Guzmania Bromeliad: Care Tips For This Jazzy Blooming Plant

These tropical beauties are popular because of their large, vibrant blooms.  What makes guzmanias truly special is their remarkable variety of flower colors, setting them apart from other bromeliad species. This guide on Guzmania bromeliad care will keep yours looking tip-top.

When I worked in the interior landscaping trade, we used these in mass plantings in malls, building lobbies, and hotels because people loved their showy, eye-catching colors. This bromeliad is easy to find, and you may even be able to pick one up at your supermarket alongside the other houseplants and cut flowers.

Note: There are many guzmania bromeliads on the market. Now species and varieties are grown in a wide range of colors like orange, yellow, pink, plum, white, and even combos of the colors. Guzmania lingulata, which has a red flower, is commonly sold. You may also be able to find Guzmania Candy, Guzmania Hope, Guzmania conifera, and Guzmania Mathilda.

Regardless of which one you have, the care is the same!

Guzmania Bromeliad Care Guide

Guzmania Light Requirements

Guzmanias prefer and are happiest in bright, natural light like other bromeliads.  In their natural environment, they grow under the canopies of other plants on the forest floor, where it’s bright, but the direct sun is filtered through. 

An east or west exposure would be best, but keep them out of hot windows to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sun because they’ll burn.  They’ll be fine in lower light for a few weeks but won’t be as long-lasting. 

To grow them for the long haul and have them produce pups (baby plants), bright indirect light is key.

This is part of our Bromeliad Plant Care series. Yes, we do love them that much! Check Aechmea CarePink Quill Plant Care, Neoregelia Care, Cryptanthus Care, and Vriesia Care.

Guzmania Watering

They’re epiphytic bromeliads (meaning they grow on other plants, rocks, logs, etc., and not in the soil), so never keep them soggy or let them sit directly in water. This leads to rot as the roots are primarily for anchoring.

Guzmanias have a tank, cup, vase, or urn (the central well from which the flower stalk arises), which is how they collect much of the water they need. You want to keep that tank about 1/4 of the way full of water and flush it out with fresh water every 1-2 months to avoid any build-up of bacteria.

Keep even less water in the central cup if you have low light and/or cool temperatures. You don’t want the central part of the plant to rot out. I let the cup dry for two to seven days before refilling it with a little water. My situation is a bit different: I live in the Arizona desert in the low-humidity months (there are quite a few!) I keep the tank about half full. 

If you have hard water, consider using purified or distilled water.  And don’t overwater your bromeliad – they don’t like to stay constantly wet. I use filtered water for all my indoor plants.  I have a tankless R/O water filtration system that runs through my kitchen faucet; it has a re-mineralization cartridge that puts the good minerals back in.

Because moisture is collected through their leaves, guzmanias appreciate spraying or misting once or twice a week. I’ve had this sprayer for over three years, and it still works like a charm.

I water the growing medium every 1-2 months, depending on the temperatures and the season. Like all houseplants, you want to water less in the late fall through winter.

A variety of bromeliads are in growing pots and talavera pots sit on a 2 tier plant table for sale in a nursery.
A beautiful display of guzmanias at Berridge’s Nursery in Phoenix.

Interested in more on watering this plant? We have a Guide To Watering Bromeliads, which you’ll find helpful.

Humidity / Temperature

As I say about all houseplants: if your house is comfortable temperature-wise for you, then your guzmanias will do just fine. You want to avoid putting it in any areas with cold or hot drafts.

Bromeliads are native to the subtropics and the tropics (locations with high humidity) but seem to handle the lack of humidity in our homes and offices just fine. I want to tell you that Guzmanias are susceptible to brown tipping (at the ends of the leaves), which I point out in the video below.

Fertilizing A Guzmania Plant

Guzmanias, like other bromeliads, get their nutrients from matter which falls on them from plants growing above. The roots are to anchor them onto whatever they’re growing on – trees, rocks, etc. For this reason, it’s best to spray the fertilizer onto the foliage and the growing medium’s surface. 

I’ve never fertilized my bromeliads because I found they never really needed it.  If your Guzmania does, use an all-purpose orchid food, diluted to 1/2 strength, or a bromeliad fertilizer. Just be sure not to get too much in the tank because the salts in the fertilizer build up and cause burn.

Only feed in the spring or summer, once or twice a year.

Guzmania's sitting on a plant table in a nursery range in colors from whitish-pink to orangish-red.
Guzmanias of many colors at The Plant Stand in Phoenix.

Guzmania Soil

Guzmanias are epiphytes, so their potting mix needs to drain very well. They’ll grow fine in orchid bark or an orchid potting mix. I’ve also used 1/2 orchid bark and 1/2 coco coir, a more sustainable replacement for peat moss.

Repotting

Guzmania bromeliads have small root systems, so yours likely won’t need repotting. If you need to, spring, summer, and early fall are the best times.

Close up of a guzmania bromeliad pup, growing in a nursery pot on a bathroom counter.
Here’s a pup forming off the base (front & center) so you can see what 1 looks like. Be patient because the pups don’t flower for 3-5 years.

Guzmania Bromeliad Propagation

The mother plant eventually dies (sad but true) after flowering, which is part of their life cycle. Pups or babies (new plants) will appear at the mother’s base, so a part of her lives on. Happy ending!

You can leave the bromeliad pups attached to the mother and cut away the flower and foliage after they die. Or, you can carefully remove the pups with a sharp, clean knife and pot them in fresh mix. They can also be attached to wood, bark, or driftwood for a different look.

If you want more info on bromeliad pups and propagating, here’s a post dedicated to Bromeliad Propagation.  

Safe For Pets

Are guzmanias toxic to cats and dogs? According to the ASPCA, guzmania plants are considered non-toxic for cats and dogs. 

A word of warning: their leaves are nice and crunchy, so if your kitty likes to munch away, you might want to keep the plant out of reach. It won’t poison but could make Fluffy sick.

Close up of a red guzmania bromeliad flower with green foliage.

Guzmania Flowers

The colorful bracts provide the wow factor. The small flowers are whitish and fairly inconspicuous. You have to look inside the colorful flower head to see them. Speaking of the colorful flower head, it should last and look good for up to 4 months.

When I’m buying a guzmania, I look inside to make sure the white flowers aren’t open or are just opening. If the flowers are fully open, yours won’t last as long. 

A guzmania with a tall flower spike might become top heavy.  I’ve had to anchor a couple in their decorative pots to prevent them from tipping over!

Once a guzmania has flowered, the mother plant eventually dies. You can read the highlighted posts below for more details on bromeliad flowers.

Here are some guides you may find helpful on Bromeliad Flowers: How & When to Prune Them Off and Bromeliad Flowers Turning Brown:Why It Happens & What to Do

Guzmania Video Guide

Guzmania Bromeliad FAQs

How often should you water a guzmania bromeliad?

It depends on the environment your guzmania is growing in. You want to keep the central cup of the plant (aka tank, vase, urn) about 1/4 of the way filled with water. The potting medium can be watered every month or 2. Bromeliads appreciate moisture on their leaves. You can mist your plant once or twice a week.

How long does a guzmania bromeliad live?

It takes a bromeliad 3-6 years to flower. After flowering, the plant eventually dies. So, I’d estimate the lifespan to be anywhere from four years to seven years. If you buy a guzmania in flower, it could last four months to nine months. 

It doesn’t die immediately when the flower stalk starts turning brown; it’s a slow process. But don’t worry, pups appear at the base, and the mother plant lives on. You can either leave them on or transplant them if you wish.

What do you do with a bromeliad flower after it dies?

You cut it off. This post on Bromeliad Flowers explains it further.

How do I get a bromeliad to bloom?

They bloom with age, starting at the three or four-year mark on. If your plant isn’t getting enough light, it won’t flower. They need bright indirect light to flower.

Does wet soil cause any diseases for bromeliads?

Most bromeliads are epiphytes, meaning they grow on rocks and other plants, not in soil. Too much water can lead to diseases. Make sure your plant has sufficient air circulation, the pot has drainage holes, the mix drains well, and it drys out before watering again. 

Bright orange & yellow guzmania bromeliad plants sit on a table with palm tree in the backgroud in a nursery.
Colorful Guzmanias in the nursery at Island View Nursery In Carpinteria.

A guzmania bromeliad makes a great houseplant and is super easy to maintain. Remember to provide the right amount of light and water it properly. So go ahead, bring some tropical vibes into your life with a colorful guzmania!

Note: This post was published on 2/26/2017. It was updated on 7/13/2023.

Happy gardening & thanks for stopping by,

Signed by Nell Foster

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29 Comments

  1. Good thing I came across this post! I ordered some guzmanias from an online shop not really knowing what they were – we are still under lockdown in my small equatorial nation and plants have been my outlet. I repotted into regular potting mix because the roots looked so cramped in the coco fibre medium and growing pots they came in. Sounds like they are now at risk for rot, especially since it’s quite humid down here! Would you advise replanting in additional coco fibre, or just removing the additional soil I put them in and returnign to the original “footprint” and medium of the plant (especially since I didn’t pull away any of the fibre)?

  2. Great video and information, I received a Guzmania as a gift in May and it was flowering when I recieved it, the flower has recently died off now and I have 3 or 4 “pups” and the mom plant is starting to die back.
    So I’m glad to find your video and info and know that is the natural cycle and I can replant my pups and hopefully one day get flowers from them.

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