Earth star

Earth star: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Low, flat rosette 15 cm tall and up to 30 cm wide; it grows on the ground rather than on branches.

Leaves

Stiff, 10–15 cm long and wavy, with fine spines along the edge; green to bronze with two pale lengthwise stripes.

Colour

In good light the stripes are pink or cream; in a spot that is too dark the leaves turn greener and the stripes fade.

Flower

Small white flowers hidden deep in the centre of the rosette; they are inconspicuous.

Roots

Short and shallow: a wide, low pot suits it best.

Plants: March–April

Why grow it?

• Colourful, striped foliage in green, pink and cream, all year round.
• Small and flat: fits in a small dish, terrarium or bottle garden.
• Evergreen and easy to combine with other plants that like humid air.
• Produces offsets at the base, so you can get more plants with no effort.
• Suits a bright room without direct sun.

Earth star: where does it grow best?

• Bright light without fierce sun: behind an east or west window, or a little further from a south window.
• A light, airy compost rich in humus: a mix of bromeliad or orchid compost with some bark and perlite; acid to neutral.
• Evenly and lightly moist, never wet.
• Warm: 18–24 °C, never below 15 °C. Avoid draughts.
• Keep the air humid: ideal in a terrarium or on a tray of damp clay pebbles.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately

Size

0.15 m tall, 0.3 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 15 °C

Goes well with

• Nerve plant (Fittonia): Same warmth and humidity, with finely veined foliage in pink or white.
• Spike moss (Selaginella): A soft, green ground cover in a terrarium.
• Guzmania: Another bromeliad with tall, bright flower spikes above the flat rosette.
• Ferns: They keep the air humid and give a green backdrop.

Earth star: when and how to plant it?

Plant in March–April.

1. Repot in March–April, when the plant outgrows its pot or when offsets are detached.
2. Choose a wide, low pot with drainage holes; the roots are short and shallow.
3. Fill with an airy mix of potting compost, fine bark and perlite that holds moisture but drains well.
4. Set the plant at the same depth as before, with the rosette resting on the surface, and firm gently.
5. Give a little water and put it in a warm, bright place without direct sun.

Care

Water

Keep the compost lightly moist. In summer water about once a week, less in winter. Use rainwater or other low-lime water and pour it on the compost, not into the heart of the rosette.

Feeding

From April to September give a quarter dose of foliage plant food once a month. None in winter.

Humidity

Stand it on a tray of damp clay pebbles or keep it in a terrarium. Mist the leaves now and then.

Light

Plenty of light without fierce sun: too little light loses the colour, too much sun causes brown patches.

Tidying

Remove dead outer leaves and detach offsets when they have enough roots.

Tip: A small ground bromeliad, lovely in a terrarium or bottle garden. Keep the compost lightly moist, use low-lime water and keep it out of the sun.

Earth star: when to prune it?

When: It is not pruned. Remove dead or dried leaves all year round.

How:

• Gently pull dead outer leaves away at the base or cut them off.
• Trim brown leaf tips with sharp scissors, following the shape of the leaf.
• After flowering the mother rosette slowly declines: cut it away once it is dry.
• Use clean scissors to prevent infection.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

In spring (March–April) offsets grow at the base of the mother plant. Detach them when they are about a third the size of the mother plant, with a few roots if possible, and pot them up separately in damp bromeliad compost.

Seed

Sowing is possible, but it takes years to get a good plant; offsets are much quicker.

Earth star: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy: it needs at least 15 °C and is happiest at 18–22 °C.
• Water less: the compost should stay lightly moist but not wet. Do not feed.
• Do not put it on a cold windowsill or above a radiator; dry air gives brown leaf tips.

Diseases and pests

• Brown leaf tips: Dry air, lime-rich water or too little water. Use low-lime water, raise the humidity and trim the tips.
• Rot in the rosette: From too much water or cold. Let the compost dry out a little between waterings, use a lighter mix and move it somewhere warmer.
• Faded foliage: Too little light: the stripes fade. Move it nearer the light, but not into full sun.
• Scale and mealybug: Small brown shells or white cottony tufts at the base of the leaves. Dab with a cotton bud dipped in alcohol or wipe with a damp cloth and repeat weekly.

Through the year

• January: Rest: little water, no feeding. Warm and bright.
• February: Rest: little water. Away from radiators.
• March: Repot and detach offsets. Give more water.
• April: Repot. Start feeding (quarter dose).
• May: Growing season: water weekly, humid air.
• June: Growing season: water and feed. Shade from fierce sun.
• July: Growing season: water and feed.
• August: Growing season: water and feed. Watch for scale.
• September: Last feed. Gradually water less.
• October: Water less. Keep warm.
• November: Rest: little water, no feeding.
• December: Rest: warm and bright, away from radiators.

Did you know?

• The name comes from Greek: kryptos (hidden) and anthos (flower), because the small flowers are hidden in the heart of the rosette.
• The species name bivittatus means ‘with two ribbons’ and refers to the two lengthwise stripes on each leaf.
• It belongs to the bromeliad family, which also includes the pineapple.