Re: Bromeliad....YEAH!!!

Running behind again...sorry. I used to shy away from  Bromeliads because 
every time I got one, it died...it either rotted or  after it bloomed it died.  I 
was clueless, so stayed away from them.   I'm so glad that I met some 
wonderful folks whose passion are Bromeliads.   Bromeliads are now one of my 
favorites.  I have them growing literally on  every tree, tucked into Hibiscus, 
growing on my posts of the deck, on driftwood,  in the ground....you name it.  LOL
 
 The care of a Bromeliad depends largely on what genus it  is.   Can you give 
me a little more info.....are the leaves stiff  or soft? Spiny or smooth?  Is 
the plant tall, foliage standing straight up  or are the leaves more 
flattened out to the side??  Is the plant  in an orchid type mix (bark chips) or 
soil??  Pink or red center  could mean the color of the plant or it could mean that 
it is going to  bloom.  Bromeliads come in all colors, shapes, sizes.  Some 
are  miniatures only getting to be an inch or two tall, others can get several  
feet.  Most commonly available bromeliads somewhere in the middle.
 
  Not all Bromeliads like to have water in the center  of their cups..... 
some bromeliads are terrestrial, and others epiphytes  (growing in trees in 
nature).  The easiest way to kill a bromeliad is to  over water.  If you are going 
to put water in the cup, then don't water the  soil.  Lots of bright light, 
great air ciruculation, humidity.  Don't  fertilize much if at all (different 
thoughts on this) since most agree that  fertilizing will cause the plant to 
green too much.
Most folks make the mistake of throwing away a bromeliad after it blooms  
(usually the Guzmanias and Vriesia types) because they think the plant is  
dead....but in fact all bromeliads pup out.  Eventually the mother plant  will die 
back (some genus sooner than others), since it only blooms once.   As the 
foliage dies back, you take that off.  Eventually they will form a  clump.  You can 
either leave the pups on, creating a large clump of  bromelads....or you can 
take them off as they mature more and produce new plants  (specimen).   No 
problems with black spot or anything else with  Broms.   Members of our society 
with greenhouses report problems  with scale, and others say that squirrels 
love to eat theirs, but I've  never had any problems.  Once I learned more, they 
have literally  become the easiest plant I have to care for. 
 
FYI:  Houston Brom. society:   _http://bromeliadsocietyhouston.org/_ 
(http://bromeliadsocietyhouston.org/)    
Brom. society international:      _http://www.bsi.org/_ (http://www.bsi.org/) 
 
Noreen
zone 9
Texas Gulf Coast
 
 
In a message dated 5/13/2005 7:09:34 PM Central Standard Time,  
gardenchat-owner@hort.net writes:

Humidity  is NO problem here in the lake area.  Even
> during a 6 month  drought, it's STILL humid.  Welcome to blackspot
> country.   But I have the perfect place on the front porch for it
> (morning sun  only, shade by 11).  And yes, the leaves are green but
> has a  little reddish cup-like structure in the middle.  Interesting
>  plant.  How big so they get?

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