Australian and New Zealand Gardening: Bromeliads for Novices and Addicts - August 2013, 2 by splinter1804

splinter1804 wrote:
Hi everyone – A nice sunny day here today at 7.15am (yes I slept in); however that cold wind is just starting to blow again to spoil it. It won't worry me today though as I'll be at the AGM of our brom society where hopefully everyone will put up their hands to take on committee positions.

Cody – Gee Cody it looks like it's just you and me today. After looking at that pic you posted of the snow where you live I still feel cold. I could never live in a place like that, but I suppose it's just a case of what you're used to.

Your Guzzie is looking better all the time and the pups are growing well, don't forget to keep giving them a bit of fertiliser (as per the instructions) as these particular plants are really heavy feeders and do well when fed properly. Remember the bigger the plant, the better the flower.

Don't make the mistake that new growers often make and feed double the dose of fertiliser. Just because a plant grows well with the recommended dose doesn't mean it will grow twice as good if you double the dose. Quite often the opposite applies and the plant “goes backwards” and can on some occasions even die.

Well that's it from me today and firstly a pic of a hybrid I have which is Bill. 'Pyramidalis concolor' x 'Windigig Special' which was bred by Allan Ladd from the North Coast and it's a good example of how it's possible to breed nice plants using common plants as parents.

The next four pic's aren't of my plants but are old file pic's and I use them just to illustrate how xNeophytum 'Galactic Warrior' was made. Using Orthophytum Navioides (Pic.2) as the seed parent and crossing it with Neoregelia Meyemdorffii (Pic.3) a plant registered as Neophytum 'Ralph Davis' (Pic 4) was bred. After some time Ralph Davis produced a variegated pup (Pic.5) which was later registered as xNeophytum 'Galactic Warrior'........ and that's why I find hybridising so interesting.

All the best, Nev.