An unusual flower called vriesia compares favorably with the rest by its unique feather-shaped inflorescence, from which it is hard to look away. However, the incredible beauty of the plant is supported by its exactingness to the conditions of detention and considerable troubles in the care. In this article, we consider the types of this plant, the necessary conditions for growing a flower, the secrets of home care, as well as the possible difficulties that can be encountered when keeping vriesia.

Short description

Botanists attribute vriesia to the Bromeliad family, and this unusual perennial from South America came to us, where most often it can be found in forests and trees. Today, there are about 270 species of this plant that are very popular with flower growers around the world because of the bright spectacular color and original appearance, so they are grown both in open ground and indoors. Moreover, the flowers themselves are of little interest, because they quickly fade, the whole matter is in the bracts, which are able to hold for several months and give vriesia even more decorative and exotic.

The flowering period, for the most part, depends on when the vriesia was planted, however, as a rule, it blooms in the summer. This plant is epiphytic and its roots perform, rather, a fastening function to the soil, since it does not serve as a source of nutrition for the flower. In height, vriesia usually does not exceed 80 cm. Some species are distinguished by their scaly or multi-colored striped coating of leaves.The leaves themselves are voluminous, powerful, funnel-shaped, their length can vary from 20 to 70 cm, and the leaf plate has a pointed end. A flower stalk, reaching a height of more than a meter, forms an inflorescence with bracts of various colors - most often green, orange, scarlet and yellow, which are able to keep their appearance attractive for a very long time. . Vriesia gives the fruits in the form of a miniature box filled with shriveled seeds.

Did you know? The name of the flower was given in 1844, in honor of the famous Dutch florist Willem de Vries.

Immediately after flowering, most plant species die, which is accompanied by the drying of the peduncle and leaves. But this is an absolutely normal process, because after some time new shoots begin to appear from the earth. Blooming vriesia is a very fascinating and eye-pleasing sight, but the plant is very capricious, so before you get a flower at home, think about whether you can provide all the conditions necessary for it and maintain it properly all year round.

Plant species

A variety of plant species is present not only in the conditions of its natural habitat, but also in culture - more than 170 varieties of vriesia are suitable for cultivation at home. In the rainforests, where the flower comes from, you can find the most incredible colors of the plant, which in general are divided into two types - with plain and striped leaves. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

With plain leaves

Vriesia with monophonic leaves looks no less decorative and attractive, therefore it is also in great demand among lovers of exotic flowers. The main types of plants with monophonic foliage are represented by the following:

1. Vriesia astrid - A very popular indoor variety, which differs from the rest in compactness and long plentiful flowering. An unusual type of inflorescence, which resembles a large bouquet of flowers, creates a very high level of decorative plants. The leaves of the flower are lanceolate, bright light green in color, very fragile and pleasant to the touch. Under proper conditions of detention, as a rule, from 3 to 6 scarlet peduncles are formed. Like all other species, astrid vriesia is also susceptible to rapid death after flowering, but it is also able to recover no less quickly. Vriesia astrid blooms all summer, requiring stable, high humidity, so caring for this variety is not easy.
2. Keeled Vriesia - a plant of a bizarre shape, growing only up to 40 cm in height, with red, yellow, green or pink bracts. The birthplace of this variety is Brazil, where the flower grew in tropical humidity, which in the room, especially with dry air, will have to be supported in the same way. The flowering of krivate vriesia is observed throughout the summer, beginning in late May. The smooth elongated foliage is painted dark green, and the leaf plates, which are located next to the inflorescence, have a slightly lilac hue. A thin and graceful peduncle adorns a bizarre triangular inflorescence, most often red or yellow.
3. Vriesia mix - Another decorative room representative, which attracts attention with its rich green color of foliage and petals. The bracts themselves, usually yellow or red, are covered with scales. The appearance of the plant resembles a festive bouquet painstakingly created by a florist, so the flower can also serve as a wonderful gift. The flowering period of Vriesia mix occurs in winter, closer to the beginning of March. A huge number of hybrids were developed, characterized by spectacular and long flowering.
4. Royal Vriesia - This giant, whose leaves are more than a meter tall, is completely unsuitable for keeping in a room, but can successfully grow in a garden or greenhouse. The usual conditions for this variety are the tropics, where the plant came from. An equally large peduncle forms an inflorescence similar to a panicle, with an expressive yellow-white coloration, and it also produces a sweet and very delicate aroma. The leaves are dark green, formed from a kind of funnel, belt-shaped, the leaves are quite durable to the touch. Bracts are usually pinkish, which favorably sets off them from the leaves.
5. Parrot-shaped vrienzia - the name of this variety speaks for itself, because the color scheme of the plant really resembles the colors of a parrot. The flowers, formed in loose inflorescences, are yellow in color with a greenish corolla, and the peduncle itself is bright red. Linear leaves of a monochromatic dark green color, having a pointed top and significant expansion to the base.

With striped leaves

These bright representatives of the general appearance of the flower catch their eye not only due to colorful inflorescences, but also due to unusual decorative foliage. Very many flower growers choose these varieties of vriesia as indoor plants, and not so much even for their flowering, but rather for their variegated appearance.

Did you know? The leaves of vriesia are always perpendicular to the light incident on them.

Among the most colorful samples include the following:

1. Brilliant vriesia - a land plant with small dark green leaves. As with the other varieties of this variety, the foliage of shiny vreezia is noteworthy - the transverse stripes of purple form an impressive funnel-shaped rosette. The inflorescence is spike-shaped, the scarlet peduncle is thin and oblong, and the glossy bracts are usually yellow in color. This vreezia blooms, as a rule, all summer, if you take care of it properly, and the recovery period after dying off, unlike the others, is rather slow. The flower reaches a height of 70 cm. This is one of the few varieties whose flowers emit any smell - an alluring, sweet aroma.
2. Hieroglyphic vriesia - highly valued in culture for its beauty and exoticism. The unusual name was given to the variety for a reason - the whole thing is in unusual spots on the plant, which are very similar to various symbols. Flowers look very decorative. The arched foliage, located in a giant rosette, is decorated with light stripes, the inflorescence is like a panicle. Bracts are usually bright green, but hybrids with a red or yellow hue are also widespread.
3. Vriesia perforated - due to excessive decorativeness, this variety of vriesia is usually cultivated in greenhouses. Wide belt-shaped leaves, up to 45 cm long, also form a funnel. The location of the stripes is noteworthy - they can go both along and across. Flowering is short and lasts no more than two months - from the end of November to January. The flower stalk is quite large and durable, most often rises above the outlet. The natural habitat of perforated vriesia is the tropical forests of eastern Brazil. The flower itself is epiphytic, it can also be found growing on stones and rocks.

Growing conditions

Growing vriesia at home is not an easy task, however, this process can be greatly facilitated by creating conditions that are as close to their natural habitat as possible. Vriesia, like all other plants, has its own nuances in care, which require attention and careful implementation, otherwise the flower will quickly die.

Important! In the process of spraying, try to prevent water from entering the bract, as this significantly reduces the flowering time.

Let us consider in more detail the main and most suitable conditions for growing a plant:

1. Temperature. Vriesia is one of the most heat-loving flowers from the bromeliad family, and therefore, for its stable good condition and cultivation, it is necessary to observe the correct temperature regime: in the warm season, maintain the temperature in the range +20 ... + 27 ° С, and in the cold - + 15 ... + 20 ° С. It is important that the temperature of the substrate always maintains an indicator of at least + 17 ° C.
2. Lighting. Vriesia does not need too intense lighting - it feels great in diffused light and even in partial shade, so for its permanent place of growth, it is advisable to choose the western or eastern parts of the windowsill. In the summer, the plant should be slightly shaded. With proper care, there is an active growth of vriesia in the northern window, however, some types of flower, namely: with dark green leaves, cannot tolerate direct sunlight, so they need to be removed in a more shaded place. If you overexposure sensitive varieties of vriesia in the sun, they will cause burns, and varieties with denser foliage can quickly fade, so the question of lighting should be approached as responsibly as possible.
3. Humidity of air and soil. The substrate is best maintained in a moist state throughout the seasons of the year, trying not to allow either drying out or stagnation of water in the sump. As for air humidity, it is also important here not to overdo it, otherwise vriesia will get sick. It is best to regularly spray it with warm water, and fill the pan in the pot with pebbles or pieces of moss. You can also install a special humidifier in a room with a flower, which will automatically regulate this process.

Landing Features

The key points that you should pay attention to when planting a plant include the proper selection of the capacity in which the brittle matter will grow, as well as the selection and cultivation of the soil. Since the flower is epiphytic, it can be limited to a small amount of substrate or, in rare cases, can do without it, which is important to consider when planting. Consider the remaining features in more detail.

Important! Make sure that nitrogen is present in the minimum amount in the composition of the fertilizer you have chosen or made, since this component has a detrimental effect on vriesia. For the same reason, calcium is completely excluded, which the flower does not tolerate at all.

Pot selection

Despite the fact that the flower is sold in pots, under normal living conditions it is able to grow without any substrate, which greatly distinguishes it from other indoor plants. The root system of vriesia is very poorly developed, so when choosing a container, you should focus on its minimum depth and width, however, its volume should contain literally end-to-end plant roots. A prerequisite is the presence of a drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.“Block growing” is very popular among gardeners, that is, attaching a flower to the bark or driftwood with a miniature sphagnum plate. Based on the fact that the soil of vreezia is necessary for fixing, and not for nutrition, this method of cultivation is ideal for arboretums and greenhouses and in general will give the flower a very high decorative effect.

Soil Selection and Processing

Vriesia has special requirements for the substrate - ordinary garden soil will not work for it. The most suitable substrate for the flower is loose and light.

The best way out of this situation is to purchase a ready-made soil mixture labeled "For Bromeliad" in a flower shop, but you can also make it yourself by adding the following components:

• sheet land - 2 parts;
• pine bark - 2 parts;
• peat land - 1 part;
• moss sphagnum - 1 part.

Soil acidity is suitable low or medium. In any case, both after the purchase of the substrate, and after its independent manufacture, it must be disinfected without fail (spilled with a potassium permanganate solution or calcined in the oven).

Important! To ensure the most suitable temperature conditions in the room, especially in the cold season, the plant pots are specially heated.

Landing technology

The technology of planting vriesia is simple, but it requires care and attention, since the underdeveloped roots of the plant are very sensitive and can easily be injured during this process.

Step-by-step instructions for planting the plant are as follows:

1. In a pre-selected container, the first thing you need is to fill up the drainage - this can be expanded clay or broken shards to prevent the roots from rotting. It is recommended to add charcoal for greater efficiency, which will protect the substrate from acidification and reduce the risk of various infections.
2. Next, it is necessary to fill in a layer of sterilized soil in equal proportions to the drainage.
3. Carefully, trying not to damage the roots, put the flower in a container and sprinkle with soil a little. To distribute it evenly, simply tap the pot on the table surface a little.
4. The final stage - moving vriesia to a permanent place. It should be warm and with moderate lighting. Immediately after this, the outlet must be filled with water and left alone for a while to allow the flower to adapt. After a couple of days, the plant care procedures are restored and carried out as usual.

Growing and caring at home

Caring for such an exotic plant is not an easy task, but during the flowering period, vriesia will certainly thank you with its decorativeness and unusual shades of inflorescences. The most important thing is to create the necessary growing conditions for the flower and provide it with maximum comfort. How to do this best, consider below.

Fertilizing and watering

Vriesia is a very moisture-loving flower, however watering this exotic beauty is a very specific procedure. The fact is that you need to water not only the soil, but also the outlet of the plant itself, which also needs a certain amount of water.However, during the flowering period, on the contrary, the presence of liquid in the outlet is strictly contraindicated, otherwise the plant will rapidly decay. The most suitable and correct regimen for watering vriesia is 3-4 times a week.

The water in the outlet changes with the same frequency. In winter, the frequency of this procedure must be reduced to once every 7 days, and the substrate should be in a slightly dried state, and the water in the outlet should be kept for no more than three hours. Water the plant with settled water at room temperature, so as not to expose it to stress.

The flower loves and responds very well to top dressing in an acceptable dose - an excess of fertilizers will lead to the death of vriesia. This procedure also has its own peculiarities - it needs to be carried out only in the warm season, 3 times a month, preferably before flowering. As fertilizers, usually used is a special nutrient mixture labeled “For bromeliads,” but if it is not available, fertilizers will also be suitable for ordinary indoor plants in a reduced dosage.

The main feature of feeding vriesia is that fertilizers must not be applied to the soil, but to the flower outlet. The fact is that the underdeveloped root system is not involved in the plant’s nutrition in any way, that’s why the fertilizer diluted in water is simply sprayed with leaves and a little poured into the outlet.

Plant transplant

A transplant for vriesia is a rather stressful process, after which it can completely stop development for some time, so this procedure should not be carried out without urgent need. In most cases, adult specimens do not need a transplant, since after a purchase they can quite successfully develop in the storefront transportation soil for a long time, but it is still advisable to change the pot every 3-4 years until the flowering is over.

The transplant itself is necessary in only a few cases:

• if the flowerpot in which vriesia grows has become too cramped and unable to withstand the voluminous foliage of the plant, making it extremely unstable;
• the flower is young and rapidly developing and growing, actively gaining leafy mass;
• for plant propagation.

The most suitable time for this procedure is the spring-summer period, i.e., the time of active growth and development of vriesia. Young flowers need a more frequent transplant - several times before the appearance of inflorescences.

The soil for the plant must necessarily consist of the following components:

• sheet land - 3 parts;
• turf land - 1 part;
• peat - 1 part;
• sand - 1 part.

It is also recommended to add sphagnum to the substrate before the process itself, which will significantly improve its quality.

Video: planting vriesia splenrietum in a pot

Plant propagation

Vriesia is propagated in two ways - “children” and seeds, and the latter method is an extremely laborious and not always successful process, so they resort to it much less often. At the same time, a flower propagated by seed method will begin to grow at best not earlier than in 6–11 years, therefore it is also not practical.

The most acceptable and easiest option is to propagate the plant with "children." They are formed at the base of the plant immediately after flowering. As the maternal flower begins to die, the "kids", on the contrary, are actively developing.However, be patient - you should wait for the formation of the roots of young shoots, so that they better take root. In this process, it is also worth paying attention to the growth of "children" - they should be at least half the growth of the plant. The substrate for young shoots remains in the same composition as when transplanting vriesia.

The procedure itself is performed as follows:

1. To begin, remove the plant along with the "children" from the flowerpot.
2. Gently rinse the roots in water, cleaning them from the ground.
3. Separate the shoots from the flower with a knife so that each has its own roots.
4. Sprinkle the slices with charcoal without fail.
5. Let the shoots dry for about 20 hours.
6. In the meantime, pour the desired drainage and soil into a pre-selected container.
7. Place the shoots in the center of the flowerpot and fill up the remaining soil.
8. The final stage - cover the container with garden foil, maintaining the temperature at a level of at least + 27 ° C, because the "kids" are now in great need of heat.

Further maintenance of the shoots is reduced to maintaining the temperature, soil moisture and infrequent ventilation for a month, after which they can be rearranged on the windowsill. Plants propagated in this way will begin to bloom in 4–5 years, and their transplantation will be permissible only after a year.

Video: breeding of vreezia splenriet with "children"

How is the flowering period

Vriesia begins to bloom only after 3-4 years, and this period usually lasts no longer than several months, however, the plant variety plays a significant role in this matter. If suddenly vriesia does not bloom for too long, do not rush to despair - there is always a way out. In this case, everything depends on the dependence of the plant on ethylene, which stimulates both the onset and the duration of flowering.

This is easily achieved by constructing a kind of greenhouse around vriesia and putting a fresh apple or banana inside, which are an excellent and easily accessible source of ethylene, which will accelerate the onset of the flowering process for several months. The fruits will periodically need to be changed to prevent them from decaying and attracting insects.You can immediately determine the dying of vriesia by the faded colors of the bracts and the modification of their scales, which begin to become soft and quickly die off. Bright bracts very quickly lose their attractiveness and dry out. At the final stage of this process, if you do not need seeds for propagation, the peduncle will need to be cut. This will entail the gradual death of the outlet and, after this, a gradual cut of the foliage.

Possible growing problems

Vriesia is a very capricious flower, so the difficulties that inexperienced flower growers encounter when growing this exotic plant are quite common. The most common problems are diseases and pests of the flower, which can lead to its death in a matter of days.

Let us consider in more detail the mistakes made when caring for vriesia, as well as methods for their elimination:

1. The plant does not bloom. This may be due to a lack of heat, lighting and moisture, and since vriesia is very demanding on all these conditions, their poor performance can slow down the flowering period. It is very easy to fix the problem: move the flowerpot with the plant to a more suitable place and ensure proper care by observing the necessary temperature conditions and the rules of lighting and watering.
2. The plant rots. There are several options - either you have waterlogged the soil, or you have allowed water to stagnate in a socket or pan. You can correct the situation by following the following simple recommendations: make sure that the substrate has time to dry before each watering, change the water in the outlet more often and reduce the watering procedures in winter.
3. Large amounts of spots appear on the leaves of the plant. This is a clear sign that you have overexposed vriesia in the sun, and this has led to burns. In this case, it is worth immediately removing the plant in the shade, or at least creating diffuse lighting, and in the near future do not allow direct sunlight to get on the flower.
4. Pests. Like all plants, vriesia is susceptible to various ailments and insect invasions, which spoil its decorative effect and affect all parts of the flower. Among the most dangerous enemies of Vriesia are the mealybug, scutellum, rootworm and spider mite. Pest control and prevention is most often carried out by chemical means - such drugs as Actellik and Aktara in the dosage specified by the manufacturer are best suited. In case of too severe a lesion, the emulsion "Karbofos" is usually used.
5. The disease.Most affected is vreezia from a dangerous fungal disease - leaf spot. An ailment manifests itself in the form of a lesion of the leaf plate in small blisters, which are subsequently covered with black stripes. The most effective control measure in this case is the regulation of irrigation and the treatment of plants with fungicides. At the advanced stage of the disease, the flower is most often difficult to save, so in most cases it is disposed of.

For a long time, vriesia has not ceased to lead among other indoor plants as the most decorative. But in order to contain the plant in conditions acceptable to it, you need to make a lot of effort. Properly and lovingly grown vriesia will surely delight you with its colorful flowering and cozy decorative look.