Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS - NOVEMBER 2012, 2 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Sat 10th.

Good morning everyone, gee it's the weekend again, where are the weeks going? The time just seems to be flying as Christmas quickly approaches, soon we'll be celebrating a new year again.

Firstly, where have all the regulars gone? Probably some are Christmas shopping I expect, but what about the others, are there any on the sick list? If so I'm sending a “cherrio” and “get well soon wish” and wait in anticipation for their return to our forum once again.

I spent yesterday sorting out some seedlings which were long overdue to be thinned out and replanted in new containers; in fact this job should have been done a year ago. I usually sow a couple of each batch if I have enough seed, and as soon as they are large enough I thin them out into batches of about fifteen to a container to give them room to grow. The remainder are left as reserves in case something happens to the first lot I plant out. Once the initial batch are established and growing well, the ones that are left fall victim to the “cull” simply because I just don't have anywhere to keep them and I need to make room for other ones coming along.

Some of these seedlings were ones that hadn't done too well, due mainly to the fact that they didn't get the attention they needed during the year when I was crook, and consequently were allowed to dry out on a couple of occasions which is the worst thing you can do to seedlings at this size. Anyway I found a few that I had forgotten I even planted, mainly because it wasn't my own seed and was genera other than my favourite Neoregelias. I found some Vr 'Milky Way' x 'Uluru Sunset', Vr. 'Megan' x Self, Vr. 'Megan' x Red Chestnut and Vr.Gruberi 'Tiny Tim' x Vr Ospinae 'Purple'. I don't expect there will be too many champions among them but I will be interested to see what the Vr. Gruberi cross produces.

Sue – I like your NOID in the first picture you posted yesterday; I've always been a bit partial to plants of deep red and burgundy colouring which I think is a result of one of my first crosses which produced burgundy coloured off-spring. What you say about it growing with a saucer beneath it goes against everything I was ever told about brom's until “Vriesea Jack” told me that the best way to grow the Vr Ospinae types was standing in a saucer full of water and I must say that when I did this the growth rate definitely increased dramatically. So I guess it just goes to show there are exceptions to all rules and your NOID is one also.

I do like your Billbergia 'Poquito Mas', it would be interesting to see what it would be like as a breeding parent with those colours, and no doubt you'll be giving it a bit of a touch up with some pollen when it flowers just to try it out.

In today's pic's I think your Christmas tree made from Vriesea flammea is a great idea, how do you keep thinking these things up? It's certainly food for thought though, as I have a lot of these plants around the yard and have never known what to do with them to really show them to advantage. What's more I think your timing might just about be “spot on” as mine are just starting to put up spikes now so you could easily have a flowering Christmas Tree. Who knows, the beautiful butterfly might even come back to see it also.

Shirley – I can't tell you how long your “Tilly” seed will take to germinate as I don't remember; but I do remember it is slower to germinate than other seed such as Aechmeas and Neoregelias for example, and they are also much slower growers, so you will have to be patient. The other thing I was told was that they do like to grow in bright light with gentle air movement.

I like your pic of Neo 'Enchantment', there's no doubt it's certainly a beautiful brom and one that always looks nice. Mine are still quite small and I can't wait until they reach the size of yours.

Wendy – I suppose you and Johnny will be flat out with the wedding this weekend and I trust that Max will be OK with “Aunty Jen” coming to visit and “spoil” him, so have a nice time and we'll hear from you when everything gets back to normal.

That's all from me, and the pictures today are: Pic.1 is one I bought as Neo 'Prince of Darkness' however it doesn't look much like the picture on the BCR so could well be a NOID that someone has given a “pet name”. Pic 2 is the nice little compact and well shaped Neo 'Kay Jay' although this isn't a very good example of what it's capable of. Pic 3 is one of the many clones of Neo Meyendorffii and although nothing special in the colour stakes has nice shape for a miniature, and one I will use to breed from. Pic 4 is a bench of mixed Vrieseas and Pic 5 is Vr 'Angela', an “oldie” but still a “goodie”

All the best, Nev.