NEWS East London LETTER

Bromeliad Society March 2017 South Africa Established: 25 July 2009

Our aim is to promote and encourage awareness and interest in Bromeliads in East London and all of South Africa!

ELBS is an Affiliated Society of Bromeliad Society International

February Meeting It was good to welcome 31 members to the February meeting held at the home of Gale Kockjeu in Berea in their lovely, tranquil garden setting with her welcoming husband and Missy, the most gorgeous, sweet natured Boerbul I have ever met! The garden has loads more bromeliads since we visited last year with lots of fun and crafty display ideas and lots of Gale’s stunning mosaic work!!!! Thank you Gale!!!!! There were loads of gorgeous bromeliads in the member sales and a good selection for the raffle draws. Dudley Reynolds welcomed everyone plus new local members, Ray and Elna Weyer Just one example of Gale’s Gale Kockjeu in her lovely back garden with her and Thelma Jamieson and we are lovely mosaic work. chosen hostess plant, a capitata thrilled to have the Durban Botanical ‘Peach’. Gardens join our society too. Dudley Reynolds and Dr Pete Pfister kicked off the afternoon with a practical demo on splitting bromeliads. It is a pity more members did not bring some of their broms along to share the experience with everyone.

Splitting Some Difficult Bromeliads Our hostess Gale provided the first plant to be split. Her Lutheria (formerly V riesea) splenriet had developed quite a few pups and this tends to produce axial pups coming out of the centre of the plant which are difficult to separate from the mother. You risk losing the mother and the pup. Dudley and Pete got stuck in and managed to demonstrate to the members just how to do the job safely preserving the mother and pups. Gale was excited that she can now plant them out in her garden and hopefully grow her collection.

Another option is to allow your bromeliad to form a nice clump to make an attractive display. Barbs Black brought her Goudaea ospinae which has produced three beautiful pups at the base while Dudley and Pete got stuck into the splitting Lu- the mother plant is growing on a long thick woody stem. On closer theria splenriet for Gale.

Next meeting: Sunday 26th March at 2.00pm. To be hosted by Miriam Kennard at 43 Grace Crescent, Beacon Bay at 2.00pm. Bring your chair and anything you want to show the members !

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 1

inspection there are more tiny pups forming at the base plus the mother plant definitely has root nodules forming too. . Lyn suggested cutting off the mother plant at the base of the stem where the root nodules are and planting it, leaving the three main pups on the existing root stock to grow larger before separating them. Barbs actually likes the look of the plant as it is now and will allow it to grow as it is for a while longer for its attractiveness rather than to make more pups and decided not to remove the mother plant just yet. She was wondering if the pups being produced before the bromeliad had flowered hampered the production Goudaea ospinae of an inflorescence? Lyn An example of Wallisia Dudley and Pete separating responded: bromeliads cyanea forming a Miriam’s clump of Wallisia cyanea are known to pup just before or after flowering. lovely clump when all with Gale looking on. blooming together. Miriam Kennard brought her clump of Wallisia cyanea to separate. Pete and Dudley tackled this task as well. The clump pulled apart quite easily, dead foliage was removed and the pups were ready for potting. They can be mounted too but do better in pots as they like moisture.

For our newer members, a brief recap on splitting bromeliads: • When you are planning to separate your bromeliads you will need to decide whether you are going to plant them in the garden, mount or pot them. You will need pots, potting medium, labels (you can make labels out of yogurt or ice-cream containers) a permanent marker. Each pup you split off its mother needs to be labelled. • Bromeliads can start forming pups, (also called off-shoots or offsets) at any time, but most start pupping after they bloom; and then the mother plant slowly dies off over the next year or so, replacing itself with the pups. • Most pups grow off the side of the mother plant at the base or on long woody stolons. Some varieties, like A pup ready to be removed from the Neoregelia punctatissima pups basal root area on Neoregelia ‘DeRolf’. Lutheria glutinosa and Goudaea growing on woody stolons. Still too small to remove. I like to let them splenriet, ( Gale's plant) have an axial grow in a clump. pup coming out of the centre of the mother plant. By removing pups you speed up the process of the mother plant producing more pups. Another type of pup seen on this plant were grass pups. These grow around the base of the mother and in the case of Alcantarea , they are the only type of pup the mother produces. When big enough they can be carefully removed and grown on. A tip: these grass pups can be placed in the water of the cup of another bromeliad where they root easily before potting them on. Adventitious or ‘grass pups’ growing on • Pups are ready to be separated Alcantarea nahoumii. Two axial pups can be seen when they reach about a third to half growing from the centre of the size of the parent plant. If the pup is starting to form roots, that's a good Lutheria splenriet. indication that the plant can survive on its own. They do not necessarily need to have roots in order to survive and begin life. They will form roots. Remember that bromeliads take

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 2

in moisture and nutrients through their leaves and most can survive as epiphytes and be mounted. Roots are mainly to anchor the plant to a host. • Pups may be removed by cutting with a sharp knife or secateurs as close to the mother plant as possible. The bigger varieties may need a small saw to cut through the woody stem. Try not to damage the mother plant as it will probably produce more pups. Some pups can be pulled away from the mother by hand. • The longer you leave the pups on the mother plant the quicker they will reach maturity (taking nourishment from mom). Feel free to trim back the leaves of the parent plant if they start interfering with the growth of a pup. Position the plant with the pups facing towards the light. Alternatively, removing the pups a bit smaller will encourage the mother plant to throw more pups sooner. Just remember that pups removed when they are too small struggle to develop and will result in inferior . It depends on whether you want a bunch of plants (for bedding or to share with friends) or if you just want a few that will mature faster. If you are in a colder climate you may want to wait until spring time to remove pups that would otherwise be ready to remove in the winter as pups don't usually root well when it is cold. • Once pups are separated you can leave them for a few days in a shady spot for the ‘wound’ to heal or pot them up straight away but don’t overwater them. Best to keep them on the drier side till roots form. • Alternatively, if you have a number of pups around the mother, you may choose to cut away the mother plant and let the pups form an attractive specimen group (clump) of that particular bromeliad. • Some bromeliads, like Neoregelia look better separated so that the rosette form of the plant can be appreciated. Other genera eg. Billbergia and Tillandsia often look much better as a clump of specimen plants. HAPPY SPLITTING AND POTTING!

Show and Tell Robert Moss showed his clump of Cryptanthus ‘Ti’. Not sure why there is a variation in the colour of the leaves all from the same parent. Looks interesting though! Lyn Wegner commented: Unfortunately this is a Hummel hybrid so we don’t know who the parents are to check whether some of your pups are reverting back to a parent plant . Robert also showed his Aechmea chantinii variety. Stunning!!! Rob advised he kept this plant in his shadehouse with his orchids as the chantinii varieties don't Cryptanthus ‘Ti’ like the cold. The plant never bloomed so he 'dumped' it outside the shadehouse and volia! The plant has never looked better and now has a beautiful

Much admired at the meeting, Robert’s Aechmea chantinii variety.

inflorescence! He also brought along his Alcantarea ‘Green Giant’ seedlings that he has grown from the seed we got from

Rob Murray in Australia. They are Alcantarea ‘Giant Green’ seedlings. progressing extremely well!

Lyn Wegner brought in her Tillandsia ‘Samantha’, a truly lovely brag plant, to show us the developing flower spike. We will watch the progress as it colours and matures. This beautiful hybrid of Pamela Koide-Hyatt has T. mooreana and T. kalmbacheri as it’s parents. Pam says it takes 3 years to grow to maturity. I purchased mine a few years ago from Pioneer Nursery. The inflorescence was past it’s prime so I am enjoying the flower spike from it’s beginnings this time round. This plant is a pup off my original plant. T. ‘Samantha’ was a finalist in the Plant of the Year at the 2012 Chelsea Flower Show. And in 2013 it won the Holland Glass Tulip Award. A truly special tillandsia that I am very pleased to have in my collection.

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 3

Library - Brenda Wegner As the topic for this month's meeting was "Splitting Difficult Bromeliads" I brought along three library books that have information on splitting/removing offsets/pups. Informative and interesting information for new and old members alike. Bromeliads Under the Mango Tree by John Catlan, Bromeliads for Modern Living and Bromeliad Cultivation Notes by Lyn Hudson. The two Australian booklets are jam packed with easy to understand bromeliad information.

Member News Welcome to new local members Thelma Jamieson and Ray and Elna Weyer and new country members Stephen Larsen from Magaliessig in Johannesburg and the Durban Botanical Gardens. We hope that you all have a long and rewarding bromeliad journey with our society and all our members.

Thanks • Gale Kockjeu for hosting the meeting. • Norma Hart, Irene Manthe and Rob and Tracy Moss for providing delicious goodies for tea time!!!! We are spoilt indeed! • Larraine Parathyras and Eddie Black for Photostatting. Two of our new members Ray and Elna Weyer. • Lyn Wegner for Lucky Draw plant donation. • Lyn Odendall and Barbara Black for give-away plants.

Tea Duty Roster for Meetings if you are unable to provide eats for the meeting when you are on duty please let Larraine Parathyras know in time, so that someone else can be organised to swap duties with you. Contact Larraine: cell: 082 594 4559 or [email protected]

March: Nancy Brindley and Roy Anderson, Pam Rogers, Dudley and Albie Reynolds April: Linda Flanagan, Barbara and Glenn Miles and Sue Pema.

Congratulations to the Raffle Winners for February! • Eddie Black still to make a choice. • Jill Buckler still to make a choice. • Maureen Eybers chose Vriesea ‘Red Chestnut’. • Robert Moss chose xDyckcohnia 'Zebra' f2 . • Kathy and Allan Botha from Port Elizabeth chose xDyckcohnia 'Zebra' f2. • Hennie and Marie Visser from George still to choose. • Deon Barns from Randburg chose chose xDyckcohnia 'Zebra' f2 Neoregelia ' Beach Party'. • Ann Carter from Cape Town chose Neoregelia Andre and Maureen with their ‘Harpo’. choice! Vriesea ‘Red Chestnut’.

Lucky Draw winner • Glen and Bev Reynolds

From the Committee Please wear your name badge at our meetings. There will be a R5 fine if you are spotted without your name. Please advise Barbs if you lose your badge. A new Neoregelia 'Beach Party ' one will cost you R5. We have no objection to you taking your badge home. A good idea would be to keep it in the cubby hole of Neoregelia ‘Harpo’ your car! The purpose of the badges is to help us get to know each other and especially good for new members and visitors! Plus, there is no shame in saying that many of us are bad at remembering names!

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 4

Upcoming Society Events

March: To be hosted by Miriam Kennard at 43 Grace Crescent, Beacon Bay at 2.00pm. Remember to bring along your chair, mug and spoon and any amazing bromeliads for Show and Tell you wish to show off!!!! Topic: Exploring the genus Vriesea . If you have any in bloom, do bring them to the meeting.

April: Irene Manthe at 27 Epping Road Nahoon Valley. May: Koos and Christine Steyn, Sunnyridge. June: Wyndham Whitfield in Dorchester Heights. The orchid man!!!!!! July: Lyn and Trevor Wegner, Sunnyridge, AGM and Birthday Bash! August: Tamara Hartwanger in Baysville.

Upcoming International Events 2017: The 19th Australasian Bromeliad Conference, Sunnybroms on the Sunshine Coast will be held in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland 31 March to 2 April 2017. Bon Voyage!!! Lyn Wegner will be attending this conference and in fact will be leaving a few days after the next meeting. Wow! Super excited for her!!!! She leaves with tons of our good wishes for safe travels, exciting experiences, new people to meet and some old friends and maybe some new broms to bring home for us to drool over!! We look forward to all the feedback on her return!!!!

2018: World Bromeliad Conference to be held in San Diego, California from 29 May to 3 June 2018. Check out the Conference Corner at bsi.org for more information. This will be the third WBC that will be held in San Diego, California. Registration for the 2018 conference has already begun. If you are interested in going, contact Lyn Wegner for more information.

From our Members Adele Groenewald asked if anyone has any information or studies/article written on using grey water from washing machines on bromeliads. Adele lives in Cape Town which has had severe water restrictions for some months now. Barbs So, I did a little bit of ‘Googling’ and this is some of what I came up with, plus it is WaterWise month and parts of South Africa are suffering a severe drought in spite of good rains in certain areas and an overflowing Vaal Dam, so it is an opportune time to explore this topic a little.

Be Water Wise -Brought to you by Rand Water and Water Wise The hottest year on record: 2016 has officially been declared the hottest year on record by two leading Science Agencies with average land temperatures warmer than the previous year, and eight successive months that were individually the warmest since records began in 1880. International World Water Day, This data has further confirmed the theory of climate change in the minds Wednesday 22 March. The National Water Week awareness campaign of many and should encourage people to make a concerted effort to reminds us all of the value of water and reduce their impact on the environment and its precious natural the role it plays in eradicating poverty in resources. South Africa. Do your bit for our water resources by finding out how you can South African Weather further indicates the possibility of continued reuse and recycle grey water. Cape drought conditions across most of the country despite wetter conditions in dam levels average 26% the early part of summer. It is anticipated that recovery from drought will be slow and caution should be shown when using our limited water resources. Remember to be Water Wise now more than ever! The Vaal Dam is at last over flowing after good rains up country, restrictions have been lifted but the western parts of South Africa are still in the grip of severe drought.

Then I also found: Using grey water in your garden: With the focus on being more water wise in our gardens, why not consider using the ‘grey’ water that is produced by your household? Which water can you use? On which plants should you use it? And what are the repercussions for your garden? Watering, along with composting, feeding, mulching and so on is a vital component in successful gardening. During prolonged dry periods, where water is at a premium, gardeners may want to make use of ‘grey’ water to keep their gardens alive. Grey water or second-hand household water is water from the bath, shower, washing machine, etc. Of vital concern to gardeners is the level of salts, chemicals, soaps and fats that grey water may contain, and its effect on their gardens. Prolonged use of most grey water is not recommended in the garden as it does affect

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 5

the soil and health of plants. But desperate times call for desperate measures, and grey water can be used, if a number of factors are taken into consideration. Grey water used over a long period in the same position will ultimately damage the soil, causing the build-up of salts and deflocculation (finer soil particles filter downward), leaving the surface of the soil barren and sandy and low in beneficial micro organisms. For this reason, outlet pipes should be moved around to different parts of the garden, to spread the load on the soil.

As for using on bromeliads, do remember that bromeliads primarily take in their moisture and nutrients through their leaves so, in my opinion I don’t think it is a good idea to use grey water on the leaves. This could clog the pores. Any other advice from experienced grey water users for bromeliads please add your thoughts and let me know, so I can let our readers learn from this.

The quality of grey water is a major concern . Bath and shower water, and rinse water from washing dishes by hand, is the best grey water to use, as it contains the least harmful chemicals. It can be used on most plants with little negative affect. Washing machine water (particularly from the first rinse) and dishwasher water should only be used on well established trees and large shrubs, or lawns, as it contains harmful chemicals and fats that could have hazardous effects on the plants and also the soil .The key to using grey water is to filter it first (remove hair and other matter) and to allow it to stand for a while (a few hours) for sediment to settle. Keep grey water away from very sensitive plants such as roses, seedlings, ferns, orchids and delicate plants. Choosing safer, biodegradable or organic soaps and chemicals will also be a great help.

There are a number of very practical grey water systems on the market today. Most of them filter, collect and pump grey water out into the garden. Ask a plumber about them and decided which is best for you if you need something like this. Grey water in the garden is a great way to save water, the environment, as well as your garden. (Adapted from ‘Life is a Garden’)

Other tips: • We want to attach a pvc pipe to our bath/shower outlet only and move it around the garden to water grass, shrubs, trees. We live on a slope and it will only reach so far, but better than seeing all that water going down the drain! The 200 micron pvc roll up pipes are +- R25 per meter. It is a standard width and measures 15cm when flat, fitting all pipes up to 300mm. These are attached using duct tape and it's very easy to install yourself. • We are going to put up another down pipe from the roof guttering and attach a roll-up pvc pipe to put into the pool when it does rain. When not in use, just roll it up. It unrolls automatically as it fills up! It can also be used to fill extra water containers. I think you can buy everything you need from Vincent Hardware. I saw an example of it at our recent visit to Linda Flanagan’s garden. You can order from www.watersaverct.co.za. I moved some lower text & combined here together. • Keep a bucket in the shower to catch water and use it to water your pot plants in rotation or to flush the loo. • Keep a big jug near the kitchen sink so when you waiting for the water to get hot you can catch the cold water to use on your plants. Photo’s courtesy of the • Always use your washing machine and dishwasher internet! economically. • You should not use recycled water on any vegetables or herbs etc….. for hygienic reasons. • It goes without saying, install a water tank! You get these really slim ones now! • Plant water wise plants, fortunately bromeliads will take quite a beating and are very forgiving and water wise to grow and cultivate. • There are loads of ways you can save water, not just to save the environment but also your pocket!!! If we all cultivate some good water saving habits it will help in the long term. Water is a precious resource. • Hope you find this information useful and adaptable to your circumstances, Barbs.

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 6

Success Story!!!! We put an appeal in the February newsletter for Dawid Botha from Port Elizabeth who was looking for a copy of the book by Andrew Steens: ‘Bromeliads, The Connoisseur's Guide’. Bev Ching, Secretary of the New Zealand Bromeliad Society, saw the appeal and responded straight away. Bev has a copy for Dawid at no charge! and has posted the book to Dawid also at no cost. What kind and generous brom people we have in the world! This also goes to show how far and wide our newsletter travels, so if there is anything bromeliad related you want to know or have made known, do let me know and we can put it in this section and who knows?! A huge thank you Bev. Thanks also to Graeme Barclay, President of the NZBS who also tried to find Dawid a copy.

Many thanks to Geoff Lawn for the long-awaited List of genera changes in the BSI Bromeliad Cultivar Register (BCR) entries as a result of the Barfuss et al DNA Studies Paper in Oct. 2016. This has now been circulated to all our ELBS members via e-mail and we suggest that you use this valued information to begin making changes to the labels relevant to the plants in your collections.

From the Editor If you have any brag photos/news or advice please send it in and we will be happy to share it. Spread the love of bromeliads and lets all try and save water too !!!

So from 21st March it is officially Autumn, my absolute favourite time of the year, balmy days, cooler evenings, fewer mozzies! (we hope) and more energy to get stuck in to all those tasks in the garden that soon mount up. We have had some big spiky broms to split and plant out, plus splitting and potting clumps that have just got out of hand over the summer months. Also we have been pruning loads of trees to lift canopies to allow more light into the bromeliad garden beds. You can tell already how the sun has shifted.

Thank you to all of you who open your gardens to the society for meetings. For me it is always a very memorable occasion and so inspirational. You are all so creative and each garden is so individual. Never feel that your garden space, no matter how small or large, is not good enough!! No garden is perfect either, so don’t think it has to be! I not only love broms but gardening as well, so after a visit I always feel I want to come home and get cracking immediately, and often do!! I am sure that other members feel exactly the same way. So thank you for so willingly opening your gardens and homes to us these past years, it is greatly appreciated by the committee and the society members. I hope that more of you will consider it. Eddie and I will do it again some time in the future.

See you all at the next meeting at Miriam's tranquil garden when we will be discussing the genus Vriesea . An exciting topic as there are so many different varieties with the foliage vriesea (patterning on the leaves, called fenestrations) being very much in demand!!!

To those of you who have not been to a meeting in a while, you have been missed, life is busy, I know, hope we see you soon. In the meantime, happy bromming!

[email protected] 072 1787 421 o43 7212 775

This is a publication for the East London Bromeliad Society, South Africa for the interest of its members. Articles may be used by non profit societies with acknowledgement to the above. Any opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the Society.

ELBS is an affiliate of the Bromeliad Society International.

ELBS Address: c/o 18 Wentworth Road, Sunnyridge, East London 5201 South Africa, [email protected]

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 7

We meet on the last Sunday of every month, January to November, at various venues around East London. We have a topic for each meeting and Show and Tell where members are encouraged to bring along their brag or problem plants. There are member raffles, lucky draws for those present, tea time, library and member plant sales, plus a monthly newsletter sent out via e-mail only. Visitors are always welcome and can attend three meetings before they will need to join the society in order to continue attending. Annual subs are R120.00 for individuals/families and R60 for students.

Committee Members Chairman: Dudley Reynolds 079 488 2360 [email protected] Vice- Chairman: Dr Peter Pfister 082 625 5533 [email protected] PRO & Secretary: Lyn Wegner 043 736 1737 082 970 2293 [email protected] Treasurer: Lynn Friend 043 748 2271 083 318 1179 [email protected] Editor & Publisher: Barbara Black 043 7212775 O72 1787 421 [email protected] Proof Reader: Lyn Wegner 043 736 1737 082 970 2293 [email protected]

Raffles: Lyn Odendaal 043 726 1075 083 441 6813 [email protected] Librarian: Brenda Wegner 082 743 2141 [email protected] Catering Co-ordinators: Eddie Black and 043 7212775 082 5505 347 [email protected] Larraine Parathyras 043 726 3167 082 594 4559 [email protected] Events Co-ordinator: Brenda Wegner 082 743 2141 [email protected]

You can access all the back copies of our 2016 newsletters at the following site which Peter Cook has very kindly created a link to ELBS newsletters on the Sunnybroms (Australia) web page. Thanks Peter. https:// bromeliadnewsletters.wordpress.com/east-london-south-africa/

You will find ELBS on Facebook: [email protected] or type ‘East London Bromeliad Society’ into the fb search bar. You can request to join the group and will then be able to upload your photos and comments on the wall. The ELBS SA page and other bromeliad related sites are becoming a useful and informative forum to share and ‘meet up’ with other like-minded bromeliad folks. There are also many other bromeliad related sites that you can join and become part of a world wide online sharing environment.

You can view most of all the bromeliads mentioned in meetings or in the newsletter at the following websites:

The BSI’s official Bromeliad Cultivar Registry www.registry.bsi.org which is maintained by Geoff Lawn, the BSI Cultivar Registrar. Plus other information regarding the Bromeliad Society International is found at bsi.org fcbs.org (Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies). This is a very useful site to reference many bromeliads where you can clarify identification or just trawl through the site and add to your wish list!

Encyclopedia of Bromeliads - http://bromelia.club (Bromeliad Taxonomists and Growers Society) has photographs. It also now has keys for the genera and sub-genera. If you like to be informed what is happening, just follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bromeliadsencyclopedia

For internet resources you can also go to TAXON (The New Bromeliad List) for the most authoritative and right up to date list of genera and , accepted and new names and taxonomic keys - http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/taxonList.php or just type in ‘ New Bromeliad Taxon List’ , it's much easier!

Photo Credits: Barbara Black, Brenda Wegner, Lyn Wegner, fcbs .org bsi.org

East London Bromeliad Society South Africa March 2017 Page 8