Australian and New Zealand Gardening: LOOKING FOR SPRING..... BROMELIADS 2015, 2 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – It seems that DG is playing the same old games once more and I can’t upload any pictures again as the “Choose a File” button has vanished. I’ve even tried using Google Chrome to fix the problem like I did last time, but this time it isn’t working. I don’t know why it just seems to be this forum all the time as I am on three other brom forums and have never had the same problem. Maybe they’re just trying to turn our little forum away.

Jean – I tend to think the same way as you regarding my Alcantarea problem and am hoping like you say that maybe the plants now living at lower altitudes will decide they can have pups; I guess only time will tell.

I find it very interesting being on a couple of other international bromeliad forums as well as this Australian and N.Z. “off-shoot” of DG (even though they too seem to be slowly dying).

I’ve been belly-aching about the cold weather we’ve been having here for the last couple of weeks but when I read what other growers in some of the other countries have to do, my concerns pale into insignificance.

I started a thread on another forum called “Tell us about your growing conditions” in an attempt to better understand what some of our overseas brom growing fiends have to contend with and I thought you may be interested in some of the responses.

One grower wrote: Since my winter temps get down to -20F (-29C), into the house they go for winter. Because of this I have only a handful of plants and there is room for them in east facing windows. I have been growing brom’s for about 7-8 years since I picked up an Ae. fasciata. Six of my brom’s are various generations from that single plant and three of those are flowering.

Two Neo 'Raphael' plants grown from the mother bought 3 years ago round things off. The Neos get about 4-5 hours of direct sun in summer while the Ae. fasciata get 2-3 hours of sun. All are potted in a mix of equal parts pine bark, peat based mix and perlite with a bit of compost and charcoal thrown in. The pots are plastic. Rain water/snowmelt goes in the cups while allowing some water to spill into the soil and a dunking of the pots in water every 6-8 weeks (more often in summer) is the watering regimen. Fertilisers are given at 1/4 strength only 3-4 times a year………… And I thought I was doing it tough this year.

Teresa – Pleased to hear you have another job interview. Is it with the same organisation or a different one altogether?

I’ll bet Miss Sugar hopes you are unsuccessful.

Trish – It’s good you can drop in even if it is just for short while as it’s always good to hear from you and the others. I planted all of the Neo seed I mentioned and there’s plenty left over so as soon as I clean it and put it into little packets, I’ll send some up for you and Mum.

It seems that my “whinge” at the start of this post had had an effect as the “Chose a File” button has magically re-appeared, so once again I can post pic’s.

Time to go and todays pic’s are something a little different. Although not everyone's "cup of tea", they are of a few Ae. nudicaulis x gamosepala hybrids I made a few years back.

Pic.1 is a bit unusual as it has an attractive pink colour through the foliage and looks nice even when not flowering, while Pic.2 Shows the flowers on this plant which again are unusual as they are an unusual grey/white in colour.

Pic.3, the flowers on this plant have an unusual colour combination of pale apricot with mauve petals, Pic.4 has slightly darker coloured flowers with cream petals and Pic.5 is brighter still with orange flowers and yellow petals, so quite a wide variety. The flower spikes all seem to have a similar form to gamosepala whereas the plants seems to more closely follow the nudicaulis form. All are very vigorous growers and grow well in a pot or basket hanging from the shade house roof.

All the best, Nev