Guzmania flower - plant care at home

A distant relative of the pineapple, the guzmania is a herbaceous plant in the bromeliad family. It is native to the forests and mountains of South and Central America, primarily in the Americas. Its exotic appearance has been the main reason for its popularity. Today, the guzmania is widely grown indoors, requires simple care, and delights gardeners with its vibrant inflorescence and rosette of wide-spreading leaves.

Characteristics of Guzmania and species diversity

There are approximately 120 varieties of this plant. They differ in size, living conditions, and the color of their leaves and flowers. Some species grow as epiphytes, while others grow in soil.

General features

The flower is a spreading rosette of elongated leaves, with a brightly colored inflorescence at its center. Contrary to popular belief, the bright foliage is not a flower, but a bract, whose purpose is to attract pollinating insects, as the plant's flowers are small and inconspicuous. Only mature guzmanias, those 2-3 years old, bloom. The flowering period lasts no more than 3 months. Guzmanias, like all bromeliads, bloom once in their lifetime and then die.

It's a heat-loving plant, with the ideal temperature for growth considered to be 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) and high humidity. Among the many species, several are particularly popular for indoor cultivation.

Guzmania Donella-Smithii

This species is easy to grow. Gardeners especially love it for its bright yellow leaves. It has elongated green leaves covered with pale scales. The leaves reach 60 cm in length.

The plant is native to Costa Rica and Panama. In the wild, this species is self-pollinating, making seeds relatively easy to obtain. They are dispersed by the wind over long distances, facilitating rapid spread. It typically blooms in April. The peduncle is erect, and the red, pyramidal flower stalk is shaped like a pyramid.

Zana (Tsana)

It is extremely rare to grow indoors. It is large—leaves reach 70 cm in height—and are either green-yellow or green-red with red veins on the surface.

The stem leaves are also red, and the flower and bracts are yellow. Zana is native to the tropical forests of Colombia.

Blood red

A small plant, reaching 30 cm. The leaves are quite wide, curled downwards, and turn bright red during flowering.

Yellow flowers are borne on short stems, with up to 12 flowers per inflorescence. It blooms in spring and summer. It is native to Ecuador, Colombia, and Costa Rica.

Mosaic

A distinctive feature of the mosaic guzmania is its leaves – long, up to 70 cm, and quite wide.

The light green leaves are covered with dark stripes. The flower stalk is bright pink, and the flowers are white and yellow. Native to Panama and Colombia.

Nicaraguan

It has small, pointed leaves that resemble a tongue. The underside of the leaves is covered with small scales. The plume is bright red or reddish-brown; the small flowers are usually orange.

The total height of the plant, including the inflorescences, rarely exceeds 15 cm. It blooms in the second half of spring. Its historical homeland is Central America.

Single-eared

The inflorescence of this guzmania species resembles a spike topped with white flowers. The leaves, up to 40 cm in size, grow densely, forming a dense rosette. They are yellow-green in color, becoming brighter toward the tips.

Due to the density of its petals, this variety requires replanting more frequently than others. This single-stemmed variety is widely found in the forests of northern Brazil, India, Peru, and Nicaragua.

Lingual

The most common indoor variety. It has bright green leaves, sometimes striped, bracts that are usually orange or red, and white flowers. The ligulate guzmania grows to around 40 cm in size. This variety is quite widely represented, with up to 10 varieties, differing in leaf shape and bract color.

The most common varieties are bright red, pink, orange, yellow, and purple. Depending on the subspecies, the guzmania blooms at different times, including both winter and summer. Typical habitats include Bolivia, Brazil, and Honduras.

Features of home care for guzmania

As a vibrant tropical plant, guzmania requires a tailored approach. Humidity, lighting, temperature, and soil conditions are key to successfully growing it indoors. If all requirements are met, this beautiful houseplant can add a special touch to any interior.

Lighting

One of the main secrets to successfully growing guzmanias is maintaining proper light conditions. The plant thrives on plenty of light, but direct sunlight is not recommended, as sunburn is common.

Diffused light and partial shade are considered ideal. To achieve this, place the pot on the west or east side, and only in winter is a south-facing window suitable for guzmania. During the cold season, the plant may lack natural light. In this case, artificial light sources, which can be placed near the pot, come in handy.

Temperature and humidity

A temperature of at least 15°C and humidity are ideal conditions for the plant. In summer, the plant thrives at 25°C, while in winter, the temperature should not drop below 15°C. It's important not to let the temperature drop, otherwise guzmanias are at risk of disease.

Tropical forests are areas of high humidity. Therefore, maintaining humidity in your home is essential.

Watering and fertilizing

The correct watering for guzmanias is not through the soil, but through the leaf rosette. Typically, only on particularly hot days should the soil be moistened from above. On other days, water should be poured into the rosette and left for a few minutes. During this time, the plant will absorb all the necessary moisture, and the remaining moisture can simply be poured out.

Watering frequency depends on the season. During warmer months, water once every two days; in winter, water less frequently—up to once a week. Guzmanias don't like overwatering; they prefer slightly dry soil overwatering.

For fertilization, it is recommended to use ready-made nutrient mixtures available at flower shops. When choosing a fertilizer, be sure it does not contain copper or bromine.

Fertilize the plant once a month from spring to early fall. Place the fertilizer into the rosette during watering or spray it on the leaves. It's important to dilute the fertilizer to approximately twice the recommended strength on the packaging.

Diseases, pests and methods of control

This tropical beauty is susceptible to more than just pests. It also faces fungus, white chalky growth, and root rot. The most common pests are spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects.

Mealybugs are pests that inhabit the root zone and foliage bases. By damaging leaves, they cause sooty mold to develop. As a result, leaves may turn yellow and stunt growth. To combat this problem, we recommend:

• wipe the leaves on both sides with a sponge soaked in a solution of laundry soap,
• water the soil with pest control products.

Scale insects affect leaves on both sides. They look like dark bumps. Leaves affected by scale insects turn yellow and die. Treatment includes:

• remove pests with a sponge soaked in Actellik solution;
• spray plants with a solution of this preparation;
• water with insecticide solution.

Signs of spider mites include yellow spots on the leaves. Affected leaves turn yellow and die. Control involves treating the leaves with a soapy solution followed by spraying with an insecticide such as Oberon or Sanmite.

How to propagate and transplant guzmania at home

Unfortunately, guzmanias don't bloom forever. They die after their blooming period. However, proper propagation will allow you to grow more than one generation of these beautiful flowers.

Propagation by shoots

So, after flowering, the main plant dies. Numerous offshoots, or "pups," appear on its sides. These can be replanted to grow new flowers. It's important to wait until the offshoots develop small roots and then carefully separate them.

The resulting bushes are planted in individual pots. The containers are placed in a warm place, creating a greenhouse effect. To achieve this, cover the pot with a plastic bag or glass container. This allows the plant to adapt to the new conditions more quickly. Over time, the grown plants are moved to conditions familiar to mature guzmanias.

Seeds

To propagate guzmanias from seeds, you need to prepare suitable soil. Typically, a ready-made bromeliad soil containing peat and sand is used. The seeds are washed in a potassium permanganate solution, thoroughly dried, and placed on the surface of the substrate without burying them—the seeds require light to germinate.

Cover the surface of the container with soil and seeds to create a greenhouse effect and place it in a warm place. Periodically, they should be ventilated and the soil should be misted.

After two weeks, the first shoots appear, and at the age of 2-2.5 months, the seedlings are transplanted into new soil consisting of peat, leaf soil and turf.

When the seedlings are six months old, they are transplanted into permanent pots and grown in their usual conditions. The resulting young plants will not flower for a long time – approximately 3-5 years.

Selecting soil

Once purchased, guzmanias require repotting. A typical soil for good growth and flowering is a mixture of turf, sand, peat, and moss in equal parts. Drainage should be placed at the bottom of the pot; expanded clay can serve this purpose.

Transfer

Repot the plant only after purchase. Choose a small pot, fill it with potting soil and drainage. The pot's size is determined by the plant's weak root system.

Guzmania is a massive plant. If placed in a small pot, it can easily tip it over. To prevent this, it's best to weigh down the container or place it inside another container.

The tropical beauty is repotted using the transshipment method: the plant, along with a lump of soil, is carefully removed from the old container, placed in a pot with drainage and a small amount of soil, and then sprinkled with the remaining soil on top.

Frequently asked questions about care

If the conditions aren't met, houseplants can die. However, the long, vibrant blooms, fresh foliage, and attractive appearance of guzmanias are the result of the gardener's meticulous work.