# I have a brom pup. How to remove it.



## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

In my 30 gallon viv, I have a brom in the back right corner. It grew a pup and the pup has nowhere to grow anymore. How do I remove it and replant it.


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## audioandroid (Mar 13, 2005)

just pluck it out and plant it in soil.


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## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

How is it attached? Is is growing off the other brom? I dont know how pups work. If it is growing off the other brom, should I pluck it closest to the main stem of the main brom?


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## audioandroid (Mar 13, 2005)

you don't want to do it to premature although i have and its worked. when the pup is ready you can pull it at the base of the pup with little effort and it comes right out. sometimes you may have to twist it a bit. it looks like a mini brom with root and all. if its still very small or there is a great deal of tension when you pull wait a bit.


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## Nuggular (Apr 8, 2005)

Cool. I will try that. Thx very much.


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## Guest (Jun 20, 2005)

i wait until they are 1/3-1/2 the size of the mother then snip their stolon (?) with a pair of scissors right next to where it attaches to the mother. ive had great success raising them this way.


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## Vicky Rut (Apr 28, 2006)

Hi 
I have a few more quiestions regarding removing pups...
_(found this thread via search, better to continue this one than start anew)_

I bought a brom that says it's a vriesea
And it has a pup, the store said that I can't remove it since the mother plant will die when
it has it's pup and then the pup will grow up and be a mother, is this just specificly 
for this type of vriesea Bromeliads or all bromeliads in general or were they just messing with me?
Here's a pic of the brom and it's pup...


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Eventually, the mother plant will die. It happens, but if you cut the pups off, it seems to keep the mother alive a bit longer. Some broms will pup multiple times and still be okay though.

To remove it, just wait till its about half the size of the mother plant, then get yourself some sharp CLEAN (sterilized) pruning snips/shears and cut as close to the base where the pup attaches to the mother as possible.

Then attach the pup to something and let it grow. Or if you wish to pot it, a very loose, well draining mix works well. I use straight orchid bark when I pot mine.

Good luck.


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## Vicky Rut (Apr 28, 2006)

Ahh I see 
Thank you very much, nice useful information 

The bigger pup is indeed half the mothers size...
So I might have a go at it when I am further at finishing 
my terrarium 
thanx alot Frogtofall!


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Wanted to clear this up a bit... 

The person who said taking the pup off would kill the mother plant was almost correct, as mentioned before. Once the plant is an adult, it blooms and pups (not always in that order), and its days are numbered. It can still take a long time for the plant to die (up to a couple years) but that's the normal life cycle. So really, you aren't "killing" the mother faster than she would normally die herself...

The flowers and seeds are to spread the plant to other locations. The pups are to take advatage of the location of the parent as its obviously a good one to have the parent survive to pup.

There are two main ways you'll see brom pups produced - in the axil of the mother plant (Guzmania and Vrieseas) or stoloniferus (many epiphytic Neoregelias). Stoloniferus are much easier to remove from mom, when large enough (1/2 the size of mom for those not experienced with broms), just cut off the pup along the stolon, and mount the pup as appropriate to the species. For those in the axil, same size requirement, but they can be more challenging to remove without hurting the mother. A sharp knife or a good twist will usually get them out tho, cut as close to the mother as you can to keep as much of the base of the pup intact. It may take some practice. Then plant as per the species requirements (terrestrial or epiphyte).


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## Vicky Rut (Apr 28, 2006)

The store clerk made it sound like the mother plant would die
in the same moment the pup was removed :lol:
(which is okay sort of, I bought the plant mostly because I wanted the pup)

But they also said I could not remove the pup at all, that was absoulutly forbidden :roll:
everything would die then, the whole lot.
But since I had read here that you all take pups all the time I 
decided to buy the plant anyway :mrgreen: 

Ohh one thing... Is it okay to remove the red blooming thingie?
(it's very pretty and all but I can't fit the plant in my terrarium because of it  )


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## Dendrobait (May 29, 2005)

So how then do you get more broms? The mother has to produce a few pups at least correct?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

Some bromeliads will just keep producing until their last moment of life. I've got a brom thats give 4 pups at different intervals. I've got a few others that have given 3 or 4 at once (N. pauciflora being one of them).


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

You get broms from more broms either by fertilizing the flowers to get seeds, and then growing them out (sexual reproduction), pups from the mother plant (most often used by froggers and this asexual form of reproduction allows for exact clones of the mom where you aren't sure what you will get from seed) or tissue culture (same deal as the pups, clones of the donating plant so you know what they will look like, but you get a lot more a lot faster - not many broms we used are done this way tho).

For the health of the plant I'd probibly wait til the inflorescence spike dies off after it flowers, cutting it off can lead to rot as mentioned in this post (about Tillies but applies for most of the broms that have "spike" type inflorescence like vriesea).


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## jejton (Sep 3, 2006)

How can you fertilize the broms to get seed?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

jejton said:


> How can you fertilize the broms to get seed?


This question has a very complicated answer especially since every genus is different. Best way is to let mother nature do it. Flies, ants, moths, bees etc are all great pollinators.


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## jejton (Sep 3, 2006)

Ok, so if I leave some plants outside while they are flowering, then what? Or if I buy seeds ( are they even available ) ?


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## tudiesjungle (Jul 16, 2008)

I would like to add that removing the pups at the proper time will promote more to grow. Also in my experience a well cared for plant will grow a new pup from between where every leaf ever existed as long as the stolon was not damaged. Their habit is to loose their lower leaves...but their 1st pups will grow from their stump where their 1st leaves were. If you keep the plant after it's bloom is gone it should be placed in slightly less light and get less water. I avoid watering the cups as I did before bloom.


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## gold3nku5h (Jul 24, 2008)

if when you remove a pup, either neoregelia or guzmania, and they do not have roots on their own stolon, do you need to dust with any rooting hormone, or will they be like succulents, and need little moisture, in airy mixture to root on their own?


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## Frogtofall (Feb 16, 2006)

gold3nku5h said:


> if when you remove a pup, either neoregelia or guzmania, and they do not have roots on their own stolon, do you need to dust with any rooting hormone, or will they be like succulents, and need little moisture, in airy mixture to root on their own?


If you plan to grow them outside of a terrarium, just pot them in any good well draining potting mix sans rooting hormone. You really don't need the stuff. Its really only necessary for woody ornamentals from my experience.

If you're going to put them into a terrarium, just place them somewhere. They will do the rest. No need to worry about hormones, potting mixes or anything like that.


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