Bromeliad Care-Mounting Bromeliads onto wood for your BioActive enclosure
- Emily A
- May 28
- 2 min read
Bromeliads have long been loved by the Dart frog community and are slowly becoming more and more sought after in the hobby overall. Bromeliads are a type of plant called epiphytes! Being an epiphyte means that they absorb moisture from the air and don't need substrate to survive. Epiphytes are happiest when mounted on wood above your substrate! In this blog post, we will go over how to mount your bromeliad onto wood in your BioActive enclosure!
In their native habitat, Bromeliads are exposed to high humidity and high temperatures. This combination is ideal for bromeliads and encourages them to root to woody surfaces. These roots can draw water and nutrients for the plant but typically serve as a plant's anchor, attaching and holding the plant in place. Because of this adaptation, bromeliads will naturally fasten to and grow on trees and other debris in the wild.
Materials we recommend using for your mounting process:
Mounting Pins- Stainless steel Mounting pins can be used to secure bromeliads pup onto a soft surface such as a moss pole, Cork Bark Tube, or foam backing. This method has less of a chance to damage your bromeliad, but may not keep it as secure as glue. That being said, with this method, you do not need to wait 24 hours to let your glue cure; instead,, you can use mounting pins directly into your enclosure.
To pin your bromeliads, take your mounting pin and align it so the bromeliad stem in the center and push it into the mounting place of your choice.
Silicon Glue or Gorilla Glue- Silicon glue can be used to secure a bromeliad pup tightly without the risk of damaging it. We have used this method for quite a while with success. It is important to note that the roots can not grow through the glue and have to expend energy to grow their roots around it; this can increase the amount of time it takes for the plant to root in the wood in your enclosure.
If you choose this method, you need to let the glue cure for 24 hours before it is in a space where your animal can interact with it.
When mounting your bromeliad, it is important to only attach it via the stem, not the leaves.
It can take anywhere from 1 to 6 months for your bromeliad to attach, depending on the bromeliad and the conditions it is being kept in.
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