Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for novices & addicts, October 2012, 3 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi Colleen and Ian – where have all the others gone? I expect they are all making the most of the good weather and tending their brom's. A big “Get Well Soon” to anyone on the sick list and I hope you're soon feeling better and up to posting again soon.

Colleen – It looks like the last lot of plants I sent travelled well and they're all looking very comfortable in their new home. Regarding your plants hanging near the top of the mesh; all I can say is that any plants I have hanging just below the roof, stay there all the year around without any problems as I usually position them in their hanging position during the short days of winter so they are acclimatised by the time the hot weather arrives. After that initial year, they just stay there all the time. I don't know how your summer temp's compare with ours, but if you are concerned you could also do what our members in Far North Queensland do and put another layer of shade cloth over that section (in your case just a narrow strip should do the trick) and take it down again once the summer heat has finished, or as you say, just drop them down a bit lower.

Ian – Just a bit of vertigo? You should find out what's causing this and don't just dismiss it. It can have very serious consequences if it comes on you whilst driving or while you are up a ladder or using some sort of dangerous portable tool such as a circular saw. Two of the most common causes are a sudden drop in blood pressure or unstable or low blood sugar levels such as people with diabetes experience. Both can be checked with simple tests at you GP's and treated accordingly.

It will be interesting to see what those seeds turn up when they eventually mature. Did you see that plant when it was in flower or is it one you bought post flowering? A pic of the flowers could certainly point the finger at what you may get from the seedlings and it seems to me it may just have a bit of Ae gamosepala in it as the inflorescence is similar and this seems to cross breed with pretty well anything. As it's very commonly grown, it's pollen is very easily transmitted by insects and small birds such as Sun Birds and Honey Eaters.

As for the plant in your last pic, I have to agree, it does look very much like 'J C Super Star' which needs good light to maintain the nice colours in the banding.

Well, that's it from me for today and I'll finish with a few more old file pic's I dug up.
1 is Ae Fasciata variegata, 2 is Neo. 'George's Prince', 3 is Nid. 'Madonna', 4 is Neo 'Powder Puff' and 5 is Vr. Hieroglyphica.

All the best, Nev.