Bromeliads for novices and addicts, July 2011

hi all, Wendie, I'm glad you got the seed. Don't get too excited about the heiroglyphica crosses, because its very hard to cross pollinate them when the heiroglyphica has so much pollen, and its stigma actually rests on the anthers, so the might possibly be straight heiroglyphica.
Thanks for all the concern about my back. It is feeling alot better, and I've been having fresh ginger tea (chopped ginger root from the garden, stepped in boiling water in the coffee plunger) and sliced, fresh pibneapple, both known to be anti-inflammatory. Seems to be working better than the prescription anti-inflammatories. I think bromeliad fruit has something in it also. I might just eat the ripe aechmea berries now and then! he he.
Re-the grass clippings. They get hot enough to start fires, I've seen it! I think I would be placing the pups in a pot of soil and sinking it into the clippings and then the potting job has been done already also, and theres minimal chance of burning/rotting.
Nice pics and lots of reading too, so I really should try and get back here a bit more often shouldn't I.
ANyway, I'm going to the markets in town this mornign for a look, but not expecting to find anything in particular.
Sue

Hi everyone,

Tash – I’ll try and get a pic of all the seedlings in the “Kindergarten” and the “Primary School” today and post it. I’m afraid everything’s in a big mess at present with seedlings and plants all over the place waiting to be potted. Since I’ve been crook and the weather’s been terrible I’ve just got way behind with all the outside jobs, and I sometimes wonder if I’ll ever catch up with all the potting. Besides it looks like I have a heap of "homework" to do today as well, ha! Ha!

Wendy – As I said, my Gee Whiz crosses are tiny, and at this stage are still in the containers and barely 2mm high, so hardy worth a pic, but I’ll see if I can find them and take one anyway.

I like the fine spotting on your Black Beauty x Gee Whiz. Is it a big plant? It seems to have nice wide leaves which is a good feature of Gee Whiz. Do you have a pup of this one for swapping?

Wendy, you said “can't really see the Gee Whizz or Black Beauty in this pic” and neither could I (except what looks like wide leaves). However when I looked at the pictures of the parents in the Cultivar Register i.e. Black Beauty in particular, I found where the spotting comes from; it’s a throw-back to the colour of one of its parents,‘Black Beauty’. This is a c.v. of Neo ampullacea which is a mini species and is heavily banded and spotted. Being a species, it is stronger genetically and quite often dominant, hence the spotting, on your plant, and it may also have used its dominance to pull down the size a bit as well.
It often happens with hybrids where they “throw back” to a plant in a previous generation and this is why growing hybrids is so interesting, you never know what you’re going to get and it’s a bit like a lottery.

I’m attaching a pic of my Neo ampullacea, and if you look carefully at the top side of the leaves you will see the spotting that in this case was transmitted. The pic of the parent, 'Black Beauty' or to give it its full name, ampullaceal ‘Black Beauty’, is in the Cultivar Register http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php?genus=NEOREGELIA&id=3179#3179 . This is a darker form than the one in my pic and has even more pronounced spotting on the top side of the leaves.

I know a lot of us find this reasearch boring, but I know that some of us also find it interesting and it is also very handy knowledge for anyone who is hybridizing as it can give you more of an idea of the results you will get from some of your crosses.

Hi Sue, glad to see you back again; your recipe for the home-made treatment for inflamation sound great, I must get the exact details from you so I can give it a go, as nothing else seems to work.

All the best, Nev.

Sue I use fish oil capsules as I was told by an arthritis doctor (can't remember his correct title at the moment ... must be a senior moment) that fish oil is a natural anti-inflammatory. I now use 2000mg capsules and find 2 of them a day on top of the glaucosamine seems to help.

We had such a busy weekend that my back is killing me tonight. Got some lovely seedlings from John and Genny Catlan though so we are happy. Got some potting to do tomorrow now though. I got some for Jen as well and she picked them up late this afternoon.

I checked FCBS last night to see what the fosterella flowers look like. I didn't know there were so many different fosterellas. Anyhow Jen and I now have elata and spectabilis with flowers developing. I picked a spectabilis for Jen with 2 plants in the pot and both have flower stems developing. I grabbed a couple of pots for me 1 with 4 plants in it so i can split that one up when potting. I grabbed about a dozen alc cv hell fire good sized seedlings so will pot up and give them a couple of months to grow and they should be a good size to sell around Christmas time. We grabbed a tray of vr siedeliana cv big blue (12 I think in the tray). Wow a year of growing and we will have some lovely plants to sell. Just have to get Johnny to let them go. He would rather give up his teeth before letting his vriseas go...... just ask Jen.

Wendy

PS if any of you have purchased vr John's favourite aka vr dad's favourite it is now registered and new name is vr honolulu beauty. here is a pic of our big mother plant.

Horse liniment!

Those of you with arthritic bits and pieces might like to consider going to the produce store and getting some Rapigel. I first heard of it being used for arthritic hands by a woman I overheard telling someone about her results with it, so of course I had to ask for details. lol Her hands at that time looked perfectly normal, but they'd apparently been quite scrunched up with arthritis before she'd gotten onto the rapigel.

So I went off to the produce store to get some and the sales person there informed me that they sell more of it for humans than for horses. I've suggested it to a few peope now who all have had good results from it.

Pam

I hate sounding dumb, but I have to ask, are tillandsias illegal to import? I am seeing such fabulous ones from the US, and it is the hybrids that are so intriguing. I doubt if we can get them here.

Karen

think you can but you need a permit sort of thing which costs a fair bit i think. Im sure someone else will know more than me. I was looking into importing some orchids but they'd cost more than there worth to me. I'd want to want it really bad and couldn't get it here to bother. I i didn't bother. but i think if you knew someone who had that permit to import that type of plant then they could for you, and i think you need a permit for each type of plant. Hope this makes sense. hehe!

my chestnut x (can't read the tag anymore). Time for a August thread...

too right, Bree, whos up for the challenge? And don't forget the picture!
Bree, probably Vriesea 'Red chestnut' and it looks gorgeous.
Honolulu beauty is a good name for that plant Wendy, although i 'Think' it was hybridised in Australia by John Buchanan? He used to operate from Wardell, but I guess, Wardell beauty doesn't sound as exotic? Its a lovely big plant, and I know, much better in real life!
Karen, Brees spot on about the import permit and expense, aswell as not many of the plants survive, due to the quarantine measures, such as spraying with methyl bromide. You also need to have somewhere to house them during quarantine and have inspectors check them, blah, blah blah. But, people like 'The Olive Branch' do import plants, so if you are really keen, they would be the people to ask about it. I'm sure there are other brom/till importers out there too, but thats just one off the top of my head.
Nev, just slice some fresh ginger root into a coffee plunger, top with boiling water, steep for 5 minutes then have yourself a mugful. You can add honey, but I like it straight. Have it as strong or as weak as you like, and you can always add more hot water to the plunger to freshen it up for another cup. As for the pineapple, just keep some fresh, cut slices in the fridge and graze on it a couple of times a day (also good for those with a sweet tooth, as its much healthier than biscuits and cakes) I've tried the glaucosamine, dolomite, and fish/flax oil tabs, but have trouble getting into a routine taking them. Pam, I've been using rapid gel for a couple of years, only when the pian is bad, as I have heard some negative remarks about it, so figure if I only use it sparingly I might not do too much damage if the rumours are true. i follow up a smear of rapid gle with a heated wheat pack, great for when you sit at the computer!
I didn't find anything too exciting at the local markets on the weekend. Ther is one seller with her own, grown plants, but she doesn't have anything I don't already, and the other brom sellers are mostly selling reject wholesale nursery stock, for half the price of Bunnings or Big W. Nice for an indoor plant or a shady spot in the garden, but I really don't need anymore.
This one is blooming at the moment. Aechmea weilbachii. Has anyone seen the pundulous form? i think you have it, don't you Wendy?
Sue

Hi all. Sue I've got the pendular form. Here's a photo from last year and it's got 2 flowers this year. Plenty of pups coming if anybody wants to swap something. You've certainly got plenty of advice for your sore back so here's hoping something helps.
Thanks to Wendy I scored some lovely new Fosterellas from Catlans yesterday at great prices. I didn't know anything about Fosterellas but the flowers look dainty. If you ever get to Brisbane, Catlans are well worth a visit, great plants at very reasonable prices and a wealth of knowledge that they are happy to share. Wendy and I are planning a brom crawl up the north coast over the Exhibition long weekend so watch this space for our bargains. Bromagic might have to be on the visit list. Jen

Hi everyone,
yeah it is time for the new thread isn't it.... I'll try again this month and I'll remember the photo this time, lol. I'll do it now.
Here is the link for the new thread
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1203756/
Tash :)

Hi everyone,

On last month's page we were discussing Ae weilbachii, so I thought I would show you a pic of this plant which belonged to Dick Jamieson, a late member of our Bromeliad Society. Dick told us he didn't do anything special to the plant, however, what a result he achieved.

All the best, Nev.

beaut pic Nev! I'm going to head over to the new thread, see you there.

My neighbor gave me 7 plants. Said to keep in the shade. Blooms got burned a little so I moved them and have not yet planted. Can they have any sun at all?
Do they have a special potting soil or fertilizer they need?
Thank you,

NoraS.

Hi Nora, some bromeliads can have sun, depending on the genus, but generally, green leaved plants probably need a bit more shade, and the only sun they would cope with, would be early morning sun up till about 10am. Once the blooms have finished, if you cut them off, the plant will then produce little plants from the base, or between the leaves at the base, (these are commonly called 'Pups') the original flowering plant will begin to decline, but the pups will rapidly grow up around it and go on the flower and produce pups of their own, forming a good clump given time.
Bromeliads usually like a free draining soil, like an orchid mix of bark e.t.c. This is because they don't like to sit in water, and will rot at the base if too wet during cool weather.
To water them, just pour a little down the funnel shaped centre, and in warm weather, also moisten the soil. You can give them liquid fertiliser at about half strength to encourage more leaf growth, or pup production, but generally bromeliads thrive on neglect.
Anyway, this thread is almost finished, so if you scroll back up to Springers post and click on the link, that will take you tp the August bromeliad thread. Come over and have a look at all the nice pics everyone posts, and don't be afraid to jump in and ask questions.
Sue