Vriesea – a magnificent indoor plant

Deep dark green leaves form a funnel-shaped rosette, and from its heart rises a vivid orange or red bloom that has earned the plant its flaming sword nickname. Native to South American tropical forests, vriesea flowers only once in its life, so give it bright light without direct sun and the moist air it misses indoors.

Vriesea at a glance

Name	Vriesea
Family	Bromeliaceae
Type	indoor plant
Height	12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 cm)
Exposure	light but not direct light
Foliage	evergreen
Flowering	end of winter or summer (species)

As original, colorful and exotic as its cousins, Vriesea is simply an astounding indoor plant. Native to South America, its deep dark green foliage and beautiful orange or red blooming are truly appealing.

Planting and re-potting Vriesea

Vriesea, like all other Bromeliaceae plants, requires soil that is sufficiently rich and very well-drained to grow well.

Special Bromeliaceae soil mix is the best solution but you can also opt for flower plant soil mix and layer the bottom with a thick drainage medium.

• Vriesea never grows far-reaching roots, which is why a small pot, about 4 inches (10 cm) across and deep, is more than enough.
• You will only need to repot when you want to split new shoots from the main plant.

Repotting vriesea

If you wish to repot your vriesea, wait for the blooming to end.

• Vriesea roots hate having too much water.
  Double-check that the new pot has a hole in the bottom.
  Increase drainage with a layer of gravel or clay pebbles along the bottom of the pot, to make water flow through more easily.
• Good soil mix is needed. Usually, stores offer special Bromeliaceae potting soil for sale, you can use that if possible.
  The plant, when it lives indoors, needs soil mix because that is the only source for the nutrients it needs.
• Low but constant moisture levels must be maintained, which you can ensure if you spray the leaves often.
  You must rest the pot on a bed of gravel, rocks or clay marbles doused in water.

Best spot for a Vriesea

Vriesea requires temperatures that oscillate between 64 and 75°F (18 to 24°C) and never drop below 57°F (13°C).

The temperature of a house or apartment is thus ideal for growing a vriesea.

An ideal location for your vriesea is in a spot where there isn’t any direct sun on the plant.

• Vriesea can’t stand the sun’s rays when they touch its leaves directly.
  Good light but no direct sunlight is what’s needed.
• Absolutely avoid setting it near heat sources such as radiators, because moisture is what this tropical plant needs most.
• East or West-facing windows are thus usually the best call for your Vriesea.
• Vriesea plants fear drafty spots.

Watering Vriesea and adding fertilizer

Regular but moderate watering is called for because Vriesea doesn’t usually require a lot of water.

In spring and summer

Keep the soil mix barely moist and check that water drains properly.

Provide liquid leaf plant fertilizer more or less once a month to extend the blooming to the maximum.

• Water from above, ideally with water that is already at room temperature.
• It’s ok to let water collect in the little funnel where the leaves meet the stem. This is called the rosette. A couple drops a day are enough.
• Take care to dry this vulnerable spot whenever the temperature drops below 65°F (18°C).

To retain a certain moisture level, it is best to put the pot atop a bed of clay pebbles or little stones wallowing in water. Evaporation will help recreate the living environment of their native habitat without needing to overwater.

In fall and winter

Limit the watering and wait for the soil to be thoroughly dry before watering again.

• Stop adding fertilizer.

Diseases often found on a Vriesea plant

Most diseases targeted are common indoor plant diseases, red spider mites,  scale insects, aphids and also powdery mildew.

• If the color of the leaves turns pale, it is probably due to a lack of fertilizer.
• If the inside leaves turn yellow or brown, it is probably due to too much watering.

• A sticky film on the leaves is honeydew excreted by sap-sucking insects such as aphids, scale, mealybugs, whiteflies or psyllids, and sooty mould may later grow on these deposits.
• In monocarpic plants such as agaves, bromeliads, and bananas, the mother plant naturally browns and dies after flowering, so do not mistake this expected decline for disease.

Reading the signs: what a struggling vriesea is telling you

Most vriesea troubles come down to light, water or air moisture. The table below matches what you see on the plant with the cause given in this article and the remedy that follows from it.

Roots that hate standing water explain most of these symptoms, so drainage comes before generosity with the watering can.

Vriesea blooming and propagation

There’s a reason why the Vriesea flower is so stunning: a plant will only bear a single flower in its entire lifetime!

However, as soon as pups or small offshoots start forming, you can separate them from the mother plant and nurture them. These will give you a new flower when they have grown a bit larger.

So it isn’t possible to make the same plant bloom again. But all the offspring you can divide from the main plant will be exact clones of the first one, flower included!

The Vriesea flower, commonly called Flaming Sword, is truly an outstanding houseplant that will lend your house a definite urban jungle touch!

Read also:

• Did you know that indoor plants can cleanse the air of pollutants?

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