Bromeliads for novices and addicts, July 2011

Hi Everyone, just starting the new thread... first time doing this so here's hoping I am doing it right.
We came from here http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1187000/
I am cheating and using Sue's wording, Post all your bromeliad pictures here, drop in for a chat, or ask questions, even if you think they are silly. We're all here to advise and admire all things bromeliad.
Ok welcome to July everyone
Tash

Just giving the link to "Bromeliad Buy Swap Sell Group Australia" it's a facebook group where you can also chat about broms but like the name suggests, you can buy swap and sell too. Just an added resource to this one. The group is slowly growing :)
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_135461926530292&ap=1
Tash

help pleaseeeee :)

ok this is the Neo I was oh so excited about a couple of weeks ago as it's the first one of mine to flower :) I know have two more in flower, so a total of three. But..... when you look at the pic, it's gone yukky! Mould or fungus has moved in. Why has this happened? How do I fix it and how do I prevent it in future? I had made sure the water level was not high in it, so the flowers would not be under water, then we had a night of big rain and it was full to the brim! that was about 2 or 3 nights ago. I had to tip it all out so the flowers were visible again. I moved it undercover that day as the we were getting quite a few showers and still are. So it's not in the rain now. I was out most of yesterday and didn't get to look at it, then this morning I just went to look and this is what greeted me. Needless to say I grabbed my camera, took a photo and ran straight in here to ask for some much needed advice, please. I am thinking it's something to do with the rain and the moist air at the moment, but i need to fix it in a hurry. We don't have any good plant supply places up here, so I'm hoping there is a simple fix. Would washing it out help and not upset the flowers?? Any advice will be most welcome
Thanks heaps,
Tash

Hi everyone,

Tash - thanks for starting the new thread, if you all had been waiting for me to do it you would have had a very long wait as computers don't like me and my computer probably would have self destructed in the process.

Tash, as for your Neo, I've never had one go like that before so I really can't advise you. If it was my plant I would give it a good flush out with the hose and then empty it out and see what happens. If the mould starts to grow again I would fill the cup with a fungicide BUT MAKE SURE IT'S ONE THAT DOESN'T CONTAIN COPPER!

The best thing I think for you to do would be to register with "http://www.bromeliadforum.za.net/forum/index.php"
and post the exact infomation that you have here, (together with the pic) and I'm sure you'll be answered by someone with much more knowledge on these matters than I.

Sorry I can't be of more help

All the best, Nev.

thanks heaps Nev for your advice, I am about to head outside now and pot a couple of broms and my plan was to wash the above Neo out and hope it doesn't upset the flowers. No idea what's gone wrong with it.... I got such a fright when I saw it this morning.
I just joined that forum about 3 days ago I think it was Nev, so i'll wander on over there and ask.
thanks heaps
Tash

Well done Tash, its a prefect start to a thread. I usually just copy the old stuff too.
Only problem, NO PICTURE! he he. I usually put in a good pic to trap people into looking. Is trap the right word?
Anyway, you know how I told you on facebook that I hadn't noticed mould in the flowers before? Well, just now, while out in the bromhouse, I came accross a Nidularium, flowering, with mouldy petals on the old flowers. Hmpff. Me thinks its the rain! I just picked the mouldy bit out, and as its till raining, it will flush the cup for me, but I'm not too worried about it, but then again, I'm not trying to pollinate either. Ooohhhhh, i am so sick of the rain. nearly allllll week!
I agree with Pam, about people trying to sell plants that won't survive. I like to see an albino sport, but it is a shame it cant be removed and potted on to produce more. That N. 'Bossa Nova' hasn't produced any other pups, so I'm a little bit concerned that its using alot of energy supporting that pup. I do have another Boss Nova in the garden though, so I'll leave it be. Aren't people funny Nev, when the answer is 'No'?
Sue

Hi everyone,

Because Tash forgot to post a pic with the start of the new thread, here's one to keep you all happy.

It's from a cross I did a few years back and is Neo. Painted Lady (sport) x Neo. Ferny Grove. No show winner but very popular just the same.

All the best, Nev.

oh no Sue, I didn't think of the photo, is there a way I can fix that or delete this thread and start a new one with a photo?? oh no feel bad now, no photo.... bugger!!!! I must of jinxed you Sue about the mould thing, lol, sorry my bad. It's all washed out now and we'll just see how it goes. I need to buy a fungicide when we are in Cairns on Sunday...any suggestions which one.... i know it's not allowed to have copper, but i don't really want to stand there reading every label ;)
Tash

Hi Everyone

Tash - I see you had a good response from the Bromeliad and Air plant Forum members. In the latest response, Dooley recommends a systemic fungicide called "Fongarid" which he says is available at Bunnings in Cairns.

So how's that for a quick response?

All the best, Nev.

Hey Nev, yes that was a great response, we are going to cairns tomorrow so we are going to go to bunnings for a few bits and pieces and we're going to call in and see "Dooley" on the way home.
These forums and facebook groups are such a wealth of knowledge, I am really amazed at how freely people give their advice and tell of their experiences, it's great for someone like me who is so new and still has so many questions,
Thanks,
Tash

I have another question, i would like to get a few Tillandsia's but really no nothing about them at all. Any suggestions on where to start? everyone I see them somewhere I think they look quite scary, I worry i would kill them, but i'd love to know more and get a few. I have seen them in Bunnings, but thought getting a bit of advice first might be the way to go
Thanks,
Tash

Hi Tash, don't worry about the photo, we'll all survive, and when you start the next one you can put something really nice on!
Tiilandsias are not too hard to grow really, but most don't like cold and wet, but like hot and humid. They should do well up your way, as long as they have plenty of air circulation. On the bromeliad and airplant forum, Pedro and gonzer are the people to talk to, and maybe they could give you suggestions for a couple to start with? Pedro is in Australia, so might also be able to sell you a couple to start with, but there are many sellers on Ebay to choose from also. We're are having quite a wet winter here, and i can see the tell tale sign of damage on the Tills, with a bit of red creeping in on the leaves. Sigh! I have bought the ones from bunnings, and as long as they look good and grey (no brown or red tips) they are at least healthy to start with, you shouldn't have any trouble. The good thing about them, si they don't take up mich room, and you can start to grow vertical gardens when the horizontal space has run out.
Its very muddy here, although today was finally sunny. I have the van packed and will attempt the coffs harbour jetty car boot sale tomorrow. Its a bit of work and hard on the back, with all the packing and unpacking, but if I can sell a few and make some new friends, it makes it all worth while.
Here is my Alcantarea brasiliana, which I think is now called Alcantarea imperialis green? I like the red tips its gets.
Sue

well done Tash on starting the new thread. After Sue gave us the chance to start one the other night I looked to see how to do it but couldn't find it. I know we were told by Sue how to do it once before but someone always beat me to do it so I've never had theopportunity. Now I can't remember how to do it.

Tash Dooley (or Aaron) is a wealth of knowledge and has had a very well known father in the brom world. I have swapped some very nice plants with him. You should get some very nice ones from him tomorrow. I'll look forward to the pics tomorrow night. Also we have bought a lot of tillandsias from Bunnings. they can be very small when you get them but do grow up to be very nice plants. this pic is one we got from bunnings called caput medusae. we glue them to round slabs of timber that I screw picture hooks into back of. non-toxic glue is fine like bathroom solastic (not sure of spelling sorry). but sometimes you glue just the outside leaf and when it lets go of plant the plant falls off and you are left with just a single leaf. Now I hedge my bets with a couple of holes drilled in and some plant tie used to support the glued plant.

We had a sale today. Last night we thought we had too many plants out the front as we had filled five tables as well as the normal sales shelves always kept full. We had also put some extra plants on the ground under the tables. We had to keep filling up the gaps all day and this afternoon we had empty gaps all over the place so will have to fill up spots tomorrow. We should have plenty of space for new plants now. If tomorrow is as busy as today we will have plenty of money to spend at Nambour next weekend LOL.

Wendy

another one from bunnings although this actual clump is one we've had for years and lots of folia feeding made them all flower like this. Other years have been much lighter and more sporadic in flowering. The ones from bunnings are called cotton candy but they are very similar and we have quite a few that are now quite big and ready to flower.
They are now $5.99 to buy in bunnings but they used to be $4.99. we are now selling the same tillandsias all grown up for $10 or $12 mounted on timber. The ionanthas, stricta, cotton candy, bulbosa, caput medusae are all very popular.

Wendy

Wendy, those are fabulous! Well grown!!! Is that one Stricta? I did get a couple of the Cotton Candy from Bunnings. I had it once before, and it grew madly in a clump like yours, then one day after a massive flowering, the whole lot died. What do you use as fertilizer on them, and how often? I hope my newbies will grow quickly and clump up again.

Would you have a caput medusae you could put aside for me? I got a rather sorry looking one some time back, but I don't think its going to make it. The ones Bunning had are all sold out now, just a few left that I have enough of already.

I love this thread, seeing all the beautiful plants everyone has. Keep them coming...

Karen

I love this thread too...I don't grow them, but I enjoy the chat and the pics.
Well done on the sale, Wendy.....have fun at Nambour.
Dianne.

Hi Wendy, congrats on having a good sale, I wish I could say the same. I'm convinced there are no bromeliad collectors in Coffs. Luckily I did take some other plants for variety, and sold a few to make space. I did sell a couple of Broms in the last half hour, as I was packing up, and one was a very good V. splendens, with a flower just beginning in the centre, for $10. I might as well be giving them away, even then, I think I'd have to pay people to take them. Strange. I'll persevere and keep going to the monthly market if the weather is good. Maybe I'll get some new enthusiasts interested.
I like the Till photos. I have Cotton candy too, so will be thrilled to have it grow and clump up. I've had it awhile, and it looks to have grown in size, and is healthy, but no sign of flowering or pupping yet. I have all of the ones you suggest are popular, so you must be right! My Tills are not liking this constant rain and cold, so am trying them under the eaves for protection. I did sell a couple of T. caput medusae and T. fuchsii forma gracilis, (which is a real cutie) today, so am glad someone out there like the tills.
Dianne and karen, I'm glad you're both enjoying the thread. Its nice to know you are looking in and can appreciate the beauty like we do. Now I need to find a suitable picture to impress you! he he
This is a farly widely grown one, Aechmea weilbachii, and is flowering now. If I had a hundred of these I reckon I could have sold them!
Sue

Sue I agree that in flower you can sell heaps of weilbachii. We sold a couple of pots of them this weekend. However a few other pots with multiple plants but no flowers didn't sell even with a flowering one to show what it would look like. we also sold lots of billbergias in flower. Some we have had multiplying in clumps for years and never tried to sell any before but with them flowering just at the right time we couldn't resist putting them out.

Today was a pretty quiet day. It was a cold day with light showers so the gardeners must have all stayed indoors.
Karen, I have 2 very large caput medusae and 2 very new ones left. all others have been sold. I will hang on to them all for now so when you are ready I will have one for you. If I see any more at bunnings I will grab them and mount a few more to start growing.

Dianne I am glad to see some new watchers here. Hope you enjoy the pics enough to start collecting them too. Where is Clifton Springs though?

This is one of my favourite neos - piccolo. I liked it so much I bought 3 but now I have pups appearing everywhere. I managed to talk 2 out the gate but have lots of pups to take off now to replace them.
Wendy

raphael is also a favourite and I bought 3 or 4 of those early on and now have them appearing everywhere. I will wait for them to start colouring before I try to sell them though. Unfortunately the only photo I have doesn't really do it justice.

Wendy

Wendy, that is great. A large one would be wonderful. As you will be away next weekend, I might leave it until your next sale at the end of the month. Just remind me the week before the sale.

Karen

A chicken with attitude among my tillandsias.

Well it's a sad state of affairs when you can't sell a brom in flower, and a V.splendens in bud for $10 only sold at the last minute? You may as well give up ladies. I'll do you a favour and come and take them off your hands, although I suspect I may have to beat Karen off to do so. lol

I wonder if the fact that it's tax time has anything to do with it?

Pam

Hi everyone

Sue, I see you have a question mark after "Alcantarea brasiliana green ?"

Send Ross a pic and he'll positively ID it for you as he's one of the Alcantarea experts in the state.

All the best, Nev.

Hi everyone,

To all you seed raising people, I have a quantity of seed from a Vriesea species, by the name of Vr. Neoglutinosa and it's looking for a home where someone will raise it and care for it.

Remember as well as growing hybrids, we should all be responsible growers and try to protect the species by growing and sharing a few around among our friends. Don't forget a lot of these species are now extinct in their native habitat and once they are lost from our collections they are gone forever! If you want some send me an answer here. To see some pic's, just Google "Vriesea neoglutinosa"

To those who asked for the Neo hybrid seed, it was sent today and now it’s all gone.

All the best, Nev.

Nev of course I will give your seed a home. I've never heard of that one before. I will have to look it up.

I sent your seed away today. Hope you get it soon.

Wendy

Can anyone please tell what this brom is? It's not mine. Colleen

Hi everyone,
Wendy I love the photo of the piccolo, really striking. I googled the raphael too and it looks really nice too. yes Aaron was nice and has some really nice broms, lots of knowledge too and easy to talk to. We only got a couple of Aaron as we had already had a bit of a spending spree at the Bloomin Broms held by the cairns bromeliad society. We got a Neo Kautskyi, a Neo De Rolf (or is that Johannis De Rolf?) and a little Neo blushing tiger from Aaron. the De Rolf, can someone clarify the name there, Aaron just said it was a De rolf, but i have noticed everyone else calling it a Johannis De Rolf. Is that the full correct name?
From Bloomin Broms, we got a Neo Fools Gold, Friesea Sqiggles, Friesea Tiger Tim, Neo Carcharodon Tiger, and our first ever two little Tillandsias, an Ionantha and Tenuifolar. That was our huge weekend. Spent too much money but boy we got some nice broms, well we think so anyway.
Sue I can't believe how cheaply you sold that V splendens, i would of snapped that up in a heart beat, lol. People in coffs must not have good taste if they didn't go for your broms, he he he. I'm with Pam, I'll take them off your hands ;)
Oh and I found the first one for my wishlist, it was one at Aaron's house it's a Neo serendipity girl, very nice, I likey, lol. But he only had one, I have asked him if he can ask his dad about it, lol.
And I think some of the Neo seeds have germinated, little itty bits of green, yaaaa. I have pretty much worked out that hubby has an eye for nice foliage vrieseas, so I'd love to get some more seeds along those lines since he is building me a nice little shade house to raise them in. He is just as excited to check the seeds as I am each evening and even made me a little box to keep them in with two little grow lights we already had. It has helped to keep them at a constant temp and with loads of light, seems to be working anyway.
I'll attach a photo of what we got on the weekend. Sorry if i have missed anything someone has said,
Tash

Hi everyone,

Colleen - I think the Billbergia in your pic is the same as one I have (see Sue's post on June 18 01-38 previous thread)
I was told it is one of the many types of Billbergia Amoena. Usually the camera doesn't tell the true story of the scape colour which is more of a pale salmon rather than a pink.

It's a very good grower, pupper and flowerer and if grown in bright light, the leaves will change to a pale brown colour with pale cream spotting. I have quite a nice clump mounted in the old peppercorn tree and it's in full flower now. "An oldy but a goodie".

Below is a pic of the larger form of Billbergia species Sanderiana, It has a beautiful flower but unfortunately, like a lot of Bill's is reasonably short lived (about two weeks) and in the next post is a close-up of the flower.

All the best, Nev.

This is the close-up of the flower

Nev I do believe that the one on the other thread looks as though it might be the one. Thanks for that. Colleen

Hi everyone,
I have yet another question, I have been trying to google the names of some of my broms, now that I know what a lot of them are, to find out the best growing conditions for that particular brom, but it's not that easy. So my question is..... Is there a website where you can look up a brom name and it gives you more details about it and how much light/shade it needs etc? I am just trying to work out if I have them in the right amounts of light/shade as I don't want them growing wrong because of where I have them. I can easily move them, just need to know what likes what, lol.
Thanks
Tash

Hi Tash,

There probably is a site somewhere that will give you that information, but I don't know where it is.
Maybe Sue or some other more computer literate person than I can help.

All the best, Nev.

Wendy, Clifton Springs is on the Bellarine Peninsula in Victoria.....we can see the sea...
The Brugmansia thread got to me first and I only have a small garden....no room for anything else.
Though I can certainly appreciate the flowers on this thread....
Also I follow Colleen's and Jean's progress with their Broms...

Well my bil. nutans has flowered, they are pretty but really don't last long...
considering how small they were when I scavenged them I am really pleased with their growth rate.
one pot is filling up nicely, the other was a smaller pup & slower to multiply.

Tash, I've never come accross such a site. You can usually find that sort of info via Google, but it can tend to take a while.

Tash, as a general rule Guzmanias, Nidulariums, Vrieseas and broms with soft leaves prefer filtered light whereas those with tougher, prickly leaves like Neos and Aechmeas prefer more light and will often take some direct morning sun but it's really a lot of trial and error as there are so many exceptions and your sun would be pretty strong so far north. Even plants that are fairly sun tolerant like Alcantareas need to be put out in Winter to give them time to acclimatize. Jen

hi everyone,
thanks Pam, Jen and Nev, I'll have to keep googling, lol, and thanks for your information too Jen, that helps, I have my vrieseas in the right spot for sure then, but some of the neo's need to move into more light and a bit of morning sun as they are in the shade and might go all strange looking.
Tash

Tash, Neos will grow alright in the shade but they'll lose their colours and just be green with long, thin leaves. Jen

Hey everyone. Have you seen the broms on E-Bay? A white fasciata. nice but nice price too. Has anyone got one? Colleen

Hi all, Nev, I like that Bill. sanderiana, it has quite prominent spines doesn't it.
Alas, Theresa, all the Billbergias have a short flowering period, thats what makes the green foliage ones hard to sell, you only get one shot unless you have a big pot at different flowering stages. Still, the B. nutans make a great specimen on the table if left to form a big clump. Much nicer than cut flowers.
I second what jen says about the positions for your Broms Tash. I don't know of any website with that info, but the Andrew Steens books are a good place to start, and you might be able to get them from the library. I beleive there is a new edition out with some new pics too, so I'm on the lookout for that.
Colleen, that brom is Aechmea 'Clara' and always fetches a nice price on Ebay, so you might find it hard to get anyone to part with one for cheap! I haven't got one unfortunately, but one day I will.
Dianne, there'd be room in your garden for broms, theres always room for one more plant?
Pam, give me you address and I'll send my plants up there to live with you.....NOT! he he. Got you excited though eh?
Better go dish up the dinner.
This is a pic of Leisas Guzmania 'White Grapeade' its got two blooms on it. Just lovely and reminds me of her.
Sue

Hi Sue, I wasn't looking for one at that price, [I'm not that dedicated, yet] I was just curious if anyone had one. Leisa's brom, generous and beautiful. Colleen