Laura pretty much any bromeliad you find in a Home Depot or Lowes will ok indoors as long as they have the right humidity. Inside the home the humidity usually drops to low to sustain the plant into reproduction of pups. So in general you replace them every year or so. Keeping them in drip trays with gravel in the trays to keep the roots from sitting water will help some. Repot if you see a salt built up on the bottom of the pot. They light bright indirect light and weak fertilzer. Becareful to balance light and fertilizer or they become leggy and loose color.

Thanks for the advice hotdiggetydam.

My local Lowes does have a nice garden center, with a good selection of houseplants. I'd love to stumble across something interesting there. But I was actually thinking of ordering online.

If I go with that general rule of replacing broms every year, well, I guess that means I could order whatever catches my eye. And then of course I would try to make it happy so that it would stick around longer than that.

I do use pebble trays, but there's only so much you can do inside. I suppose I could take them outside during the summer. The humidity here is thick enough to cut with a knife. I don't really like to do that for various reasons.

So you wouldn't have a problem repotting a mature plant? I ask because I don't like the pottimg medium that my Aechmeas are in. It looks like straight peat moss to me. A longer cut than what you usually find in bagged mixes, but peat moss nonetheless. I'm not a fan of peat moss in my plant pots. There is no salt buildup, but I would like to repot them in something with better drainage. I've been struggling with the decision to do it (later in the year) or to just leave it alone and continue to be extra careful with watering the pots. I'm not a chronic overwaterer, but it is so much easier when you have a free draining potting mix.

I guess I'm nervous about repotting because I've never repotted this kind of plant before. I don't really know what the root system is like, and how finicky the plants are about the process. Some plants never skip a beat, while others pout for weeks. I don't want to harm my beautiful Aechmeas. They seem to be doing very well for me.

A good potting soil is like orchid mix. Well draining is the key. Outside for spring and summer on a patio is good way to get pups. Keep them in indirect light outside so when you move them back inside they don't do a color change. Salt builds up from many liquid fertilzers. Bromeliads are very forgiving plants and rarely pout after repotting. When you repot keep the plant at the same soil level it was before. Press the roots fimly in the soil so it stands up on its own. When thats not possible use kabob skewers to prop them up until they make more roots. Any plant with a cup needs the water changed on a regular basis. A very good source for plants online is Micheal's Bromeliads. He has a few pictures and a downloadable order list. http://michaelsbromeliads.com/default.asp
Click on see our collection for the list. If you need a photo of anything let us know. There many of us on this forum photos just about anything.

If you can summer them outside and winter them inside the Aechmea fasciatas should pup just fine. I'm on my third generation of pups with mine.

tj

Thanks for the tips on my Aechmeas! I will ponder the outoor placement issue.

And it's good to know that they take repotting in stride. I'll try it on one of them before I jump in with both feet. An orchid mix is similar to what I normally use, so that's exactly where I was going with the repotting anyway. Good to know that I was on the right track.

I was in Lowes the other day and there was a large cart filled with the usual Guzmanias. And a couple of Neos. They were nice specimans. I've forgotten the name of that particular one, but it wasn't one that I looking for. Still, it gives me hope that I might in fact find what I want at Lowes.

It occurred to me that I might talk to "The Plant Lady" who runs the Garden Center. She's very nice and very knowledgeable, and she might be able to bring in different types of plants if someone expressed interest... It's worth a try.

Laura,
I agree with Tsugajunkie on summering the plants outdoors. I've been doing that as long as I've been growing broms (35 years now!) For winter growing, I have found that most broms are happy with artificial lighting. If you choose some of the smaller growing types of Neos, there are many that are good to grow under flourescent lights. I even purchased one of the LED fixtures to try out this year for supplemental lighting in my greenhouse (to compensate for our cloudy, dreary winter weather). So far, I would give the LED lighting a positive review.

Paul

Humidity is indeed the problem. A general rule is that the stiffer the leaf, the greater the ability of the bromeliad to withstand dry conditions. Guzmanias are completely out. Vrieseas are doubtful, especially the ones with patterned leaves. Billbergias are a good choice. Some Neos are fine, but I have not had much luck with Neo.'Fireball' or other very small Neos indoors - they do not tolerate the low humidity well.

Consider using a cool humidifier, if conditions allow.