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

splinter1804 wrote:
Thur 15th
Good morning everyone and get well wishes for anyone still on the “sick list”.

Shirley – You're right about a lot of brom's being named after people, I know Neo. 'Bill Morris' was originally a variegated form of concentrica which was grown by Bill Morris and later named after him by (I think) Derek Butcher. I can't find out anything about Frankie as it isn't registered so it's probably a “pet name”. As for Neo 'Freddie', all I can find out about this one is that it was named in the Philippines and exported to Australia.

Your albino Ae Gamosepala is just like any other albino and will die if removed from the mother. It has no chlorophyll which is necessary to support plant life. If left on the plant it will feed from the mother but will probably die prematurely.

I agree with Ian, your NOID in the second pic is an Ae nudicaulis not a Bill. as you suspected; but which one? That's the million dollar question as there are dozens of different ones, some registered and some not.

Ian – I was interested to see the name of one of the plants you've just potted as “N wilsonia X mood indigo”. It rung a bell with me as soon as I saw it as I have a plant called Neo 'Indigo Mood'. Thinking there was a reverse naming of a plant from the same grex I looked up the BCR only to find that there is no plant called Indigo Mood registered, so my plant is either a NOID which someone has given a “pet name” to or it's Neo 'Mood Indigo' although I can't be sure of this as there's no pic shown on the BCR.

Re. plants in the garden, I have found exactly the same as you. The plants grow bigger and quicker when planted in the garden and my conclusion is, this is because they aren't confined to a pot, and if they don't like where they're planted their roots have the ability to be able to roam until they find an acceptable source of food.

Wendy – So sorry to hear about Max and I think it's just as sad when a pet has a terminal disease as it is when it's a human, but you can both rest assured that you've done all you can for him.

Wendy, the new face book group sounds great and something I could really get into, but I'm very reluctant to go near Face Book after all of the problems I've had with it in the past. However if you post a link on here, I might just have a look on my daughter's computer as she is on Face Book.

As for the Sphagnum verses Coco Peat debate, I have found that as long as the Sphagnum isn't alive, the seedlings do well in it. If however if it is alive, it will outgrow the little seedlings and choke them. I see that Bunnings now sell Sphagnum in a compressed brick just like the Coco Peat and I am at present trialling it with seed and seedlings, so I'll post the results after it's had a fair trial.

Sue – To answer your question about the Ae 'Lucky Stripes and Ae 'Mardi Gras', I have them both growing in the garden (at least I did last time I looked).

I like your pic's of the “big 'uns”, esecially the one in the second pic. The plant in pic three looks like one I have which is just called Neo Marmorta (large form).

I'm pleased to see the dogs didn't get the young crow, we have them nest in the big pine tree next door every year and they come in and eat a bit of the Lorikeet's food when they are rearing young and the thing I find surprising is that for such a big bird the adult birds are extremely timid, although as kids we often had them as pets which we had reared from young ones.

I'll finish with a few pic's, Pic 1 is a nice seedling of species Neo. Guinea x self , Pic 2 shows Neo 'Gee Whiz' in it's uncoloured state and Pic 3 show the colour just starting on the same plant. Pic.4 shows an unattractive uncoloured Neo 'Gee Whiz” (Rubra) and Pic five show the same plant fully coloured.

All the best, Nev.