Australian and New Zealand Gardening: bromeliads for novices and addicts, sep, 2012, 1 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone,

Here it is a nice sunny day and no wind for a change. I’m looking forward to a nice relaxed Father’s Day with most of my family and grandsons so I guess I’ll be aching a bit tomorrow as the boys thinks I can run around at the same pace they can (how wrong they are).

Ian – Regarding your beautiful striped Cryptanthus in your post last month, it seems a shame for it to continue to be called just a NOID. Would you mind if I posted your pic on some of the other forums I visit as there are quite a few Cryp growers there as well as some international hybridizers and hopefully I may be able to get a correct identification for you. I won’t do it until I have your permission though as I know how people feel about others using their pictures without permission.

That’s a nice Blc you have posted and it brings back memories of my orchid growing days.

I am very interested in what you say about your experience with Malathion I assume it was a “typo“ and the “L” was dropped and it was “Malathion” and not “Maithion” as written. I have never heard about having to wash off this insecticide; I have used it many times in the past with orchids and occasionally in my early days with brom’s without any problems. What sort of damage did your plants suffer? Was it burning because they were exposed to the sun after spraying? I was always told it’s best to spray late in the afternoon when the sun has almost gone down and this avoids any of the burning problems.

I mainly stopped using Malathion because it was an “organo-phosphate” and there are now much safer insecticides around that do a good job anyway. Below is an extract of some of the written literature about organophosphates which lists problems even with low level exposure and this is why I don’t use them. In fact I don’t use any insecticides anymore and prefer to let the spiders build their webs on and near the plants and eat the insects instead.

Low level exposure of organo-phosphate:

Even at relatively low levels organophosphates may be hazardous to human health. The pesticides act on a set of brain chemicals closely related to those involved in ADHD, thus fetuses and young children, where brain development depends on a strict sequence of biological events, may be most at risk.[8] They can be absorbed through the lungs or skin or by eating them on food. According to a 2008 report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in a representative sample of produce tested by the agency, 28 percent of frozen blueberries, 20 percent of celery, 27 percent of green beans, 17 percent of peaches, 8 percent of broccoli and 25 percent of strawberries contained traces of organophosphate.[9

Colleen – It’s great to see you back posting once again and hear that your back is on the mend. You just have to remember not to overdo it and aggravate the injury. Best just to sit around and watch the boys looking for lizards; actually I’ll post a pic of a “big lizard” just for the boys. I’d just like to say that I’m pleased that our temperatures doesn’t get down to -8 degrees C like yours, if they did I think I’d have to move to a warmer climate.

Shirley – I think if you came down here to live after being in Brisbane you would regret it during the winter. As for living near the ocean, well it was great when the kids were little and were in the SLSC and the boys as they got older virtually lived in the surf; in fact they would go down on to the rocks with their mates in the early morning while it was still dark and light a small fire and heat up a few tins of baked beans which they would eat while waiting for the sun to come up so they could surf before going off to high school. When they came home from school it was the same old story; Hello Mum, Hello Dad, into the fridge to see what was there to eat, then surf board under the arm and off down to the beach for a surf again, this went on summer and winter.

I would love to have lived on a property as you describe, that would be my idea of heaven; but now that I’m getting on a bit and body parts are starting to break down, I think maybe it may not have been a good idea after all.

They’re a couple of nice Vrieseas you have posted. I heard from a friend that Len and Olive Trevor from the “Olive Branch Nursery” will be sending Vrieseas to most Big W stores from Brisbane down as far as Coffs Harbour in the very near future so keep your eyes open for bargains.

That’s about it from me now a few pic’s to finish off with, first a pic of a “big lizard” for Colleen’s grandsons, the next four are file pic’s of some of my Neo. seedlings which you may have already seen. Pic’s 2 and 3 are Neo. Painted Lady (sport) x Ferny Grove seedlings and pic’s 4 and 5 are Painted Lady (sport) x Grace seedlings.

All the best, Nev.