You have acquired a beautiful flower called guzmania (guzmania), and now you think what care is needed? First of all, it should be said that there are a lot of varieties of guzmania, and regardless of what kind of species you purchased, mix, tempo or minor rendo, for example, care for all flowers will be the same.
And of course, before you figure out how to care for such a flower as guzmania, you should remember a few features of this plant. Firstly, the native land of these plants is South and Central America, the rainforests, and no matter how many say that the hybrids of Guzmania are specially brought out for the apartments, nevertheless they will have to tinker with caring for them at home. Secondly, these plants epiphytes, that is, in nature are located on tree trunks, and therefore the requirements to the soil will also be special. And finally, guzmania is an annual plant (it rarely grows for several years), and therefore, along with caring for it, one should also think about its reproduction. But let's talk in more detail about how to properly care for guzmania, what to do first and what conditions need its normal development.
Composition of land, transplant and reproduction
So, at your home appeared guzmania, what should you do first? As with any other flower, you need to start taking care of guzmania from a transplant. Because they sold you guzmany in the land for transportation, and for normal growth requires a slightly different composition. The best option is a mixture of sphagnum, sand, peat and turf ground, we take all the components in equal proportions. Also this mixture can be found in shops with an inscription on the package "for bromeliads." And do not forget about the layer of expanded clay in the pot for drainage. By the way, you can leave the pot the same one you bought it in, large quantities of guzmania are not needed. But be careful, because guzmania epiphyte, then the roots of it are extremely tender, so that, transplanting, do not rush, so as not to damage the root system. The correct care for guzmania does not involve any more transplantation, except that for reproduction - after the death of the plant there are children, they need to be transplanted. Often babies are grown without dividing, but if such a need arose, then it should be done only after the formation of their own roots, after the death of the old plant. If you nip off the shoot earlier, it will die.
Care of the plant during growth and flowering
Since guzmania comes from the tropics, it will like warm moist air and diffused light. To create such conditions, the flower should be sprayed as often as possible (preferably every day) and removed from direct sunlight. If left in the open sun, then burns will not be avoided. Also, one has to say separately about watering, the classic one - in a pallet or the soil does not fit. Watering guzmaniyu need a rosette of leaves, so it is more familiar. Soil should only be slightly moistened. At the same time, make sure that the intensity of watering and
The optimum temperature for plant development is 18-24 ° C, but in winter it is desirable not to allow the temperature to rise above 20 ° C. It is not necessary to fertilize guzmany, in this area it is not at all demanding. The only thing that needs to be done if the flowering does not come to spring or summer, is to spread around the flower apples and cover the entire composition with polyethylene. Rotting apples produce acetylene, a gas that stimulates the flowering of certain plants, and guzmania, among others. You do not need to remove polyethylene until flowering. But until this point it will be necessary to ensure that apples are not covered with mold, if this happens, then the fruit should be replaced.