense goblet rosette. The inflorescence is simple, bright red, it jumps out of the socket like a tongue of flame, the flowers are yellow.
• Guzmania single-eared. A lush and dense rosette, leaves up to 40 cm long, green, the peduncle is a simple spike, which is crowned with red bracts, the flowers themselves are white.
• Guzmania reed. The most variable species, has many color options. Rosette of medium size, up to 80 cm in diameter, lush, neat. Inflorescence contrasting, red, yellow, orange, yellow flowers.
• Guzmania rareflower. The outlet is medium in size, the leaves are long, thin, soft, the outlet is loose, not symmetrical. Peduncle tall, bare, red, shaped like a coral. bracts and small flowers yellow.
• Guzmania Samba. This species has an elastic lush rosette, the leaves are erect, looking up at an angle. The foliage is green, but the closer to the middle of the outlet, the more red and yellow shades appear. Bracts rich yellow with red ends, flowers sit in a rosette, yellow.
• Guzmania Wittmackii. The socket is rare, the leaves are thin, sometimes bent in half, a cold green hue. The bracts are green-lilac or completely lilac with white - color transitions look very nice.
• Guzmania White Snowball. A popular hybrid, one of the few Guzmanias with white bracts. The socket is dense, lush, visually the plant is very similar to the reed guzman.

Guzmania care at home

Temperature regime

To understand what temperature will be optimal for guzmania, one must remember about its homeland - the South American rainforests. There, all year round, our bromeliad grows at 23-25 ​​degrees Celsius, the temperature almost always stays within these limits, therefore, at home, stable temperature regime. With such moderate heat, Guzmania will actively grow, produce new leaves, bloom in time and give birth. V summer time a short-term increase in temperature to 33-35 degrees is permissible, and in winter a decrease to 18.

It is very important to find a corner at home where guzmania will grow without temperature changes, drafts, heat or cold.

Lighting

Guzmania loves bright light, so the plant should be placed as close to the light source as possible. Southern, eastern and large western windows will suit this plant, but the northern ones will be acutely lacking in light. At the same time, the plant will grow poorly, sometimes the guzmania seems to freeze - it does not disappear and does not grow, and often this happens precisely because it has little sun. On sunny windows, you need to make sure that the rays do not burn the foliage and delicate bracts. To protect the windows, shade them with tissue paper, tulle, matte film. Remember, Guzmania grows best in bright but diffused light.

Air humidity

Maintaining the required humidity at home is quite difficult, but possible. As you remember, this tropical plant, therefore, he needs high humidity, moreover, due to the fact that guzmania is an epiphyte, it is also vital necessary condition content. With low air humidity, Guzmania will not grow, bloom, and, most likely, will simply die after some time.

Humidity should be maintained at the level of 65-80%, in conditions ordinary apartment this is quite difficult to do - such humidity is characteristic of greenhouses, winter gardens. But there are some ways that allow you to protect Guzmania from dryness. The plant can be placed in a large vase or aquarium, line the bottom with moss, expanded clay and bark, and moisten the substrate regularly. When the water evaporates, the humidity around the flower will increase. It also helps to place Guzmania near any reservoirs, fountains, aquariums, air humidifiers. If your pet has begun to dry out the tips of the leaves, then she definitely does not have enough moisture in the air.

Watering

standard care indoor flowers Guzmania is not suitable, even fatal for her. This also applies to watering. Common mistake owners of this tropical flower - watering into the ground, directly into the pot and under the root. It is absolutely impossible to do so. As such, Guzmania does not have a root system; cultivation in the ground is unacceptable. Guzmania consumes moisture from the air, through the axils of the leaves, and only a small fraction through the roots. With high, greenhouse humidity, you can do almost without watering, only occasionally arrange "rain" for the plant. At average humidity levels, guzmania is regularly sprayed up to 3 times a day, and once every 2-4 weeks it is watered directly into the outlet. The space between the leaves should be two-thirds filled with water, do not be afraid that the water is in the sinuses - that's right. It is important to control that due to dust and dirt, the water does not begin to bloom and the leaves do not begin to rot. If the water evaporates quickly, then you need to increase watering, if it is, then simply replace it with fresh water.

For irrigation, use only soft, purified or long-term settled water. If you water guzmania with tap water, then a salt crust forms on the leaves, which will corrode them, lead to rust and rot, and the plant will die.

substrate

As already mentioned, guzmania does not grow in soil and any soil mixtures. It is correct to grow it in a special substrate for bromeliads or orchids. The basis of such substrates is tree bark, sawdust, moss, small twigs and moisture-absorbing fillers such as vermiculite or hydrogel.

Since the roots of guzmania are very small and fragile, they are planted in flat pots of small diameter. More than half of the pot should be occupied by drainage; large particles of the substrate can serve as them. A plant is installed on the drainage and the substrate is added. It can not be tamped, as the roots will be damaged by pressure. To make the substrate lie more tightly, you can lightly tap the pot.

It is necessary to monitor the moisture content of the substrate. Simple watering will not be able to nourish all its components, the water will simply leave through the airspace. It is necessary to give the bark and moss to be saturated with water, and then simply maintain them in this state. If the substrate is dry, then you should immerse the pot in water for several hours, and then let the excess drain.

You can grow Guzman without a pot at all. Experienced flower growers successfully imitate natural conditions and plant the plant on snags. To do this, the roots of the flower are abundantly wrapped with moss mixed with bark, and attached to a branch. It is better to take a snag with a loose texture, with cracks, bends and pits, so the Guzmania can cling to it. It is reasonable to keep such a structure in a greenhouse or place it in the very wet place in the house, for example, in the bathroom, provided that it is warm and has good lighting. Also, the composition can be hung on the wall, and a humidifier can be placed below.

Transfer

Regular transplantation of guzmania is not required. It is produced only when the substrate has become unusable and has begun to turn into dust. Or when the soil rots, the formation of mold, rot. Guzmania is carefully rolled over, trying not to damage the roots. When planting, a temporary support should be created so that the roots can master the new substrate. Due to the heavy rosette, the plant can simply fall on its side and fall out of the pots. When planting, do not deepen the neck of the plant, otherwise this will lead to decay and the formation of defective leaves.

top dressing

Guzmania at proper care and maintenance perfectly manages without additional dressings. At home, it is fed to stimulate and prolong flowering. To do this, use special fertilizers for bromeliads or complex for indoor plants, which are diluted in a concentration 5 times less than recommended on the package. Top dressing is carried out by spraying or watering into an outlet no more than once a month. Overfeeding for guzmania is fraught with impaired growth and development, diseases.

reproduction

Guzmanias are most decorative before and during flowering; plants appear on sale already with colored bracts, which indicates that the flowers themselves will appear soon. The end of flowering in guzmania occurs in the same way as in many other bromeliads - the maternal rosette dies. But untrained flower growers, not accustomed to such tricks, are sure that the plant dies completely, and send it to the trash can. However, this is not the end, but the beginning of a new cycle. When flowering ends, the main, maternal outlet begins to deteriorate, dry out, die, but “children” form in the center - new small outlets. So, a flourishing guzmania gives life to several new plants at once, which can be successfully planted and also brought to flowering.

When the bracts begin to die off, the plant should be moved to a more shady place, this will stimulate the formation of children. It is recommended to remove the peduncle so that seed maturation does not weaken the mother outlet. After removing the peduncle, watering into the outlet is stopped to avoid rotting. Wet only the soil and support high humidity around. After 2-4 months, the children grow up, build up their own root system - now they can be separated from the maternal outlet and planted in separate containers. To do this, use a sharp sterile knife or scalpel, moving down to grab maximum amount the roots of the baby are cut off, the cut is dried for an hour and planted in the substrate. Babies appear in waves, so cutting off the already grown ones, you can not throw out the maternal outlet, but wait for the new ones to appear. You can also not separate the young shoots, but leave everything as it is - guzmania grow well in close company, forming colorful exotic compositions.

At good care, rarely, but it happens that young guzmania bloom in a year, but usually this happens at 3-5 years of age.

Diseases and pests

Most often, guzmania suffer from scale insects that attack their succulent leaves. Pests must be removed manually, and then the plant should be treated with insecticides and the soil replaced. The plant is also attacked powdery mildew, spider mite, rust, rot.

Secret

If you want to cause Guzmania to bloom by a certain date, at the wrong time for it, then place the plant in a greenhouse (you can just cover it with a spacious light package), and put a banana or an apple next to it. These fruits release acetylene gas, which triggers the onset of flowering. Regularly change fruits to fresh ones, and the fact that the flowering process has begun will tell you the appearance of many small light leaves in the center of the outlet - these are bracts.

Guzmania, and to be precise - Guzmania - beautiful plant, which botanists refer to the bromeliad family. They are interested in both collectors and just avid flower lovers. It received this name in honor of the Spanish biologist A. Guzman. In the wild, this flower grows in some areas of India, America, Venezuela and Brazil. It can grow both in wooded areas and on open mountain slopes.

This evergreen plant is bright, most often uniformly colored, but it happens that there is a coloring in a strip - transverse or longitudinal. In its homeland in the wild, this plant in its upper part can reach a diameter of half a meter or more. Guzmania leaves, tightly fitting at the base, form a kind of bowl for collecting water, which is used to saturate not only the plant itself, but also many tropical birds.

The flowering period of guzmania is quite long, about 15-17 weeks, and all this time it attracts attention with its exceptionally bright orange, yellow or red color. How indoor variety of this plant, Guzmania Minor Rondo reed is grown, abbreviated as Guzmania Minor.

Despite the fact that this flower is of tropical origin, it is quite easy to care for it. In order for Guzmania to begin to bloom, it needs to create conditions close to natural, the temperature is above 25 and bright light. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that the plant is not under the direct rays of the sun, especially at noon. For already flowering plant temperature should not be below 12 degrees. Blooms in summer or spring, depending on the variety.

This flower must be properly watered: it is better if the water is rain, as the plant does not like hard water. In addition, you need to change the water in the central funnel, about once every 2 months and make sure that it does not stagnate. V winter period no need to water the outlet. Be sure to drain the soil and water it only when it is completely dry. This flower has root system weak, therefore, in no case should the soil be waterlogged, as the plant may rot.

In the summer, or if the air is dry in the room, the flower must be sprayed. To do this, you can dilute mineral fertilizers in water and spray the leaves, since the plant is nourished through them. Feeding the plant in this way is possible only during its flowering.

Due to the weak root system, guzmania is transplanted only when absolutely necessary. If such a need arose due to plant disease or acidification of the soil, the plant is transplanted into a small pot.

This plant propagates by shoots. The shoots are formed at the base. When the length of the leaves of the shoot reaches 7-10 cm and the rosette is sufficiently formed, it can be transplanted into light soil and kept in a warm place until it is fully rooted.

Blooming guzmania is a real charm, but caring for guzmania at home requires special attention. In order not to be disappointed, you need to know that caring for guzmania requires compliance with certain rules.

Lighting

It is best that the flower is in a room with access to the west or east side. In summer, direct contact should be avoided. sun rays. The most ideal for a plant is to be in partial shade. It is better to put it on a stand near the window or artificially create partial shade by covering the sunny window with a light curtain. If dark spots appear on the leaves of Guzmania, then these are most likely sunburns. They manifest themselves in the drying and twisting of the tips of the leaves or the entire leaf completely. It is urgent to remove the plant in the shade.

V winter time the flower can be left on the windowsill, however, it may suffer from drying out, since batteries are located right below it. If possible, it is better to move the flower to a room with windows to the south. With a lack of light, you can use an additional source - a fluorescent lamp, which is recommended to be kept on for about 8 hours a day.

Air temperature

The temperature regime for home care for guzmania should be close to the conditions of the South American tropics: high humidity with a fairly constant temperature (20-25 degrees in summer, 18-22 degrees in winter).

It will be ideal for a flower if in the summer you can take it out on Fresh air, to the loggia. In any case, always ventilate the room where the flower stands. This applies to any time of the year.

However, beware of drafts, Guzmania does not like this very much. Remember, if a flower gets into a draft, there will be diseases and problems with flowering.

Humidity and frequency of watering Guzmania

The care of the guzmania also depends on the room in which the flower is located.

Exists important rule v home care for guzmania: the dependence of plant moisture on the height of the temperature in the room.

• It's great if you maintain high humidity in the room. But this is not always possible, so spray the plant more often, 2-3 times a day. You can gently wipe the leaves with a wet sponge.
• In summer, in hot weather, it is recommended to water the plant daily. And in winter - rarely, no more than 1-2 times a week, and only the ground. Closer to spring, with an increase in air temperature, water may also enter the rosette of sheets. In the summer, in the heat, water should always be in the outlet - this must always be remembered when caring for Guzmania.
• As a rule, the intensification of watering coincides with the beginning of the flowering of the flower. However, in watering it is necessary to observe the measure: after all, excess water can give impetus to the development of fungal diseases or rotting of the plant.
• For irrigation, soft water is used, with hard water, limescale or stripes form on the leaves. If the tips of the leaves dry, then you should spray the plant more often with a spray bottle. It is also possible to leave water in the pan.

How to fertilize Guzmania

During the flowering period (March - September), the plant needs to be fed.

• You should buy a special fertilizer for bromeliad plant species, you can get by with a universal one.
• It is recommended to fertilize with caution, it is better to use a lower concentration than recommended in the instructions.
• Watering with top dressing should be no more than once a month directly into the plant outlet.

Guzmania transplant

Guzmania roots are very delicate, and can easily rot if watered heavily. To avoid this, the plant should be transplanted into a loose mixture of turf and sand (equally), adding peat and charcoal. Use a shallow pot, one-third filled with soil. When transplanting, it is forbidden to tamp the drainage, bury the plant deeply. You should be very careful with the roots, it is best to do not transplant, but transshipment, only lightly sprinkling the roots with soil.

The root system of Guzmania develops very slowly, so there is no need to repot it often.

Reproduction of Guzmania

The "baby" of the plant is formed during its flowering. The time comes, and the plant itself dies off, and by this time the young shoot reaches 10-15 cm already. It is important that the “baby” already has roots by this time so that it can develop separately in another pot. Thus, the death of the mother plant is a pattern of its development cycle.

A small plant is carefully cut with a sharp knife, after which it is transplanted into a special soil. Such a plant will bloom not earlier than in a year. In order for flowering to happen sooner, you need to create the perfect home care for guzmania: it is necessary to provide high temperature, bright lighting, and the use of special dressing for young plants.

There is a way in which you can achieve flowering of a small guzmania at almost any time. They create a kind of greenhouse for the plant: they put it in a bag, put a ripe banana (you can use an apple) in a pot, which, when rotting, begin to release a substance that accelerates flowering. Rotting fruits can be replaced with fresh ones. And so on until the first bracts appear.

Guzmania diseases. Pest Control Methods

The main enemy of the plant - mealybug, tick, shield.

• To prevent diseases, it is recommended to pre-wipe the leaves with soapy water.
• Rotting stem indicates rotting of the roots of the plant. To do this, reduce watering.
• The fungus of the plant appears as dark spots on the leaves. Get rid of it with a special fungicide solution.

Guzmania is a small treasure of the rainforests of South America. In the wild, it reaches a height of 75 cm, and at home it grows only up to 40 cm. Initially, it seems that home care for Guzmania is very difficult, but if you follow the rules described above , this flower will bring positive energy to your home, a sea of ​​​​positive. So, at least, it is considered from the point of view of herbal medicine.

Guzman home care video

Guzmania (Gusmania) is a very popular indoor flower who came to us from the rainforests of America. Long, evergreen leaves at the base and bright red bracts in the center of the plant look very decorative. Flowering Guzmania lasts up to 6 months. It is believed that by growing this exotic with his own hands, the owner becomes more generous, he develops a strong character. A flower is able to free your home from prejudice and bad energy, protect your family from conflicts. Gusmania perfectly purifies indoor air. It is often grown in offices, in offices where several people are located at once. But, only beautiful healthy plants have such properties. How to properly care for Guzmania at home and grow a flowering specimen in ordinary city apartments? This is our article.

Lighting and pot location

At home, the flower grows in the shade of sprawling trees, hiding from the direct rays of the sun under the branches. Therefore, the eastern and western window sills in our apartments are considered the most suitable for growing a flower. Guzmania prefers diffused light. On the southern windows, it will have to be shaded from the sun's rays so that the leaves do not get burned and lose their attractiveness. From burns, dry brown spots appear on them, and the tips begin to twist. You can find a place for a pot not far from the south window, on a bedside table or shelf, where scattered sunlight. On the north side of the house, the light will not be enough. Its bright bracts will eventually turn pale and turn green. The flower will lose its decorative effect. Bright diffused lighting is required for Guzmania all year round.

In the summer, Guzmania can be taken out into the open air. Find a place for her on the veranda or balcony, protected from rain, wind and sunlight. If there is no opportunity for walking, ventilate the room where it is located more often, do not allow stagnation and mustiness of the air. In autumn - winter, the flower does not need protection from sunlight.

rest period

This plant does not have a clear dormant period. When the time comes for a short daylight hours and low humidity in indoor areas, the owners of Guzmania arrange a forced dormant period for the plant. It lasts from October to February. At this time, watering is reduced to a minimum, do not spray, do not feed, reduce the temperature in the room to 18 - 20 gr. Lighting should not be reduced.. Even use an extra with a phytolamp or lamp daylight. The length of daylight hours should not be less than 8 - 9 hours a day.

Temperature and Humidity

Our tropical guest loves moderate heat and high humidity within 60 - 80%. The air temperature is considered comfortable within the range of 20 - 25 gr. in the summer and 18 - 22 gr. in winter. If the temperature will often drop to 16 - 17 gr. and below, the flower will refuse to bloom, it can even get sick with fungal diseases. Cold drafts are also not allowed.

Guzmania mainly absorbs water from the air with leaves, so the humidity in the room should be above average. Sometimes a flower is placed in the kitchen or even in the bathroom if there are windows. To increase the humidity, regular spraying of the surrounding air and the flower with clean settled water is carried out. On especially hot days, it is worth spraying 2-3 times a day. Often, wide containers of water are placed next to the pot to evaporate moisture. And the pot itself is placed in a tray with wet moss or expanded clay, just make sure that the bottom of the pot does not touch the water. In winter, wet towels can be placed on the batteries or air humidifiers can be used. Periodically wipe the leaves with a damp cloth from dust. But it is not advisable to use a special wax to give the leaves shine.

The higher the room temperature, the higher the humidity should be.

Lowering the temperature by walking a flower in a cool room or making drafts is not worth it, Guzmania does not like this. Although, light ventilation is sometimes worth doing.

Guzmania should be sprayed regularly, especially during the operation of heaters, which greatly dry the air in the room.

Guzmania is an epiphytic flower, moisture and nutrients it absorbs more from the air than from the soil, so we water the flower moderately, but often

In summer, during dry periods, the flower should be watered in the morning every day or every other day in a socket, and in autumn and winter, once a week in a pot is enough. Moisten the earth lump in summer only in hot, dry times. If Guzmania is watered like an ordinary indoor flower, it can get sick and die. It would be correct to pour warm water directly into the center of the leaf rosette of the flower, filling it by two-thirds.. Water for irrigation should be taken only settled during the day or filtered, as the plant does not tolerate the presence of tap water impurities of calcium and chlorine. After 15 minutes, all the excess water that Guzmania did not drink should be drained. If you do not remove the remaining water, the rosette will rot and the flower will die.

Sometimes, Guzmania is grown on a support - a bromeliad tree. Such specimens are periodically, once every 10 days, removed from the support and watered by immersing the plant in a basin with settled warm water until completely saturated. After that, the excess water is allowed to drain and the flower is returned to the support.

top dressing

During the period of active vegetation of the plant, in spring and summer, Guzmania should be fed. Especially when it's getting ready to bloom good food she needs. In the wild, epiphytes living on the roots and bark of trees, using a funnel-shaped rosette, independently collect water and nutrients for themselves (particles of organic residues from small insects, pieces of rotten foliage, soil dust). Together with water, this nutrition goes straight to the roots. At home, you yourself need to take care of feeding Guzmania. Fertilizer should be selected special, for bromeliads. You can use, as a last resort, a universal fertilizer for flowering houseplants. Then reduce the concentration by three to four times than indicated in the instructions. The frequency of feeding should be once every two to three weeks. Fertilizer must be liquid. It is poured into water when watering directly into the outlet. You should not fertilize an earthen ball - you will only burn the roots.

The flowering period of Guzmania is the most milestone in her life. Guzmania blooms only in the third, or even in the fourth year after planting. The plant has no stem. Long, dense green leaves, like belts, form a rosette, similar to a tall narrow glass. In the center of this rosette, during flowering, a single peduncle is formed, covered with more small leaves. At its top, colorful bracts are formed, which many mistake for Guzmania flowers. Their color is most often bright red, but in different varieties there are bracts of yellow, orange, lilac, even purple.

So Gusmania in nature attracts pollinating insects. The flowers themselves in Guzmania are not so attractive. They are small, pale yellow, located in the center of the sultan and exude a pleasant aroma. Flowering begins in spring, at the end of March and lasts from two to six months in different species. During this period, it is necessary to take special care of the plant, to maintain comfortable conditions his existence. Only then the flower strikes everyone with its splendor. After the end of flowering, Guzmania dies. At favorable conditions, she has offspring in the form of a baby.

Why does Guzmania not bloom at home?

Guzmania does not bloom, what should I do?

Sometimes, Guzmania does not bloom. What is the reason?

• Most likely, she is not satisfied with the conditions of detention. Most often, she suffers from dry air in city apartments. Spray the plant and the air around it frequently with a fine spray bottle.
• See where the flower pot is. In the sun and in the depths of the apartment it is equally uncomfortable - you need light partial shade near the eastern or western windows.
• Do not forget about the nutrition of your epiphyte. Moderate foliar feeding during the growing season can stimulate the plant to form a long-awaited peduncle. This is also facilitated by an ordinary apple, placed in a pot with Guzmania under a plastic bag for five days. An apple releases substances (ethylene and others) that can awaken a sleeping flower bud. You just need to make sure that the apple does not get moldy, so as not to provoke the development of rot. Apples should be replaced with fresh ones. You can use other cut fruits: bananas, pears.

If your Guzmania blooms, then you will admire its colorful flowering for several months. Spraying during this period should be carried out with great care, trying not to get splashed on the bracts - otherwise you yourself will shorten the flowering period.

The roots of this epiphyte are poorly developed, the plant can easily live in one pot for several years without replacing the substrate. Be sure to transplant Guzmania bought at the store from the shipping container into a suitable pot. The size of the pot should not be larger than the size of the shipping container. The pot doesn't have to be deep. At 2/3 of the height, it should be filled with drainage material, in which pieces of coal should be present to prevent the occurrence of putrefactive processes in wet soil. Although you will rarely water the substrate, you should not allow water to stagnate in the roots.

Get a substrate special for bromeliads or orchids. Loose, well-aerated soil is suitable for Guzmania. It is also possible to prepare the substrate yourself. It should have equal parts fibrous peat, sod land, moss-sphagnum and river coarse sand. You can also add a few pieces of charcoal there. Carefully remove Gusmania from the container and place it in a pot, without disturbing the integrity of the earthy coma. Do not deepen the root neck, this can cause the plant to rot and die. Sprinkle the substrate from the sides and top so that there are no gaps and voids inside the pot. Water Guzmania so that the roots adhere to the new soil.

Reproduction of Guzmania

Children of Guzmania

The most common method of propagation of Guzmania is with the help of shoots or children that form on the mother plant from the root after flowering. When the baby grows up a little, up to 15 cm in height, it will form 3-4 leaves and its roots, it is planted. To do this, Gusmania is taken out of the pot, the roots of the baby are carefully separated from the maternal roots. A young plant is planted in its pot as described above, under a film. Put in partial shade, in a warm place. Usually, Guzmania has one baby. The mother plant dies after producing offspring. But, sometimes, the flower does not die right away and forms one more, or even two children.

Video: department of children of Guzmania:

You can propagate Guzmania with the help of children that form in the axils of the leaves. Choose the one closest to the base. Give your child time to grow up. Then, carefully remove the flower from the pot. cut off outer leaves covering baby. Then cut off the baby itself. For rooting, put it in a glass of water (warm, settled, with the addition of activated charcoal and a rooting stimulant). In a week, tiny dark roots will appear. When they grow up, transplant the baby into a pot under the film and put it in a bright, warm place in partial shade. The mother plant should be returned to its place - it will continue its development.

Propagated by Guzmania and seeds. After flowering, Guzmania forms a kind of fruit in the form of a box in which its seeds ripen. For sowing, only fresh seeds are used, because they quickly lose their germination capacity. Seeds should be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Store-bought or self-collected seeds are placed for germination in a container with a lid. The substrate is prepared from a mixture of peat and sand. It is not necessary to deepen the seeds into the ground. Good lighting is required. Close the lid. Put in a well-lit place with a temperature of 22 - 26 gr. The substrate, if necessary, should be sprayed and ventilated. The first shoots should appear in three weeks. Seedlings dive in two to three months into small containers, and they are transplanted into permanent pots no earlier than after 6 months. As it was already written before, these bushes will form a peduncle only in three to four years.

Diseases of Guzmania

Guzmania rarely gets sick, only with a gross violation of the conditions of detention. If the irrigation schedule is violated, when the root system is irrigated with cold tap water, at low ambient humidity, diseases are inevitable. Here are some of them.

• If gray spots appear on the leaves, this is a fungal disease. gray rot. Treatment is carried out with fungicides. Read the instructions, you may have to process the plant more than once.
• Excess moisture in the leaf rosette can cause the flower to wilt, as well as rotting of its base and root neck.
• Lack of water in the outlet and too dry air in the room will cause the tips of the leaves on Guzmania to begin to dry.
• Sunburn leads to the appearance of dry brown spots and dried, twisted tips on the leaves.
• Spraying with hard cold water will lead to the formation of white limescale on the leaves.
• If the temperature of the flower content is too low, its leaves begin to droop and become soft.
• With excessive watering in the substrate, the roots may rot. You will have to remove the flower from the pot, remove the affected parts of the roots, treat the wounds activated carbon, smother them, and plant the flower in a new substrate.
• Sometimes Guzmania stops growing and does not bloom. Perhaps you have not fed her for several years, or she is growing in your dark place, she lacks lighting, or the air in the room is dry and her leaves lack moisture. If you provide her with proper care, your Gusmania will certainly grow and bloom.
• After the flowering of Guzmania, no children appeared. Perhaps you did not cut the peduncle, you waited for the seeds to ripen. And this process significantly slows down the process of formation of processes. If the flower lives, cut off the peduncle and wait for the babies to appear.

Insects - pests

Sometimes Guzmania attracts various sucking insects, such as spider mites, mealybugs and scale insects. They are easy to recognize by spoiled (sticky coating, thin cobwebs and various secretions) leaves of the plant. It is advisable to wipe the leaves with a cotton swab moistened with a solution laundry soap. The shield can be assembled by hand. And then, nevertheless, spray the flower with some suitable insecticide, such as Actara, Aktellik or Fitoverma. Check with the store and work according to the instructions. Also observe the multiplicity and number of treatments to ensure that all individuals are eliminated.

Conclusion

We have described in detail the rules of care necessary for growing Guzmania. If you follow them, then this tropical flower will grow without problems and will surely please you with a long and unusually beautiful flowering.

Video: How to care for a Gusmania plant: