Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts - July 2013, 5 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – Quite cold here again today; not as cold as yesterday but drizzling rain as well so it's heading for a pretty miserable day and we look like being house-bound.

Breeindy – You have much more colour in you Neo. 'lime and Lava' than I have; likewise with 'Pink River' and 'Red River but maybe mine will colour more as the weather gets warmer.

Trish – I like the two “Marble” types of Neo's you've posted, can you put me down for a pup of each when you get a spare? Maybe we can swap for some of my “Marble” types.

What can I say about your fire place except that we could use it here at present.

Cody – Yes they are definitely pups on your “Guzzie” but they have quite while to go until they are ready to be taken off yet. Some people say to let them get to one third of the size of the Mother plant before removing them but I always let mine get to about three quarters the size of the Mother; that way they have a good root system and removing them at that size in spring time doesn't set them back at all and they just power along. As Trish says, you also have the option of leaving them on the Mother plant and just potting them into a larger pot; this way you finish up with four plants in the same pot, and believe me; four Guzzie flower spikes on the same plant is really quite spectacular. Now that the mother is supporting four new babies she will appreciate a regular fertilising. Just ask your nursery supplier for a suitable foliar fertiliser, preferably one that's not too high in Nitrogen. Phostrogen or Manutec are two good ones we use over here but I don't know if they are available in your country; anyway it's early days yet and we are always here to answer any questions you may have.

Jean – Wow! +2 degrees today, you must be thinking of stripping down to shorts and tee shirt. Ha! Ha! Its good to see your plants appear to have come through the cold patch without any damage anyway.

Neo.'Bob's Baby' is an F2 of one of the 'Aussie Dream' grex and was made by Grace Goode. I have one and it's a beautiful large/medium size plant I'm sure you will love. I don't know of 'Kahala Midnight' or 'Peppermint' so maybe you could post a pic when you get them. I also have 'Hot Gossip' which I would describe as the “Joseph's coat of many colours” in the brom world and another beautiful plant. Bill.'Fred Red', as well as being a nice Billbergia itself, has proved to be a good parent for breeding also, so you seem to have ordered quite a good collection of plants.

As well as the variegated 'Fireball' hybrids you mention, there is another called Neo.'Zoe' which is quite an attractive little plant as well although it's not albo-marginated.

I'll look forward to the Dracunculus when ever you get around to digging it up. Did the tree ferns I sent last year do any good for you? I think there are a couple more around the place somewhere if you would like them.

That's it for today and the pic's once again are file pic's and the first one is (a not very good shot) of Neo.'Zoe' (just to show another of the Fireball variegates). Pic.2 is my Neo.'Pink River' just starting to colour up, Pic.3 is Canistropsis Billbergioides (Pink), Pic.4 is Neo.'Lovely Lady' and Pic.5 is another of my seedlings Neo.'Bea Hanson' x Rosea Striata'.

All the best, Nev.