Description
Neoregelia ‘Jill’ is a medium-sized bromeliad that typically reaches about 16 to 18 inches across. It has bright reddish orange with lime green speckled foliage and a bright red center when in bloom. A fast grower that is used often in many Florida landscapes as a ground cover or up in a tree. It can be acclimated to tolerate full sun conditions, but we recommend growing in bright filtered light to ensure no damage to the leaves.
**Plant will ship bare-root**
How to Keep Your Neoregelia ‘Jill’ Happy
Caring for these resilient, exotic beauties is incredibly straightforward! Use these essential guidelines to maximize their rich, freckled tropical patterns and keep your clumping plant growing strong:
Step 1: Balance their sun exposure. While this hardy variety can be acclimated to tolerate full sun conditions, we recommend growing in bright filtered light to ensure no damage to the leaves. It looks its absolute best with a mix of direct morning sun and filtered afternoon shade, or bright dappled light throughout the day. If transitioning it from a shady spot into a sunnier area, do it gradually so it can safely build up its intense reddish-orange hues without getting sunburned!
Step 2: Water the central cup. Instead of watering the soil, pour clean water directly into the center “tank” or cup of the plant. Because sun exposure evaporates water a bit faster, check the cup regularly to ensure it stays filled, and flush it out every couple of weeks with fresh water to keep it clean.
Step 3: Choose your growing method (Soil or Mounted).
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- If planting in pots: Make sure your pots have excellent drainage so the roots never sit in soggy mud. Occasionally give the soil some water just to keep it from drying out completely.
- If planting in the ground: Be sure to choose an area with great drainage where the soil won’t stay wet.
- If mounting (on a tree or driftwood): If you are not planting this in soil and choose to grow it mounted instead, you will want to water the whole plant—roots and all—frequently. We recommend watering daily the first couple of months. We have found this helps the roots attach faster. Once they start to attach you should be able to back off the watering to every 2 or 3 days. If growing in a terrarium or vivarium that requires one or more mists a day, that should be just fine. Because it lacks soil to retain ambient moisture, keeping the roots hydrated and maintaining water in the central cup is critical.
Step 4: Keep it warm. This tropical plant loves warmth. If you are growing it outdoors, to be safe just remember to bring it inside if the temperature drops below 50°F (10°C) or protect it from the cold or frost as much as possible.
Step 5: Fertilize sparingly (or not at all). We recommend using a well-balanced, slow-release fertilizer just once or twice a year. Be careful, though—too much fertilizer or nitrogen will cause the plant to lose its vibrant color and become leggy and stretched-out looking. In fact, some growers prefer not to fertilize at all to get the very best color from the plant!
