Vol 43 No 1 Vol January, 2010

Bromeliad Society

Carole Richtmyer 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive Spring, TX 77388

FIRST CLASS Officers President Lindsey Stowe About the Bromeliad Society of Houston 16301 Tahoe Drive Houston, TX 77040 This corporation is organized exclusively for purely public charity 713-896-4009 and strictly educational purposes. Specific goals of the Society Vice President Rick Richtmyer Secretary Charlien Rose shall be to: Treasurer Allyn Pearlman Past President Don Green Increase knowledge of bromeliads through interchange and dissemina- Board of Directors tion of information. Term Expires 12/31/10 12/31/11 12/31/12 Use such funds as are available for the purpose of research and/or Frank Lee Gene Powers Chris Nguyen Cheri Lee Ken Gardner Jim Woolsey equipment in institutions of higher learning within the State of Texas. I. Standing Committees 1. Publicity Allyn Pearlman There are two classes of membership: Bulletin Editor Carole Richtmyer Members: Rick Richtmyer, Odean Head, Chris Nguyen Individual $20.00 per year 2. Sales Chairman Allyn Pearlman Husband and wife $30.00 per year Vice-Chairman Phil Speer Members: Gary Gallick, Jan Liang, Lynn Schermerhorn

3. Programs Chairman Rick Richtmyer All memberships begin with January of the current year. Members: Ray and Cynthia Johnson, Carole Richtmyer Standing Committees Ex-Officio Members: Visit our website at www.bromeliadsocietyhouston.org for more Lindsey Stowe/Rick Richtmyer information. II. Committees of the Board ______1. Annual Show Charlien Rose 2. Bromeliad Culture Odean Head Members Chris Nguyen 3. Holiday Party TBA The Bulletin is published monthly and is mailed to members of 4. Garden Tours TBA 5. Historian David Whipkey the BS/H, Inc. prior to monthly meetings. Articles and any other Vice Chairman Jim Woolsey information pertinent to bromeliads are solicited. Articles may be 6. Hospitality Coordinator Louise Epperson reprinted with proper acknowledgment given to author and pub- Vice Chairman Daryl Page 7. Librarian Joan Beaubouef, Richard Beaubouef, Ruby Adams lication.

8. Membership Allyn Pearlman 9. Raffle Frank Lee A Yearbook is published annually based on the membership roll Vice Chairman Wray Page at the end of the regular February meeting of each year and dis- 10. Seedlings Board of Directors tributed to members of the BS/H, Inc. 11. Show & Tell Gary Gallick Vice Chairman TBA Please address any correspondence regarding this publication to: 12. Members’ and Visitors’ Registrar Ken Gardner 13. Web Master Mike Burnett Carole Richtmyer

Representatives 18814 Cypress Mountain Drive Southwest Bromeliad Guild Charlien Rose, Rick Richtmyer Spring, TX 77388 Bromeliad Society International Carole Richtmyer BROMELIAD SOCIETY/HOUSTON INC. January Birthdays

Beaumont Martin 1/02 Deborah Bragg 1/10 Kelly Adams 1/13 Lynn Schermerhorn 1/16 Malcolm McCorquodale 1/17 Betty Garrison 1/19 Skipper Transue 1/20 AFFILIATED WITH THE Nita Ankenbruck 1/22 BROMELIAD SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL

DatesDates toto RememberRemember ▪ Judges School V, Azalea Room, Houston Garden Center, 8:00 a.m.—5:00 p.m.., March 27 ▪ BS/H Spring Sale, April, TBA ▪ BS/H Show and Sale, Mercer Arboretum, May 14-16 ▪ BSI World Conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, July 26- MEMBER OF August 1 SOUTHWEST BROMELIAD GUILD ▪ Judges Symposium, Houston Garden Center, 8:00 a.m.— 5 p.m.., September 18 ▪ BS/H Fall Sale, Houston Garden Center, September 25 ▪ BS/H Judges School VI, Azalea Room, Houston Garden Center, November 6 ▪ BS/H Judges School Final Exam, Azalea Room, Hous- ton Garden Center, November 7

12 From the Editor:

Happy New Year to All! And what a year it’s been so far. I hope your bromeliads are happier than ours. I guess we’ll see just how cold hardy they really are…

This year is going to be a time of change for the bulletin. The BS/H officers and Board of Directors, with the support of the editor, have decided to move the bulletin into a new technological era — we’re planning to go electronic. All of those members who have access to the internet will soon be receiving their copies of the bulletin by e- mail and/or the BS/H website. Needless to say, this will be a learn- MEETING DATE: Tuesday, January 19, 7:30 p.m. ing experience for all of us. I’m going to be working on a way to make it happen during the first few months of the year. PROGRAM SPEAKER: Wray Page What I need from you, our membership, (along with a lot of pa- PROGRAM TITLE: “Growing Bromeliads in Trees” tience) is a list of your current e-mail addresses. I’ll be passing

See page 9 for more information on Wray. around a list for updating beginning at the January meeting. Of course, those members who don’t have internet access will continue SEEDLING: rosea to receive hard copies via regular mail, as usual. Special requests will be considered, but the goal is to reduce the cost of publication so the From David Meade: A large-growing, helicoid Billbergia with a funds can be used for more out-of-town speakers and other worthy gorgeous bloom. Picture courtesy of the Florida Council website. projects. It should also result in more color pictures. Many other MEETING AGENDA: societies have already been using the internet very successfully, so here we go!  Member Plant Sale (See page 8)  Greetings/Call to Order If you have comments, please direct them to the Board or the editor.  Show and Tell  Cultural Tips Thanks to the following donors to the November raffle table:  Meeting Carole & Phil Speer, Louise Epperson, Merrill O’Neal, Cherie  Break/Refreshments/Buy raffle tickets/Plant Sale and Frank Lee, Ruby Adams, Tommy & Billie Emanual, Mollie Sheffield, Charles Birdsong, Odean Head, Sam Chism,  Program David Whipkey, David Meade, Rick & Carole Richtmyer, Lynn  Raffle Schermerhorn, and Jimmy Woolsey.  Adjourn And the lucky winners were: Ruby Adams, Kenneth Gardner, NEXT BOARD MEETING: January 21, 7:00 p.m. Jean Keiser, Billie Emanual, Grant Wells, Charlien Rose, Carol Valentine Philips, Javier de la Garza, Vickey Gurka, Richard FEBRUARY PROGRAM: Dick & Phyllis McEuen Beaubouef, Wray Page, Audrey VanWright, Rick Richtmyer,

DEADLINE FOR FEBRUARY BULLETIN: 1/23/10 Gene Powers, Charles Birdsong, and Midge Gorman.

The raffle brought in $198. 2 11 President’s

Texas Gulf Coast Fern Society Page www.tgcfernsoc.org Regular meeting third Sunday of month at 2:00 PM Happy New Year! Houston Garden Center Next meeting: January 17, 2010 I can’t believe it’s 2010. The year has flown by. In fact, right before the Christmas party I was reflecting on the good times and many successes we experienced this past year in Bro- meliad Society/Houston. I couldn’t The Houston Orchid Society, Inc. help but write a short ditty about it. www.houstonorchidsociety.org Here it is for those of you who were- Regular meeting first Thursday of month at 7:30 PM n’t able to join us. FYI this is not a serious poem. Houston Garden Center Next regular meeting: January 7, 2010 Twas the night of the party, bromeliad style, Was looking like winter – is that a snow pile? Members were preparing to load up their cars, 2008 BS/H DUES are due and payable now. Single memberships Auction plants and items need not travel far. are $20 and joint memberships $30 per year. You can mail your Martha packed the décor, check to Allyn Pearlman at 6422 Bankside Drive, Houston, TX No time to waste, 77096, or pay at the January meeting. Members would arrive, Fairly soon, yes, post haste. The Bromeliad Society International is a center point for all of To drink, to party, and to look back on the year, our local bromeliad societies. With a colorful and informative Jour- BSH had prospered; it was very clear. nal (published bimonthly), its sponsorship of world bromeliad con- Lots of new members, we’re happy to say, ferences and accreditation of show judges, a seed bank, cultivar reg- And programs of interest in every way. istration and the support of the Bromeliad Identification Center lo- cated at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, the BSI is an amazing We learned about Orchids, Billbergias, Dyckias too, resource for bromeliad growers and their local societies from around We traveled with speakers, oh, how we flew! the world. Every local society member should join the BSI. Annual Costa Rica, Buenos Aires, Patagonia, Thailand— dues are $40, dual memberships are $45. For a membership applica- A world of bromeliads with the touch of a hand. tion, check with a BS/H officer or Gene Powers, our BSI Regional We won’t soon forget the ABC’s in Santa Fe, Director; you can also find them online at www.bsi.org. The Bulb Mart, Southwest Guild - I’ve got more to say. Plant sales, the May show, and Judges’ Schools galore, And don’t forget to register for the World Bromeliad Conference in Why 2009 was a great year and that’s for “shore”! New Orleans July 26-August 1. It’s a wonderful opportunity to see The time has come to say good night, some eye-popping bromeliads! With a special thanks to you, the members, Who make our future bright!

10 ;VÉÇà|Çâxw ÉÇ Ñtzx G< 3 ;cÜxá|wxÇàËá `xáátzx vÉÇà|Çâxw yÜÉÅ Ñtzx F< Meet our January

May all your bromeliads survive this freezing weather!! Speaker: 2010 is shaping up to be another exciting year. We’re going to try an electronic BS/H bulletin. You’ll be hearing more about this soon. If Wray Page you haven’t made plans to attend the World Conference in New Or- leans in July, there’s still time to register. Be sure to put all the “dates Wray Page attended Texas A&M to remember” on your calendar that Carole Richtmyer puts at the University, studying Wildlife Sci- end of each Bulletin. Another good resource for dates, program in- ence. After finishing school, Wray formation, and cultural information is our own website at worked for Busch Gardens in www.bromeliadsocietyhouston.org/ updated by our webmaster, Houston, Texas, with a few stints Mike Burnett. I know Rick Richtmyer, our Vice President, is in Tampa, Florida. planning some really interesting programs. I look forward to seeing you for our January meeting. From courses taken at A&M and from working at Busch Gardens, Wray was familiar with bromeliads, Lindsey but hadn't really developed an interest in collecting them until his wife, Daryl, bought the old standby, Aechmea fasciata, for her mother. Keeping a pup from that plant started Wray and Daryl on an on-and- January Meeting off interest in bromeliads for forty years.

Refreshments After Busch Gardens closed in Houston, Wray ended up in the pest control business. He has been in this business for thirty-two years. It’s a new year, but BS/H will continue its fine culinary Always having an interest in wildlife, Wray and Daryl have had exotic traditions with lots of bird collections and have bred many reptile . They are currently breeding gila monsters. They have one son, GWP IV, and two dogs. delicious treats provided this month by the A-Ms. Liquid refreshments will Wray is currently in his second year of the "Charlien Rose School of be furnished by the club. Bromeliad Judging". His favorite bromeliads are Billbergias, Tilland- sias, Hohenbergias and ...well, really just about every species.

Member Info — Read it Here! Tillandsia II by Paul Isley  Phil Speer made a presentation to the Kemah Garden Club Plan to pick up your copy of Tillandsia II at the January meeting. January 6 in Kemah. The topic was “The World Of Bromeli- Gordon Stowe will collect the cash or checks (made out to Gordon ads And Their Basic Culture.” or Lindsey Stowe) at the meeting. The final cost of the book with  On the mend: Charlien Rose, who is recovering from knee dust jacket and shipping was $72.00. Gordon will be set up at one of replacement surgery, and Steve Reynolds, who is healing the tables. If you will not be at the meeting, contact Lindsey at from complications from hip replacement surgery. 713/896-4009 or [email protected] to make arrangements to get your copy.

4 9 ;VÉÇà|Çâxw yÜÉÅ Ñtzx J< Pests - Most of us grow at least a part of our collection outdoors Holiday Party 2009 so we will be taking plants into a crowded area. Before taking the plants in we need to check for scale and mealy bug. If only a few e owe thanks to plants are infected, isolate and treat them. If the problem is more many people for wide spread, we need to treat the whole collection. Otherwise, un- W helping to put der crowded conditions a little problem can become a big one. together another festive fun When treating a few plants, a contact insecticide such as safer soap holiday party: or plain soapy water can be effective. We need to use a systemic when treating large numbers. To Martha Burg for plan- ning the party at Carrabba’s. Fungus - Fungus problems, just like pest problems, will multiply To David Meade for the faster in crowded conditions. Before crowding, we need to check mounted Bromeliad center- closely to see if there is any evidence of a fungus on a plant. It is in pieces. To Jim Woolsey for Lindsey and Gordon Stowe the form of a dark, circular, moist spot that enlarges and expands our Tillandsia seedlings, and through the inner leaves of the plant. This plant should be de- to Joanne Woolsey and their daughters who made the seedlings stroyed or in the case of a special plant, isolated and treated. I strip look like living ornaments. off all of the infected leaves and if there is enough plant left, wash it well and treat with benomyl. I am sure that there are other fungi- To Gary Gallick for being our cides that are just as effective. auctioneer, to Rick Richtmyer for assisting him, and to Doug We will discuss questions and any other ideas you may have at the Trahan for spotting those bid- meeting. ders. Houston, Texas To the generous auction do- nors: Allyn Pearlman, Doug Trahan, Rita Borque, David Shiigi, Chris Nguyen, Don Plant Sale, Plant Sale, Plant Sale Green, Carole & Rick Richt- Gary Gallick and Jan Liang myer, and Ray & Cynthia Got the winter-time blues? Tired of looking at the Johnson. We owe a big thank same old bromeliads in your collection? This is your chance to you to these members who donated lots of plants and items this year. fix that problem! Bring your extra plants and pups to sell at the The auction brought in January meeting, at the same time making room to buy a spe- $2010! cial plant or two to brighten your greenhouse or home. And, of course, thanks to Please have your plants double tagged, with price and everyone else who con- sales number, as usual. The sale will take place prior to the tributed in any way. If meeting and during the break. anyone has been missed, please let the editor know. Joanne and JimmyWoolsey

8 5 CULTURAL TIPS ;VÉÇà|Çâxw yÜÉÅ ÑÜxä|Éâá Ñtzx< reduced by adding more space or making better use of what we Winterizing have. It may be too late to add space so let’s look at the latter op- tion. We can use our space better by growing on multiple layers. 2010 This can be done with shelves at other levels, including overhead. By Odean Head We can also install poles and put rings at multiple levels. Growing at multiple levels presents a trade off. It provides better air circu- lation but reduces light, especially at the lower levels. It does ac- ur Texas weather is proving once commodate more plants. This is a good time to cull (dirty word). O again how unpredictable it can be. We could leave outside some of the less desirable plants and those We have just barely ended our record we have an over abundance of ( these kinds will probably survive setting 100 degree days with little or no anyway). Mothers with large pups can either be removed or their rainfall and have already experienced leaves trimmed back to reduce space. I prefer not to take pups at record setting cold with lots of rain and this time unless they are from special plants that I want to propa- even snow and ice. We’ve had tem- gate. peratures in the low twenties and cur- rently forecasts into the teens. Our Lighting - Crowding into our limited space also reduces the avail- mild winters over the last several years have lulled some of us into won- ability of good light. If additional space is not a viable option, we dering just how serious we need to be in our cold preparations. We will need to decide how to best utilize the light we have. As a general soon be talking about the real consequences of not being prepared for rule I like to give first consideration to my best plants and those how bad it can be. I hope that you were prepared. that are reaching their prime rather than those that are already past prime. Some of the conditions that require more consideration in the winter are: temperatures, crowding, lighting, watering, air circulation, pests and Watering - Watering is more difficult when the plants are crowded fungus. Some of the preventatives that we will discuss will certainly ap- but is required less frequently. How frequent will depend on the ply to more than one of the listed conditions. You may have others to temperatures. Maybe once a week when it is warm to hot and add. only once every two weeks or more when temperatures are cool to cold. I grow drier and never fertilize in the winter in an effort to Temperature – Most of our bromeliads will tolerate lower temperatures prevent leggy growth. Remember also that the plants do not like without damage than we realize. Some will even take a few hours of to stay wet so it is best to water in the morning and give the plants freezing if the temperatures have been lowering gradually over a period a chance to dry before night. of time. Sudden large drops in temperature can be more damaging. I have been growing colder for the last several years without noticeable Air Circulation - Bromeliads need good air circulation and we damage. It slows down plant growth but with the higher costs of heat- should provide some additional fans for air movement during ing I can wait a little longer to mature plants. Some plants are more these crowded times. Placement of plants by sizes can help in re- cold hardy than others. ducing crowded conditions. We also have many warm days during the winter causing extreme heat buildups in our closed structures. Crowding - Overcrowding can be a real problem. It reduces the pre- We need doors and windows or panels that we can easily open cious light and air movement that the plants need. It also makes the and close to reduce the heat. Without some added air circulation individual plants more difficult to observe when checking for stress. this heat and light combination can cause burning on the plant Any available insect problem will be magnified. Crowding can be leaves. ;VÉÇà|Çâxw Çxåà Ñtzx< ;VÉÇà|Çâxw ÉÇ Ñtzx K< 6 7