Hi all,

Over the last ten years, my true passion has become growing anything that can be considered epiphytic also called aerophyte, air plant. (A plant that grows on another plant and depends on it for support but not food. Epiphytes get moisture and nutrients from the air or from small pools of water and debris that collect on the host plant or in specially developed leaf structures.) This would include: mosses, orchids, ferns, tillandsias and bromeliads just too name a few. Iv had phenomenal luck in growing this way and thought id pass on some information in regards to the question of
“Should I remove the pups from my bromeliad and if so when?”

The answer to this is all-dependent on your own preferences. Bromeliads start forming pups after they bloom and the bromeliad begins its slow decline. These pups are ready to be separated by cutting or twisting off close to the parent plant when they reach about 1/2 the size of the parent plant. If the pups are starting to form roots, that is a good indication that the plant can survive on its own. The longer you leave the pups on the mother plant the quicker they will reach maturity. Trim back the leaves of the parent plant as they die to reduce potential plant health and pest problems. This will also improve the ascetics of the overall planting and keep the die back from interfering with the new growth. Taking the pups a bit smaller (around 1/3 the size of the parent plant) may encourage the plant to throw more pups but is not guarantied.
Alternatively, you can mimic nature by continuing to cut back the parent plant till its 3/4 the size it was then remove the last 1/4 of the plant at soil level leaving the pups to form a clump and grow on undisturbed on a solid root base from the now deceased parent plant. To see examples of this type of growing go to http://photos.ladyandlordgarden.com/GalleryFilmstrip.aspx?gallery=167580&photo=5655987