Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts, March 2013, 1 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Good afternoon everyone – First of all thank's to Shirley for startinhg a new thread for us, now we have a bit more space to work; and your pic. of Vriesea Fosteriana cv Red Dragon is a beauty, one I'll bet everyone wishes they had.

Wow! What an exhausting day I had yesterday (well half of it at least, but it seemed like all of it). Fortunately the rain had stopped about 9.00am and the sun came out and we went to my grandson's third birthday where he an all his little mates spent the whole day running, jumping and sliding on the jumping castle we had rented for the day. Where do they get the energy? I came home completely “knackered” just from watching them.

Anyway, back to things brom related, and firstly I'd like to thank Sue for following up with Shane Zaghini on our behalf, the questions we had about the name confusion between Red River, Running River, Running Red River and Red Running River. From the answer we got, it seems like the Shane Zaghini plant we have is 'Running River'. As this is the only one of these four to be registered, are we now to believe the others are imposters and just carrying pet names”? (more confusion). I know Ice White River is registered and what he says supports what I have also found and that is it looks much better as a clump. I've never seen the Neo Grace Goode Girl he mentions except for a (not very good) picture on the BCR. I don't mean the quality of the pic isn't good, but the angle it's taken from doesn't show off the improved shape to advantage.

Ian – To answer you question about where Shane Zaghini's books are available; at our Brom Society we get all of our larger bromeliad books via mail order from: Florilegium - The Garden Bookstore and I think this would be a good place to start looking (See details below)

http://www.florilegium.com.au/
FLORILEGIUM The Garden Bookstore 65 Derwent St, Glebe 2037 (cnr Mitchell St) p: 02 9571 8222 f: 02 8208 9938 e: sales@florilegium.com.au

We have found their prices are very reasonable and the service is first class with the books always arriving in tip top condition.

I can't truthfully answer your next question about the books you mention, “are they more useful for identifying or growing broms?” as I haven't read them, but as they are written by the hybridisers and it's really information direct “from the horse's mouth” so to speak, they certainly should be a useful guide.

I don't know of the plant you speak of as mini Neo 'Wine Gold', but Shane Zaghini has a distinctively coloured Neo hybrid called Neo 'Wine and Gold' (but I don't know if it's a mini or not). It was registered in 1996 and is a crossing between Neo. chlorosticta and Neo. 'Sunrise' to see the pic go to: http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=NEOREGELIA&i...

Shirley – I think all organic products cost more than the chemical ones as they just can't compete with the multi-national chemical companies “cost wise”. However I also think the extra cost is well worth it when you consider the non-toxic benefits to us, our families, pets and other creatures that visit our yards to say nothing of the fact they don't harm the environment either.

The Neo. 'Rosy Morn' in my picture is a mature plant as it's flowering, so it won't get any larger, but it's one of those plants that you can't judge on just colour alone either as it's forever changing (up to and even after flowering).

Nice pic's as usual Shirley, and I really do like that Neo.'Groucho', I can't find it on te BCR but it does look like some of Chester Skotak's work and if so it's well out of my price range, maybe one day in the future. I also love your “little visitor”.

Breeindy – I like your Neo.'Lime and Lava' ,it was a plant bred by Bob Larnach which was grown and flowered by Jack Koning prior to registering. The seed parent is Neo 'Break of Day' and the pollen parent is unknown.

Sue – I wouldn't give up on your Neo. 'Silver' x 'Skotaks Tiger' just yet. Is that the only rotten leaves in it? I read once where a grower from Victoria (I think it was) always treated any plant he had like that by using ordinary beach sand on them. He said the sand must be unwashed so it still had traces of salt in it as this was an important part of the treatment.

Frst he would pull out any rotten leaves, then wash out the rotten centre well with a strong jet of water. Hang the plant upside down to dry for 24 hours and then stand it in an empty pot, put some dry fungicide powder (about 2 desert spoons full) down in the centre of the cup to cover the rotted base. and then cover it with about 3” of dry sand and leavce it for a week somewhere where it didn't get wet.

After that he potted it in a very open mixture and just supplied water via a light misting for a couple of weeks and then watered normally. He said he always got at least a couple of pups using this method.

I think this may have been a modified example of a method described by a Newcastle grower and which appeared in the “Illawarra Bromeliad Society's News Link” of April 2007 Pages 11-12. Go to:
http://www.bromeliad.org.au/news/Illawarra.htm

I'm all for trying out new ideas but I've never tried these ones out as I've never had any dry beach sand handy at the time and always promise myself to have some on standby for future use but still haven't done so, but probably it's worth trying if you don't know of something better.

Jean – Nice to see your still keeping in touch and the floods haven't reached you and caused you any damage at least. Keep in touch.

That's it once again, now for a few pic's to finish with. Pic.1 Neo 'Lambert's Pride', Pic.2 Neo. 'Rosatina' x 'Concentrica', Pic.3 Neo 'Catlan's Leopard' just starting to show some colour, Pic.4 Neo. 'Burnsie's Spira'l and Pic.5 is frogs eggs in the bird bath after the rain. (Today I transferred the tiny tadpoles to the Frog Pond)

All the best, Nev.