The objective of this study was to evaluate alternative substrates for the cultivation of the bromeliad Aechmea fasciata (Lindley) Baker, to substitute the formulated mixtures with fern tree fiber from Dicksonia sellowiana (Presl.) Hook. Tested substrates were: Pinus bark, Eucalyptus bark, coxim (made of coconut fiber), coir or fern tree fiber, mixed with peat and perlite, in the proportions 2:7:1, 5:4:1 and 8:1:1. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse covered with polyethylene and shaded with shade cloth 70%. The bromeliads were cultivated during 435 days, until the beginning of the flowering, when they were suitable for commercialization. The evaluated parameters were dry masses of leaf, root, inflorescence, floral scape, and stem, besides total dry mass and the commercial quality. The substrates formulated with fern tree fiber or Pinus bark, in the proportions 2:7:1, 5:4:1 and 8:1:1, and with Eucalyptus bark, coir or coxim, in the proportion 2:7:1, showed the best results. The substrates formulated with Eucalyptus bark, coir or coxim in the proportion 8:1:1 presented the poorest results.
Aechmea fasciata; Dicksonia sellowiana; Bromeliaceae; floriculture
