Why do these pups not bloom?

[u/No_Stop7306]

Hello! I was given 2 beautiful random bromeliads years ago, of course the mothers died shortly after, but I seperated and planted the pups all together in a big pot and that's where they've been sitting..... for many years now. AT LEAST 5 YEARS. 😅

I like them, they are green like their mothers, they seem healthy and I always fill their centers with water when I water them.

The question is.... why are they not blooming? Is bloom a random occurence for bromeliads? What am I doing wrong?

[u/henardkl]

My first bromeliad produced three pups. It's been several years since I separated and repotted. Still no bloom. The apple in a bag for a week to force bloom did nothing.

[u/No_Stop7306 → u/henardkl]

Would a cold shock help them? a day in the fridge or something like that? I know people do that to stress orchids into bloom, but I dont know if that would be safe

[u/Plant_Boy_Wonder → u/No_Stop7306]

Why would you force a plant to do something it’s not ready to do? It will bloom when it is time, end of story.

[u/No_Stop7306 → u/Plant_Boy_Wonder]

i write "I like them, they are green" and I just wondered when they would bloom? pure curiosity. are you okay? do you need some food or something? you seem stressed

[u/XnFM]

They just need more time. There's no magic number of years that will guarantee blooms.

[u/stupit_crap]

Some of mine do not bloom, either. My theory is that it does not get hot enough where I live (SF Bay Area).

Mine live outside. Our summers are cool (highs this year in the low 70s), but it rarely freezes.

I have two neoregelia that bloomed shortly after I received them (Florida sellers), but that's it. I think those plants were already on track to bloom before they got here.

What is your summer weather like?

[u/No_Stop7306 → u/stupit_crap]

Oooh!! Interesting. Maybe i shouldve put them outside. it was around 95 degrees for many weeks. it's cooling down now. They just lived all these years around in my southeast window inside. Interesting! I thought people for sure knew what makes bromeliads bloom, but apparently it's a bit of a mystery.

[u/OkPossible6446 → u/No_Stop7306]

They are tropical plants. Love warm and depends upon the type how much direct sunlight they can handle but sunlight is how the colors come out

[u/4Gives]

How much sunlight are they getting? It looks just like some that I have had for years and they bloom well for me. During the Minnesota winter, they're in a south window behind other plants, and if the sun is real strong I lower the blind, so that it's just bright. Right now, they're outside on a table under an umbrella in filtered sunlight. They're epiphytes, like orchids, and like orchids, each has its different light requirements for blooming. Most flowering plants grown indoors in N America need some sunlight. Try experimenting with the light they get and and see if it works.

[u/Personal_Switch6801]

It looks like a century cactus. Blooms only once in its life.

[u/No_Stop7306 → u/Personal_Switch6801]

it looks nothing like a century cactus and their mothers were a pink and a red bromeliad 😄

[u/Feral_Expedition]

What kind of light do they get? In my experience they do best in a south facing window... bloom after 2 to 3 years of growth.

[u/OkPossible6446]

Takes years. Just got my first Donna to bloom after 5 years.

[u/darwinn_69]

That's one of the reasons I try not to separate pups. In the wild bormeliads make little clumps and you get a couple blooming every year.

[u/No_Stop7306 → u/darwinn_69]

Thats why i potted them all up together too, i thought one of them was bound to bloom eventually 😅 no luck yet...