Guzmania lingulata grow and care – succulent leaf plant of the genus Guzmania also known as Scarlet star, Droophead tufted airplant or Red guzmania, Guzmania lingulata perennial evergreen but can be grown as annual used as ornamental plant, can grow in tropic, mediterranean or subtropics climate or indoor as houseplant and growing in hardiness zone 10b+.
Leaves color green and can be variegated green with white or yellow, the leaves grow in rosette structure in elliptic and sharp in the edge.
Better more than 3C prefer more than (15C 59F) can survive 0°C light frost but not recommend, well-drained soil, moist soil with good drainage and it’s good to let it dry between watering, warm climate, better to use purified water or rain water, soil should be something light and inert like sphagnum moss, 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 so the plant need high humidity.
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
Is it necessary to graft or use vegetative reproduction? Yes if you want to choose the color
Difficulties or problems when growing: ?
Planting season: All year in tropic, in other climate spring
Pests and diseases: Aphids
Pruning season: All year in hardiness zone 11b+, spring to summer in hardiness zone 10a, spring to autumn hardiness zone 10b-11a
How to prune:
Dead leaves
Size of the plant? 20-50 cm, 12-20 inches
Growth speed in optimal condition: Slow growing
Water requirement: Average 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 and all the water go away.
Light conditions in optimal condition for growing: Full Shade (with light), a lot of light but without direct sun, because the sun will burn the leaves and the flowers and leave on the burning marks
Is it possible to grow indoor as houseplant? Yes, mostly outside of the tropical it is easier to grow it as houseplants because it’s better to grow, no winds enough humidity and it’s easy to give the plant what it need, 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, because it’s easy to maintain in container 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: Can bloom all year
General information about the flower Small white or yellow flower grow in clusters, around the flowers grow bracts, in variety of color, color can be: red, yellow, orange.
How to grow Guzmania plant from seeds
Sowing requirement: Better to use fresh seeds and not more than 2 month old, 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)
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
