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Bromeliad

Guzmania lingulata

Drinks from the cup at its center rather than from the soil, which is why an ordinary watering routine drowns it.

Light Bright indirect light, kept out of the midday sun.
Water Keep the central cup filled; the compost only needs to stay barely damp.
Height 40 cm
Spread 15.7 in
Spacing 40 cm

Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing
15.7 in
In-row spacing
15.7 in
Between rows
19.7 in
Square-foot density
Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type
Houseplant · Perennial
Botanical family
Mixed / other
Sunlight
Bright indirect light, kept out of the midday sun.
Watering
Keep the central cup filled; the compost only needs to stay barely damp.
Feeding
Once a month, a heavily diluted orchid feed poured into the cup and nowhere else.
Frost tolerant
No
Flowering
May
Pruning
Pull dead and browning leaves away at the base.

Through the year

  • Mar–May Spring Growth
  • May–Dec Flowering
  • Jan–Mar Flowering

Pests & problems

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. companion plant

  • Hoverfly Syrphidae
    Hunts Scale insectsMealybugs

    Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

    Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
  • Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
    Hunts Scale insectsMealybugs

    The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

    Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow
  • Green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea
    Hunts Mealybugs

    Its bristly larvae — "aphid lions" — impale aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and mite colonies, eating hundreds a week. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from small open flowers and overwinter in hollow stems left standing.

    Plant nearby CilantroCosmosDillSunflowerYarrow

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