I'm not sure where to post this, as the plant is a bromeliad but is quite different from those pictured in the bromeliad forum.
I just acquired a Deutercohnia brevifolia, I can't find a lot of information about it. Is anyone here growing it? I'd like to hear any care tips you could share.
It's in a 4 inch nursery pot, I'd like to repot--any suggestions for pot type and planting medium?
How about light, water and fertilizer?
It will be indoors most of the year, out in the summer.
Thanks!

It is a terrestrial bromeliad, rooted in soil. Treat it like a succulent. Very bright light. Use fast draining soil (like 50% pumice). Water well when the soil is dry. I fertilize at a very low dose (5% of the dose recommended for regular outdoor use on the MG package) at every watering. The plant is tolerant of drought and really poor soil, it just looks nicer when it gets a little care.

Use an azalea pot (wider than deep, but not a pan). Repot stepwise, a little bit bigger at a time. 6" pot is good for now. The smaller leafed forms of this species (of which yours is one) will max out in an 8 inch pot, more or less. That is when you can leave them to go feral and consume their pot (which they will reliably do) and eventually form a spherical shape around it. If you secure the pot early enough, you can hang this plant as a ball and fascinate anyone who comes near. That is about 10 years down the road from where you are, more or less.

If you wait too long to repot, it will become hard to impossible to do, because of the way the plant grows around the sides and downward pretty much no matter what size pot it is in.

I will try to find some pictures to share. This is a really fun plant and it just keeps going.

This plant is overdue for hanging, I just want to do it right. It is really heavy actually.



Pic from 2017 of the same plant (front) in its final pot

Thank you so much, this is very helpful.
One more question:
Would using a regular (not azalea) type pot give a better/bigger/longer display when it goes over the sides?
Right now I think I'll go to a 6 inch terracotta azalea pot. I have lots of grit for the soil.
Humidity here is very low, should I mist it like a bromeliad?
OK, that's two questions.
Thanks.

I don't think a tall (regular) pot is necessarily problematic. The issue you face with that kind of geometry relates to water, and the ability of the soil to dry out in a timely manner, but an unglazed clay pot will dry out fast no matter what (given strong light and decent air flow).

This plant does not enjoy having wet feet, and you can definitely kill it by overwatering. The azalea shape is my usual safety measure when this issue presents itself.

I don't think I'm the right person to ask about low humidity situations. Our humidity here averages 70-80%. We get regular coastal fog, especially at night, and only when the wind reverses (which it does occasionally but only temporarily) do we experience low humidity.

The issue with misting is related to the issue with overwatering. You want the soil to dry out before you hit it with more water, and misting will slow this process down. It should not be a problem in moderation, but it will become one when you go too far.

The terrestrial bromeliads (which span a range from Mexico to South America) are different from their epiphytic or rainforest brethren. They certainly do not mind high humidity (like we have here) but they definitely do not require it, either. These plants are dry growing in nature and they can actually tolerate 6 months of drought when established in the ground (the species being discussed here, anyway). You are more likely to kill by overwatering than underwatering, I would think. Speaking as a chronic underwaterer.

Also be aware (when the plant starts to overflow its pot) that it will root everywhere inside the foliage, and in fact you will benefit from watering the whole plant, not just the part below ground.

Thank you again for very helpful information and pictures.
I will have to be moving it seasonally, so it occurs to me that when it goes into its final potting it would be very useful to have some sort of handle or hanger already on the pot. It otherwise looks like it would be a bit tricky to relocate.
This is, of course, assuming that both the plant and I will live long enough to get to that point.
Your plants look great. Will they grow in the ground at your location? Have you had any critters nibbling on them?

I did put 3 of these in the ground in the park by our old house, where they still persist, as far as I know, on rainfall alone. No critters have nibbled that I'm aware of, the leaves are pokey enough to make that sort of thing very unpleasant for them. They do look scrappy without regular care (and we have a 5-8 month summer drought most years) but they hang on.

Yes, it is ideal to secure the pot with wire before it is gobbled up. I guess you could run some under the very bottom if there isn't a lip. I used a galvanized wire sheathed in plastic, rated for weight (found at a local Home Depot) because the metal would likely rust out in short order otherwise, given regular watering.

I think the stems of the plant will provide plenty of support down the road as it cascades over the edge, and you could conceivably rely on that to hold up the weight of the plant later.

The key there would be to distribute the weight over many stems (a full circle around the top) to reduce the stress on any single one. You will see as the plant grows that the stems are really strong and tenacious. It is a serious challenge to extract cuttings from an older plant without the use of a sharp tool, combined with some boldness.

I grow my Deuterocohnia brevifolia in a container, outdoors year round.
Since my area is often more hot and drier especially beyond mid Spring, it surely appreciates more stepped up watering. I douse it heavily here particularly when temp forecasts already says it will be 85F to 100F, and what we have here by then is excessive dry heat.

During late Fall to mid Spring where we finally get rainfall, and lately in the past couple of years, truly good amounts of rainfall, the plant shows very good growing, since it is positioned in the brightest, warmest area in the garden that maximizes its light access when natural light diminshes during winter and temps go down to the low 30F's at nightfall.

The media I used is cacti mix and added some more pumice to it just to really make it very well draining. Overtime it grows to overrun the entire container top, and hard to see the media anymore, so I just water it generously as needed dousing it very well.

By the time mid Spring arrives to summer, city trees at the edge of my sideyard would also be fully awake, so the canopy of leaves helps in providing much needed shade during the extremely dry and hot periods.
So depending on your plans and weather situation iny your area, consider providing some part shade to it if temps truly goes too hot and dry.

10March 2024 photo