Guzmania torch grow and care – epiphyte leaf plant of the genus Guzmania also known as Scarlet star, Guzmania torch perennial evergreen but can be grown as annual used as ornamental house plant, can grow in tropic, mediterranean or subtropics climate or indoor as houseplant and growing in hardiness zone 10b+.
Leaves color green 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
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: Spring / Summer (indoor can be all year)
General information about the flower Small white or yellow flower grow in clusters inside the bracts, bracts color red with yellow in the top the bracts looks like torch with flame.
