Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS - NOVEMBER 2012, 4 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Fri 9th

G'day everyone – It's just gone 5.00 am as I start this so I can't see what the day's going to be like, but although we had a little rain overnight, we didn't end up getting the deluge they had predicted but a little further north they copped some really violent storms with hail the size of golf balls.

Wendy – Hopefully the vets will find a way through all of the puzzles troubling Max and at least you now know he's getting the best possible treatment so fingers crossed for a successful outcome.

Although “Tillies” aren't my thing, I really find the way you are growing them on those balls most attractive, I think they look great! I read somewhere once that they grow like grass in Brisbane and all points north is this true? I have a friend in Townsville who has them growing on the side of an old wooden garden shed where the seed has blown and the only care they get is an occasional spray with the hose. Another friend who is a member of our local brom society has Till. seedlings growing profusely on the branches of a Bottle Brush tree in his front yard. They haven't been planted by him but the seed has just dropped from the adult plants above and self sown.

Shirley - Like you, I always cook my Coco Peat in the microwave for 5 minutes on high and always have with never any problems, so maybe it's something in the Sphagnum that's giving Sue the unexpected results. I always put a lid on my containers so maybe it's this which keeps everything within the container.

Sue – After you posted the pic of your Bill 'Rosea' yesterday, I went looking and found a nice big fat spike just starting to stick its head up out of one of my plants, I can't get to the other plant too easily to have a look at that also but I expect if it is going to flower I will see it eventually. I have found 'Rosea' to be a very easy Bill to grow from seed so I'll self pollinate a few flowers so I'll have a bit of seed to share around.

That's all for today and I'll finish with a few pic's. Pic 1 is Neo xcorreia-araujoi just coming into flower. I'll also have 'Rosy Morn' and a large white flowered 'Cruenta' in flower at the same time so I'll probably try a little hybridising with the aim of getting large Neo's suitable for land scaping. Pic 2 is Ae 'Ruby Red' and shows what happens when you hang your plants up near the roof and don't keep a watch on them. This plant is thought to be a hybrid from Gamosepala x Cylindrata. and was previously known as Gamosepala 'Rubra' but was registered as 'Ruby Red' in 2011 so if you grow this one, change the name on your label. Pic3 is Neo Lambert's Pride (twin pups) Pic 4 and 5 show the vast difference in two plants from the same batch of Neo 'Rosea Striata' x 'Bea Hanson' seed. Pic.4 is heavily striated with red and in the plant in pic 5 the striations are just faintly visible.

All the best, Nev.