Aechmea fasciata: Growing Guidelines
Author: Melanie Dearringer26 Comments
Care and Culture, Classification
This article provides information on the specific growing guidelines for Aechmea fasciata bromeliads.
- Light: Bright light from an east or west window.
- Temperature: In summer, plants enjoy moving outdoors, provided temperatures range between 70 to 85 degrees F (21 to 30 degrees C). In the fall, winter and early spring, average room temperature should be between 65 to 75 degrees F (18 to 24 degrees C).
- Fertilizer: In the summer, feed monthly with a liquid plant food diluted to half the normal strength. Spray it on the leaves and fertilize the roots. In the winter, feed plants every other month.
- Water: Flush the water in the reservoir regularly, at least every 10 days. Lightly water the roots weekly in the summer, and less often in the winter. Do not allow the roots to dry out completely in any season.
- Soil: Orchid potting soil or a bromeliad mix work great! For more information on soil, take a look at this bromeliad soil article.
- Repotting: Repot young plants annually in the spring, as needed, until they fill an 8-inch pot. Longevity: Plants mature in 3 to 4 years.
- Propagation: Divide and repot offsets when they are 4 to 6 months old and at least 6 in (15 cm) tall. For more information on bromeliad propagation, get our free Guide to Bromeliad Pups.
- Selections: In addition to the green-leafed form, ‘Purpurea’ features leaves blushed with maroon, and ‘Variegata’ has creamy longitudinal stripes on the leaves.
- Display Tips: Grow Aechmea fasciata in its own pot near plants with lush green foliage, such as ferns or flowering houseplants that need abundant light. Young pups can be mounted on a piece of wood for one season.
Source
Aechmea fasciata photo credit: westpark via http://www.flickr.com/photos/west-park/1042563779/
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26 Responses to “Aechmea fasciata: Growing Guidelines”
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my bromelaid fasciata is drooping and it looks like it is dying what should I do?
u right
do these bromeliads bloom continuously or do they only bloom once in thier life and then produce pups? How long does the bloom last?
Thank you for your time.
My bromeliad aechmea fasciata doesn’t look like its dying but it is definetly leaning on one of its vase leaves. It does not stand in the middle like the pictures I have seen. It looks healthy and I take good care of it. Any advise on how to get it to stand centered or is this just natural?
It might have root rot.
It is a perennial and herbaceous plant, meaning it lives throughout the year, but its leaves and stems die back. So this could also be the case. It can also get a fungus but i dont think that is as common.
aechmea could you please give a phonetic pronounciation/representation as much as anything to settle an arguement with Mrs. W.
Also is this a good time to pot up pups please?
Ack-may-ah or Ack-mee-ah 🙂 I (i’m sorry for the capital letters)
I have purchased a Bromeliad and will Miracle Grow Potting Soil work for this plant if I don not have Orchid Potting Soil?
I have learned not to use regular potting soil. It will immediately cause root rotting. Please do not let it dry it out or it will die as well. They said it was so easy to take care of I’ve managed all plants my orchids are beautiful. For some reason my Fasciata dies I killed two with too much TLC and the last one I bought I’ve had for four months and I’m crossing my fingers as they seem all normal and then bye bye lol.
I HAVE THE PINK ONE WITH THE LITTLE PURPLE BUDS. I TRANSPLANTED THE PUP WHEN IT WAS 1/3 THE SIZE OF ITS MOM. THE MOM LOOKS DROOPING AND HER FLOWER IS NOT AS VIBRANT. IS SHE GOING TO DIE? SHE IS FACING THE WEST IN A NICE WINDOW. SHE IS IN A 6 ” POT. WILL SHE DIE OR JUST RECOVERYING FROM HER PUP BEING TAKEN?
Kimberly, the mother plant will eventually die. This is normal. Pups are a way of continuing her legacy.
Also, yes… never use regular potting soil or miracle gro. any potting soil that has any type of moisture retention will kill your Bro causing root rot, fungus gnats (which also cause root rot by the gnat larvae eating the roots). It is important to remember that Bromeliads are epiphitic like Orchids. EXACTLY like orchids. They take the same soil and desire to be treated the same way. When is comes to basic care: watering (water ONLY bracts of plants. NEVER soil), humidity (mist every day. Bros are from the rain forests), temperature (65-90 degrees f) and light. Moderate to bright, always indirect.). Aechmeas are beautiful and so very special. When in bloom, they can become VERY sticky so be careful when handling.
It is VERY common for these plants to become heavy and lean. Do not be afraid to put a counter balance in the pot – or – give the plant something to lean on. I placed My Chiantii in a much larger pot so her base bracts have something to lean against. She also leans against the wall. 🙂 – I have also put chopsticks in the pot for plant to lean on. Aechmeas do well together. You can put them in the same pot to lean against each other, but be careful of the spines!!
I have over 30 Bromeliads – I keep all of my pups – and 12 varieties. I am so glad I found this place!! I have no one to talk to about Bros. Here in Maine, there are not many tropical growers!
Hey Katrina Im in Maine too! My bromeliad has given me 4 pups and shes now a granmother, one of her pups is shooting up a pup! Id love to get more advice if you have any!
I am learning
aechmia fasciata
I have had trial and error with bromiliads so.here is some tips . If you do not have orchid poting soil you can take some bark off a tree (I used a screw driver and hammer ) or mulch since they grow on trees in the wild ,mix it with rocks and some dirt. I only water my bromiliad once a month in doors because it can get root rot easy evan planted in orchid soil or rocks. You can cut pups off of the mother when they are 2 inches or wen they start poping up through the soil if you want to keep the mother plant take the pups off or you can leave one attached and she will do ok. But the pups take the nutrients from mom
I have had my pink bro bloom every year For 7 years from the mother so I’m not sure why they say they only bloom once in there lifetime I just take the pups off of her.
Wow! I just learned so much about my plant by reading through these comments. I came looking cuz I just got done watering mine and noticed that the mother as you all call her seems to be dying! Her color has diminished to almost nothing! From the comments, I realize that I have a baby (maybe two) that have grown. I also didn’t use the proper soil when she was repotted into the 5″ pot (wrong, too).
Do you guys think that if I fix everything, will I have a good chance at saving my Bro? I know I have a LOT OF WORK to do however, I’m willing to save my girl!! Please help. I want her vibrant pink/purple color back!!
I just bought a large Aechmea penduliflora bromeliad to plant in my yard in Hawaii. It is very dry in the area we live and I have an irrigation/sprinkler system to water things every day. From what I understand I should set up a sprinkler to water the leaves rather than the roots. Other than using orchid soil I don’t know what else I should do with the planting area since it will be outside in pretty full sun rather than in a pot indoors. Any suggestions?
I may have over watered my Brom’? Pls help. I just noticed that the base of my brom’ is looking a bit like it could be soggy brown. I am worried I may have put too much water in the cone. Could the bottom of the trunk have rot? I dread to loose it, I only have had it for a month.
I bought a blooming plant almost a year ago and it still has the beautiful bloom. How long does a flower typically last? It is producing a pup now…very small. Any suggestions for the future?
Wait until the pup grows to at least 1/3 of the mother plant before removing it.
I have Aechmea Brom. It is planted in a miracle grow mix. It is a year old and has two pups. If you keep them dry they still do fine. They were kept in my garage in the winter. I am in Virginia we do have cold Seasons. I kept it dry very little water and it did awesome.
Had my Bromeliad for years producing one plant at a time, This year I have 5 flowers! Why this year??
My aechmea fasciata is very healthy in a pot, but I want to transplant it into the garden. Will it tolerate full sun? I live in Queensland, Australia, in the sub-tropics where the winters are very mild. However it does get quite hot and very humid during summer. I have the perfect spot for it, but need to know if this variety will tolerate full sun.