What's wrong with my Bromeliad?

12 years ago

My roommate has developed a habit of buying plants on a whim and not checking to see how healthy they are/how to take care of them. This time, she's brought me a Bromeliad that's.. well... I've attached photos.

The poor thing is brown all over and the leaves are all curly. It's tiny too. It came in one of those stupid self-watering plastic pot things and had some kind of artificial moss packed so tightly around the base of the plant. After peeling the moss off, I noticed the root base was wrapped in some sort of gauze that the roots had hooked onto. You can see it in one of the photos. I didn't pull it all the way off because I didn't want to break the roots or anything.

I know nothing about this kind of plant, but I do know this isn't what they're supposed to look like. Is it possible to save it? or should I just give up and tell her to get a healthier one? :P

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Comments (6)

sunshine_qld
12 years ago
Repotted in a well draining mix in a normal pot it will in time throw pups. These can be looked after and will thrive.
Your plant is a Vriesea.
KeOsika
Original Author
12 years ago
Thank you for telling me what kind of plant it is! Every time I just searched "Bromeliad" (the name on the pot's label), I got a billion other species and couldn't figure out what kind it was. That'll make it easier for me to figure out how to care for it.

So it's safe to assume this guy is done, huh? I've repotted it in soil and will keep an eye out for pups!
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sunshine_qld
12 years ago
It will die over a period of time but you should get a couple of pups. Don't take them off mum until they are at least 1/3 of her size.
hotdiggetydam
12 years ago
The plant is a bromeliad, genus vriesea
greentoe357
12 years ago
When I was repotting my Alocasia poly, I also saw these gauze-wrapped dirt things. They are peat pellets, as people have told me. I guess they make things easier for the football field quantity wholesale growers, but they do nothing good for the plant long term. I chose to remove the gauze and wash off the peat. Some people advised against it, but my plant happened to pull through and is growing fine.

Here is a link that might be useful: alocasia roots wrapped in gauze? what?
zzackey
12 years ago
It doesn't look that bad. It had a nice bloom spike on it. Bromeliads like water in their cup (the center of the plant) at all times. You can water the soil a little bit too. I don't think your roommate did anything wrong. I would pot it up in a 6 inch pot.