Good luck!
Steve

From your description it sounds like you were given an Aechmea fasciata. Type this botanical name into google and see if the images it brings back match your plant. It’s a pretty tough bromeliad and usually performs well.

If your pups are at least a third the size of the mother plant then you can safely divide them now. For the mother plant I would cut off the flower (it sounds like it’s finished now anyway) and repot it.

This is a fairly vigorous bromeliad and with any luck you will get another pup – it just depends on how healthy your mother plant is. And really what have you got to lose? If there’s no sign of new pups by mid Autumn and the mother plant is looking tatty then throw it out.

Good luck and have fun!

I always love to hear a great success story with broms! Why don’t you try and sell the left over pups on ebay? Depending on what sort of broms these are you might be able to sell them easily. Plus they are easy plants to post.

If you live in a major city look out for the brom shows that the various bromeliad societies put on once or twice a year. It’s a great way to find unusual types and they’re often much cheaper.

Steve

The new bromeliads are actually kept in the bark mix that they have been struck in.

Most bromeliads are epiphytic, meaning in nature they are found growing on the branches of trees and other plants. Others are lithophytic meaning they grow on rocks or in very stoney ground. Either way they are used to growing without soil around their roots. The root’s main function is physical support rather than nutrient and water collection. Bromeliads instead rely on humidity, rain and leaflitter buildup in their central ‘vases’ for moisture and nutrients.

This all means that the potting mixture must be very well draining to prevent the roots rotting away from excess moisture. Orchid bark potting mixes are very good for this reason.

So keep your pups in the same mixture and let them grow into a beautiful display. Bromeliads, with their very small root system, thrive in small pots relative to the volume of foliage above.

If you want to put your broms into a garden bed simply leave them in the pot and sink the whole lot into the ground. This will ensure the brom continues to have very good drainage around it’s roots.

Seaweed solutions are good for helping to reduce transplant shock and to get the plant forming roots faster, along with a host of other benefits. Most brands are also fairly natural (my favourite is eco-cweed) and I’d really recommend you consider adding it to your gardening arsenal.

An alternative product which can help cuttings and seedlings settle in better is Multicrop Plant Starter. This one contains several weak acids which are known to stimulate plant growth.

If however you don’t want to buy either option then just use water! Provided the pups are big enough (minimum 1/3 the size of the mother plant) and they have excellent drainage you should have a good success rate.

I hope this helps.
Steve
PS There are some bromeliads that are terrestrial (ie they grow in the ground) but aren’t as commonly seen. Earth Stars (Cryptanthus spp) are an example of terrestrial bromeliads. Go to my entry Another Terrarium! to see what they look like.