Can you give me some advice about growing an Aechmea fasciata?

The sites didn't help cause there weren't any concrete instructions. Like for ex. is the cup suppose to be always filled with water?? And how am I supposed to separate the new plant from the mother-plant%26lt;%26lt;with knife or something??cause I don't know how to separate their roots.Any advice from a real plant grower would be really helpful.Thanks in advanceCan you give me some advice about growing an Aechmea fasciata?
The cup doesn't necessarily always need to be full but it shouldn't be left dry for any great length of time. Keep the plant moist by spraying in the winter months and fill the cup more often in the summer.


In it's natural habitat it sticks itself onto another plant much like an orchid (epithetic) and survives on humidity and rainfall dripping through a tree canopy. It much prefers rainwater to tap water and likes diffused light as it would get growing under trees.


It also prefers neutral to acidic soil that is slightly moist.





To separate mother and baby...Wash the soil away from the roots and gently tug. You should find the baby comes away with it's own little root system. If it doesn't it may not be mature enough or you might have to use a knife to help it. This should still leave you with enough roots on it.





A little extra bit of information. If it has finished flowering let the cup dry stick the whole plant in a plastic bag with an apple and shortly it should produce a flower!