Epiphytes
Plant Type :
Epiphytes (or air plants) are plants which grow on other plants, such as a tree, or sometimes upon some other object such as a building. Common epiphytes includemosses, ferns, cacti, orchids and bromeliads and we have gardening information on all kinds of epiphytes. Epiphytes derive their moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris which accumulates around it. Some epiphytes are large trees that begin their lives high in the forest canopy. Most epiphytic seed plants and ferns are found in tropical and subtropical rainforests because they require conditions of high humidity.
1-Asplenium nidus
Bird's Nest Fern
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Common Name: Bird's Nest Fern
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Plant Height: 1.5
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Plant Spread: 2
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Use: pot, hanging basket, accents, on-wall, indoors
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Plant Pruning: Remove damaged & spent leaves to the base as they form.
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Soil Moisture: constantly moist to occasionally flooded
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Sunlight: warm low sun to shade
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Design: Suits tropical, formal, contemporary & bush designs
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Plant Origins: Australia, QLD, Tropical Africa, India-Subcontinent, Tropical Asia, Pacific Islands
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Garden Type: fern or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
Nematanthus gregarius
Goldfish Plant
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Common Name: Goldfish Plant
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Plant Height: 0.8
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Plant Spread: 0.9
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Use: pot, window box, hanging basket, indoors
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Plant Pruning: Allow to spread but lightly prune after flowering finishes.
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Soil Moisture: constantly moist
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Sunlight: warm low sun to dappled light
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Design: Suits tropical designs
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Plant Origins: South America
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Flower Colour: orange
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Garden Type: sub-shrub or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
Hedychium horsfieldii
Java Ginger
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Common Name: Java Ginger
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Plant Height: 1
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Plant Spread: 0.5
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Use: pot, mass planting, border
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Soil Moisture: constantly moist
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Sunlight: warm low sun to dappled light
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Design: Suits tropical, mediterranean & oriental designs
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Plant Origins: Tropical Asia
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Flower Colour: white
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Garden Type: soft-wooded perennial or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
Asplenium australasicum
Bird's Nest Fern
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Common Name: Bird's Nest Fern
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Plant Height: 2
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Plant Spread: 2
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Use: pot, hanging basket, accents, on-wall, indoors
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Plant Pruning: Remove damaged & spent leaves to the base as they form.
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Soil Moisture: Constantly moist to Occasional flood
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Sunlight: warm low sun to shade
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Design: Suits tropical, formal, contemporary & bush designs
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Plant Origins: Australia, Sydney region region, NSW, QLD
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Garden Type: fern or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
Nidularium spp.
Bird's Nest Bromeliad
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Common Name: Bird's Nest Bromeliad
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Plant Height: 0.4
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Plant Spread: 0.75
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Use: indoors, accents, mass planting, on-wall, pot
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Plant Pruning: Remove spent flowers & leaves as they form.
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Soil Moisture: constantly moist
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Sunlight: warm low sun to dappled light
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Design: Suits contemporary & tropical designs
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Plant Origins: South America
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Flower Colour: white, blue or red
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Garden Type: soft-wooded perennial, succulent or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
-Bromeliad :
Guzmania hybrids
Bromeliad
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Common Name: Bromeliad
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Plant Height: 0.9
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Plant Spread: 0.9
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Use: pot, hanging basket, accents, on-wall, indoors
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Plant Pruning: Remove spent flowers & leaves as they form.
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Soil Moisture: constantly moist
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Sunlight: dappled light to shade
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Design: Suits tropical & contemporary designs
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Plant Origins: USA, Mexico, Central America, Caribbean, South America
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Flower Colour: red, orange, pink or yellow
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Garden Type: soft-wooded perennial, succulent or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
Aechmea nudicaulis
Bromeliad
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Common Name: Bromeliad
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Plant Height: 0.6
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Plant Spread: 0.3
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Use: pot, mass planting, border
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Soil Moisture: Dry b/w watering to Constantly moist
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Sunlight: warm low sun to dappled light
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Design: Suits tropical, mediterranean & dry style designs
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Plant Origins: South America
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Flower Colour: yellow & red
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Garden Type: soft-wooded perennial, succulent or epiphyte
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Plant Seasonality: Evergreen
Aechmea: The Beginner’s Bromeliad
courtesy to : www.bromeliads.info
Author: Melanie Dearringer5 Comments
CARE AND CULTURE, CLASSIFICATION
It is easy to become attracted to the exceptional beauty of bromeliads. If you have found yourself drawn to these plants and would like to try growing one of your own, the Aechmea (pronounced EEK-me-uh) genus may be a good place to start. Aechmea is a genus of plants found in the Bromeliaceae family. Aechmea gets its name from a Greek word meaning “spear tip”.
Many Aechmeas have sharp spines along the margins or outer edges of their leaves. The Aechmea genus contains 255 different species that originate from throughout Central and South America. Some have adapted for growth in moist, shady forests while others prefer more arid regions. Aechmea broemliads offer a great variety in color, foliage, and growth habits. They are especially easy to care for and reward their owners with bright, long lasting inflorescence.
Most Aechmeas are epiphytic meaning they grow non-parasitically on another host such as a tree. However, they are often sold as potted, terrestrial plants in nurseries and flower shops. While they can grow well in pots, their root systems are not large. In the wild, Aechmea’s roots merely act as an anchor attaching the bromeliad to the host plant. They take in water from rainfall and nutrients from dust, insects, and other particles that have collected in their tanks. It is common for Aechmeas to become top heavy. Their foliage is large and meaty yet their small root systems prefer small 4-6 inch pots.
-The spiny margins of Aechmea triangularis
General Care :
Most Aechmea are well suited to grow both indoors or outdoors. They thrive in light shade or indirect sunlight. Aechmeas can flourish in indoor office spaces. The florescent lighting will typically be enough to satisfy this bromeliad. They can be grown outdoors in climates that have no risk of frost. They are susceptible to few pests and are more unlikely to succumb to insect related illness or disease than other indoor plants.
Watering :
Aechmea’s foliage grows without a stem. The leaves grow together forming a rosette shape at the center of the plant. It takes in water through this rosette, which is more commonly referred to as a tank. The Aechmea’s ability to store up water in its tank to be used as needed helps it to survive through periods of sporadic rainfall. When caring for an Aechmea in your home, it is important to keep water in its central tank at all times. Be sure to flush this water regularly. Water left to stagnate in the tank can lead to bacterial infection, pests, and build up of salinity that can eventually lead to plant damage. You should empty the tank and rinse your bromeliad at least once a month. Do this more often if you notice build up on the leaves. Filling the tanks with distilled water or rain water will help prevent the build up of salts commonly found in tap water.
A Clear Favorite :
- AECHMEA FASCIATA :
Aechmea fasciata, more commonly known as the urn plant, is one of the most widely recognized species in the Aechmea genus. This bromeliad has thick, broad leaves.They are green in color with a silvery, horizontal banding. The flower spike is composed of bright pink bracts that can display for several months. Small purple flowers appear from the bracts when in bloom. Urn plants will thrive in almost any indoor environment with little attention. The simply need clean water in their tank and bright, indirect light.
While the urn plant is beautiful, easy, and rewarding. There are many other species and cultivars of Aechmea that a first time bromeliad grower can experiment with. Once you are comfortable growing Aechmea fasciata you may want to consider trying your hand at one of these more unique bromeliads.
Other Effortless Aechmeas :
- AECHMEA CHANTINII
Aechmea chantinii, better known as the Amazonian Zebra Plant, is another common bromeliad grown indoors. It has large dark green leaves with lighter yellow vertical stripes and white to silvery horizontal stripes. The Amazonian Zebra Plant can grow to be 2-3 feet across and 1-3 feet tall. Its flower spike has red or orange bracts with tight red flowers.
-Aechmea chantinii
- AECHMEA FOSTERIANA
Aechmea fosteriana, also known as Foster’s Favorite Aechmea or Lacquered Wine Cup, is also a lovely Aechmea species. There are several different cultivars of Foster’s Favorite. Some have dark green leaves with a shiny, glossed appearance. Others are a deep purple, almost black, throughout the leaves. The bracts are a deep red or wine color. Foster’s Favorite can grow up to 18 inches tall and 18 inches wide. The flower spike is pendant shaped, curving down around the sides of the plant. It produces a red or red and blue tip flower. Foster’s Favorite can handle light shade but will thrive in bright, indirect sunlight.
- AECHMEA FOSTERIANA
- DEL MAR
The Del Mar cultivar has bright light green leaves that are broad and leathery. The leaves are surrounded by small but very sharp spines. The most stunning characteristic of the Del Mar is its flower spike. The flower spike itself is hot pink rising above the foliage in the middle. On the end of the flower spike are brilliant bluish-purple bracts. This cultivar grows to about a foot high and thrives in light shade.
There are many more beautiful and unique varieties of Aechmea. Aechmeas make excellent gifts and can be easily found in decorative containers at florists, nurseries, and garden centers. Their minimal care requirements make them an ideal plant for the beginner bromeliad grower. The Aechmea will reward you with a beautiful, long-lasting flower spike and truly unique foliage.
ALMOST ALL BROMELIADS ARE MONOCARPIC, I.E. ONCE THEY HAVE FLOWERED, THEY WON’T FLOWER AGAIN. THE MOTHER PLANT WILL SLOWLY DIE, BUT ALONG THE WAY IT WILL PRODUCE OFFSETS KNOWN AS ‘PUPS’. If your plant flowered when you first had it, it won’t flower again. You can keep separating off the pups and potting them up as long as the mother keeps producing them. They can be grown on and are capable of flowering, but eventually the original plant will just die off.
Which bromeliad did you start with?
The aechmea plant is an evergreen bromeliad that features either colorful banded and variegated leaves or leaves covered with gray scales depending on the species. Leaves can be fine and wiry or broad with a leathery texture. Flowering stalks bloom in the spring from the plant's center leaf rosette. Flowers are usually rosy pink in color. Aechmeas do well both as houseplants and as ornamental ground cover, and they can grow to a height of 3 feet. Aechmea is easy to care for as long as you plant it in well-draining soil. It grows outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10 through 13.
1- Plant aechmea in either your yard or a container. Plant seeds or cuttings in soil that retains moisture but drains well. Use a
porous soil mix that drains water quickly and allows root contact with air. Grow aechmea in an area that features partial shade for best results. If growing aechmea outdoors, plant the seeds or cuttings about 18 to 24 inches apart to create ground cover. Although the plant requires partial shade to flourish, strong, filtered light is essential for proper growth. Keep the plant in warm temperature conditions -- the ideal temperature for growing aechmea is between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
2- Water the aechmea plant thoroughly. Wait until the soil is fully dry before watering the plant again. Water should never soak the soil of the aechmea, and the soil should not be wet for long periods of time, as this can result in root rot.
3- Use a liquid fertilizer on the aechmea plants during the summer. Mist the leaves of the plant about every six weeks using a liquid fertilizer diluted to half its strength or weaker.
4-Mist the aechmea plant often with a spray bottle filled with water unless you live in a particularly humid area. Aechmea plants require humidity to flourish.
5-Observe the plant for signs of mosquito or scale infestations, as both insects breed in standing water on plant leaves. Also watch for mites and mealy bugs.
6-Transplant the aechmea if necessary by repotting it in either a larger container or outdoors. You will know when it's time to repot when the plant's roots fill the container.
How to care of Bromeliads :
How to Water Bromeliads
The method and frequency of watering a bromeliad plant depends upon its classification.
Bromeliads belong to the family Bromeliaceae, which contains more than 55 genera and 1,000 species. Some examples of bromeliads include urn plants (Aechmea spp.), air plants (Tillandsia spp.), pineapples (Ananas spp.) and blushing bromeliads (Neoregelia spp.). Each type of bromeliad falls into one of two categories: terrestrial or epiphytic. Terrestrial bromeliads grow in soil while epiphytic bromeliads absorb moisture from the air and grow well when attached to a support object, such as a board or wreath. Depending upon the specific variety, bromeliads grow outdoors in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 10b through 13b.
Terrestrial Bromeliads
1- Water the terrestrial bromeliad when the top 1 to 2 inches of soil becomes dry using water with a temperature of 68 to 77
degrees Fahrenheit. Water plants growing outdoors to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. Fill the pot of container-grown plants with water, allowing the excess to drain down through the soil and out the pot's drainages holes. Fill the pot one additional time to moisten the soil completely. Never allow the soil to become soggy.
2- Keep the plant's tank, or vase-shaped space at the center of the overlapping leaves, full of water. Pour water from a watering can directly into the tank at a slow rate to replenish the water as it evaporates. Do not overfill the tank to the point that the water runs down into the soil when refilling the tank.
3-Flush the tank of outdoor-grown bromeliads with fresh water each time you water the surrounding soil. Direct a steady stream of water into the tank for one minute, causing the old water to run out of the tank and into the soil below. Dump out the water in a container-grown bromeliad's tank every 10 to 14 days by tipping the plant gently upside down. Re-fill the cup with fresh water. This process of replacing the tank water will remove debris, salt buildup and stagnant water.
Epiphytic Bromeliads :
1-Mist the epiphytic bromeliads with water from a spray bottle once every one to two days. Use water with a temperature of 68 to 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep the nozzle 4 to 6 inches away from the plant's foliage to ensure that the mist droplets cling to the foliage. Moisten all of the plant's foliage. Stop spraying once the water begins to drip off the plant.
2-Pour 1/4 ounce of fish emulsion and 1/2 gallon of water into a large bowl. Move the bowl gently back and forth to swirl the water and mix the liquids. Submerge the plant underwater for two to three minutes to give the plant time to soak up moisture and nutrients from the solution. Soak the plants in this manner once per week.
3-Increase misting frequency to once per day when plants have constant exposure to heaters or air-conditioners. Mist the plants more frequently in the fall and winter months when humidity levels drop.
Things You Will Need :
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Watering can
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Spray bottle
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Fish emulsion
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Bowl
Tip :
- Watering potted bromeliads with a solution of 1 teaspoon Epsom salt per 1 gallon of water will provide a substitute for natural rainwater.
-Terrestrial bromeliads do not require fish emulsion because they absorb the needed nutrients from the soil they grow in.
Warning:
-Do not flush the tank of bromeliads growing in the ground unless the surrounding soil requires watering. This will ensure that you do not cause the soil to become soggy and overwater the plant.
How to Repot a Baby Bromeliad :
Bromeliad plants often die after they produce pups.
Bromeliads (Aechmea distichantha) are tropical plants that grow outdoors in the warm U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11. Often grown as a houseplant in cooler regions, over 2,000 cultivars are coveted for their vibrant colors and unique foliage. Many bromeliads are known as epiphytes, or air plants, which attach themselves to a variety of hosts to survive. These plants reproduce by growing pups, or offshoots, around the base of the parent plant. You can repot the baby bromeliads, or pups, to grow new plants for your indoor or outdoor garden.
1-Mix equal parts of pine bark, perlite, and peat moss together in a large bucket. Moisten the potting mix with clean water until all parts of the mix are slightly damp but not soggy.
2-Cut the bromeliad pups from the parent plant with a pair of sterile pruning scissors. Try to keep any roots intact that may grow from the pups. If there are no roots, the young plant will develop them once it becomes established in the potting mix.
3-Fill a 4-inch shallow growing container with drainage holes with the moistened potting mix. Make a small trough in the mix with your finger. Place a bromeliad pup into the trough, and firm the potting mix around the pup. Keep the soil moist but not wet.
4-Place the planted bromeliad pup in the same area where the parent plant was growing. The light, temperature and humidity levels that satisfied the parent will benefit the pup.
5-Repeat each step for every pup that you removed from the original bromeliad. Generally, the parent produces several pups during the propagation process.
Things You Will Need
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4-inch shallow growing container
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Pine bark
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Perlite
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Peat moss
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Large bucket
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Pruning scissors
Tip
- Sterilize your pruning scissors with a five-minute soak in a mixture made from one part of bleach and nine parts of water.
How to Feed Bromeliads
Different bromeliad species require vastly different fertilizers.
More than 3,000 species belong to the bromeliad family, including well-known plants such as pineapples and Spanish moss. Their great diversity as a family means that individual bromeliad species possess varying nutritional needs. Although most bromeliad species thrive without supplemental feeding, commonly cultivated varieties such as urn plants (Aechmea spp.), earth stars (Cryptanthus spp.) and blushing bromeliads (Neoregelia spp.) benefit from regular feeding to enhance their foliage and flower production. If provided with the correct nutritional ratio, most bromeliads will thrive as houseplants or as tender perennial landscaping plants within U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 10a and above.
1-Feed bromeliads from April until September while the plant is actively growing. Taper off feeding starting in late August to prepare the plant for its partial winter dormancy. Continue watering regularly as you taper off the fertilizer, then decrease water by half after your final feeding.
2-Feed urn plants using low-nitrogen 10-20-20 fertilizer, or use a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer diluted to half strength. Apply the fertilizer to the center of its foliage rosette and water thoroughly to distribute the nutrients around the roots. Spray mounted epiphytic varieties of urn plant twice weekly with 20-20-20 fertilizer diluted to one-eighth to one-sixteenth strength.
3-Feed earth star bromeliads monthly with general purpose, 20-20-20 ratio fertilizer diluted to quarter-strength. Pour it directly onto the soil around the base of the plant. Decrease feeding by half if the plant grows under shaded or cooler conditions, to keep it from developing unwieldy foliage.
4-Feed blushing bromeliads weekly with low-nitrogen 5-59-10 ratio fertilizer diluted to one-eighth strength, or use general purpose 20-20-20 fertilizer diluted to one-sixteenth strength monthly. Decrease or withhold feeding if your blushing bromeliad begins to lose foliage color or if it becomes large and misshapen.
Warning
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Avoid spraying fertilizer on the foliage of earth star bromeliads since it inhibits the plant's ability to photosynthesize and respire.
How to Attach Bromeliads to Driftwood
Long-lasting bromeliads are easily grown on driftwood.
The unusually colored and shaped flower spikes of air-planted bromeliads grow from the center of its hard, rosette shaped leaves. The flower spikes range in color from yellow with red edges to pink with blue, and many are bright orange. Each bromeliad plant blooms only once but the flower spikes last three to six months. Epiphytic, or air grown, bromeliads receive their nutrient supply from air and water and do not need soil to grow. They can be mounted on driftwood and will reproduce and bloom there for many years.
1-Choose a piece of wood to support the size of the bromeliad plant; a large plant needs a piece of wood at least the same size for support. A rough wood surface and indentations provide good places for plant roots to attach.
2-Soak the driftwood in a bucket of water for two weeks, changing the water frequently, to remove the sea salt. Driftwood purchased from a garden center may have had the salt previously removed. Dry the wood completely before mounting the plant.
3-Wrap the soft root ball with sphagnum moss. Choose an indented spot on the driftwood and tuck the bromeliad in, holding firmly. Wind a length of fishing line or wire around the wood, covering the base of the plant at the root system. Wrap it around 6 times and tie firmly in the back. This wire will be removed when the plant roots have attached firmly.
4-Water thoroughly with a hand-held spray bottle or hose-attached sprayer. Allow to dry before watering again. Avoid over-watering. Place the driftwood bromeliad where it will get good light, but out of direct sunlight. Bromeliads are comfortable in temperatures ranging from 35 to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
5-Remove the support wire in one month, or when the bromeliad root support system has firmly attached to the driftwood.
How to Hang a Bromeliad Plant on Driftwood
Things You Will Need
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Piece of driftwood
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Bucket
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Sphagnum moss
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Bromeliad plant or "pup"
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Fishing line or wire
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Spray water bottle
Tips :
After each bloom period the plant produces “pups” which will grow and mature to bloom the following season.
Bromeliads have few insect pest problems and do not require insecticide of any kind.
Occasional spraying with a water bottle keeps the growing conditions moist and humid.
Warnings
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Do not allow the plant to dry out completely.
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Do not fertilize a mounted bromeliad.
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Keep out of strong air flows.
