Plant Friday 003: Aechmea fasciata
My brother and me both got an offshoot from our grandpa. He said, he was able to get it to bloom twice already even though it is known to bloom only once in its existence. And he said it is a pineapple plant but due to my own research it is an Aechmea fasciata.
Plant-Friday is a category to showcase my plants, get to know more about them and it repeats weekly, to document the development of my indoor and balcony plants.
Description
The originally from Central America, cultivated indoor plant is characterized by its easy care and belongs to the family of bromelery and pineapple plants. It forms up to 60 cm high and half a meter wide leaves rosette made of strong leaves, with pointy ends and white marbling. At the point where the leaves converge, they form a crash funnel to collect water.
The flowering phase of the Archmea is from July to November. It should be noted that the indoor plant only blooms once in its lifetime and then forms seedlings over the following months and dies down slowly.
Location
A warm, bright location without direct sunlight is preferred. The temperatures should be around 20°C and never fall below 18°C in winter. Temperature fluctuations should be avoided. Optimal is a window seat. It has no problem with dry, warm air, so that locations near heaters are also possible.
Care
Because of its origin in Central America it likes a lot humidity (it xan be sprayed accordingly) but handle dry air just as well. Conventional soil is sufficient. Regular waterings to moist the soil are essential fom spring to autumn. The water can also be collected in funnel of the rosette. If it happens, that the soil dries out, it is not a catastrophal thing, as the plant can handle that also. Also in this time the plant should be fertilized once every two to three weeks and can be planted every two years. Less watering is required in the winter months.
If the Aechmea does not want to bloom a simple trick may help: Put a bowl of mature apples to the plant and cover (together with the plant) with a platic bag. The ethylene of apples stimulates the plant for flowering. The young plants developed in the following months can be removed and potted in spring as soon as they are at least half as large as the mother plant. It takes two to three years again until these plants bloom.
Status 03. Sep 2021:
- Height:
- Diameter:
- Repottings: 0
- Soil: normal soil
- Location: Windowsill to the north
- Fertilization: 1x every few weeks with Compo öko balance, soon worm tea from the worm bin
- Previous care: As soon as there was no water left in the fennel, the plant is watered.
- Resumé: It is not a pineapple plant, even though it is part of its family. My brother's Aechmea already bloomed, mine still develops new leaves.
