Aechmea Fasciata: Urn Plant, Vase Plant Care Tips

Are you ready to add a touch of tropical pizazz to your indoor garden? Look no further than the stunning Aechmea fasciata, which may soon become your favorite bromeliad. These plant care tips will help keep yours healthy and looking good.

Bromeliads have rocked my world for many years, so I share the love today. The Aechmea fasciata, with its patterned silver foliage and pink flower, makes a great houseplant and will have beginning gardeners singing “green thumb” in no time.

I started my horticultural career as an interior landscape technician, maintaining plants in lobbies, malls, offices, and hotels. Granted, these aren’t the most welcoming environments for flowering plants native to the tropics and the subtropics, but bromeliads held their own. This Aechmea was commonly used, and their pink blooms were long-lasting.

Botanical Name: Aechmea fasciata              Common Names: Vase Plant, Silver Vase Plant, Urn Plant

Note: This was originally published on 2/18/2017. It was updated on 11/17/2023.

Aechmea Fasciata Plant Care Tips

Light Requirements

Aechmea plants like bright light, near an east or west window is good. They need this exposure to bring out the variegation in their foliage and to have the small flowers open up. 

Keep them out of hot windows to avoid prolonged exposure to direct sun because they’ll burn. They’ll do okay in lower light for a few weeks, but to grow them for the long haul and have them produce pups (baby plants), bright indirect light is key.

Watering

Aechmeas are epiphytes and in nature, grow attached to other plants and even rocks. The roots are primarily for anchoring. They get the moisture and nutrients they need through their foliage. Never keep them soggy or let them sit directly in water, as this leads to root rot.

It’s best to keep the vase, cup, urn, or tank (the center where the flower arises out) 1/4 full of water. Flush it out with fresh water every 1-2 months to avoid any build-up of bacteria. I’ve found that the center of the plant will begin to rot over time if it’s kept full, especially in the winter months. 

Keep even less water in the central cup if you have low light and/or cool temperatures.  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 and 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.  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, Aechmeas 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.

Humidity/Temperature

As I say about all houseplants, if your house is comfortable temperature-wise for you, then your Aechema 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 handle the lack of humidity in our homes and offices just fine.

I have this humidity meter in my dining room. It’s inexpensive but does the trick and still works fine after a few years. I run my Canopy humidifiers when the humidity reads low, often in the Arizona desert!

Feeding/Fertilizing

Aechmeas, like other bromeliads, get their nutrients from matter that falls on them from plants growing above. The roots serve the purpose of anchoring 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 don’t feed bromeliads because I feel they really don’t need it. If your Aechmea 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.

Feed in the spring or summer, once or twice a year.

Growing Mix

Aechmeas are epiphytes, so they need a mix that drains very well. They’ll grow fine in orchid bark or orchid mix. I’ve also planted them in 1/2 coco chips and 1/2 coco coir, a more sustainable replacement for peat moss.

Repotting

Aechmeas don’t have extensive root systems, so yours most likely will never need to be repotted. If you need to, spring, summer, and early fall are the best times.

You may choose to repot the pups at some point – more on that below.

Propagation/Aechmea Pups

The mother plant eventually dies after flowering (sad but true), 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!

Those pups are one way to propagate Aechmeas. You can cut away the foliage of the mother plant after it’s completely dried and dead, leaving the pups to grow in that same pot.

Or, you can carefully remove the pups after reaching 4-6″ and put them in a new pot. Another option is to mount them on driftwood or bark.

It can take a bromeliad pup 3-5 years to flower. So, don’t expect it to happen the next year!

The other way to propagate bromeliads is by seed.

Safe For Pets

I haven’t heard anything about these being toxic to cats or dogs. According to the ASPCA, Guzmania plants (a bromeliad relative) are considered non-toxic for cats and dogs. 

However, some kitties like to chew on their crunchy leaves, so if yours does, you might want to keep your eye on that. It won’t poison them, but it could make them sick.

The Guzmania is a popular bromeliad sold in places like Trader Joe’s, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Get Guzmanina care & growing tips here.

Aechmea Flower

The large stalk with pink bracts produces small violet flowers. You can see them in the photo above. When buying an Aechmea, I look inside to ensure the violet flowers aren’t open. If the flowers are fully open, yours won’t last as long. 

The colorful flower head should last and look good for up to 4 months. After it dies, cut it off down to the tank’s base.

Once yours has flowered, the mother plant eventually dies. You can read more on bromeliad flowers here.

Aechmea Care Video Guide

Aechmea Fascaiata FAQs

Some Of Our General Houseplant Guides For Your Reference: Guide To Watering Indoor Plants, Beginner’s Guide To Repotting Plants, How to Clean Houseplants, Winter Houseplant Care Guide, Plant Humidity: How I Increase Humidity For Houseplants, Buying Houseplants: 14 Tips For Indoor Gardening Newbies

Conclusion: These resilient houseplants, with their strikingly large pink blooms and silvery foliage, are a great addition to any living space. Place them in bright, indirect sunlight to have them look their best and follow the watering guidelines above, and they’ll brighten up your home for months.

Why not give one of these bromeliad favorites a try? You’ll be happy you did!

Happy gardening,

• About the Author
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Nell Foster

Nell, the founder of Joy Us garden, was born into a gardening family and grew up in Connecticut’s countryside. After living in Boston, New York, San Francisco, & Santa Barbara, she now calls the Arizona desert home. She studied horticulture & garden design, working in the field all her life. Nell is a gardener, designer, blogger, Youtube creator, & author. She’s been gardening for a very long time & wants to share what she’s learned with you.

www.joyusgarden.com/about/

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