Both overwatering and underwatering can occur for your Pinguin, but overwatering is a more common issue. In fact, some of the Pinguin may show a slight ability to survive short-lived droughts despite preferring consistently moist soil conditions. On the off chance that you manage to underwater your Pinguin, you'll see that the leaves begin to turn brown and brittle at the tips and may begin to curl as well. For in-ground plants, this issue is most common when you rely on rainfall for watering, but the rainfall volume has proven to be insufficient. Underwatering is a bit more common for container-grown plants, as the soil in containers often dries out more quickly and may not have access to natural rainfall. In either case, you can resolve underwatering issues by supplying more water. If you have an issue with overwatering, you may notice that your Pinguin has begun to wilt. The leaves of the plant may begin to turn yellow, and you may notice rot in the leaves and stem. Additionally, overwatering can damage fruits and lead to accumulations of mold and fungus. Overwatering can occur for in-ground plants when you water even when there has been sufficient rainfall. In container gardening situations, overwatering often results from the use of heavy soils from containers that lack proper drainage holes. If you have an overwatered container-grown Pinguin, it's often best to remove it from its container, clean and trim its roots, and place it in a new container that holds looser soils and has better drainage. You should also plant to reduce your watering schedule if your plant is overwatered, whether it lives in the ground or in a pot.

During the growing season, you should water your Pinguin often enough to maintain consistent soil moisture without causing the soil to become waterlogged. If you grow your Pinguin in a container, this usually amounts to about one inch of water applied once per week. By contrast, if you plant your Pinguin in the ground, the plant may not need supplemental watering if it has rained about one inch during the week. As such, you may be able to go long periods without watering an in-ground Pinguin, assuming there has been consistent rainfall. Your watering frequency will need to change depending on the season. For instance, the Pinguin will need less water during winter than they do during spring, summer, and fall. Your Pinguin may also need more water depending on its growth phase, with the flowering a fruiting phase often calling for more water than usual.

It is possible to grow your Pinguin indoors in a large container. In fact, indoor growing is a necessity, at least for part of the year, if you live in a region with cold winters, as the Pinguin will not survive freezing temperatures. When growing the Pinguin indoors, you should note that it does not have access to rainwater, which can supply enough moisture for plants that grow outdoors. That means that you'll need to supply all the water that your indoor Pinguin receives. Indoor growing locations are often dryer overall as well, often due to the presence of air conditioners and other appliances. That factor, along with the lack of rainfall in an indoor setting, often means that you'll need to water your Pinguin more frequently than you would if it grew outdoors. You should also consider misting an indoor Pinguin in addition to pouring water on its leaves as you would when watering this plant, regardless of its location. Misting helps create a humid environment where this plant thrives.

Each of these plants will need to survive several seasonal changes, each of which can call for different watering styles. During the spring is when you should begin watering your Pinguin at the standard rate of about one inch of water per week. In summer, when the weather is hottest, you may get by with the same watering frequency. However, the heat may cause your plant's soil to dry out more quickly than normal, which may result in it needing water multiple times per week to maintain consistent moisture. During fall, you can continue the same watering rate you used during the spring. In winter, you can usually water your plant a bit less, but you should not cease watering altogether. Your winter watering goal should be to maintain a slight degree of moisture and not allow more than the first few centimeters of soil to become dry. You may also need to water your Pinguin a bit differently based on its growth stage. Mainly, when this plant is in a flowering or fruiting stage, it will likely require more water than usual. As is always the case, you can rely on soil observations to determine how much you need to increase your watering rate during those phases with the goal of maintaining consistent soil moisture without creating soggy soil conditions.

The question depends on your answer to whether the plant you have is only meant for ornamental purposes or if you are growing for the fruit. If your plant produces fruits, you’ll need to put in more effort when it comes to pruning. With that said, Pinguin needs minimal pruning. For the best fruit yields you should prune the plant: When the leaves are damaged, discolored, or dead/dying as they will keep sapping nutrients from living leaves If any leaves are shading the fruit since the fruit requires full sunlight to ripen To remove excess fruit for larger fruits Every six months or so, you’ll want to remove any excess suckers (side shoots from the main stem of the plant) that appear along the base of the plant. You only need one, so keep the largest sucker and cut off the rest.

Pruning is an important part of maintaining Pinguin especially if you want to harvest its fruit. While it's not complicated, you do need to know the best time to prune. For leaves that are dead, dying, or yellowed, you can prune them immediately as they can impact other leaves and even the fruit harvest. Make sure to check the leaves regularly for changes in color from green to brown or yellow and check for any holes. Besides the leaves, you also want to keep an eye out for suckers (side shoots from the main plant). Remove these a few weeks after you notice them growing in during the late spring. If you wait too much longer, it will start pulling too many nutrients away from the main plant, which means the main plant won’t grow as tall and might not flower/fruit. With that said, you’ll want to keep one sucker once the main stalk is 6-8 months old to replace the old plant for the next season. As the fruit starts forming in the late spring/early summer, you should move any leaves that are shading them as the fruits require full sunlight to ripen. If you can’t move the leaves out of the way, only prune back what you need to. Don’t go overboard as it could affect fruit growth. As the fruits grow, keep an eye on them and remove any small or malformed ones. While it might decrease your overall yield, the remaining fruit will grow larger and ripen faster. After all, the more fruit there is, the more nutrients it takes to grow all of them. By reducing competition, the remaining fruit can get more water and nutrients from the soil to grow big and strong. Once you’ve harvested all the fruit, cut back the stalk that produced the fruit. Each stalk produces fruit once so leaving it behind means it will steal nutrients from any new stalks and fruit.

When removing leaves from the plant, make sure you are using sharp garden shears for clean cuts. You don’t need to add any medicine to the plant for standard pruning. Instead, make sure to give the plant plenty of moisture and nutrients so it will grow stronger leaves. When pruning your plant back for winter, you should give it light watering, but avoid saturating the soil as the cold weather can freeze moisture in the dirt, which can harm the roots of Pinguin. You can toss the healthy stems, leaves, and fruits of the tree into your compost bin after pruning. For diseased plants, dig up and destroy the roots, stem, and leaves to prevent contamination.

Before Pinguin starts fruiting, you should limit pruning as much as possible as the plant needs as much sunlight as possible for fruit production. You should only prune back leaves if they are discolored, damaged, and dying/dead. Discolored leaves could be caused by frost damage, fungus, insects, or even under or overwatering. With that said, as Pinguin gets older, the leaves will naturally die off so there might not always be an issue. Still, it pays to take a proactive approach when it comes to your plant’s health so inspect the leaves you prune to figure out what the underlying issue might be. If you notice any black marks on the plant, it could mean there’s too much humidity. Yellow leaves often mean the plant is suffering frost damage or not getting enough water. The next time you’ll want to prune is while the fruits are growing. Remove leaves that are providing too much shade on the fruit. As the fruit starts growing, you’ll also notice suckers growing from the main stem. Prune any that appear as they will divert necessary nutrients away from the fruit. At the same time you’re removing the suckers, get rid of the smallest fruits in the bunch to improve the quality of your remaining fruit. Your final pruning for the season will come once you’ve harvested the ripe fruit. Pinguin stalks only produce fruit once. If you don’t cut it back, it will steal nutrients from future stalks. Be careful you don’t nick the main plant when cutting back the stalk!

The best time to prune Pinguin is during the growing season. You can remove the dead and/or diseased leaves generally at any time during the spring-fall. For fruiting plants, prune leaves that are shading the fruit as they require sunlight to ripen. Otherwise, avoid pruning until after harvesting the fruit. Even if your plant never flowers or fruits, you will still need to prune the plant back to properly winterize it. Cut the main stem back to around a foot above the soil after the leaves have already died off. You should then apply a thick layer of mulch to protect the roots from the cold. So long as it’s properly protected, Pinguin can survive temperatures below freezing.

Always make sure to sterilize your garden tools before and after you use them to prevent the spread of potential diseases. If you are cutting off a part of the plant you know has a fungus or disease, sterilize with alcohol before you continue to prune on a healthy portion of the plant. If you’re growing your plant in a pot, you will need to repot every few years as the plant likely will deplete the soil of nutrients. When well taken care of, you can keep the plant alive and well for years to come as each year brings new growth!

The easiest way to keep your plant healthy is to remove any dead, damaged, or diseased leaves. Look for leaves that have become discolored, have holes in them, and/or are wilted and remove them with garden shears. Before making your first cut, remember to sterilize your shears and blade first and then start removing the leaves. Start from the outermost leaves and then work your way in. Avoid cutting into the stem as that can affect the development of leaves, flowers, and fruit. After that, use your sharp blade and prune back the stalk of the plant about ½ to one inch from the stem at a 45 degree angle. Only do this after you’ve already harvested any fruit or the plant has already flowered!

As jungle plants, Epiphytic Bromeliads grow in a variety of locations in the rainforest. Some of them are found closer to the forest floor, receiving only dappled sunlight that finds its way through tall canopies. Others grow as epiphytes higher up on the trees and are exposed to direct sunlight. That is why it is essential to know what type of plant you’re getting. As a general rule, epiphytic bromeliads naturally exposed to more sun have thicker, stiffer leaves, while species naturally growing in the shade have more tender, thinner leaves. However, as stressed before, always check the individual species’ needs. The safest bet for Pinguin is to be exposed to bright but mostly indirect light - e.g., from an east-facing window. Also, it is safe to assume that Pinguin will get sunburned if exposed to direct sunlight during prolonged periods, so avoid this with all family members.

The consequences of inadequate lighting for Pinguin can go in two directions. If Pinguin receives too much direct sunlight and belongs to species adapted to shady conditions, the leaves may start looking bleached-out and paler than usual at first. Eventually, leaf scorching is almost certain to occur. On the other hand, if Pinguin receives too little sunlight, the foliage will lose its color and turn darker. That is especially true for variegated plants that may lose all their additional colors and turn solid green. Also, as a general consequence, Pinguin that fails to receive enough sunlight according to their species’ needs will grow poorly.

Tropical conditions of Pinguin’s original homes are quite stable throughout the plant’s lifetime, and the light doesn’t have to vary between seasons. However, increasing the light exposure can trigger the plant to bloom - a highly desired event. Still, it’s not just about the light levels - all other conditions, such as temperature and humidity, should be met for this to happen.

If you have just bought your Pinguin from a non-specialized store, they have likely been exposed to low light conditions for some time. Even if the particular species belongs to the sun-loving Pinguin subtype, you need to gradually introduce it to brighter, natural sunlight conditions. That practice is called hardening. Start by exposing your plant to indirect window light, pulling it closer to the light source each day. After several days, the plant can receive its first direct morning light, but only for a very short time.

The absolutely ideal conditions for Pinguin - both temperature and light-wise - is a greenhouse setup with temperatures averaging between 70 and 80 °F (21 and 27 °C), with bright indirect light, good air circulation, and high humidity. However, the popular Pinguin species are not overly sensitive and are easily grown in average home conditions. As a simple rule - if you feel pleasant in your room temperatures, these are likely adequate for your Pinguin as well.

East or west-facing window light is ideal for most Pinguin. However, if the west-facing window is in question, the direct afternoon light may be too harsh for some species, so ensure greater distance from the window or another type of shading during the critical part of the day. If a south-facing window is your only option, keeping Pinguin next to it can be possible if you create some distance between the light source and the plant, plus filter the light through a suitable curtain. Again, the ideal position will largely depend on the species in question, and you need to factor in other requirements, such as humidity, into the equation. For example, bathrooms are ideal for Pinguin regarding humidity but may not secure enough light for many species unless you have a window in there. However, some species may thrive under low-light bathroom conditions with some natural light available and some supplemented by artificial fluorescent light. Other positions, such as kitchen windows, may provide ideal light but may be too dry. In that case, try increasing the humidity around the plant by creating a humidity tray under the pot or adding a humidifier. Also, Pinguin will thrive outdoors in tropical climates and can be brought out during the summer in warm temperate climates. In outdoor conditions, they perform well under trees with broad and semi-thick canopies that create dappled light conditions. Also, shaded patios and bright porches are also great options.

Pinguin tends to prefer the same general temperature ranges. While they can tolerate temperatures as low as 50℉(15℃), this plant likes higher temperatures that more closely resemble those of tropical and subtropical regions. Being an epiphytic plant, meaning that most of the water of Pinguin comes from air humidity and not groundwater, higher temperatures are better. The humidity that Pinguin prefers is best obtained with temperatures over 75℉(25℃). Since humidity is created when water is vaporized into warm air, maintaining humidity is easiest with warmer temperatures. Before you blast your air conditioner in the warm months, make sure these plants are out of the way of the coolest drafts! Anywhere from 75~90℉(25~32℃) is perfect, but cooler temperatures down to 50℉(15℃) are acceptable.

Pinguin doesn’t need a period of dormancy, or a cold period, to effectively bloom and reproduce. This means that ideal temperatures should be maintained year-round. However, if your Pinguin does experience temperatures cooler than 50℉(15℃) or hotter than 95℉(35℃) , it may cause some damage. The extent of the damage is specific to how long it was exposed to extreme cold or heat, its genotype, and what stage the plant is in. Cold temperatures below 50℉(15℃) will cause frostbite on the leaves of a Pinguin. This normally appears as black spots or entirely blackened leaves, but this process can take a few days to become apparent. At first, the leaves will look droopy, then slowly become discolored. It’s difficult to save the Pinguin from this fate, but sometimes they can grow back over the course of several months. If the Pinguin is exposed to very high temperatures, it will simply wilt. If the leaves become too dry, they may not revive; however, if the exposure wasn’t very long, then the heat spike may have no lasting effect. Pinguin can tolerate heat much better than cold.

You can easily keep the Pinguin warm without the use of a heating pad or nearby heater (though if you’re using one anyway, it doesn’t hurt to share!). To maintain optimal temperatures, consider planting Pinguin in a terrarium. By enclosing the space around the plant, you create a sort of micro-environment with higher humidity and temperature than outside the glass, which in itself holds heat for some time. If you live in a warm region where it may be too dry to place Pinguin outside, you can always place it near a warm window or an exterior wall that warms up during the day under full sun exposure; just be sure not to provide too much sunlight as a consequence of moving the plant too close to a bright window. Sheer curtains can remedy this issue. On the other hand, if you live in a tropical or subtropical climate where outside temperatures stay between 55-90℉(13-32℃) day to night, you can grow Pinguin outside year-long. If the temperature drops below this range, simply bring them indoors for the night or cover them with a thin cloth to prevent cold damage.

Sometimes, temperature fluctuations can sneak up in ways you might not expect. One of the most common temperature breaches for Pinguin is from windows. If you grow your Pinguin in a window, be aware of how outside temperatures can affect the temperature of the window and how much of that cold or hot air reaches your plant. Another common household temperature breach is air conditioning and heaters. We might not realize it since we don’t hover over these things in our homes, but a direct draft from air conditioners can chill Pinguin to well below its preferred temperature range. Similarly, heaters can effectively dry out it very quickly, which causes the leaves to harden and eventually wither away.

Fertilizer, and soil nutrients in general, are an essential form of fuel that your Pinguin will use to maintain healthy growth. In general, plants use the nutrients they find in the soil to develop new plant material and keep their existing components in good condition. For the Pinguin specifically, fertilization is necessary to help this plant display the best version of its flowers. Since the flowers are the main form of attraction to this plant, most gardeners will want to do all they can to ensure the flowers appear in their best form. Fertilization is one of the most reliable ways to help your Pinguin produce the best possible blooms.

The Pinguin goes through two main phases throughout each year. The first phase is the dormant phase, in which this plant will put forth minimal new growth. This dormant phase takes place during the winter. The other phase is the active growth phase, which takes place during spring and fall, which is when your Pinguin will need fertilization the most. Generally, it is best to fertilize your Pinguin starting in the spring months. You should repeat the feeding about once per month throughout the rest of the spring and through most of the summer. As fall approaches, you can begin to reduce your fertilization rate.

You want to support Pinguin growth, but you also don’t want to cause root burn. Your plant is actively growing in the spring and summer, it’s when the extra nutrients are necessary. In the fall and winter, your plant will enter its dormancy stage. It’s when you want to stop fertilizing.

The ideal fertilizer for a Pinguin is one that has a relatively balanced mix of the three main plant nutrients, with slightly higher amounts of phosphorus. Alternatively, some gardeners choose to improve their Pinguin 's soil by adding organic materials such as compost, worm castings, and manure. Fertilizers can come in many forms, and most of these forms will work well for your Pinguin. However, some of the best fertilizers for Pinguin come in either a liquid or a powdered form. Regardless of which you use, you should ensure that you dilute your fertilizer and apply it while watering your Pinguin.

Once you have found a suitable fertilizer and learned the ideal fertilization schedule for your Pinguin, you are ready to learn how to apply your fertilizer. When feeding your Pinguin, the most reliable method is to mix your liquid fertilizer with water before applying it to the soil. Each fertilizer may have different directions on how to feed your plants. Usually, it is best to follow the manufacturer's guidance on how to use the fertilizer they produce. These instructions should include information on how to properly dilute the fertilizer to prevent overfertilization. Mixing your fertilizer in water is an easy process, and once it is complete, all you need to do is pour the mixture into the soil where your Pinguin lives.

Overfertilization is something that you should consider when caring for any plant, but it is especially important when growing a Pinguin. A Pinguin, when overfertilized, will show clear signs of distress, which, at times, may be so serious that they lead to the death of your plant. Overfertilized Pinguin will likely show leaf discoloration as well, including browning. In the worst-case scenarios, excessive fertilization will draw moisture out of your plant's roots, which can cause it to decline quickly.