BROMELI ANA PUBLISHED BY THE NEW YORK BROMELIAD SOCIETY (visit our website www.nybromeliadsociety.org) February, 2014 Volume 51, No.2 ON ROOTING (there is a time for every season...) by Herb Plever It is well told in Ecclesiastes 3 that there is a right even though I was aware of the seasonal slowdown. time for everything to be done, including a time to plant. But even in my indoor apartment, in the fall and More specifically, there is a right time to pot up a winter the light is reduced, it is drier and it is much bromeliad, particularly atmospheric tillandsias, so they cooler. We don’t put on the blower motors in our will quickly root in the medium. heating convectors even when it is very cold outside, As a general proposition it is said that tillandsias although the valves are open. (This permits the 1 foot produce roots in inverse proportion to the density of pipe leading to the convector to hold hot water and their trichome coverage, ie. glabrous stay hot.) leaved tillandsias with minimal or no So in the context of the above trichomes have strong root growth while rooting principles, this experiment was trichomed atmospheric tillandsias produce begun out of season at a time when many just enough wiry roots to attach plants slow down their growth and their themselves to the tree, branch or rock they production of carbohydrates. Nonetheless are holding on to. This goes contrary to some of the tillandsias did root quickly the basic idea of my experiment designed while many others rooted very slowly. to prove that we can grow atmospheric But after a month some plants were still tillandsias in a pot, as reported in the shaky in a few pots. They all stayed January issue of Bromeliana. I’m trying to healthy because they received daily sprays show that we can induce potted of fertilized water. atmospherics to behave like terrestrials. Pot of tillandsias rooting Plants grow vigorously and on warm convector Dr. David Benzing says of produce food at high rates in the summer bromeliad rooting that: “...activity is greatest during the because light is strongest - AND because the summer when the parent shoot is growing vigorously temperatures are uniformly warm to hot. I think the and manufacturing carbohydrates at high rates. key to the failure of many of the tillandsias to grow Episodes of root growth or inactivity may be governed roots was that the medium was cold. I discovered this by environmental cues including day length and fact when I put my fingers in the medium to firm up availability of water.” (The Biology of the Bromeliads - the shaly plants and found that while it was quite page 47.) damp (the pots were wick-watered), it was very cold After successfully potting and rooting Tillandsia to the touch. In the winter the temperatures at the kegeliana and Vriesea poenulata, I started a larger windows range from mid to high 60°s F. during the experiment, potting about 20 atmospheric tillandsias in day down to as low as 58° F. late at night. In 4 pots at the end of October. Because in our indoor November, 6 days had temperatures below freezing, environment the so-called growing season lasts longer 19 days had temperatures between 32°F. and 48°F. than under outdoor conditions, I felt I could proceed and 23 days were overcast. THERE WILL BE NO MEETING IN FEBRUARY Bromeliana -2- February, 2014 Tilllandsias in pot Tillandsias in pot Tillandsias in pot So after firming up all the loose plants in the the medium. Surprisingly, as you can see from the beginning of December, I placed a few pots on top of photo above right, this even includes Tillandsia the heating convectors which are quite warm from the fuchsii forma gracilis which I potted almost on a dare hot water pipe. The convectors are directly in front of to myself. the windows. During the month of December, 13 The same principles for a proper time for days had temperatures below freezing, 15 days had rooting also apply to determine the right time to temperatures between 32°F and 48°F. and 24 days remove and pot up pups. Due to reduced light were overcast. (Of course the temperatures at night and lower temperatures in the late fall and winter, during these months were almost always in the 20°s.) plants and their pups tend to be somewhat dormant. Remarkably, warming up the medium did the It is a good idea to keep pups on their parent until the trick; even without the blower motor, the heat from Spring when they will more readily establish the convectors warmed up the medium and induced themselves in the medium. root growth from the tillandsias. While writing this We will have a large list of beautiful article in early January, I must note that the tillandsias in the plant order in April; you should take temperature early in the morning of January 4th went advantage of the good prices and buy enough of them down to 6°F.; on January 7th it was 2°F. Still, except to fill 2 or 3 pots so you can enjoy the fun and the for one plant that was shaky and one that was barely challenge to grow them that way. If you can succeed so, all the rest of potted tillandsias are quite firm in in doing it, you will avoid having to soak them. “ NAME CHANGES IN GENUS VRIESEA FROM THE NEW TAXON LIST Here is a list of some of the changes made in Vriesea barclayana => Tillandsia barclayana species of the genus Vriesea in the new Bromeliad Vriesea barclayana var. minor => Tillandsia Taxon List compiled by Eric Gouda and Derek barclayana var. minor Butcher that may of interest to our members. Note Vriesea burle-marxii => Alcantarea burle-marxii that in many cases a species has been transferred to Vriesea carinata sensu Mez => Vriesea different genus; many of the changes listed were erythrodactylon made when the genera Alcantarea and Werauhia were Vriesea carinata var. constricta => Vriesea created. The term “sensu” as used in the list means paraibica “as described by”. The new list can be accessed only Vriesea cathcartii => Tillandsia cathcartii on line at http://botu07.bio.uu.nl/bcg/taxonList.php. Vriesea cereicola => Tillandsia cereicola Vriesea corallina => Vriesea platynema var. Vriesea aeris-incola => Tillandsia aeris-incola platynema Vriesea albiflora => Vriesea rubra Vriesea corallina var. striata => Vriesea platynema Vriesea alborubrobracteata => Vriesea dubia var. striata Vriesea andreettae => Tillandsia andreettae Vriesea drewii => Tillandsia drewii Vriesea aurea => Vriesea chrysostachys var. Vriesea duvaliana sensu Alexander => Vriesea chrysostachys incurvata Bromeliana -3- February, 2014 Vriesea duvaliana sensu Wittmack => Vriesea Vriesea psittacina v. duvaliana => Vr. duvaliana erythrodactylon Vriesea psittacina var. exilis => Vriesea psittacina Vriesea edmundoi => Alcantarea edmundoi var. psittacina Vriesea ensiformis var. warmingii => Vriesea Vriesea psittacina var. erythrodactylon => warmingii Vriesea erythrodactylon Vriesea espinosae => Tillandsia espinosae Vriesea rauhii => Tillandsia werneriana Vriesea fragrans => Tillandsia fragrans Vriesea regina => Alcantarea regina Vriesea gigantea (Martius ex Schultes f.) Mez => Vriesea sanguinolenta => Werauhia sanguinolenta Vriesea amazonica Vriesea psittacina sensu E Norton => Vriesea Vriesea gigantea illust. sensu Lemaire => Vriesea carinata glaziouana Vriesea psittacina var. brachystachys => Vriesea Vriesea gigantea Lemaire => Vriesea imperialis carinata Vriesea gigantea sensu Carriere => Vriesea Vriesea psittacina var. bracteis omnino coccineis geniculata => Vriesea psittacina var. rubro-bracteata Vriesea gigantea sensu Regel => Vr. geniculata Vriesea psittacina v. carinata => Vriesea carinata Vriesea gladioliflora => Werauhia gladioliflora Vriesea saundersii sensu L.B.Smith => Vriesea Vriesea glutinosa Wawra =>Vriesea neoglutinosa friburgensis var. paludosa Vriesea glutinosa var. viridis => Vriesea Vriesea sintenisii => Werauhia sintenisii friburgensis var. tucumanensis Vriesea spectabilis => Guzmania spectabilis Vriesea hitchcockiana => Tillandsia hitchcockiana Vriesea splendens major => Vriesea splendens Vriesea imperialis => Alcantarea imperialis var. formosa Vriesea incurva => Tillandsia incurva Vriesea splendens var chlorostychya => Vriesea Vriesea kupperiana => Werauhia kupperiana splendens var chlorostachya Vriesea leucophylla => Werauhia leucophylla Vriesea splendens var. longibracteata => Vriesea Vriesea leucophylla var. subtessellata => splendens var. formosa Werauhia leucophylla Vriesea splendens var. major hortus ex Foster Vr.. longibracteata => Vr. splendens v. formosa => Vriesea splendens Vriesea lyman-smithii => Werauhia lyman-smithii Vriesea tillandsioides => Tillandsia tillandsioides Vriesea macrochlamys => Werauhia Vriesea tweediana Baker => Vriesea rodigasiana macrochlamys (Note that the names 5 of the above plants that we Vriesea macropetala => Tillandsia macropetala have grown or have been growing for some time Vriesea macropoda => Vriesea incurvata have been changed: Vriesea barclayana is now Vriesea maculata => Tillandsia maculata Tillandsia barclayana, Vriesea cereicola is now Vriesea olmosana => Tillandsia olmosana Tillandsia cereicola, Vriesea espinosae is now Vriesea olmosana v. pachamamae => Tillandsia Tillandsia espinosae (no surprise), Vriesea rauhii is olmosana var. pachamamae now Tillandsia werneriana and Vriesea splendens Vriesea paludosa => Vr. friburgensis v. paludosa var. longbracteata is now V. splendens v. formosa.) (V. rauhii) now Tillandsia (Vriesea ) now (var. longbracteata) now (Vriesea) now Tillandsia espinosae werneriana - (ph Anwyl Br) Tillandsia barclayana Vr.splendens vr. formosa Bromeliana