Why Is My Bromeliad Plant Leaning?

Do you have a bromeliad plant? Have you noticed that this plant is leaning toward one direction? Don’t worry! We are here to assist you in identifying the causes of this problem and help you solve it.
Bromeliads are one of the most popular houseplants. Many people love them because of their attractive shape and color. However, sometimes they need specific attention to stay in perfect condition. Otherwise, the plant will experience several problems, such as leaning.
Bromeliads lean because of inadequate watering, lighting angle, lack of nutrients, and root-bound. Also, this plant can start leaning when it grows taller without any support that keeps it growing vertically.
This article will teach you how to identify and prevent your bromeliad from leaning.
Let’s get started!

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What Causes Bromeliad Plant to Lean?

The main factor that causes bromeliad to lean is the direction and position of the light source. Generally, plants grow toward the direction of light. If you place your plant too far from the light source and make it receive light horizontally, it will start leaning to the left or right.

Other factors may indirectly cause bromeliad to lean. For example, inappropriate watering, overwatering, and underwatering can cause this plant to bend.

When bromeliad is given more water than it needs, it starts leaning because this situation causes the roots to become deprived of oxygen. Without oxygen, bromeliad leaves become deprived of water and nutrients, which causes them to lean.

On the there hand, when a bromeliad is underwatered, it starts leaning because the lack of water causes the stems to become dehydrated and weak. As a result, the branches can no longer hold the leaves, causing them to lean.

Root-bound can also cause bromeliad to lean. In fact, root-bound plants are often seen leaning to one side when they have grown too large for the pot, creating a situation called “pot-bound.” 

Finally, improper fertilization is another factor that may cause bromeliad to lean in some specific cases. Generally, bromeliad does not require a lot of fertilization to grow. However, when you grow this plant indoors, you must provide it with enough nutrients. Otherwise, it will have difficulty growing. In this case, bromeliad may lead if you give it more fertilizer than it needs or if you don’t dilute the fertilizer enough.

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How to Fix a Leaning Bromeliad?

To fix a leaning bromeliad, you should provide it with support using a wooden stick. But before doing this, you should check if your plant is overwatered or lacking nutrients. After you attach your bromeliad to the wooden stick, you should place it in a position that will allow it to receive light from the top. This will help the plant grow upright quickly because plants tend to grow toward the direction of light.

Here is how you can attach a leaning bromeliad to a wooden stick and help it grow upright again:

1. Prepare Your Stick: get a stick from a hardware store or garden center and disinfect it before use. Ideally, the stick should be as thick as the plant you are attaching. The thicker, the better because you’ll be able to bend it further as needed.

2. Attach the Stick: Take your stick and place the tip into the soil at the bottom of the pot. Make sure you don’t go too deep because you don’t want to damage roots. I like to use rubber bands to hold the stick because they are easy to attach and detach, plus they don’t leave any marks on your plant. If you’re using a different attachment, ensure that whatever you’re using does not cause any harm to the plant.

3. Hold the Plant Firmly: Tie the plant to the stick using string, twine, or wire, and cut the excess to within an inch of the stem.

5. Provide the Plant with Appropriate Care: water your bromeliad thoroughly to keep the soil moist but not saturated. If you are growing the plants indoors, ensure they have bright indirect light using grow light.

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How to Prevent Bromeliad from Leaning?

To prevent your bromeliad from leaning, you should place it below the light source to stop the plant from growing toward the right or left. Also, if you regularly prune your bromeliad, it will keep growing. Finally, you can use a trellis or a string tied to the pot to keep the plant upright and prevent it from leaning over. 

Here are our top 6 recommendations to prevent bromeliad from leaning:

Provide Light from the Top: to provide your bromeliad with Light from the Top, put it near a south-facing window or on a windowsill. If you grow this plant indoors, try to use a hanging artificial light source instead of regular Light.

Rotating: by rotating your bromeliad, you will help the plant get Light from every angle. This will prevent the plant from leaning to one side and eventually falling over.

Pruning: You should prune your bromeliad regularly to prevent the leaves from becoming heavy and leaning. Pruning is recommended every 2-3 months, depending on the size of the plant. Prune the plant to about 1 inch tall so it can grow and branch out. 

Water Correctly: by avoiding overwatering, you can save bromeliad from many issues, including leaning. To water, this plant correctly checks the soil before watering and doesn’t pour water until the soils feel dry to the touch.

Re-pot Before the Plant Becomes Root Bound: Whenever your bromeliad’s roots become larger than the pot, you should re-pot the plant. You can also re-pot this plant once yearly, precisely at the beginning of the spring season. This will help the plant grow fully by benefiting from all the advantages of the warm seasons.

Use a Support to Assist the Plant: to encourage your bromeliad to grow upright, you can use a support such as a trellis or a stick. 

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