Aechmea chantinii grow and care – herbaceous Bromeliad of the genus Aechmea also known as Amazonian zebra plant, Aechmea chantinii perennial evergreen or cold annual used as ornamental cut flower, can grow in tropics, subtropical, mediterranean climate or indoor as houseplant and growing in hardiness zone 10+.
Leaves color green or purple with light or darker patch of color and can be variegata green with white or purple with white, the leaves grow in rosette structure in elliptic and sharp in the point with little spines all the edge of the leaves.
Well drain soil, moist soil, warm climate, better 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, but be aware that the water not stay in the place and go down.
What is the best way to start growing?
Plant / Seed / Vegetative Reproduction
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
Recommended planting season? All year
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: 20-50cm, 8-20 inches
Growth speed in optimal condition: Medium growing to slow 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
Is it possible to grow 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
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: Most of the year, but you can provoke the bloom in any season
General information about the flower: Purple in cone shape like dandruff, flowers grow on orange with green or pink with orange stem in inflorescence.
