Bromeliad and orchid

(Question)

1) bromeliad not producing any flowers
2) orchid only produce aerial roots but no shoots or flowers, although the leaves are pretty healthy

Please advise how to save these plants, thanks

(Answer)

Thanks for getting in touch! It’s a little difficult to see the condition of these plants are in your photo, but I’m going to assume that, like the orchid, the bromeliad leaves are “pretty healthy”.

You don’t say if the orchid has bloomed for you before and how long ago or how you are caring for it now.  There is often a prolonged period between blooms. I suggest you review our Gardening Guide on Growing Orchids, which describes, in detail, how to get the best results. You will find the Guide here.

As for the bromeliad, again, has this plant ever bloomed? Most of the bromeliads that people grow only bloom a single time.

If it has never bloomed, blooming can often be triggered by exposing the plant to ethylene gas. The simplest method for doing this is to enclose the plant in a plastic bag with a ripe apple. Keep it out of the direct sun for a week. The ripe apple will release ethylene which triggers a chemical reaction in the plant telling it to stop producing leaves and start producing a flower spike.

For detailed information on the care of bromeliads, you may like to visit the website of the Bromeliad Society International, which is here.

Good luck with both these interesting plants.