Bromeliads

[chris.oz]

I bought a  Aechmea fosteriana 2 years ago at a nursery closing down sale.  It flowered and started pushing out pups.   Out of that one plant I have since obtained about 15 pups and its still producing them.  

Likewise with many of the Neoregelias,  they just produce them as fast as you remove them and in some cases I have obtained 4-6 pups., usually I give up on them when they look like complete trash... but they are still producing.....

Now the things are multiplying like crazy..... Vriesea carinata.... about 8 pups.....

About the only ones that dont are the best ... Vriesea fosteriana and V. heiroglyphica..

Isnt that always the way!!!

How do you get rid of your pups ???

[Kim]

This time of year I am excited seeing all the pups I will have to separate and pot up or place out in the garden.  I don't need to be rid of any of them, but if I had extras, I could always take them to the Bromeliad Society meetings to sell, donate, or trade.

I like to trade with gardening friends for their extra non-bromeliad plants so we each get something new, and sometimes I just give them to my friends as gifts.  I'm still at a stage where I don't have a gazillion extra pups, but at the rate I'm going, it's not far off.

It is so true, the most beautiful bromeliads seem to be slowest to produce pups, and then they are stingy, only kicking out one or two.

[junglegalfla]

I usually trade my extra pups.

Here is my favorite stingy brom.  Vriesa hybrid V-02-6. Not a single pup yet!

JG

[waykoolplantz]

great color !!

[chris.oz]

(chris.oz @ Mar. 27 2007,07:14)

QUOTE

I bought a  Aechmea fosteriana 2 years ago at a nursery closing down sale.  It flowered and started pushing out pups.   Out of that one plant I have since obtained about 15 pups and its still producing them.  

Likewise with many of the Neoregelias,  they just produce them as fast as you remove them and in some cases I have obtained 4-6 pups., usually I give up on them when they look like complete trash... but they are still producing.....

Now the things are multiplying like crazy..... Vriesea carinata.... about 8 pups.....

About the only ones that dont are the best ... Vriesea fosteriana and V. heiroglyphica..

Isnt that always the way!!!

How do you get rid of your pups ???

Mike alerted me to a possible error:  The original bromeliad I bought was actually an A. fasciata ! Not fosteriana...

[aussiearoids]

Ae. fasciata seems to grow better in cold climates .

It was one of the first bromeliads brought into cultivation in Europe over 100 years ago , so maybe the many generations of seedlings has resulted in plants that thrive in temperate climates  ::

Never seen a really good loking one in the tropics .

You can never have to many bromeliads , they look so great massed together . How's this 3m high colony of Neo compacta climbing up a Cuban Royal at a mates place in Sarina ?

[ron@springhammock]

Are you really looking for sympathy because they're growing too good for you? ???  ???  ???

I've got Aechmea fosteriana growing at the base of a tree and it's been there for years.  I have about a dozen there, but I probably only get about 1.25 pups per plant each year, so they're really not multiplying by much.  Now my less spectacular Aechmea fosteriana, that grows like a weed.  I must have thousands of these.  I've given away clumps to friends and they also have thousands of these my now.  But one good thing about bromeliads, they make exceptional bedding plants, especially the colorful ones.  They usually look good year round and are easy to control by simply pulling them out.  So start looking at new possibilities with your bromeliads; Michael knows what it's about  ::

[bgl]

Here's another good grower - I believe it's a Neoregalia? You plant a few of these and before you know they're taking over the place...

[chris.oz]

(ron@springhammock @ Mar. 28 2007,19:15)

QUOTE

Are you really looking for sympathy because they're growing too good for you? ???  ???  ???

I've got Aechmea fosteriana growing at the base of a tree and it's been there for years.  I have about a dozen there, but I probably only get about 1.25 pups per plant each year, so they're really not multiplying by much.  Now my less spectacular Aechmea fosteriana, that grows like a weed.  I must have thousands of these.  I've given away clumps to friends and they also have thousands of these my now.  But one good thing about bromeliads, they make exceptional bedding plants, especially the colorful ones.  They usually look good year round and are easy to control by simply pulling them out.  So start looking at new possibilities with your bromeliads; Michael knows what it's about  ::

Hi Ron,

Maybe you didnt read my correction. The one that grows pups like weeds is A fasciata.  

Only new to bromeliads really 2 years ago,  I discovered that human intervention by cutting the pups off  causes more pups to develop, and for as long as you can stand looking at the dying mother plant it will push pups out until it finally expires.    The original A. fasciata  I bought was a large plant that appeared to have been pushed in a nursery environment and had 3 pups coming to maturity  the 15 have come from the  3 stems,  thats 5 each.

Yes if you have got it ,  flaunt it !

[chris.oz]

Billbergia can also get out of hand

Not my garden,  one just nearby.

[aussiearoids]

Chris , what a fantastic clump of Billbergia  

Its got pretty good banding as well  

You would never grow Ae. chantinii in Vic. but with such a vigorous grower as that who cares ::

Many Billbergias will get better colour and confirmation in full sun , but I don't know about frost hardiness .

[chris.oz]

Michael,

I have been concentrating lately on planting the red varieties, mainly of Neoregelias.  This is mainly to contrast to  the mainly green color of palms and aroids I have growing.

Possibly the best largest and most consistently colored red neo is Neo cv "Charm"  this is good for a 300 mm splash of deep red and its easy to get round here.

I know quite a few brom fanciers might scoff at this,  but it is IMO,  very good impact in sun or shade.

[aussiearoids]

You cant go past Charm for colour , there should be several forms available . Masses of them at Whyanbeel .

May have names mixed up , but have this as Charm , much fewer dots .. I remember seeing numbered clones , like Charm 23 , so Grace may have released several forms . It is a pretty old cross , but a good one .

[chris.oz]

I notice that in the tropics neos seem to develop a much better looking rosette than down here,  by that I mean a typical N. charm grown here will look like the plant in my last post,  whereas a well grown plant from up your way has twice as many leaves and appears like your photo.

Interesting to know that there are forms with less dots than the ones I have been getting.

I have one plant of unknown name/status that displays almost no dots at all,  needless to say that I am anxiously awaiting that one to start producing pups !

[Bilbo]

OK guys I certainly cant match your Bromies tho I spose

a Puya sorta counts (alpestris) - OK terrestrial.

I am however having a field day with epiphytic Tillies and am planting them on a Trachy which seems like a good idea (I am using the correct Silicone fixant). I only have 5 so far but will try for more.

They are only a "house plant" over here.

The hairy trunk and old stumps helps to support them as well.

Wish I could grow more epiphytic Broms than Tillies!

Regardez

Juan

[Neofolis]

My Neoregelia "Fancy Free" has only produced two pups, but it is potted in the most ridiculously small pot that they are all bursting out of now, so they might sense that there is little room for expansion.  My Vriesea splendens has just started to produce it's first pup, but I was told that they usually only produce one, occasionally two.

I have seen Aechmea fasciata at local garden centres going mad, producing four or five pups, just within a month or two of being on the shelves.

[Dave-Vero]

Aechmea fasciata is slow for me.  A clump has grown over the past seven years, but the red neoregelias have gone bonkers.  On the other hand, of five huge green Aechmeas, only one has made a pup.  I think the greenies are A. mariae-reginae.  No flowers yet.

[Carlo Morici]

Nice topic... prolific bromeliads.

Michael, the Neo compacta in sarina is impressive. Do you know old is it? Was it one head planted at the base of the palm?

I am very lucky with my bromeliads. I just hang tillandsias, the rest is in the ground, in pots or among rocks. They are very colourful now because here, spring is the time of the year with the highest day-night temp difference and also dew.

I think you generally start by growing a collection of different species. At first you just have a collection of individual "stars" scattered the garden. After three or more years something happens. Some species die, some other stay. And some will love your climate or the spot you chose and become real adults. Strong old specimens are fascinating: some species take over as carpets, others form clumps or hedges, others become spherical specimens. Some will "walk" toward light or water, faster than you may imagine. Some species will bloom better when older. One head of Billbergia may flower for as little as a or 4 days a year, but a large clump of the same species can last more than a month, by delaying a few heads per time.

Carlo

Tenerife

[chris.oz]

(Carlo Morici @ Mar. 30 2007,16:58)

QUOTE

One head of Billbergia may flower for as little as a or 4 days a year, but a large clump of the same species can last more than a month, by delaying a few heads per time.

Well put Carlo,  your enthusiasm for Broms is revealled in the poetry of your words,  and what is all the more creditable... I suspect english is not your first language and yet you write with more style  than many many native english speakers.

As to Billbergia, its not my favourite genus among the Broms,  just because of the short flowering period.    As I mentioned further up the thread,  the fact that you can have a red coloured plant all year round by choosing , say Neo Charm,  goes some way to solving the lack of colors other than green in a foliage garden.

The clump of billbergias has jumped the fence and filled the next door neighbours yard ! Some 10 square metres of billbergia ground cover !

[aussiearoids]

10 sq. meters      

WOW , pretty awesome ..

Percys clump of Neo. compacta in Sarina was started with 4 pups , and he claims it only took about 5 years to get to that size .

Grace Goode has a very impressive wall covered in Tillandsia at her place .

[Bilbo]

Hey Carlo - beware the Ides of July.

I shall be descending so prepare the Fall Out Shelter now!

I shall email you well in advance (Monday/Tuesday) so that you guys can put up the Closed notice.

Will be at the Sheraton - shucks its only 5 star - but I dont mind.

Regardez

Juan

[Carlo Morici]

Thank you for your comments. English is not my language but I feel fine with English after many years. I learnt most of what I know by reading plant books, visiting plant places and speaking to plant people!

Bilbo, I am glad you are planning a trip.

No pictures from the Canaries, this time.

This is in Mortelle, Sicily, Italy (38 N, frost-free). A clump of Aechmea aff.bocainensis, I planted 12 years ago. The original plant was growing outdoors in the Botanical Garden of Rome and in Sicily it bloomed only a few times in more than a decade. Maybe it is not cold enough. The pink ones below are Aehmea fasciata, from my grandmother's plants.

Tillandsia usneoides thrives with the continuous humidity of the sea.

And this is the least irrigated part of the garden. In the center you can spot my smallest clump of A.distichanta, which is 7 years old. The oldest clumps, cover 2x2m, after about 15 years. I am reducing and possibly suppressing most of them since we were invaded by Aedes albopictus  (an Asian mosquito). My place is on the rainiest coast and it is a bit too much. My  clumps are dangerous breeding centers for this unbearable invader (which is expected to stay forever)

Carlo

[bahia]

Carlo,

Do you actually find breeding mosquitos in the narrower tanked Bromeliads such as Aechmea distichantha?  At least here in Berkeley, California I only ever see mosquito larva occasionally in Neoregelia species, and have never seen any breeding in things like Aechmeas, Billbergias or Vreiseas.  I don't know what the local varieties of mosquito are here, but feel fortunate that my very large bromeliad collection is not a source for their presence.  

It is difficult to get Tillandsia usenoides established here, as the birds will tear it apart to make nests, and it quickly disappears.  Also, locally Aechmea fasciata does great on a covered porch outdoors here, but will not typically take the winter rains and cold without rotting out.

[Carlo Morici]

Yes, those Aechmea distichanta are infested. Large clumps eject mosquitoes by hundreds if shaken.

Their funnel size was not enough for the old mosquito, Culex pipiens, but the new Asian Aedes albopictus needs much less, as it can literally breed in a glass of water. The smaller Aechmea fasciata host mosquitoes too but I assume they are refuges rather than breeding areas. Aedes was recorded in Northern Italy - I think - by 1994 and it took 10 years to extend to the whole country (and neighbouring ones).

The Canaries, where I live, are Aedes-free, we get only few Culex in larger bromeliads. I wish it never gets here.

Carlo

[Carlo Morici]

Did I scare everybody with the mosquitoes? ???

No more pictures of prolific bromeliads?

[aussiearoids]

The larger Aechmeas can be very prolific planted out.

At Whyanbeel there are several beds full with different species used for cut flower production.

Here is a pic of what I think is Ae. callichroma .

[aussiearoids]

The very stoloniferous Ae. correia - araujoi can spread lke wildfire once established on a sutiable host.

[FRITO]

this is at my grandpas farm

clump of Billbergia pyramidalis

I tranplanted a few pups in my yard and my avatar is of one in bloom.

Luke

[chris.oz]

(bahia @ Apr. 01 2007,12:39)

QUOTE

Carlo,

Do you actually find breeding mosquitos in the narrower tanked Bromeliads such as Aechmea distichantha?  At least here in Berkeley, California I only ever see mosquito larva occasionally in Neoregelia species, and have never seen any breeding in things like Aechmeas, Billbergias or Vreiseas.  I don't know what the local varieties of mosquito are here, but feel fortunate that my very large bromeliad collection is not a source for their presence.  

It is difficult to get Tillandsia usenoides established here, as the birds will tear it apart to make nests, and it quickly disappears.  Also, locally Aechmea fasciata does great on a covered porch outdoors here, but will not typically take the winter rains and cold without rotting out.

Here the mossies breed in tanks big time !

[Carlo Morici]

Billbergia pyramidalis is one of the best growers in my place in Sicily at 38N. I got one pup during my first trip to the Canaries, in 1992 and took it to Sicily, where it performed really well. Now it is all over.  Paradoxically, I have never grown one in the Canaries.

An inflorescence:

One of the clumps, below the Coleus.

When does it bloom for you? I have "caught" them blooming is in late August but... is it every other year? Or am I missing some flowers?

Carlo

[FRITO]

late august early september is when I caught my bloom. Although My mom has a clump of these and they bloomed about a month or 2 go I want to say.

[junglegalfla]

Luke,

In the pic of your grandfather's farm, is that a silk floss and sea grape?

[nomolos]

(Carlo Morici @ Apr. 02 2007,19:04)

QUOTE

Did I scare everybody with the mosquitoes? ???

No more pictures of prolific bromeliads?

What about planting pitcher type plants nearby, they are carnivorous.

[Kris]

Dear  Carlo's  

of all the beautiful stills seen above what impressed me the

most is your still with your pet.since i wish to ask it as to what

it was thinking at that time of your still.

it certainly seem to like your presence...

thanks guys for those peculier plants still,they are preety nice.

love,

Kris  

[Carlo Morici]

(krisachar @ Apr. 04 2007,15:47)

QUOTE

(...) what impressed me the most is your still with your pet.since i wish to ask it as to what

it was thinking at that time of your still.

Rita has a very small head with very small thoughts. She barely thinks. I remember why she was staring so. She was staying there before I decided to take the picture. When I started to move to set focus, she thought I was walking away so she wanted to come. But I stopped her and told her to stay. So she was thinking "What is he going to do behind that corner, that he does not want me to go?"

[Carlo Morici]

(nomolos @ Apr. 04 2007,14:16)

QUOTE

What about planting pitcher type plants nearby, they are carnivorous.

Yes, and some free-ranging ant-eaters for ants.

[FRITO]

(junglegalfla @ Apr. 04 2007,08:50)

QUOTE

Luke,

In the pic of your grandfather's farm, is that a silk floss and sea grape?

silk floss for sure, there is no sea grape in that picture although he has some elsewhere.

the background is a mix of everything, i think there is some banana and papaya. and areca to the left.

[chris.oz]

(FRITO @ Apr. 03 2007,23:43)

QUOTE

late august early september is when I caught my bloom. Although My mom has a clump of these and they bloomed about a month or 2 go I want to say.

Superb, stunning.    May have to buy at least one Billbergia now !

How long does the flower  last ?

[aussiearoids]

Chris most Billbergia flowers only last a very short time , maybe 2 weeks max. But with the interesting foliage on many of them certainly makes up for that. This would have to one of the most common broms around , so you should be able to pick up a clump easily . This relativly new cultivar 'Domingos Martins' is supposedly a B. vittata , I have had no luck trying to grow it .