Aechmea Blue Rain

How to grow Aechmea Blue Rain growing and care:

Well-drained soil, moist soil, warm climate, more than (15C 59F) can survive 10C but not recommend, better to use purified water or rain water, soil should be something light and enteric, because in the nature those plants are mostly air plants live on rocks or crock of tree or air roots in tropical forest with big amount of rains that keep the plants in humidity all time.

How to care:
Fertilizer need to be few times a year and fertilize the plant in spray and in cold winter better not to put fertilizers

What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seeds / Vegetative Reproduction (pups)

How to propagate:
Propagation it’s to separate daughter (pups) plants from the mother after few leaves that grow it’s possible to separate but better in the spring, need to treat the same as fully mature plant and when find location try not to move it too much.

Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction?
No, to start from seeds it’s hard, and it’s hard to find the seeds of this cultivar, easier to start from daughter plant

Difficulties or problems when growing:
Mosquitoes that grow inside the leaves rosette when the water stand

Recommended planting season?
All year in hardiness zone 12+, spring to summer in hardiness zone 11b

Pests and diseases:
Aphids, thrips, weevil, scale insect, mealy bug

Pruning season:
All year

How to prune:
Dead leaves and bloom stems

Size of the plant?
30-80 cm, 1-2.7 feet (12-32 inches)

Growth speed in optimal condition:
Medium growing

Water requirement:
Small amount of water, need to put water in the middle of the rosette leaves, need humidity and moist, but well ventilated and well-drained soil, like in the nature big amount of rains and the plant that lay down on trees on joint between two branches and this area peat moss, leaves and other organic matter that stuck in joint

Light conditions in optimal condition for growing:
Full Shade (with light), those plants like a lot of light but without direct sun

Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant?
Yes, mostly it is easier to grow it as houseplants because it’s better to grow it outside the soil in pot like in a nature that mostly its epiphyte

How to grow and care indoors
Choose location with enough light and even with little sun, need to be aware that the plant need to be far away from ventilators, heater and air conditions, possible to grow it in the bathroom, be aware to that because of the high humidity need to use less water.

Growing is also possible in a planter /flowerpot / containers:
Yes – planter or even on cork disconnect from the soil, if you choose to grow on cork or bark as need to keep with higher humidity and moist on the roots, better to cover it with a bark or something that will keep the moist in the roots.

Blooming information

Bloom season:
Autumn / Winter, but you can provoke the bloom in any season (not recommend)

General information about the flower:
Blue-purple with white in cone shape like dandruff, flowers grow on red stem in inflorescence.

How to grow Aechmea from seeds

Sowing requirement:
Better to use fresh seeds, use peat moss (sphagnum soil), high humidity, light moist soil, 25-30C (77-86F) in the day and colder in the night, a lot of light

Saving and care seeds until sowing:
Dry and dark location

Sowing season:
End of spring to early autumn

How to plant:
Put the seeds in sphagnum soil and keep it moist

Planting spacing:
3*2cm (1.5*1 inch) and after few leaves to transplant

Depth of Sowing:
On the soil

Conditions for seeds germinate:
Moist soil with high humidity

Watering requires for Seeds:
Small amount of water (do not over water

Germination time:
1-2 month

Condition of seedling:
The same as fully mature plant and need to transplant them to location without algae

Scientific name:

Aechmea ‘Blue Rain’