Got well and truly caught out with no pics yesterday and at 10 o'clock last night was out in the garden taking flashlight photos of bromeliads. Ha ha. Don't know what the neighbours thought was going on.
Anyway, this is another one of the new broms I picked up at the bromeliad show earlier this month. It is Vriesea (Platynema x Milky Way). The grower does a lot of experimenting with crossing different varieties and I think he hadn't registered a name for it yet.
I am now the proud owner of a couple of small Broms! Tho the tag only said Bromeliad, I believe it's a vriesea because of its flat red flower that has a couple of pale yellow ??? sprouting from it. The poor plants (2) were in the discount section because their leaves were brown but I brought them home anyway, determined to learn more about these plants you showcase here on occasion. Today is a fine example, even if it was taken by the glow of flashlight!
So there's a little stuffed animal here that's got a daily showing, huh? I can see the fun in that. I had my little bear out in a tree the third day but decided I didn't want to bore everyone with too many toy pictures.
@lyndemc Hi Denise, Yes if it has a flat red bract with the actual flowers sprouting from the tips, it is almost certainly a Vriesea. I would assume that the leaves are a plain green with no variegation. That correct?
So here we go:
Not in full sun during late spring - mid Autumn. Dapled sunlight thru to full shade. I don't think they would like snow but I have not had any experience with that :-)
If you are re-potting, use a very open mix, something like an orchid mix. They don't have much of a root system so you may not need to worry about than for a while.
Be careful with fertiliser - fertilise sparingly or not at all. If you do, try to find a slow release with a higher K (potassium) than N (nitrogen). That may be a bit difficult.
You are more likely to kill it with love than neglect.
Thank you Terry for all that TLC info concerning my new little Broms. The one flower has sort of dried but another has come out above it. I'm taking that to mean I've not made the plant depressed yet. Since it's been so cool I've kept them indoors but will move them to a shady back porch this coming week. Thanks for the suggestion about repotting them. I feel they do need to be in something bigger than tiny cup. I'll keep you posted, Dr. Brom.
May 3rd, 2014
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So there's a little stuffed animal here that's got a daily showing, huh? I can see the fun in that. I had my little bear out in a tree the third day but decided I didn't want to bore everyone with too many toy pictures.
So here we go:
Not in full sun during late spring - mid Autumn. Dapled sunlight thru to full shade. I don't think they would like snow but I have not had any experience with that :-)
If you are re-potting, use a very open mix, something like an orchid mix. They don't have much of a root system so you may not need to worry about than for a while.
Be careful with fertiliser - fertilise sparingly or not at all. If you do, try to find a slow release with a higher K (potassium) than N (nitrogen). That may be a bit difficult.
You are more likely to kill it with love than neglect.
Good luck and keep us posted