Billbergia nutans
This is one of the easiest bromeliads to grow. Try displaying queen’s tears in a hanging planter.
HOW NOT TO KILL IT
Location – Keep the plant in a room that is 41-75F (5-24C). It will only flower if at the upper end of this range.
Light – Place in bright, but indirect light.
Watering + feeding – Water the vase ( the center of the rosette of leaves) with distilled, filtered, or rainwater, ensuring that the water is always 1in (2-3cm) deep. Empty and refill the vase every 2-3 weeks to prevent the water from stagnating. Keep the potting mix just moist. Feed once a month in spring and summer by adding half-strength liquid fertilizer to the central vase.
Care – Place the plant on a pebble-filled tray of water for humidity. It will flower at around 3 years old. Gently pull faded flowers away. Repot after flowering in spring. It will produce “pups” (new plants at the base), dying slowly in the process. Repot pups when they are one-third the size of the parent.
LEAF TIPS TURNING YELLOW?
Yellow plant has probably outgrown its container.
SAVEIT – Repot your plant in spring, after it has flowered.
BROWN LEAF TIPS?
This could be due to dry air, or watering with hard water.
SAVE IT – Mist the leaves regularly, if warm. Switch to distilled, filtered, or rainwater.
DRIPPING FLOWERS?
This is nectar, which drips from the flowers when they are moved or touched – hence Billbergia’s common name, queen’s tears.
SAVE IT – Do nothing
NO FLOWERS?
Your plant wont flower until its around 3 years old. If you have a mature plant, the temperature may be too low or it may be in too dark a spot.
SAVE IT – Move it to a warmer spot in a bright position. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight.
