Bromeliad Flowers Losing Color: When & How To Prune Them Off

A mature plant blooms and then dies. The good news is that bromeliads are in bloom for a very long time, even though it happens only once in their lifetime. When the flower starts to go, then the plant follows.

It depends on several factors: how open the flowers are when you buy the plant, how warm and bright your home is, and so on. Generally, bromeliad flower spikes look good for about two to four months before starting to fade.

Buy a healthy plant and make sure the flowers aren’t fully open. Look carefully at the flower spike to determine this. I try to find a bromeliad with the tiny white flowers not yet, or with just a few showing.
For best success, make sure your bromeliad is in a spot with bright, indirect light so those flowers can open and the plant can stay looking good. Direct sunlight can burn the plant and shorten the bloom time a bit.

It depends on the plant’s overall health and the flowering stage when you bought it. With proper care, the flowers can look good for up to four months and last another two months before they need to be cut off.

No. Various issues could cause this, but improper watering is the top culprit. Another reason is that the flower spike was past its prime when you bought it.

The flower spike starts to die when the plant is beginning the end of its lifecycle. Usually the flower spike dies first, and the plant starts to go.

This question and the one below are the meat of this post. When you cut the flower off depends on your taste. If the stalk changing color bothers you, then cut it off. I’m leaving mine on for as long as possible because that and a few brown tips don’t bug me.

You want to prune the whole stalk off as far into the cup as possible because this looks the best. I illustrate this in the video below. Only the flower head could be cut off, but that would look funny.
The cup, urn, or vase is the central part of the bromeliad from which the flower stalk forms and grows out. It’s best to use pruners, but a sharp knife or scissors will do if you don’t have pruners. Make a clean cut, and make sure your cutting tool is clean and sharp.

No, I haven’t found that to be true. The plant is going to die either way. I’ve had bromeliads whose flower stalks have browned much faster than my Guzmania Claire and I’ve cut them off after two to three months.

No. Once the flower spike has died, the mother plant starts to die. The pups live on and will flower if you care to save and nurture them. More on this below.

No, it (the mother or parent plant) will never flower again. You’ll see bromeliad pups (baby plants) appearing off the base of the mother plant, which will eventually flower if the environmental conditions are suitable.

It starts to die. It doesn’t happen fast and is more of a gradual process.

You care for it the same way as when it’s flowering. It does best in bright light, especially if you’re aiming to grow those pups which have appeared off the base of the plant.

Proper watering is important. Keep the central cup (the spot where the flower emerges) one-quarter full of water.  If the growing medium is kept too wet, it’ll lead to root rot. I water the medium every month or so, making sure the excess water flows out of the drainage holes. Using tap water with high mineral content can cause mineral buildup, so filtered, rain, or distilled water is preferred. I flush out the central cup about once a month to prevent bacterial growth. 

In the case of bromeliads, it’s part of their life cycle. Sad but true; the bright side is that the pups live on!

Yes, they will. But be patient; it takes 3-5 years for them to bloom!