1 The Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society October, 2011

The Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society Next meeting Sunday, October 9th, 1:30p.m. Colony in the Wood – club house 4000 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Port Orange 32129 October, 2011 Autumn Has Arrived! President – Bradley Rauch – 386/767-8937 Vice President – Rick Ryals – 386/679-8700 Secretary –Eretta Morris – 386/677-9557 Treasurer – Eve Krauth – 386/763-2084 ______and before you realize it… epiphytically in greenhouses mounted on cork …we‟ll begin getting warnings of cold bark, but how would we provide them with weather. Put away your hurricane moisture and water in our drier apartments? preparedness plans and dust off your freeze Very few were then available protection plans – you may need them sooner in nurseries, but we bought a lot of them. We than you expect! started to experiment, killed lots of and learned how to grow them. First, we secured Last month’s meeting them to the cork with ordinary glue, or tied …we discussed and a lot of very them on with coated telephone wire. We interesting Tillandsias were brought in for sprayed them but found that most of the water Show and Tell. Before we leave this topic, I evaporated before it could be absorbed by the thought that it would be worthwhile to share leaves. Then we hit upon the idea of soaking the following article with you from the the plants. This worked fine except that the October issue of Bromeliana, the newsletter plants came loose because the glue dissolved of the New York Bromeliad Society. As you in the water, or the wire stretched and might imagine, growing bromeliads in New loosened so that it needed constant tightening. York poses some unique challenges and Herb Then we found that “Shoe-Goo” cement was Plever, the society‟s newsletter editor has over waterproof, so we used it to mount the plants 4 decades of experience in growing and tied them with telephone wire for bromeliads indoors. This month‟s article by additional security until the plants rooted. Herb addresses some of his observations Once we found we could grow tillandsias we concerning the successful growing of started to order rarer species from Jujuy in Tillandsias that I think we all can benefit Argentina, from Quito, Ecuador and from from: Sud Pflanzen Import, a company in Frankfort, Germany. We experimented with soaking time TILLY TALK and frequency and with fertilizer. In a few years, big tillandsia nurseries opened and we by Herb Plever could more easily buy plants from Birdrock When a few of us started to grow tillandsias Tropicals, Rainforest Flora and Tropiflora. about 45 years ago, we didn‟t have a clue And that is how I became an obsessive about how to grow them. We had seen them tillandsia freak. I have never seen one that I growing 2 The Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society October, 2011

didn‟t love. From our imports and the about the same strength I use for my potted big tillandsia nurseries, I acquired a large plants. I have used different fertilizer formulas collection of popular species, and also hard to in the past such as 20-10-20, 20-10-30 and, find species such as Tillandsia currently, 12-9-24. I think my tillandsias grew brachyphylla, T. graziellii, T. heubergergi, T. faster with an equal ratio of nitrogen to humilis, T. kautzkyi, T. macbrideana, T. potassium, but they seem to be crisper and macdougalii, T. matudae, T. mauryana, T. stronger with the latter formula in which the oaxacana, T. pedicellata, T. peiranoi, T. potassium is double the amount of nitrogen. reclinata (it had to be grown upside down Some experts believe that tillandsias can‟t be to keep it alive), T. roseiflora and T. grown indoors unless soaked for 24 hours, but sprengliana. Regrettably, these beautiful our tillandsias are very adaptable. Over many species are not available from any of the years, my tillandsias have grown well with a nurseries - and when, rarely, one is listed, soaking of about an hour every 7 to 14 days, the price is off the wall. T. atroviridipetala but I have found they will survive without used to be easy to buy, but it, too, is no longer damage without water for 23 days. When we available. Here is a brief account of the take a long trip I drop down the Venetian cultural regimen my tillandsias presently blinds and tilt the slats so that light but no sun receive. My current collection covers two hits the plants. I think they will root better on bedroom windows, 8 stories up, unobstructed the cork bark they are mounted on with some and facing east-south-east. They get lots of extra minutes of soaking which is what they morning sun and strong horizon light, and usually receive. While they are soaking I‟m they constitute only about one third of what I always involved in doing something else and used to grow. I soak them every 7 to 14 days - frequently forget about them so they may mostly every 8 to 10 days, depending on my soak an extra 15 to 30 minutes until I time and schedules. Half the collection on one suddenly remember them - or Sylvia reminds window fully fills my bathtub and gets soaked me. The cold air during our northern winter for about an hour or more, then I shake out holds little moisture, and the relative humidity the logs to remove the water in the leaf axils will be even lower in apartments if you use a and hang them up on the inside racks of the lot of heat to keep warm. We never run the shower door, a drop-down clothes dryer over blower motors of our heating convectors, and the bathtub and in the bathroom sink. Then I run four cold water humidifiers that I have the second half of the collection gets soaked to fill every morning during the cold weather. and dried the same way. (My original I manage to keep collection required six full bathtub soakings the relative humidity to between 50-55% and and 7 to 8 hours of time - a gross imposition 40–45% when temperatures outside are below on a married couple‟s many other activities freezing. To mount a tillandsia onto a cork and life style. Ergo, the sharp reduction in the log, I find or make a hole into which the base size of the collection in recent years.) I start can rest, and I also open the hole all the way with a little hot water only, into which I drop through the cork with a screw driver so that 5 tablespoons of fertilizer, or 4 tbsp. in the water will run through and not collect in the late fall to early spring (none during hole when the log is soaked. Then I apply occasional dark winter freezes). I also dissolve waterproof E6000 glue around the upper part 1 rounded tsp. of epsom salts (magnesium of the hole. When it becomes tacky after a sulphate) in a cup and add it to the water. few minutes I push the into the hole, but Then I fill the tub with cold water to get the avoid getting glue on its base from which I overall temperature to tepid or luke-cool. My expect roots to emerge. I keep the log bathtub holds 28 gallons of water up to the horizontal until the next day when the glue overflow valve, so the strength of the fertilizer has fully set and can hold the plant even when is a little more than ½ teaspoon per gallon - the log is hung upright. However, when I 3 The Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society October, 2011

acquire a relatively large, stemless plant such decoratively colored and/or patterned leaves, as the 6" tall Tillandsia seleriana pictured and, as a bonus, they‟re thornless! What‟s not above, I find I have to secure it to the cork to like about these plants? with plastic coated wire in addition to glueing The name “Vriesea” was coined in it around the base. It is too heavy just to be 1824 in honor of a Dutch professor of held by the glue when it is hung, especially botany– a Willem Hendik de Vriese. when I shake out the excess water after Vrieseas have been in hobbyists‟ collections soaking. After many months, enough roots for quite a long time starting with the will form and attach themselves into and all introduction of V. psittacina in 1827 followed the way through the cork to hold the plant closely by V. splendens in 1840. In fact, by firmly; then the plastic wire can be removed. I the late 1800‟s virtually all of the 250 species used to say that most tillandsias are stingy plants noted in the Padilla books of the „70s puppers, and that no doubt is generally true were already known to horticulturists – chiefly about indoor grown plants which don‟t have in Europe. the benefit of fresh, moving air and high Vrieseas are found in the wild most relative humidity. Early on, I did not use high often in eastern Brazil. However, they can strength fertilizer, and was using such no-nos found growing in habitat ranging from sea as Miracle Grow (15-30-15). With high level to over 10,000ft of elevation and from strength, fertilizer, my tillandsias have become Mexico, Central America and the West Indies prolific puppers. to Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Northern For instance, Tillandsia kegeliana is Argentina – which makes this about the considered to be a finicky grower and widest range of any of the Genera except infrequent bloomer, and when it flowered I Tillandsias, which have extended their range used to be happy with one healthy pup. Now, as far north as Virginia.. Surprisingly, there however, I get lots of pups on T. kegeliana are no Florida native Vrieseas – a fact that After my robust Tillandsia ionantha var. seems curious since we have over a dozen vanhyningii bloomed it exploded with pups varieties of Tillandsia plus some Catopsis and popping out from every axil. So far I count 11 a Guzmania – all members of the same sub- pups, but I think several more are about to family Tillandsioidiae…and all generally emerge from the very upper axils. Over many acknowledged as having moved into Florida months Tillandsia „Dick Rutan‟, an Isley thousands of years ago from Central or even hybrid of T. ionantha xT. aeranthos, has also South America. What happened to the very slowly put up 8 pups. Tillandsias adapt Vrieseas? very well to indoor epiphytic culture. T. Vriesea (blooms) tend cyanea, which is usually grown in pots to be “distichous” meaning that they can be because it does not have a good coating divided into two rows or mirror image halves. of trichomes, can also be grown mounted on The inflorescences of Vrieseas are often very cork bark. long-lasting and may keep their color for Thanks Herb, for a very interesting article! many months in some species - from the JCT “flaming sword” shape of Vriesea splendens

to the inflated “goldfish” of Vriesea This month’s meeting - This month we are heterostachys. People are often amazed when staying within the sub-family you tell them that an may last and will be looking at the Vriesea- for months – of course they don‟t understand probably my favorite group of plants. “Why?” that these colors are generally in the floral you may ask and the answer is simple: bracts and not the flowers. The actual flowers Vrieseas include a wide variety of species that are usually yellow or white, tubular in form produce blooms every bit as beautiful as any and are tucked between the colorful bracts of the other Genera, many of which also have 4 The Florida East Coast Bromeliad Society October, 2011

that most people mistakenly believe to be Truffaut first reported in 1889. This is often flowers. called the „Painted Feather‟ bromeliad and Vrieseas come in all sizes from small was named by Edward Andre in to huge (although a couple of the „huge‟ remembrance of Albert‟s wife - Marie. The plants have been reclassified into the genus European infatuation with hybrids suffered a Alcantarea). Leaf color range from gray to setback during the war years (WWI, WWII) green to exotically patterned and colored … . when many greenhouses and associated but most texts divide this group into the soft- hybridizing records were lost forever, but it leaved Vrieseas and those that have thin, gray wasn‟t long before newer and even better recurved leaves that are heavily coated in hybrids were developed in brighter colors, silvery scales like Tillandsias. In fact, all with branched blooms and in marketable Vrieseas are very closely related to the sizes. Today you can find some outstanding Tillandsias - in some cases differing by only hybrids developed by growers in Australia, slight botanical details. A good example of New Zealand, Hawaii and even right here in this is V. espinosae. It looks like a Tillandsia, Florida. you take care of it like a Tillandsia, and it even blooms like a Tillandsia, but it has the Upcoming Events: slight botanical difference of possessing petal October 8th scales – and that is the primary feature Quarterly meeting of the Florida Council of differentiating these two groups! I tend to Bromeliad Societies – 1pm Hosted by the divide Vrieseas into 2 groups: the very Bromeliad Society of Central Florida attractive foliage plants with unattractive blooms and the unassuming green-leaved October 8th, 9th Vrieseas with beautiful blooms. Only rarely USF Botanical Gardens Fall Plant Sale does a plant have both! The foliage plants University of South Florida, Tampa, FL like V. fenestralis or V. gigantea „Green (cas.usf.edu/garden ) Nova‟ may have an attractive pattern of lines known as “tesselations” but the blooms in November 4th, 5th, 2011 these plants are often disappointing - Bromeliad Extravaganza “The Art of frequently appearing as a thick tall spike Bromeliads” hosted by FECBS! The Plaza w/large bell-shaped flowers that open at night hotel in Daytona Beach. - sometimes releasing a sulfury odorClearly, the foliage is the desireable feature of these th December 2nd, 3rd and 4 , 2011 plants. Caloosahatchee Show and Sale In contrast, the green leaved Vrieseas Terry Park, Fort Myers are often difficult if not impossible to identify For information, contact Dr. Larry Giroux at before the plant begins its bloom. The rosette [email protected] of green leaves may be anywhere from several inches to several feet across but the inflorescence is often very brightly colored in reds, yellows, oranges, and purples. As you might expect, hybridizers try to combine the nice foliage features with colorful inflorescences. The Europeans started hybridizing programs in the 1800‟s that produced many beautiful cultivars still enjoyed today. A prime example is V. „Mariae a cross made from V. barilletii x V. psittacina var. brachystachys by Albert