A few years ago I attended Ken William's Irrigation class at Solano College. One evening the class was re-piping the overhead sprinkler system in the greenhouse. Pipes were cut out and replaced and during this process there were a few plant casualties. With permission, I picked up a 4 inch piece of bromeliad that had broken off.  I had seen these plants sit in the greenhouse for years but never saw a bloom. The only thing I remembered about caring for these plants was to water each of the “leaf channels”.  So I have occasionally flushed each channel and left it alone while it sits in a protected area outside.

That 4 inch piece has grown into quite a large plant and is blooming for the first time for me. I don't know the cultivar but these Christmas blooms are stunning.