BROMELIADS FOR NOVICES & ADDICTS APRIL 2012

Pic 3 is our billbergia seedlings. front ones were potted up first but when we saw how quickly they were growing we potted the next lot into seedling pots. The 2 biggest are behind the tray. Remember the front ones were picked out of the tray first as the biggest ones. The rest of the smaller ones were grown a bit longer before potting up the biggest again. However in seedling pots they have just taken off so well and have passed the first lot in size. They almost need potting up into even bigger pots already LOL.

Wendy

This message was edited Apr 17, 2012 12:19 AM

and these are the alcantarea vinicolor seedlings we got from Glynn. These are the ones he calls 'barbershop' grex. There's about a dozen of them.

Wendy

Hi everyone – It looks like the weather is changing with a lot of cloud around and a forecast of rain for the next few days. Why is it whenever I get things prepared to do a bit of work on my shade house it always bloody rains?

Karen – That’s a nice little collection of brom’s you got from Rick. I have a Till. Leiboldiana but it’s only the plain one. I got it originally as a NOID and when it flowered for the first time I thought it was a miniature type of Guzmania until I was told the correct name. I never knew there was a variegated and spotted one and it will certainly be a great addition to you collection. As for the unnamed ones; when they flower if you post a pic of the flower it’s possible someone here will know what it is.

Shirley – It’s nice of you to drop in even if you are having a difficult time without your computer. I know just how frustrating it is when you have to use an old slow computer when your main one crashes and you certainly have my sympathy.

Wendy – That’s a fantastic growth rate with the Portea seedlings, I haven’t looked at mine yet as I put them on one of the top shelves and I can’t get to them without the steps which my daughter has borrowed. Can you please keep picking the Port. Noettigii pods and get me a few seeds as well please (before Johnny chops it off)? As I would be very interested in growing some especially as it’s a species.

Your Billbergia seedlings have certainly taken off, where they the Hallelujah ones? Are you sure you haven’t got that magic formula that you’re keeping to yourself, or have you bottled some of that good stuff out of the rain and are feeding that to all of your seedlings they are all showing fantastic growth rates

I see you are still using the plastic take away containers; and I remember you tried a few different methods; drainage holes in the bottom, air holes in the top, no holes at all etc., what method did you find worked the best? I hope you will share your findings with us as we’re all here to learn.

Those striped Alcantarea seedlings Glynn has posted (the barber shop grex) will be a wonderful breakthrough in Alc breeding if that’s what they turn out to be. However they look very similar to some Guzmania seedlings I grew and I wonder if they may be bi-generic seedlings with the unknown pollen having come from a striped Guzmania?
Theoretically it is possible as Alcantareas and Guzmanias both belong to the same sub-family of bromeliads. Very, very interesting none the less, and only time will tell, I just wish I had a couple myself so who knows, a few years from now I may just be able to swap you a pup?.

Colleen - Like all young boys going on their first camping expedition they are understandably a bit apprehensive (fear of the unknown I think it’s called) but when they get home, they’ll be talking about it for weeks and wanting to know when they can go again. I know I still have fond memories of my first camping experience and that was over sixty years ago!

I’ve purposely left you until last today as you’ve asked a pretty in depth question which takes a bit of time to answer. Before I go any further, first let me say I’m certainly no expert on the cross breeding of different genera, and what I have written is just my understanding of how it all works.

To answer your question about crossing different genera with each other the answer is a “conditional” yes; the resulting seedlings are known as bi-generic (two genera) and are given a name made up of a part of each of the parent’s generic name which it is always written with a “x” before it to signify it is a bi-generic cross.

I mentioned a “conditional” yes, and by this I mean they can only be crossed with each other if they belong to the same bromeliad sub-family. For example you have the sub-family Bromelioideae which consists of the following genera some of which you will recognise:

Acanthostachys, Aechmea , Ananas, Androlepis, Araeococcus , Billbergia , Bromelia , Canistropsis , Canistrum, Cryptanthus, Deinacanthon , Disteganthus, Edmundoa, Eduandrea , Fascicularia, Fernseea , Greigia , Hohenbergia, Hohenbergiopsis, Lymania , Neoglaziovia , Neoregelia , Nidularium , Ochagavia , Orthophytum , Portea , Pseudaechmea , Pseudananas , Quesnelia , Ronnbergia , Ursulaea , Wittrockia.

As I understand it you could cross any of these with each other and it’s not impossible that you could get a result. There are quite a few registered examples, and below is just a very small sample of bi-generic crosses with some of the more common genera from the Bromelioideae sub-family.

xNeomea = (Neoregelia x Aechmea, xNidumea =(Nidularium x Aechmea),
xNiduregelia = (Nidularium x Neoregelia), xBillmea = (Billbergia x Aechmea),
xBillnelia = (Billbergia x Quesnelia)

Likewise you have the Tillandsioideae sub-family which consists of the following genera again with some of the more commom names recognised:

Alcantarea , Catopsis , Glomeropitcairnia , Guzmania , Mezobromelia, Racinaea, Tillandsia , Vriesea , Werauhia .
Of these, below is a very small sample of some registered crosses of the more common genera from the Tillandsioideae sub-family:

xVriecantarea = (Vriesea x Alcantarea), xVrieslandsia = (Vriesea x Tillandsia),
xGuzvriesea =(Guzmania x Vriesea)

There are many more and all of the registered crosses are listed in the FCBS Photo Index at http://fcbs.org/pictures.htm or the BCR at http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/bcr/index.php

I hope I didn’t confuse anyone, but it’s not just a simple “yes” or “no” answer so blame Colleen for asking the question.

Now for a few pic’s to finish. Pic 1 is the striped Guzmania seedlings I spoke of in my answer to Wendy’s post, Pic. 2 is one of the best known bi-generics of all, x Neophytum ‘Galactic Warrior’, Pic 3 is another commonly known bi-generic plant, xNiduregelia ‘Something Special’, Pic 4 shows three seedlings from the cross I bred from xNiduregelia ‘Something Special’ crossed with an unknown second parent (probably a Neoregelia). The plant on the left has gone on to take on the characteristics of the xNiduregelia while the two on the right look more like Neoregelias. and Pic 5. Probably the most attractive bi-generic of all in my opinion is shown in this magazine pic of x Neomea Fascidorffii. When I looked it up on the records it shows it was a cross between two of the most commonl plants we know, Aechmea Fasciata and Neoregelia Meyendorffii.

All the best, Nev.

Hi everyone – Well it looks like Colleen’s gone and done it! She’s the one who asked that question about bi-generic breeding and I wrote the long but necessary response; it seems like the technical stuff has frightened everyone off. Not to worry I’ll just talk to myself this morning and besides there’s still another four forums to visit.

Just a few pic’s to finish. Pic No. 1 is a favourite little Neo of mine only 12-15cm accross and called Neo 'Cheery Day', Pic No.2 is another Neo which I must grow in the garden because of its size about 54cm across, Pic. No. 3 is one of the many Ae. Nudicaulis varieties, Ae. Nudicaulis Flavo-marginata. This plant does exceptionally well when mounted on a tree. Pic No 4 this time something a bit different, the cute little Fosterella Spectabilis and Pic No 5 is probably one of the most beautiful Neo species of the lot Neo. Johannis De Rolf.

All the best, Nev.

good morning everyone, I haven't had a chance to read and catch up sorry, and this is just a real quickie to say ........

******************* HAPPY BIRTHDAY NEV! ****************************

I noticed on Facebook this morning that it's Nev's Birthday today, so had to share in here for anyone who doesn't know. I really hope you have a fantastic day Nev and you get some nice brom gifts or some Bunnings Gift Cards to help you out with all you need.

Have a fantastic day my friend xx

Hope everyone else has a great day too and I try to drop back and read and catch up :)

Good morning. Nev, Happy Birthday. I hope you have a really pleasant day. I was looking at your latest pics and wondering when you are going to run out. I think I've covered mine at least twice. Re the T.Leiboldiana v guttata var., to be honest, I didn't even notice the stripe until I got home. It was the unusual flower that drew me in.

Sunshine here this morning, so washing is on. Birds are going crazy and I'm wondering if they are a bit short on food out there. I don't know how they survive winter when there are virtually no flowers about.

And today I'm going to be potting again. The plants I got from Rick look about ready, though sadly, one must have been too wet and literally fell apart. I'd drained it but perhaps it was already too far gone. Will plant the base, just to see if it wants to continue growing.

And that's about the extent of my plans for the day. Have a lovely day, everyone.
Karen




This message was edited Apr 18, 2012 2:01 AM

I hope you've had a Wonderful Birthday Nev. What did you get? Thank you for explaining how you can cross the broms. You didn't scare me off I just have been so busy with potting pups and tidying the broms up and now I have 20 or so Epis to put into hanging pots tomorrow. Then I think I'll cut all the brugs back and see if they'll bush up a bit. It's been an absolute beautiful day here. Hope everyone is well and I hope you've had a great day. Colleen. Oh before I forget. The grass pups on neophytum "ralph davis" will they be okay to take off at about 6" tall, not very much root on them but a little.

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the birthday wishes, although when you get to my age (72) you tend to try and forget the birthdays. When I was fifty I told my grandson that my birthdays start going back the other way after that, so that now makes me 28 and gee it's good to feel young again.

I must share a funny little story with you all that happened the other day. A young son of a close friend has just had his appendix removed and the conversation got around to discussing various appendix operations. Andrew very proudly showed us his scars which consisted of two little marks that could be covered by bandaids; (apparently if it's a straight forward operation it’s now done by key hole-surgery). Another family friend who is about eighteen, showed Andrew his scar on the side of his belly which was about 2" long.

After discussing the different ways to remove an appendix, Andrew asked me if I had had mine removed (I hadn't) but I do have a 3" scar on my leg just below and to the right of my knee where I cut it once as a boy. I said that when I was a boy, to avoid belly scars, the doctors used to cut near your knee and stick a long instrument up through there and into your belly and take the appendix out that way. Well everyone started to laugh except one (very thick) neighbour who is also very much a "know all"; he was looking quite puzzled, and simply said, "did they"? Well everyone then really "cracked up".

Tash - Yes I did get some Bunnings gift vouchers; you see I have all of my family members well trained and have previously told them that instead of getting me something that I don't need or probably already have any way, to always get me Bunnings Gift Vouchers for Christmas and birthday presents. It's easier for them and certainly much better for me as you all know how handy these gift cards are.

Karen - That's bad luck about the plant. It obviously didn't just happen since you've had it in your care though, the rot was obviously unseen in the plant for some time and all of the rain just loosened the leaves up sufficiently to allow it to all collapse. I always tell people in the case of any brom that dies, no matter what the cause, just put it to one side somewhere out in the garden, and nine times out of ten it will manage to put up a pup. You see these plants are just so resilient they never give up!

Colleen – Pleased to see you’re getting some of your gardening jobs done while the boys are away on their “big expedition”. I’ll bet the boys are having the time of their life; I don’t know about “Uncle John” though, he might never be the same again, although I’ll bet it earns him a lot of “Brownie Points” from the boys!

As for your question about the pups on the xNeophytum ‘Ralph Davis’, it shouldn’t be a problem, I’ve taken smaller ones than that off without any problems. You say they don’t have much root, so just treat them like any other brom with no roots. You must always make sure they can’t move in the pot otherwise they won’t put down roots. In cases like this I just push three bamboo “kebab skewers” equally spaced around the plant to prevent any movement. I do this all the time now as I find it works well and costs next to nothing.

Although the common rule is not to remove pups after March in the cooler areas (this obviously doesn’t apply to the warm Queensland climate) I find that if you have a large collection you have to remove them all the year around, just to keep up with things. Unfortunately during the colder weather pups just seem to “sulk” and stay dormant and not root until the warmer weather starts again. Last year I tried a little experiment by wrapping some fresh Sphagnum Moss (and it must be fresh) around the heel of the pup (this is where the new roots emerge from) before potting it up in the normal potting mix. I found this encouraged new roots and I can get new roots produced just as quickly in winter as I can when I plant in the usual way without the Sphagnum during the warmer months. This works for me and although I’m not saying it will work for everyone, (as we all have different growing conditions), but just try it on a pup which you have more than one of and you may be surprised.

Just a few pic’s to finish with once again. Pic 1 is Bill. Amoena x Viridis and although I haven't posted this before I 'm just posting it now to show Colleen what I meant about the bamboo skewers which are especially handy for Billbergias due to them being so tall and inclined to topple over until they are established. Pic.2 although it looks very untidy with the hanger attached to the pot, this was the best way to display the beauty of this popular old Billbergia hybrid which is Bill. 'Muriel Waterman'. I'm always amazed by the shine it has on the foliage and the beautiful silvery banding on the underside of the leaves. Unfortunately like most Billbergias, the beautiful flowers are only very short lived. Pic. No 3 is Neoregelia ‘George’s Prince’, Pic. No. 4 is Nidularium ‘Madonna’ and although Wendy posted a pic of Madonna a few days ago, I’m just posting this to show how the colour can vary between clones with this one not being as dark as Wendy’s plant. Finally, Pic No 5 which is Neo. ‘Midnight Moment’

All the best, Nev.

Hi everyone. A beautiful morning here though showers were predicted.

Nev, glad you got some Bunnings gift vouchers. I might put in a hint for those when my birthday comes around. Always something I want from Bunnings.

Did you get my message on FaceBook? If not, there is a Friend Request waiting there. I thought we'd done it, but apparently not.

Re the above pics, I have to confess, I was sold on billbergias when I saw my Hallelujah come into flower. I know some are better than others, but even the tiny Baby Tears is a beautiful flower (or is that Queens Tears? I always knew mine as Baby Tears as they are a small flower).

Some pics to brighten up the day.
First is Ae. Covata Too budding up.
2nd is Apricot Nectar, still with amazing colour.
3rd is the NOID from Rick C. last weekend.
4th is a mixed colour group of Neos, a Bill or two, and some minis.
5th is Neo Ostrich which I know I've shown before.

Karen







This message was edited Apr 18, 2012 4:48 PM

hi everyone,

Nev glad to hear you got some vouchers and no doubt you'll put them to good use, enjoy being 28 for the year huh, lol.

I thought I would stop by and kind of correct what I told you all about with our broms at the beginning of the month about the dehydration burns. I have not bothered to share this on Facebook but am happy to share it here.

Well since the beginning of the month they have continued to get worse and we have now lost quite a few. this has perplexed someone who has been helping us and after going through a lot of things and photos and phone calls, we now have a new diagnosis.

They were poisoned!

Now.... there are two possibilities, but we are hoping to have the answer in a few weeks/months. Either we did it ourselves with a new product we used on them, (that came very highly recommended) or a neighbour did it.

I had written more but have come back and removed the rest of my posts about it.
I will let you know more when I have answers.

Tash

This message was edited Apr 20, 2012 7:01 AM

Post removed



This message was edited Apr 20, 2012 6:59 AM

Hi everyone. Tash what an ordeal you are having. I do hope you find a solution soon before you loose any more plants. That's terrible. I would hate to loose any of my broms. Well, I'm going to have a very busy day tomorrow as the boys come home so have to make sure everything is right for them and my son and his girlfriend. AND I hope to get a couple of parcels too. Yippee. It's always like a lucky dip when Nev sends something. Whoo hhooo. can't wait. I will be at the PO at 9 in the morning to see if they're there. It takes 5days to get from Nev's to here and sometimes they still get caught up and have to spend the weekend in solitary It must be getting late I can't think straight. Have had a hectic week but have got a few things done. Not as many as I would have hoped but never mind the world won't stop if they're not done. Nev I loved your story about your appendix. I can just see the look on that bloke's face. lol Loved the joke about the airplane steward. Well I think I'll have another cuppa and then have a shower and toodle off to bed. Karen I hope you're feeling well now, keep taking it easy though. I see everyone tomorrow. Might have some pics. Colleen

Hi all. Missed you all for a couple days. Last night I was so sore and tired after a big day doing the makeover of an area of the yard that I just couldn't think straight. dreaded having a shower because the arms were stinging without water touching them. I knew when I finally worked up the courage to step under the shower I was in for a lot of pain and I was right. Today was just as bad with more potting of the ones we pulled out of the overgrown area. All this started with Johnny deciding to trim the tips of one tree that looked like they were dying. The tree ended up being well pruned and he started on the next one too. He would have chopped even more but I cautioned him about opening up too much sun on the broms. We watched the movement of the sun all afternoon yesterday and again today. I hope we put sun tollerant broms on the tops of the totems because they are now getting a good dose of lunchtime sun. It is shortlived though as there is only a narrow gap between the trees on the east and the shadecloth on the west. Ah well they will adapt and love the winter sun. Pic is of the area we trashed and redid. I think it looks pretty good now. It was getting very thick with multiple pups in most pots and some looking way past their prime.

Nev I didn't know there were so many different genera of bromeliads. The way I think about the seed is if they have the little round seed like aechmea, neos, billbergias etc they can be crossed but if they have the fly away types like vrisea, tillandsia, alcants etc they can be crossed with each other but not the seeded ones like neos etc. I'm not up to crossing too many yet but have gone down the root of F2 of natural hybrids eg ones the birds have done for me. I think doing some of Alan Freemans plants should produce some wonderful hybrids as he seemed to use quality plants. Today Nev, we decided that all your seedlings which have become too big to remain in the seedling area had become lost in the main shadehouse area. We stumbled across a few during the redo so we decided to put dark blue dots on those pots. So if we see a blue spot we immediately know it is a seedling that we need to keep watch of development. We discovered some nice plants which we hadn't taken pups off before hiding in with all the others that we have plenty of. I even found one growing in full sun that I thought was just manoa beauty which we have plenty of so tried it growing in full sun a couple years back and found it thrived. Anyway we've been looking at this one thinking must take those pups off but we have so many that we just kept passing them over. Anyhow when I took them off today I was stunned to see it was actually neo catherine wilson. I like this plant as it is similar to neo mayo but much larger and I would never have considered it for a sun lover but somehow it got mixed up with the manoa beautys we keep in the sun on the side of the path. It was stunning and so big and much flatter than they usually grow. Will post pics tomorrow night of those.

Nev you ask about what we learned about the different ways of growing seed in takeaway trays. Well the one thing we learned was if they have holes in the lids don't put them at the front of the seedling houses with the doors rolled up on a night with heavy rain. We learned that the rain blows in sits in the recessed lid and slowly drips in through the air holes. WE found the seeds and seedlings swimming and only a few survived in each pot. The ones without airholes were fine of course but that screwed up our research. We had planted 2 trays of quite a few different seeds .. one without airholes and one with airholes. Same seed, same mix, planted same time only different amounts of air. Anyway we will try that again one day. The tillandsias definately prefer the airholes as once they start to grow they prefer to totally dry out before being wet again so air is good for them. The vriseas seem to do well either way as long as we give the ones with airholes more water than those without holes. We are now trying different potting mediums too. I don't like spaghnum moss as the seeds/seedlings tend to get lost in the growing moss, If i look closely I can find the little tillansias but I'm worried they will get smothered. I even thought about picking them out one by one and transferring them to another mix but I'll wait a bit longer. We are now mxing perlite into our seed raising choir mix. Hopefully it will prevent the mix going hard on top as it does when too much seed is sown of the vrisea, tillandsai type. It seems to form a mat on top which goes hard.

Nev you asked about the billbergia seedlings. No they are not the hallelujah ones. I'll have to check them tomorrow to see if they are growing. These are some we had here with no ID but they formed a good sized round ball of seed hanging from the spent flower. Easy to harvest when they are like that. Anyway they are now growing so fast. But the portea are the ones that are fast. I can't believe how they have grown in such a short time. I'll take a pic every 2 or 3 weeks to share with you all. I am still collecting the noetigii seed but they seem to only have one seed in each pod so it is slow going. I have a little envelope of them for you. It is an effort to collect those as i have to jump across the pond and grab a golden cane palm to prevent me falling back in. the noetigii is growing in the middle of the palm. Then I have to jump back again. I will send them to you as soon as I have enough to grow at least a dozen plants.

Must be off to bed again. Night all
Wendy

This message was edited Apr 19, 2012 11:41 PM

hi everyone,I'm jenny and I live near bundaberg in sunny queensland(except for the huge floods and rain we just had)I lost only about 15-20 veriesas and discovered neo big mac won't take as much water as a lot of other broms.I was just looking at a comment fronNeville (i think0 about taking pups and wrapping them in spagnum moss.I am sure going to try that tomorrow.In one of the bromeliad society books I also read that if you put root powder on them and put them in a styrafoam box with moist sand and spagnam on the bottom they shoot easier than planting straight out so I am presently trying that too.I am at present trying to grow my own from seed so if anyone has any spare seeds I would appreciate them.Neville gave me some for which I am really grateful, but I just love seeing them pop out of the ground ang growing all sorts.I may even have some of my own to swap(all being good) soom.Hot red blanchetianas and puyas.I am very pleased to be in this group and as soon as I worl it all out I will post some photos etc but am very much in the learning stage.It's just starting to cool off a bit here now but I have still gone ahead and planted seeds in the hothouse(box).Those plastic bunnings ones,but have no idea what temperature to germinate them at.Does anyone know please? I have the box facing north as told by a very experienced grower.Well will finish now,just wanted to say hello and also enquire about seeds before it gets too cold.Thankyou for having me in your group.jenny-

Good morning. Nice start to the day with a drop or two of rain for the plants. Now it doesn't seem to want to be sunny or cloudy, so keeps trying out both.

Tash, I hope you get to the bottom of your plant problem. Could they have been over fertilized? It must be so frustrating for you, and I really do hope you solve it.

Wendy, the garden is looking good, but I can't place where it is. Guess we'll just have to come down and see for ourselves in a few weeks. I am hoping to try to get to the brom show on the weekend. Wish I could get there Saturday, but not much hope of that, so will have to be Sunday. Leave me some plants to buy as "souvenirs", won't you.

Colleen, I am feeling much better, thank you. Started potting again but ran out of soil. I do have a new one, but need Barry to lift it onto a shelf for me so I don't have to keep bending over. The pups are starting to get away from me. I notice Pimento has a little pup growing. Will remove it as soon as its big enough so it doesn't get crushed under the mother.

Nev, hope you aren't overdoing it either. Just because you are only 28 doesn't mean you can take risks.

Jenny, welcome to the group. It is always great to see a new face here. We are quiet some days, and others we talk our little heads off. Always glad to see pics of other people's broms too. So dive in and enjoy.

Karen

Hi everyone,

It’s good to see so many of you have been using the keyboard since yesterday and it’s also good to see that Jenny has now joined us as well, so welcome to our friendly little forum Jenny, I’m sure you’ll enjoy yourself here.

Karen – I think I’ve finally sorted out the Face Book thing so everything should be right now. As for the Billbergias, although they have a most beautiful and unusual flower, they are unfortunately very short lived and usually only last from a couple of days to a couple of weeks. That’s why I chose to only collect the ones with nice colour or patterned foliage. That way you have colour all the year around.
The little Billbergia you call “Baby Tears” has been known by a number of names over the years and is one of the oldest Billbergias in cultivation in Australia. It is a species called Billbergia ‘Nutans’ and it can often be seen growing in massive clumps in and around old houses or even on vacant land where an old house once stood and has since been demolished.

That’s a nice little group of plants in your pic’s; what’s the name of the purple one in the top centre of the group picture, that’s the one that jumps out and catches my eye, and it will be interesting to see how it looks when it’s fully matured.

Tash – It’s good to see you posting again, but I’m sorry to see it’s with such devastating news. From what you say (and now I’ve read your P.S.), I’d be going for something that’s been sprayed from next door.

This stuff that cleans algae is a real possibility as some of these algae killers/cleaners contain salt and copper. Even salt in very high concentrations can mark plants, and we all know what copper can do. Is there any way you can find out the ingredients of the product used? It won’t help the outcome, but it may save you a lot of time searching for other answers.

You also mention you used a different fungicide, some fungicides still contain copper as well (especially some of the older ones) and remember not all plants react the same way to a toxic substance, some are stronger than others and would therefore suffer less damage.

Colleen – So the boys are home tomorrow are they? Well you’d better put in the ear plugs as your ears are going to get a bashing from them about the big camping trip. Glad to hear you got a few things done while they were away, I’ve managed to get a few seedlings potted up over the last few days as well and it make me feel like I’m finally achieving something also. I do hope your plants aren’t stuck in the mail over the weekend, but with the extra insulation with them being in polystyrene boxes there shouldn’t be a problem anyway.

Wendy – Wow, this must be the longest post you’ve ever done, it’s more like a book and something we can really get our teeth into, great stuff!

Well you may be sore with stinging skin, but the end result of your make over really looks good, and I don’t think you need to be bothered about damage from the sun at this time of the year (not even in sunny Queensland) as a lot of the heat’s gone out of the sun by now. By the way, when are you coming south, you can help do my make over while you’re here.

As I said above, I’ve been re-potting a few Neo seedlings over the last few days and there are quite a few interesting looking ones and some from a Neo ‘George’s Prince’ cross in particular which are showing nice wide leaves. It’s still too early to see any colour but it makes the waiting all that much more interesting doesn’t it?

I think you probably on the right track using Alan Freeman’s hybrids as parents as he did breed some wonderful plants and some of his better ones also had concentrica in the parentage which shows the value of this particular species as a parent.

Like you I’m always finding seedlings I’ve moved out of the shade house to the garden to make more space and it’s usually a pleasant surprise when you spot one of these plants that’s looking a “bit special” and find it’s one of the seedlings you grew yourself. I don’t have a Neo. ‘Catherine Wilson’, but I do have a Bill ‘Catherine Wilson’. I looked up Neo Catherine Wilson and it’s said to be a possible cross between two species, Neo Spectabilis and Neo. Marmorata so this is probably where the spotting comes from.

It’s interesting what you say about the water entering the lids of the containers that had the holes in them. When I first used these containers I put them on my benches beneath the adult plants and often was puzzled to find the seedlings covered in water after rain, even though there were no holes in the lids. I later found out that the water was entering by actually running down the outside of the lid and then finding its way “uphill” between the lid and the wall of the container. Who says water can’t run uphill? It can happen due to a process called “capillary action”. If you don’t believe me see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary_action.

Your description of the round seed capsules leads me to suspect they are from one of the Bill species, known as the “watch spring” types such as Brasiliensis, Rosea etc. I’m pleased to see you’re still collecting the Portea Petropolitania var. ‘noetigii’ seed; but there is one thing I’d ask of Johnny, can he get a video camera and get some shots of you as you jump across the pond and grab a golden cane palm to prevent falling back in while collecting the seed from the plant growing in the middle of the palm? I think it would be pretty good entertainment. Anyway I’ll appreciate the seed much more now knowing of the trouble you take when harvesting it.

Jenny – It’s very interesting what you say about Neo ‘Big Mac’ as a few years back I lost two of these due to rot and I seldom have a problem with rot down here. First I lost one plant and then about eight months later I lost another I’d bought as a replacement (from a different grower) about six months after the first one died. This makes me think it may be susceptible to rotting, (down here anyway), and for that reason I’ve never bothered with it since.

Just a little word of warning with what I wrote about the Sphagnum moss and the pups. I did say it works down here for me in "MY CONDITIONS" which would be very different to your conditions. Likewise I’ve tried the method with the root promoting hormone powder which I also read in one of the Brom Society Newsletters, and I had no luck at all; again I’m in a different area to that of the author of the article. So I guess my advice would be to “tread gently” and just trial these things on a few plants of which you have spares. Again, welcome to our group Jenny.

Now to finish with a few more pic’s, today I'll post some Aechmeas just for a change. Pic.1 is Ae Caudata 'Eiperrii', Pic 2 is Ae Distichantha, Pic.3 is Ae. Gamosepala 'Wyee', Pic 4 is Ae. Orlandiana 'Touch-a-Pink' and Pic 5 is an "oldie" but still nice, Ae. Weilbachii var 'Weilbachii'.

All the best, Nev.

Whoo hooo I have 2 boxes of broms just arrived. They are all unwrapped and slurping up a drink as I speak. Thank you so much Nev. I took some pics so everyone can see what excellent plants Nev always sends. I hope you make a million dollars from your sales Nev. My peace ends today and it will be back to the normality of two very energetic boys being around. I have missed them though. lol Well hope everyone has a fantastic day as I'm going to have and now here are some pics of the broms that Nev sent. I will take individual pics when I pot them up. Colleen

The first pic didn't come through so here it is. Colleen

I'm back. Hello again.

Nev, that purplish neo in the centre of the group in my 4th pic is one from Wendy that I got when just a tiny pup, called Neo Black Beauty. I am actually a little concerned for that one at the moment as it seems too wet and with more rain coming, I may have to bring it undercover. Would hate to lose it to rot.

Yes, I'd noticed that the FB thing was OK now. Many thanks.

Colleen, nice haul there. Isn't great getting newbies. I am hoping to get something different from the brom show this weekend. I'd rather pay a bit more and get one I really love than a lot I don't really want. Well, that's my approach this weekend anyway. I know one I want but its right up there around $70 when I've seen it, Neo Wild Rabbit. Maybe someone will have some cheaper this weekend. If not, I'm sure I'll see something I simply must have. I am getting rather partial to the nidulariums lately now I have one from Nev and one from Rick. The colours in the leaves are exceptional.

I'm having a bit of a run in with Big Pond as it says I've used almost all my allowance up for the month ALL ON ONE DAY! I phoned up and they admitted that there is an ongoing issue with outages and many people in my area are having the same problem. So far, so good. Then they agreed to allow me 2 gigabytes extra for the month free. Trouble is, on that one day, the usage was 17 gigs, not 2. My average daily usage usually is one tenth of a gig, not even one gig. So maybe the extra 2 will see me through the month, it had better hey!

Did a nice walk this morning much of it up gentle slopes and didn't have any pain at all. Guess I'm in the clear again. Yahoo!

Karen

This rather large invader seems very attached to my brom. Matchsticks. Can't see that he's eaten any though.

One thing Karen....... off with his head. He WILL chew your broms sooner or later so get in first. If you are after nids Karen, I have quite a few different ones here. when you come for your vr saundersii seedlings you can grab a few.

Wow Colleen what a haul. the little variegated one in bottom left of first picture catches my eye. and in the other box there is a variegated one too. can you tell me what they are? wonder if they are Nev's seedlings. Love the litte variegated ones.

Nev a friend brought me a few ae rubens seeds today and we discovered our own rubens has seed on it so if you want some of them let me know. I'll send them with the noetigii. I'll do a deal with you. I've got those other portea on the way already so if you grow the noetigii and get a good take from them we can swap in the future. I don't have room to grow too many of each so just a couple of each will be plenty really. I'm sure you are in the same boat as us with just a normal houseblock. At least now we can find a lot of the seedlings around our yard. we only have to look for the dots on the pots. I actually located quite a few this week. We are still redoing sections of the gardens. It is so much easier just to remove everything clean the leaves out and then clean up and replace pots. Johnny is becoming so vicious with binning mothers. Trouble is he doesn't know which ones we have lots of and which ones are one of only a few. I've rescued quite a few and repotted and hidden them.

Welcome Jenny. this group is more a bunch a friends chatting and we don't get all in a huff if someone talks about something other than broms. We do share a lot of advice too. EG. as you are more in our area in Brisbane, if we have to use snips to cut a pup off we allow the cut end to dry out for 2 or 3 days before potting. We then seal the end with rooting powder before potting. We especially do this with vriseas and always allow pups several days before potting up. If we don't get around to potting up immediately we have left them in empty pots sitting in trays with a bit of water for several weeks before we get around to potting. We even went away last year and left some pups unpotted and by the time we got home about 5 or 6 weeks later they were well rooted and ready for potting. I especially do this with tillandsais and simply wait for roots to form first before potting up.

Anyway I must be off to do a letter now so I'll end with pics of a couple of plants we discovered in the makeover and forgot we even had. First pic is neo dr dresser x black knight. I think with a bit more light the variegation would be even more defined so we have relocated one pup to a more sunny spot. The other pup went to a friends place today. Hopefully mum with spit out a couple more pups now these two have gone. Pic 2 is another one we found looking great. it is called neo josie. the pup started out heavily striped but I think as the colour develops the stripes blend in a bit more. I thought the colour was stunning so it was a lovely surprise when we lifted it down from a totem.

Night all
Wendy

Hi all, just catching up on some reading and as always, love all the photos.

I have a new computer organized and should be back in business early next week. Till then, hope everyone is enjoying good health and have a great weekend.

Shirley

Hi everyone,

Yesterday turned out to be quite productive for me as I was finally able to make a start installing the extra roof joists from which to hang more plants in my shade houses. Unfortunately once this space is used up, there’s nowhere else I can go as I will have used up all available hanging space.

Colleen – I’m pleased to see you got your plants OK. It seems like the poly styrene boxes are the answer for a five day trip. How did the Bird’s Nest Fern travel? I don’t usually send ferns so I’m new at this and still feeling my way. The brom’s all look pretty fresh considering they’ve been locked up in the dark for five days, it must be that “magic elixir” they’re soaking in, and it really does give good results doesn’t it?

I suppose by now the boys will be home and “bending your ear” about everything they did on their big adventure. It’s really great to see kids going camping and getting introduced to one of the best things boys can do and it’s great to see Uncle John taking the time to take them, so well done Uncle John!

Karen – If you’re concerned about your little plant getting too much rain, just lay it on its side. This will stop it getting overwatered and help drain off any excess, but don’t forget to stand it up again when the rain’s finished otherwise you’ll have a plant growing sidewise. It’s good to see you “setting your sights high” on a quality plant like Neo ‘Wild Rabbit’. It’s a very nice and most unusual Neo. and only one that Chester Skotak (the master) could breed. He had quite a few with that unusual colour combination and they’re very popular and much sought after worldwide and I thought it would have cost more than what you say.

Having a run in with Big Pond are you? I’ve been there and done that; and found the hardest thing was to get a person who could speak understandable English. In the end I asked to speak to the supervisor and got a nice young lady who understood the problem completely and everything was fixed up within ten minutes. That was after about two hours talking to other people who I couldn’t understand and were obviously very much out of their depth in the job they were doing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly not a racist; and in my previous job I came into contact with almost every nationality in the world and have the greatest respect for most of them and never once had a problem with any of them; it’s just that I don’t think it’s too much to expect to be able to speak to an English speaking person in your own country, and I think Big Pond needs to get its act together. They are just exploiting these poor people from third world countries, paying them crap wages, just so they can make big bucks off you and me without providing the service they claim they are. Like everything else these days, it all about the “mighty dollar”, stuff the customer service!
Sorry about that little “rant” I feel much better now I’ve got that off my chest.

About your pic you say, “This rather large invader seems very attached to my brom. Matchsticks. Can't see that he's eaten any though”. Well let me say it’s just that he doesn’t like them, his favourite food is vrieseas, Guzmanias and Tillandsias with the Tilly flower spikes his speciality. The best time to find these pests is when you are watering early in the early morning; they don’t like getting wet and move quite slowly under these circumstances. Don’t use insecticides as a remedy because by the time he’s dead from the insecticide he’s already eaten his way through your best plants, first catch him, (hold him firmly behind the head as he can sometimes give you a nip) then firmly grip the middle of his body and pull the head and body in different directions. You will now find the head in one hand and the body in your other hand. Drop them both on the ground, place your foot on top and twist it backwards and forwards, job done...........problem solved!

Wendy – I don’t have Ae Rubens so I’m especially interested in some of that seed. I’m always happy to take any sort of seed you like to send, hybrids as well as species and as usual I’ll apply the same rule as I do here with my other brom friends; we always share the resulting seedlings. If they are hybrids and one of us gets a good one, the rule is that the first available pup goes to the other person. We’ve been doing it this way right back to where I grew orchids from seed and it’s a system that works well but only with trusted friends.

As I’ve said many times, all though I like mature brom’s, my main interest lies in growing the seed. I think it’s a very fascinating hobby and doesn’t take up any space. It’s not until it’s time to move them up into pots that the space problems start.

The plants in both of your pic’s are quite attractive and what you say about increasing the light with the first one could intensify the variegations, although it could also lighten the green in the leaves and hide the variegations even more, so I guess it’s a matter of trying, to find out for sure. I think somewhere down the track the name may have got mixed up also, as I think it’s possibly Dr. Oeser x Black Knight not Dr. Dresser x Black Knight, as I can’t find a Dr Dresser anywhere on the registry. Although Dr Oeser is a registered name, and does carry the variegation gene in its gene pool so that would explain the variegations in the hybrids from it. On the other hand, it may also be an unregistered name and my suspicions may well be incorrect.

The second plant appears to have very faint red lines similar to a “radial red”. Although it is a registered hybrid, unfortunately there is no picture on the registry and like all of Hummel’s hybrids; no parents are given so there’s no way of finding out where the faint variegation may have come from. It’s still an attractive plant just the same, as is the other one. As far as breeding goes, I’d be inclined to put some Neo Rosea ‘Striata’ pollen onto it and I’m pretty sure you’d breed quite a few nice radial red seedlings.

Now for a few more pic’s to finish, Pic 1 is Ae Faciata 'Purpurea' (I find this to be a very slow grower), Pic 2 is Ae. Fasciata 'Rubra' (Again a slow grower), Pic 3 shows two pups taken from an Ae Fasciata variegata and they are showing unusual pink colouring through the leaves, Pic 4 is Ae Bromeliifolia 'albobracteata' (these were grown from seed and although they have an insignificant looking flower, the plant does look good as a feature in the middle of a cacti garden. Pic 5 is Aechmea 'Pie'

All the best, Nev.

Good morning. I'm not stopping this morning. Barry is coming down and we are off to the Brom. show in Brisbane, so gotta go get me ready. At least, I hope he is heading this way and not still sound asleep (more his style). Will catch up later today or in the morning.

Have a great day.
Karen

Oh, didn't mean to scare everyone away???

We did get to the show, and I did go mad. Don't eat for the week, but will just have to feast my eyes daily on my newbies.

Karen

First is Bill. After Glow. Even more beautiful than the pic shows.
2 is Neo Fosteriana Perfecta.
3 is Neo. Groucho. I compared this with Wild Rabbit at $75, and frankly, couldn't see much difference.
4 is Neo Chilli Verde, a brilliant little plant.
Last is Neo. Cayenne, a mini. Good value on this one.

Hi all.
Karen we were at the sale when it opened at 8am. what time did you get there? we were there for quite a while so maybe still there when you arrived? sorry we missed you.

I got a few plants but not too many. A vrisea called rhubarb and a dillings seedling of vr black beauty F3 for a good price but will take a few years of growing to see what it becomes. I also got ae nigre which had 3 good sized plants in the pot so good value, and ae zebrina with a couple of plants in pot. Oh and Nev I got a pot overflowing with ae tillandsioidia with most of them flowering and a couple had even gone to seed ready to collect. Are you interested in any of those? Matt O'brien who grew it said it pups like mad so unless we really want to grow from seed we will still have heaps of plants very quickly. Up to you if you want the seed or not. I'm not sure if I will grow the seed or not as I already have quite a few plants. But the fun is in seeing what you get isn't it? I am happy to let you grow the seed and maybe later getting some seedlings back.

Karen I also got a few tillansias. I haven't taken pics of any of the new plants yet so I'll get onto that tomorrow. We have Emily here for another sleepover so I have been off the computer all night so she can play the Dora games again. She is getting good at it but was very cranky at the end so I made her go to bed. Now I have the computer back again.

I have to share with you what Emily helped me make or tea. I showed her how to wrap one sausage and she made the others. We called them pigs in blankets so she really enjoyed making them. I told her to put 1 toothpick in to seal the final point of the wrap but she decided to add extras for arms. She had fun and even ate 2 of the pigs by herself. I'm getting so good at coming up with things for her to make.

Jen I hope if you are reading this you are feeling better now. Jen dragged herself from her sick bed to go to the sale today but I had to drive as she was a bit woozy. She did get a couple of plants including a carcharadon hybrid with a couple of pups. Good value at $20.

Night again all.
Wendy

Hi. Wendy, should have known you'd be there early. I had to wait until Barry got here so we didn't leave home until about 10 am. You would have missed the traffic too. It was so hard to get parking with literally thousands of sports players and followers in the area. We were very lucky though when we drove under the Table Tennis Centre itself, just as someone was loading his car to leave.

Saw Barry Genn, Len and Olive, Nev Ryan, and the other tillandsia man, John ?? Len sold me the Groucho. He sort of remember our faces, but probably not where from. We had actually spent quite some time talking to him at their last big sale. I see they have an open garden at the Olive Branch next weekend. I need another payday or ten before I can do anymore damage.

Karen

Wendy, these are the ones I got from you at your last sale. I think they are colouring up very nicely and am so pleased with them.

Neo Sweet Dreams X Painted Desert
and
Neo. Hearts Music X Grace Darling

The third one is a photo of one of my favourite show winners from the Brom show yesterday. I don't know the name, but it sure is a show stopper.

Hi everyone,

Another nice day down here yesterday and at last I’ve got all of the shade house extra roof joists in place which will give me a bit more much needed hanging space.

Karen – Well now I can understand why you were in so much of a hurry to get away yesterday morning. It looks like you at least got to the sales tables before all of the nice plants had been sold as you have quite a good quality haul there.

Billbergia ‘Afterglow’ is a beautiful plant and is very appropriately named. The next pic which is shown as Neo Fosteriana ‘Perfecta’ I think is wrongly named. Firstly Neo Fosteriana is a species and isn’t variegated and I think your plant is the ever popular Neo. ‘Perfection’ or as it’s sometimes called Neo Fosperior ‘Perfection’. It is a “sport” from Neo Fosperior which was the result of a cross thought to have been between the two species Neo fosteriana and Neo spectabilis. The records say that it is a (mostly) stable sport but I know that it does on some occasions revert back to just the plain coloured of the plant it originally came from.

The other thing I know is that its colour is greatly influenced by the amount of light it is given, and if you look at the several pictures in the Photo Index at http://www.bromeliad.org.au/ which is the web site of the Bromeliad Society of Australia you’ll see what I mean.

The reason you couldn’t see much difference between Neo ‘Wild Rabbit’ and Neo ‘Groucho’ is because they are both from the same grex, which is a Chester Skotak crossing of Neo (carolinae variegated x Hannibal Lector) crossed with Neo Tiger Cub, and like Neo. ‘Wild Rabbit’, it’s an “eye catcher” also.

The other one that really catches my eye is Neo Chilli Verde. This is a particularly nice clone of that cultivar. It does vary quite a bit and some of them don’t even have the variegations. I was sold one as Neo. Chilli Verde from a very well know Australian N.S.W. Bromeliad Nursery once, and it didn’t have any variegation on it at all. I feel I was duped; as in cases such as this when the pup doesn’t carry the variegations of the mother plant it should have the letters “NOVAR” after its name to signify that the parent was variegated but this plant doesn’t carry that variegation i.e. NOVAR meaning NO VARiegation.

Finally your little mini Neo Cayene; this seems to be identical with a mini I have called Neo ‘Red Waif’ so I went into the BCR and found that like many other early hybrids that were grown here from American seed, they were given different names; one in America and one in Australia and possibly they are both the same plants with the American plant being called Red Waif and the Australian one named as Cayenne. So you see from just a few purchases you made at a show you’ve now opened up a most interesting “can of worms”.

The three pic’s in your second posting are all nice looking brom’s also and I’m not familiar with any of them. Are the first two (the radial reds) a couple of Wendy and Johnny’s seedlings and does anyone know the name of the last one?

Wendy – I don’t know Ae ‘Nigre’ so I looked it up just out of curiosity, and the records say that it is a hybrid from Ae. Nudicaulis but the other parent isn’t recorded. I don’t know of an Aechmea tillandsiodia, but there is a plant shown on the Photo Index of the FCBS http://fcbs.org/pictures.htm called Aechmea tillandsioides. It has an inflorescence with “paddles” on it similar to some Tillandsias and Vrieseas; is this the same plant you have? To answer your question, yes I would be interested in some seed please, firstly for myself and secondly for some friends.

We now have a small group of young people down here interested in growing Brom’s from seed, and as you all know it’s a bit difficult getting today’s young people interested in this sort of thing with so many other things to do. As these young people are the brom hybridizers of the future, I’m trying to maintain their interest and encourage them by providing them with various types of brom seed to grow, and any seed that’s surplus to your (or anyone else’s) requirements, I would be grateful to receive and pass on to them.

The “Pigs in Blankets” that you and Emily made look an interesting concept; are they just frankfurts wrapped in some sort of pastry and baked, I’m interested as they look like a good thing to make when our grandsons come over.

Jen – Sorry to hear you’re unwell, but like a true “Brom Trooper” I see you still managed to get a yourself a couple of bargains. Get better soon!

Now for a few more pic’s to finish. Yesterday afternoon I went for a half hour walk around my plants and took a few random pic’s which I plan to share over the next few days. It’s surprising when you can take your time to actually look at your plants; you often see something you don’t expect. An example of this is Pic 1 which is an unnamed seedling. It was from a batch of seed given to me by a friend and which the Bower Birds stole the name out of. I had quite a few of these and have been putting a couple in as “freebies” in various orders just so I don’t have to pot up so many NOIDS.

I noticed this one tucked away on the bench and wouldn’t have seen it except I spotted the flower spike sticking up. I’ll take other pic’s as it progresses but at this stage I still have no idea what it is and if anyone has any ideas, please let’s hear them.

Pic. 1 NOID seedling, Pic 2 Neo. ‘Phyllis’, Pic 3 Neo. ‘xCorreia-Araujoi’, Pic 4 Neo ‘Volcano’ and Pic 5 is another Neo. Concentrica x [Charm x Cracker Jack]

All the best, Nev.

Hi everyone. Well all quiet here again after John and Bianca have gone. The boys are a bit lost I think. They're eating popcorn at the moment and watching a DVD. I've had time to pot all the new broms up and take pics. Looks like you got some lovely ones too Karen. I wish I didn't live so far away, then I would be able to go to the sales with you. It would be really great to all meet up and have a good old chin-wag. Wendy you said something about the Varigated ones in my pic so will start off with those. Here we go. 1 neo. golden king, 2 neo. meyendorffii [red form] 3 neo. blake street beauty. Have a great day everyone. Colleen

This message was edited Apr 22, 2012 1:29 PM

Anyone want a pup from Neoregelia concentrica x Heart music (1st pic)or a Nelson(2 & 3rd pics)? Swap for something you have a few of.
I shouldn't cut these pups off until spring should i?

Nev, according to Wendy, those two I got from her are probably Alan Freeman hybrids. I am very pleasantly surprised with the stripey effects and the way the colours are getting stronger as they grow.

It is possible that the sellers of that Neo Fosteriana Perfecta named it wrongly, or they could have even got it wrongly named themselves, but how to prove it? I don't know the seller at all to check with him or her. I'll check on the web and see if I can find anything on it. Whatever it is, its a very lovely plant and the photo doesn't do the colours justice.

What you say about Chilli Verde is so true, as there were quite a few on the table, and this was the only really red one left, it is stunning. Others were pink var., others were pale. It was amazing, those differences, really. As for Red Waif and Cayenne, yep, they sure look alike, I have both. I really only got that pot for the 3 plants in it. Made it a bargain buy.

Colleen it would be lovely if you and Pat could come to one of the brom days at Wendy's. I think Pat would probably love the way John and Wendy have done their gardens. I want to go see Jen's one day too.

Bree, I don't know if there is a "best" time for taking off pups. Must admit, I do it when I see the pups getting too big and at risk of getting deformed from being cramped in with the mother. Which means there are some more I need to be taking of very soon. Next Spring might be too late for them. Best if you can get some roots with the pup though. I'm no expert, just thinking that is the better way to go.

Coming up very overcast here, and I can feel some moisture droplets in the air. Hope we just get a nice shower rather than heavy rain. I think the plants have had enough of the drenching stuff for some time to come.

Here are the 3 Tillandsias I got from the show yesterday.

T. Exserta - never heard of this one but its rather nice.
T. Tricholepsis I have one small clump and love it, so wanted more.
T. Ionantha Druid (yellow) no colour as yet. The leaves turn yellow at flowering time.

Karen

HI Jen. I grow old love letters on a totem where it gets early morning sun and sometimes a bit again in afternoon. It seems to bring out the really brilliant patterning. I have another over the east side of the yard in a totem where it gets couple hours of good morning sun until about 10:30 or so. It seems to love that bit of pure morning sun.

Nev the ae tillandsioides (couldn't remember the exact name last night and didn't feel like trecking downstairs to check so guessed) looks like a tillandsia but when I collected some seed today and washed it is is definately aechmea seed not till seed. I have lot washed and drying. When I send the seed to you I still have quite a bit of till capitata red and some others we collected so I'll make up a parcel for you to share with your young protegees.

Karen you are right about those couple of plants they are Alan Freeman hybrids and both are in my favourites list of his. they do colour up so nicely when mature. See pic of sweet dreams x painted desert.

Colleen just after my mum died I stumbled across a neo called kathleen which was my mums name. The seller did tell me at the time that it had been registered under another name but I was only interested in it as it was mums name. I had to have it. Several years later I bought a plant called golden king. as I started getting pups off both I realised they were exactly the same. I checked with an old grower who confirmed that kathleen was an unregistered name and it had been registered as golden king. so they are the same plant. I now have plants in the yard some named kathleen and some named golden king. when I pot up pups now I name them golden king and on other side of label I put "aka kathleen" so those buying them know they have a plant known by both names and will not be duped into buying both.

Anyways I still haven't taken pics of my new plants so I will get onto that tomorrow if I can and post them tomorrow night.

Night all
wendy

Morning Campers! Geeze, there goes an hour I'll never get back! I've been reading and looking at all the excellent pictures in this thread. I know i was MIA for awhile, and am surprised i am still signed in! Whether I get to post is another matter. hey, you're all posting more than one pic at a time! When did that start, and what a bloody good idea!
I'll have to take some pics and put them up too.
Now, don't freak out, but my brom addiction is over! I DO have plans to travel, but there is alot to organise first, as I have quite alot of potted plants to find new homes for. I have been having monthly sales to help, but I can't see where the plants have gone from, as there seems to be just as many as when I began! Unfortunately, I don't really have pups that I can post off to anyone here, but if anyone happens to be going through Coffs harbour, call in and load up...please! I find i can't get the same money I paid for most, but if I have at least had one or two pups, I can divide the cost between them and might stand a chance of selling them. There doesn't seem to be many collectors here, and hardly any willing to pay over $15 for a mature foliage Vriesea, and I can't get over $10 for an exxy Neo or rarer brom! Nevermind.
Anyway, that might be a light at the end of a tunnel for all of you who feel you ar hopelessly addicted! It is possible to lose the craving if you find something else to turn your attention too! heh heh.
Nev, I have been growing on alot of the seedlings from you, and quite a few are going into the garden in Winter, to acclimatise to more light. They are all doing quite well, and I am excited to see what that NOID Aechmea flower will turn out like. It isn't a 'Blue Cone' crossed with seideliana? or something like that? I have been potting up my faster growing seedlings to offer at my sales for $3, as they seem to sell very easily in that price range, and it will save me time, room and potting mix, not having to upsize the pots next spring. A good photo of a mature plant helps to sell them too.
Anyway, ramble ramble.
Karen, i hope you are felling better and are taking it easy,
Jen, I hope you have gotten over your tummy and are back on track.
Mya....Hello, here I am! I haven't been on for ages, so haven't seen you around the forum for awhile. Good to know you lurk!
Hello Shirley, Tash, Colleen, JenM, Breeindy, Wendy, and I hope I haven't left anyone out.
Nev, yes...satsuma.
Tash, I hope you haven't become too disheartened with all the losses you have suffered this year! Heartbreaking to be sure.
better go walk and feed the dogs! Its a bit passed the usual time
Sue

Hi everyone,

At long last I’ve finally started sorting out my plants and making a list of their locations so I can find them quickly. I thought I’d do it in a day but by the end of yesterday I’d only done four benches so it looks like it will be a while yet before I finish.

Colleen – It seems the boys are now going through the big anti-climax after their “big trip”, just too much to take in all in one go, but once it is absorbed your ears are then going to cop the lot.

Your plants seemed to have arrived OK, just a couple of bent leaves which will soon straighten out. It’s always good for me to get feedback (especially pictures) from customers so I can see the condition of the plants after they arrive. I then know if my type of packaging is the right way to go.

I know I have been very disappointed with the condition of some of the plants I have received in the post previously; one lot had “pin pricks” over all of the leaves where the lady sending them hadn’t wrapped them in paper first (she didn’t want to squash them) and the spikes on the leaves had pricked the leaves of every plant they came in contact with. It was unfortunate as these were pretty good plants and I paid a fair bit for them which makes it disappointing when you have to wait for at least a year for a pup to make into a nice plant. Another lot had been packed “wet” and when they were unwrapped had scorch marks all over the leaves either due to being left in the heat or due to the cold temperature in the hold of the plane. A lot of people don’t realise just how cold it can get in the hold of a plane this is why they need good insulation. So I now always pack in polystyrene boxes if I have any the correct size and since doing so haven’t had any problems.

Breeindy – I think the advice Karen has given you is “spot on”. Another factor to take into account is the temperatures where you live, I know in our area (which is cooler than some states) we are told by the “experts” not to take off pups between the end of March and start of September, but that’s down here. The old rule used to be to wait until the pup was one third the size of the mother but it’s been found with experience that if you follow this rule your plants just keep getting smaller and smaller. It’s much better for the pup to wait until it’s a decent size and has its own roots, that way you can take them off at any time without any setbacks. The downside to this is that you won’t get as many pups, but you will get much better and stronger plants.

Karen also makes a point that’s often over looked, and that is the chance of the pup being overcrowded by the mother plant and if left on for too long the pup will be deformed somewhat and you therefore need to remove them at a smaller size to prevent this. Usually if a pup is taken too small and without roots during the colder times of the year, it will just sit in the pot and “sulk” and it won’t be until the weather starts to warm up again (usually in spring that it will start to really grow again. So you see there are a lot of variables to take into consideration. I know that some professional nurseries take pups off at what I would call ridiculously small sizes just so they can get more plants, but then they are professionals with growing conditions which are often automatically controlled to give optimum results.

Karen – It’s interesting that those seedlings are Allan Freeman hybrids. I hadn’t seen any of his that were radial reds up until now and didn’t know he was following that breeding path, but then I’m not surprised, as he’s bred every colour in the rainbow from what I’ve seen, and nice shapes as well. He has done some amazing hybrids and I think all brom growers should be grateful for what he has done as there are certainly a lot of champions amongst them.

Jenny – One of the main rules of brom growing is “good light equals good colour” it’s as simple as that, and just to prove this point, today I’ll take pic’s of two of the same plants, one grown in low light and one in high light. I’ll post these two pic’s tomorrow and the difference in colour of these two plants will support what I’m saying. The other thing to remember is that good light doesn’t necessarily mean “full sun”; this can often harm a lot of plants.

Wendy –Thanks for your kind offer of seed, I’m sure these young people will appreciate it greatly.
Your pic of a “mature” Neo. ‘Sweet Dreams’ x ‘Painted Desert’ really provides an example of what Allan Freeman is capable of and is a beautiful plant. Do you know Allan Freeman, and is he still hybridizing or has he given it up? I did hear on the grape vine that he was unwell and wasn’t hybridizing any more but I don’t know how much truth is in that as we don’t get much accurate news from Queensland down here.

It’s interesting what you say about Neo ‘Golden King’ previously being called Neo. Kathleen (albeit unregistered) and it’s good to seed you doing the responsible thing by showing both names on the name tag. I got a plant (I don’t remember its name) from Sue which had gone through the same process of two names, (one registered and one not) and Sue had done the same thing and mentioned both names on the tag in the same way that you have.

I think growers often forget that a name tag can often carry a lot of valuable information apart from the plant name, if you are willing to just go to the trouble of writing it. It can be an “on-going” recorded history (in some sort of abbreviated code) of the life of the plant with details such as date it was potted, size when potted, fertilizer used and quantity, person it was purchased from and any problems with the plant when potted, number of pups previously taken etc. It’s all handy when evaluating the progress of the plant when next it’s potted up and certainly worth doing.


Now a few more pic’s to finish with, first Pic.1 which shows a few Billbergia pups which I finally got around to potting up Pic. 2 is Billbergia Kip which grows to three feet high and takes on a nice rosey colour when given good light. Pic 3 is a NOID which a friend gave to me and try as I may I can't find a name for it. Pic 4 Aechmea Fasciata variegata (L) and Ae Orlandiana (R) and finally Pic 5 which is from a pup I got from Tash quite a while back and which the Bower Birds stole the name tag out of, so if you're reading this Tash could you please ID it for me? Or anyone else for that matter. (Sorry about the poor pic quality), I don't know what happened there, I must have moved.

All the best, Nev.

Hi Sue,

We were obviously both posting at the same time. I'm very pleased to see you posting again but most disappointed to see you have found a cure for your "bromeliaditis". They do tell me though that even when you think it's cured it is possible for it to return often many months or even years later.

Please keep dropping in, (even on the big trip) and let us know how you're both going.

All the best, Nev.

Good morning. I'm in a rush again as I have a doctors appointment and started late again this morning. So I hope to catch up later today perhaps.

Just want to say, Sue, I hope you can get fair prices for your plants. You'll need the money for your travels. I also hope you might be able to drop in occasionally and tell us of your travels. When are you planning to leave?

Karen

Hi everyone. Great to see you pop in Sue. Hope you find owners for all your broms. Wish I lived closer. Boys are back at school and all's quiet on the home front. Have been just out admiring my broms. Lots more room without the Epis hanging in there. Still not much floor room though. The plans to get more up on the Reo didn't eventuate last week. Too much else to do and to take the time for myself. I feel very rested now though so that's a plus. The first pic is of the bird's nest fern that Nev just sent me. It travelled very well and looks great. 2 Neo. Sun King [red form] 3 Neo Gold Fever Too. Have a great day. Colleen

This message was edited Apr 23, 2012 3:53 PM

Hi everyone,

I have my new computer up and running ... still a few bugs to be ironed out. I was assured it would be much faster than the old one but the speed has not really improved much. I guess it can’t go any faster than our internet service, but I must say, it certainly is a big improvement on the old laptop. Maybe once I get everything working properly and I get used to the new system I’ll be happier. It has an updated version of windows which I have to get used to … I really have no patience at all when it comes to computers and I don't adjust well to change.

My camera and photo stuff has not been installed yet which is a bit disappointing as I got some nice neos at the local market on the weekend, none of which are named (and I said I wouldn't buy any more NOIDs) but I just can't resist a pretty brom. I have taken photos but can't download them as yet ... bugger !!!

I have tried to keep up with reading the posts over the past couple of weeks but must admit to some speed reading and I may have missed some.

Tash, I hope you have your brom problems sorted and you don’t lose too many more … it must be very upsetting for you.

Colleen, now that the boys are back at school you should be able to spend more time with your broms. I know I can waste whole days just pottering around amongst my broms and succulents while achieving very little but thoroughly enjoying every minute.

Karen, Wendy & Jen, glad you made it to the brom show. You all managed to get some very nice plants. I would have loved to be able to go … maybe next time. Is it an annual event? Jen, hope you are now feeling better. BTW, if you want to sell off one of your carcharadon hybrid pups at some time in the future, I would be happy to take it off your hands :-)

Jenny, welcome to the forum. I am a newby too, having only joined in early February this year. I have been made to feel very welcome and enjoy the forum chat and the photos very much. My desktop computer died a couple of weeks ago so I have been unable to post more than a few quick lines on our very old, very unreliable laptop. But hopefully, once I make friends with my new computer, I will be able to make nice long posts, maybe even rival Nev’s … just kidding Nev, as I really enjoy your posts and have learned a lot from you … I really like your NOID in pic No 3 and your Neo Concentrica x (Charm x Cracker Jack).

Hi also to Bree, MyaC, Kristy and Sue … hopefully, I haven’t left anyone out.

That’s about it for me tonight. I have to get to pathology for fasting blood tests in the morning before another appointment so no early morning coffee or breakfast for me tomorrow ... I don’t really feel human till I have had my morning coffee so I’ll be a bit out of sorts early on.

Anyway, bye for now,

Shirley

Good morning everyone,

I have a pretty busy day ahead of me today, an 8.00 am appointment at hospital with the cardiologist for an angiogram which is being done to see if there is anything going on in my heart which could be causing the painful swelling in my legs and feet that limits my walking so much. Hopefully they’ll find what’s causing it and be able to do something about it.... fingers crossed.

If I suddenly vanish from these forums unexpectedly it will mean that my old computer has died. It’s been doing some strange things lately and getting slower and slower and I think it will have to go to the computer doctor for a check up in the very near future and it seems that I may be following Shirley down the same path towards a new computer.

Karen – Nice of you to drop in to say good day on your way to the doctors. I hope everything goes well for you and you get a good report.

Colleen – Gee that Bird’s Nest Fern travelled surprisingly well didn’t it? The plants look good now they have been potted up, but it’s a pity you ran out of light when you took the pic’s as we can’t see the true colours very well. The Sun King ‘Red Form’ is quite striking with its bright red centre, but it does have rather savage prickles, a feature that a lot of growers (not me) seem to like.

I’ll bet the boys will be busy at school telling all of their friends about their big camping adventure and I’ll bet they have a captive audience.

I spent the afternoon yesterday dead leafing all of the brom’s on the benches in the shade house as I went though checking and recording the names. What a job that turned out to be, much more time consuming than I first thought, anyway there’s still a lot more to do so I guess they’ll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Shirley – Pleased to see you have got your computer sorted out and can get back to normal. No doubt you will find the new version of Windows will be easier and faster once you get used to it but it seems you’re like me and don’t deal well with change. It seems we just get used to using one Windows programme and along comes an updated version and we have to learn all over again. I guess that’s the price we pay for modern technology. I read somewhere that by the time we buy a new computer, it’s already obsolete because the speed of technology and inventing new systems and programmes is so fast.

I think we all decide at one time or another not to buy unnamed brom’s, but there is always “that one” that jumps up and hits you in the eye and you can’t resist. Although it’s good to have names for all of your plants, there are still some very beautiful plants that are unnamed and just because they don’t have a name doesn’t make them of a lesser quality. In fact I’ve occasionally seen brom’s win prizes in shows while just carrying the name “Neoregelia Hybrid” and that’s all.

You have my sympathy Shirley, there’s nothing I hate more than needing to fast before a blood test or procedure. I love my big Aussie “brekkie” every morning and feel like I could “kill” until I get it, so I know just how you feel.

Well that’s about it from me this morning so now for a few more pic’s. Pic 1 shows two plants I commonly get confused, Neo 'Orange Flush' and Neo ' Orange Delight', Pic 2 is my Vr. 'Red Chestnut', Pic 3 shows how to get the maximum use from minimum available space. Pic 4 is Neo, 'Lovely Lady' and Pic 5 is another little seedling from my Painted Lady [sport] parent.

All the best, Nev.

good morning...or is it? Rain again here, which seems the usual state of affairs these days! I'm sure I'm growing gills. This is why I have time for the computer, as its impossible to mow the lawns, and the house is now....almost...spotless!
Nev, it'll be a few more months before we travel, I think. Got quite a bit to do, with sorting through the house for whats stays (packed up) and what goes, as we will either rent or sell the house. I'd be devastated to come home to a jungle, so am not real keen on the rental idea. I'd rather walk away from it all together! I hope your appointment can shed some light on your health problems, and make come up with some ideas to make things easier for you.
Nev, I did actually succumb to bromeleitis a month or so ago, when I visited Peter tristrams with Jen, and couldn't resist a couple of N. 'Cacharodon' type hybrids. Lord knows what I will do with them, as I'd like to see them grow a little bit more. One of my neighbours will look after any I can't quite bear to part with, and I let her have first pick of my good ones so that I know where I can always get a pup from in the future, if I so desire.

I hope your appointment goes well too, karen. I was a bit shocked to hear you have had another heart attack, so take it easy gal! I see you got some good scores at the BSQ show. I would have loved to go, but it is very hard to look now, when I don't want to collect anymore.

Colleen, your shade house must be almost overflowing! What did you do with your epis? I used to have mine in the fernery, where they didn't do much of anything, so I hung them under the gum trees, in various locations and they flower beautifully for me now, some the size of bread plates! Its a pity you didn't save any long lengths of your palm trunks, to stand up and mount broms too! I think an old member here, Bromalong, used to have bits of PVC pipe with holes cut in it, standing vertical, and he would plant the broms into the holes to make a brom tree/pole. I guess he would start by filling the PVC with potting media, to the first hole, put a plant in and top up to the next hole? Not sure how well its works, but might be an idea to save space?

Nev, I did actually succumb to bromeleitis a month or so ago, when I visited Peter tristrams with Jen, and couldn't resist a couple of N. 'Cacharodon' type hybrids. Lord knows what I will do with them, as I'd like to see them grow a little bit more. One of my neighbours will look after any I can't quite bear to part with, and I let her have first pick of my good ones so that I know where I can always get a pup from in the future, if I so desire.

Shirley, we have the same problem of a slow internet speed, as ADSL2 isn't available in my area, still, the current speed beats the old dial up! I find if my computer starts to slow up, I run a scan, then do a defrag, then clean up my photos by burning them to disc, as i am convinced they take up alot of room. Seems to work, but I don't want to give my computer any reason to make a liar of me, so shhhhhhhhh!

I might have a go at posting a couple of pics, then I'll have to copy it all to my mouse before sending, incase DG does the usual, 'you are not logged in' trick! bear with me.
Sue

pic 1 is Alcantarea imperialis, possibly hell fire
pic 2 is Neoregelia Morris Henry Hobbs (gifted from bromalong) with seeds germinating in the flower head
pic 3 is my Tiger group