Australian and New Zealand Gardening: BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS APRIL 2012, 1 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, although when you get to my age (72) you tend to try and forget the birthdays. When I was fifty I told my grandson that my birthdays start going back the other way after that, so that now makes me 28 and gee it's good to feel young again.

I must share a funny little story with you all that happened the other day. A young son of a close friend has just had his appendix removed and the conversation got around to discussing various appendix operations. Andrew very proudly showed us his scars which consisted of two little marks that could be covered by bandaids; (apparently if it's a straight forward operation it’s now done by key hole-surgery). Another family friend who is about eighteen, showed Andrew his scar on the side of his belly which was about 2" long.

After discussing the different ways to remove an appendix, Andrew asked me if I had had mine removed (I hadn't) but I do have a 3" scar on my leg just below and to the right of my knee where I cut it once as a boy. I said that when I was a boy, to avoid belly scars, the doctors used to cut near your knee and stick a long instrument up through there and into your belly and take the appendix out that way. Well everyone started to laugh except one (very thick) neighbour who is also very much a "know all"; he was looking quite puzzled, and simply said, "did they"? Well everyone then really "cracked up".

Tash - Yes I did get some Bunnings gift vouchers; you see I have all of my family members well trained and have previously told them that instead of getting me something that I don't need or probably already have any way, to always get me Bunnings Gift Vouchers for Christmas and birthday presents. It's easier for them and certainly much better for me as you all know how handy these gift cards are.

Karen - That's bad luck about the plant. It obviously didn't just happen since you've had it in your care though, the rot was obviously unseen in the plant for some time and all of the rain just loosened the leaves up sufficiently to allow it to all collapse. I always tell people in the case of any brom that dies, no matter what the cause, just put it to one side somewhere out in the garden, and nine times out of ten it will manage to put up a pup. You see these plants are just so resilient they never give up!

Colleen – Pleased to see you’re getting some of your gardening jobs done while the boys are away on their “big expedition”. I’ll bet the boys are having the time of their life; I don’t know about “Uncle John” though, he might never be the same again, although I’ll bet it earns him a lot of “Brownie Points” from the boys!

As for your question about the pups on the xNeophytum ‘Ralph Davis’, it shouldn’t be a problem, I’ve taken smaller ones than that off without any problems. You say they don’t have much root, so just treat them like any other brom with no roots. You must always make sure they can’t move in the pot otherwise they won’t put down roots. In cases like this I just push three bamboo “kebab skewers” equally spaced around the plant to prevent any movement. I do this all the time now as I find it works well and costs next to nothing.

Although the common rule is not to remove pups after March in the cooler areas (this obviously doesn’t apply to the warm Queensland climate) I find that if you have a large collection you have to remove them all the year around, just to keep up with things. Unfortunately during the colder weather pups just seem to “sulk” and stay dormant and not root until the warmer weather starts again. Last year I tried a little experiment by wrapping some fresh Sphagnum Moss (and it must be fresh) around the heel of the pup (this is where the new roots emerge from) before potting it up in the normal potting mix. I found this encouraged new roots and I can get new roots produced just as quickly in winter as I can when I plant in the usual way without the Sphagnum during the warmer months. This works for me and although I’m not saying it will work for everyone, (as we all have different growing conditions), but just try it on a pup which you have more than one of and you may be surprised.

Just a few pic’s to finish with once again. Pic 1 is Bill. Amoena x Viridis and although I haven't posted this before I 'm just posting it now to show Colleen what I meant about the bamboo skewers which are especially handy for Billbergias due to them being so tall and inclined to topple over until they are established. Pic.2 although it looks very untidy with the hanger attached to the pot, this was the best way to display the beauty of this popular old Billbergia hybrid which is Bill. 'Muriel Waterman'. I'm always amazed by the shine it has on the foliage and the beautiful silvery banding on the underside of the leaves. Unfortunately like most Billbergias, the beautiful flowers are only very short lived. Pic. No 3 is Neoregelia ‘George’s Prince’, Pic. No. 4 is Nidularium ‘Madonna’ and although Wendy posted a pic of Madonna a few days ago, I’m just posting this to show how the colour can vary between clones with this one not being as dark as Wendy’s plant. Finally, Pic No 5 which is Neo. ‘Midnight Moment’

All the best, Nev.