bromeliads not doing so well please help?

Question

I've had my plant for a few weeks now and I have been trying to keep it alive. I don't quite understand what filtered light means. I've kept it in my office, so it doesn't receive direct light just florescent light. The actual flower don't seem like they're sucking up the water. They almost feel brittle and the shoot that come out of it looks weak. I'm not too familiar with the terms but they look like shoots of pollen.. but they dry up within a day and look ugly. What's going on. I water it one a week and the cups are usually half-full with water.

Answer 1

Once a bromeliad sets a bloom, the mother plant begins to decline, but sends out pup plants around her base. Bromies bloom and die. Transplant the pups, once they become root bound, they will flower and die - it's their life cycle - and produce more pups.

As mentioned water in the cup created by the leaves. They are tropical Rain Forest plants, watering the cup recreates their natural growing environment.

Answer 2

Bromeliads should be watered in the funnel of their leaves. If you're watering around the plant that may be why it's not soaking up water. Make sure it neither goes totally dry in between waterings nor always has water in its centre.

Filtered light is a bit tricky; a sunny location with an opaque curtain that blocks out some of the harshness of the light is usually how I perceive it, but I could be wrong. It's possible that the amount of light it's getting isn't sufficient for the plant. If you're looking for a plant for your office, I'd suggest something like a spider plant. They're virtually indestructible and they don't mind lower light.

Bromeliads are pretty hearty by the sounds of it, but the plant might have better chances in an east or west facing window. Try it out, see if it makes a difference.