Bromeliad leaf curl

8 years ago

New to the site so please forgive me if I posted in the wrong place. I started a dart frog terrarium and bought a few bromeliads to attach to the driftwood. They seemed to be doing well for a few months but now I have leaves that are curling. What would cause this? The leaves I am talking about are curling inwards. Are they old and dying leaves or am I doing something wrong? Just seemed odd to me cause they are putting off alot of roots and are attaching to the driftwood. Any help would be appreciated.

Featured Answer

splinter1804

8 years ago

Joe - Don't forget that when Neoregelias grow in habitat, they mostly grow on trees with their roots fully exposed to continual air movement. With an environment like this they can be saturated with vast amounts of rain water but quickly dry out as soon as the rain stops due to their exposure to the abundant circulating air.

Growing them enclosed in a terrarium is unnatural and a totally foreign environment to what they normally grow in.

I think the introduction of fans in your terrarium is a good move as Neoregelias dislike still, stagnant air, and most of the problems associated with rot can be traced back to lack of air circulation .

I have a friend who grows brom's in a terrarium and he uses re-cycled fans from old computers to keep the air moving which he says work well; personally I have no experience as I don't have a terrarium.

All the best, Nev.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
8 years ago
How wet are the roots kept and did it ever flower?

tj
Joe Carothers
Original Author
8 years ago
Never flowered that I know of. I just bought the broms not long ago. The roots don't stay wet at all and are actively growing daily.
Related Professionals
Zanesville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Lawrence Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Rutland Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Farmington Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Vancouver Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Morgantown Landscape Contractors · Moline Landscape Contractors · Kenosha Landscape Contractors · Chico Landscape Contractors · Toronto Landscape Contractors · Atlanta Architects & Building Designers · Chattanooga Architects & Building Designers · Anniston Architects & Building Designers · Fort Wayne Architects & Building Designers · Glenwood Springs Architects & Building Designers
splinter1804
8 years ago
Hi everyone.

Joe - Generally speaking if the outside of the leaves on a bromeliad turn upwards and inwards it's a sign the plant isn't getting enough water. It's natures way of capturing extra water from rain or dew to overcome the problem.

I don't know if this is the reason for the plant acting this way in a terrarium though.

All the best, Nev.
Joe Carothers
Original Author
8 years ago
I have wrote the place I bought them from cause it had me puzzled. They get misted daily along with water changed weekly so I don't run the risk of it getting any rot or becoming stagnant. I have also started to use internal fans to move the air around so hopefully it helps. The new leaves coming out look amazing and they are rooting more and more daily. Hopefully it's just the older leaves dying off.
Joe Carothers
Original Author
8 years ago
I have added more fans to help with circulating the air more. I have them on a timer and the fans go on 8 times a day for 10 minutes each run. Roots coming off the broms are looking great and I don't see no form of rot at all. I try to keep the humidity around 80% - 85% throughout the day with some higher and lowerer peaks.

Since adding the second fan and a bigger intake in the middle frogs are moving around more. I have a fan on the back left and right of the tank sucking air out and the middle brings fresh air in. I will try and grab some pictures shortly when the fans run and the moisture is clear on the glass
Joe Carothers
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago

Fans should be coming on soon but here is a picture I figured I would share. It's a race up the glass.