Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS MARCH 2012, 3 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone,

Jean – As far as cultural advice goes in your case, it would help a lot if you could give us a better idea about your climate such as your coldest and hottest temperatures for example. Do you get snow where you live and how much shade does your garden get? Some pic’s of the area would be a great help as well. I’m not a Tilly grower and only understand a few basics, but I know they do like bright light and warmth, very good air circulation and to be kept a bit on the dry side. The best indication of watering is the foliage colour, if it is a greenish colour they are getting too much water, as a healthy plant with the right light and watering conditions should be a silvery grey colour.

Although Alcantarea Imperialis and Aechmea Blanchetiana can withstand very strong light, they will both suffer cold damage from freezing conditions if not given shelter. Generally any plants with a leaf colour of burgundy or bi-coloured (green on top and burgundy beneath) will also suffer cold damage if not protected from the elements. As a general rule plants with thick, stiff leaves will stand up to harsher weather conditions than will the softer leaved varieties. As far as toughness goes, Aechmeas Orlandiana and Bert are very tough and could probably withstand conditions without much protection, as would Ae. Gamosepala, and Neo’s Beefsteak and McWilliamsii. I think Neo Royal Robe and Debbie would probably suffer from the cold as would Ae Burgundy.

Feeding is not an absolute necessity as the plants will grow without it: but they will definitely grow better with it. If you choose to feed; brom’s really need low Nitrogen and High Potassium fertilizers. This will keep the colour in the coloured leaf varieties and promote flowering in the types that are grown for their flowers such as Guzmanias, vrieseas and some Aechmeas. High Nitrogen fertilizers will give you plenty of growth at the expense of colour. Personally I feed according to the instructions on the fertilizer I’m using.

However, feeding “little and often” seems to be the generally accepted rule for the best results. e.g. If the directions say 5gm per 4 litres of water given monthly, it’s better to give 2.5gm per 4 litres of water each two weeks or if you want to go lighter even still, 1.25 gm per 4 litres of water each week. This is fine if you have lots of time to do it, but we don’t all have this time available. I find this system very good for the smaller seedlings.

Although it’s not classed as a fertilizer, I find that a monthly dose of (the original) Seasol is a great boost to all plants. See ..... http://www.seasol.com.au/ It is made from Kelp Seaweed and is a renewable natural resource which is safe for all plants. It is for want of a better word a “tonic” which helps plants to overcome disease and stress and also increases their ability to withstand higher and lower than normal temperatures up to an extra four degrees.

As for producing pups on Mother Plants that have already flowered, Neo’s sometimes pup before flowering but for the most part they will pup after flowering. To encourage this I usually give them a double dose of fertilizer after flowering which usually pushes them to pup more frequently and in greater numbers.

Hopefully some of the other growers on this site will share their knowledge with you as well, especially those who grow Tillandsias.

Colleen – For plants that aren’t fertilised, your plants look exceptionally happy and healthy. What’s your secret, do you talk or sing to them? Come on “spill the beans” and let us all in on your little secrets!

Karen – Glad you found the info on grass pups helpful and hopefully it will answer a lot of your questions.

Wendy – I’m sure we are all thinking of you during this very hard time and if you need to talk, feel free to email me at any time as talking with someone “outside the square” often helps you feel a bit better.

That’s it from me and here’s a few pic’s to finish off with, the first three are some pic’s of a friend's Tillandsia which I hadn’t seen before but is a really attractive plant, it's Tillandsia Multicaulis (Multi meaning many and caulis meaning stems) Pic. No.4 is Aechmea leptantha and No. 5. is Aechmea spectabilis. These pictures are not of my plants but of a friend's plants who I got the seed from to grow my seedlings. I now have about twenty of each about half grown and available for sale or swap.

All the best, Nev.