What is a guzmania, what does the flower look like, and how to care for it at home

Guzmania is a spectacular tropical flower that can grow not only in the ground but also on other plants. This evergreen epiphyte has over a hundred species and is actively cultivated by gardeners worldwide. Guzmania attracts indoor gardeners not only with its striking appearance but also with its long-lasting blooms.

What does a guzmania look like?

Guzmania is a herbaceous plant from the bromeliad family native to tropical South America. This unusual flower thrives in humid climates, but can also be found on mountain peaks.

The guzmania's leaves, located near the base, overlap each other, forming a kind of receptacle. This receptacle collects water, which the plant uses for its own purposes. Birds and animals also drink this water.

Description of Guzmania:

1. Bush. Height – up to 75 cm, width – 60 cm. When grown indoors, the maximum height of the bush is 40 cm.
2. Leaves. They form a rosette resembling a pine cone. The leaves can be solid or striped. The length of the leaves can reach 70 cm.
3. Flowers. Small, inconspicuous flowers, gathered in spike-shaped inflorescences, are framed by vibrant bracts. The bracts can be a variety of shades—burgundy, lemon, red, orange, white, and others. This creates a beautiful contrast with the rich green leaves.

Flowering begins in March or September, between the 2nd and 5th year of the plant's life. It lasts for about six months, and after 6-12 months, the flower dies. In the final months of its life, the plant produces offshoots. These rosettes are separated and potted.

Types of Guzmania

There are about 120 species of guzmania growing in the vast expanses of South America, differing in size, color of leaves and bracts, and duration of flowering.

Varieties of Guzmania:

• Ligulate. Bright green leaves up to 50 cm long. The underside is covered with brown stripes. Rosettes are dense, peduncles are short. Bracts are red-orange. Flowers are small, white. Popular hybrids are Minor and Tempo.
• Conifera. Its flower stalk is crowned with a bright cone-shaped knob, easily visible from afar in wild forests.
• Nicaraguan. This compact flower fits easily on windowsills. The leaves are light green, brown on the underside, and the bracts are lemon-colored. Blooms are profuse but short-lived.
• Blood-red guzmania. It has a wide rosette with partially red leaves. The inflorescence is located within the rosette, not on the peduncle.
• Single-spike. One of the most decorative varieties. Distinguished by its unique inflorescence structure. The peduncle, green at the base, gradually changes color, becoming a bright scarlet.

Among flower enthusiasts, the option of growing multi-colored guzmanias together (in the same container) is very popular - the result is a bright and spectacular mix.

How to care for guzmania

Guzmania is a capricious plant. Due to a lack of sun and humidity, it is unable to grow to its natural size. Caring for guzmania at home doesn't require much attention. Focus should be on creating favorable conditions.

Where to place the flower

This tropical flower thrives in dappled partial shade. The best location is a west- or east-facing window. In summer, avoid placing the plant on south-facing windowsills. Midday sun is especially dangerous—the flower will inevitably get burned, and its vibrant bracts will fade.

Guzmanias can be placed near a south-facing window from October to February. This plant tolerates being moved easily. To ensure the plant thrives, the room should be ventilated occasionally.

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Temperature conditions

The flower is a heat-loving plant, but dislikes stifling heat. Its temperature requirements match the natural conditions in which it thrives.

Temperature regime features:

• the optimal summer temperature for its growth is 20–25 °C, winter temperature – 18–20 °C;
• cold temperatures below 15°C are not allowed - the flower gets sick and refuses to bloom;
• The plant can withstand temperatures of 13 °C, but not for more than a few hours.

Guzmanias should not be exposed to high temperatures (over 27°C) for long periods of time. The plant may die.

Humidity

To grow and develop normally, guzmanias require high humidity, a reflection of their tropical origins. The plant is moistened daily by sprinkling water on its leaves.

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In its natural habitat, the water is very soft, so the plant reacts extremely negatively to tap water. The leaves become coated with a white film after being sprayed with such water. Therefore, only filtered, distilled, or settled water should be used for irrigation.

Soil and pot

The plant requires a special soil mixture for bromeliads. You can make it yourself by mixing bark and charcoal. This moisture-loving epiphyte won't grow in ordinary soil. Overwatered soil will form a lump, and the plant's roots will begin to rot. The soil mixture, whether store-bought or homemade, must be disinfected before planting.

The plant has poorly developed roots, so choose shallow pots with a diameter of about 10 cm. Ceramic is the optimal material. These pots have a fairly heavy base, making them stable and preventing the heavy plant from tipping them over. One-third of the pot should be filled with drainage material.

Watering

This tropical epiphyte shouldn't be watered with regular tap water. It should be filtered or allowed to settle first. The optimal water temperature for watering is 20°C.

How to water guzmania:

• The substrate should never dry out. The frequency of watering is determined based on this condition;
• in summer watering is abundant, in winter - moderate;
• Once a week, water is poured directly into the socket.

Despite the constant need for water, if the plant is overwatered, it will rot and die.

Top dressing

This tropical epiphyte doesn't require extensive fertilizing. Fertilize it from March to September to speed up the emergence of flower stalks and prolong the flowering period.

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Features of feeding:

1. Bromeliad fertilizers are recommended. Orchid fertilizers are also suitable. Apply at 50% of the recommended dosage.
2. The fertilizer should not contain copper or boron, as the plant reacts negatively to them.

Fertilize the plant monthly. Fertilizer solutions are poured directly into the rosette or through a sprayer.

Conditions for flowering

Guzmanias bloom only under favorable conditions. If they bloom, it means the soil, lighting, watering, and other growing conditions are satisfactory.

Reasons for lack of flowering:

• lack of lighting;
• exposure to direct sunlight;
• dry air.

To speed up flowering, gardeners place apple slices on the substrate and cover the flower with a plastic bag. The release of ethylene into the air accelerates flowering. It's important to keep the apple slices from molding, as mold can infect the flower.

Reproduction

The main method of propagating guzmanias is division. The mother plant produces offspring, which gradually develop into full-fledged plants. When the offspring reach 15 cm in length, they are ready for transplanting. By this time, the mother plant dies.

Reproduction by division:

1. Cut off young shoots with a sharp, disinfected knife.
2. Sprinkle the cuts with wood ash or activated carbon.
3. Place the cut rosettes in a container with a 1:1 mixture of peat and sand. Cover the container with a transparent lid or film.
4. Spray the young plants with warm water. Ventilate the "greenhouse" for 5-10 minutes every day. The optimal temperature is 23-25°C.
5. As soon as the first leaves appear, remove the lid. When the third leaf grows in, transplant the plants into separate pots.

Waiting until the pods have developed their root system simplifies the process. The rosettes are simply dug up and repotted into new pots.

After guzmania flowers, fruits with seeds form. Seed propagation is rarely used, as the seeds germinate poorly and require special attention during germination.

Propagation by seeds:

1. Rinse the seeds with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. Dry.
2. Fill the container with sphagnum moss or a sand-peat mixture and scatter the seeds over the surface. Seedlings will appear in 10–20 days.

After 2.5 months, the young plants are transplanted into a substrate made from turf, leaf mold, and peat (1:2:1). After 6 months, the plants are repotted into individual pots.

Pests and diseases

Guzmania is resistant to diseases and pests. Problems typically arise when the growing conditions, care instructions, and repotting are not followed. The main problem with this plant is fungal diseases. If gray spots appear on the leaves, the plant is infected with a fungus. Antifungal fungicides are used for treatment.

Guzmania can be affected by pests that parasitize indoor plants:

1. Spider mites. Yellow spots first appear on the leaves, then they die.
2. Mealybugs. White, cottony fluff appears on the leaves.
3. Scale insect. Leaves are covered with brown, bumpy spots.

If you discover pests, you should immediately spray the plant with one of the broad-spectrum insecticides.

Common problems

Given the demanding conditions tropical plants require, it is not surprising that novice gardeners often make mistakes when growing them.

What problems may arise when growing guzmania indoors:

1. Knowing the plant's sensitivity to moisture, many owners overdo it. Overwatering the soil leads to root rot.
2. Too warm and humid an atmosphere provokes fungal diseases.
3. If the plant does not form babies, it does not have enough nutrition.
4. If the tips of the leaves dry out, it means the air in the room is too dry; if they wither, it means it is too cold.
5. The leaves are covered with a white chalky coating - the water for irrigation and spraying is too hard.

Guzmania is a refined tropical plant that will be appreciated by true connoisseurs of indoor gardening. If you propagate and replant it regularly, your home will always be filled with positive energy and, for six months of the year, with vibrant blooms that capture the beauty of the South American tropics.