THE BROMELIAD BLADE June 2016

Newsletter of the The San Diego Bromeliad Society Bromeliad Blade June 2016 s

VOLUME LI NUMBER 6

It is clear that the San Diego Bromeliad Society can put on a The President’s Corner professional looking show and sale— by Robert Kopfstein the sale plants, by the way, were really good looking this year. May turned out to be a real the judging area and making sure marathon. that the judges entries were Hard after the end of the show, we correctly placed in the show. set up our display at the San Diego After our regular meeting on May 14 County Fair. We had about one we had one week to prepare for the The catering, done by Kerry Nelson week to bring it all together, and in annual show and sale (which we and Charles Oelsen was superb, a this case virtually all the credit goes moved up from our usual June date veritable lucullan feast. The turnout to Nancy Groves and her daughter, because of the BSI World Conference for the setup on Friday morning was Branwyn (not a member of the in Houston, Texas). excellent. As a result it went society). Thanks to Andrew Wilson smoothly and quickly. Thanks need for providing a truck, to Don Nelson As usual the show was a success with to go out to all those who attended for helping out and taking photos, to about 200 plants entered. Many the show and acted as security and Debbie Kennedy for helping Nancy in thanks go out to everyone who made who schmoozed the public. the set-up. the show/sale possible. Nancy Groves, our perennial show chair, worked tirelessly to bring it all together. Al Evans put in many hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday overseeing the finances of the sale. Debbie Kennedy made sure that classification was exact and all entries were correctly in the computer. Thanks to the judges who spent more than eight hours awarding ribbons, medallions, and Mulford Foster and Morris Henry Hobbes awards. Clerks Bob Walters and Lee Baker were on their feet for hours moving plants in and out of SDBS Del Mar Fair Display THE BROMELIAD BLADE | June 2016 2

At the fair the SDBS took awards this there is a vibrant and very active SDBS members will be in attendance year which will net us about $1000, bromeliad society here in San Diego. and I am sure will all get along earned by only a few members to swimmingly at the conference. (Let's benefit all the rest. The World Show in Houston will be hope that I am all wet in my weather held June 13-18. Given the weather predictions, and that Houston—and Above our fair display is the SDBS recently in that part of Texas, I we—will have lots of sunshine in the banner, so approximately 1,200,000 understand that the show organizers coming two weeks.) people will pass by, see the beautiful have switched the theme to broms in the display and know that "Bromeliads Under Water." Several

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Show and Tell May Meeting by Morlane O’Donnell Tillandsia cereicola Tillandsia fasciculata x ? Program We went over Tom Biggart’s garden by Robert Kopfstein again, this time with good pictures. Neoregelia hybrid Robert and Nancy answered Billbergia ‘Domingos Martins’ questions about the show. Items Robert demonstrated how to covered were proper plant prepare the plants for the presentation, things that the judges show. look for, choosing the right category for your entries, etc. by Robert Vitacco May’s Opportunity Table Tillandsia straminea Auction this month marked the comeback of our beloved auctioneer by Andrew Wilson Mary! The highest bidders took Fosterella petiolaris home an extra curly T. curly slim Al's t. ionantha 'Peach' on petrified wood stole the from Birdrock Tropicals, and two By Al Evans show. It was in peak bloom and the colors were just amazing. generous tilly clumps from Justin Tillandsia ionantha ‘Peach’ Allen, a T. leonamiana and T. baileyi. Tillandsia ionantha ‘Druid’ The raffle table featured select collectibles from Birdrock Tropicals, by Nancy Groves including T. ‘Samantha’, Aechmea Quesnelia lateralis ‘Ensign’ and T. fasciculatas. by David Kennedy Tillandsia ‘Buck Compton’ Tillandsia nidus Tillandsia ionantha x flabellata

by Mary Yan Lee Tillandsia ionantha Tillandsia baileyi

By Bob Wright Orthophytum horridum Deuterocohnia hybrid Puya venusta (right) THE BROMELIAD BLADE | June 2016 3

Silver Category I Division P BROM-I-COM Dave Kennedy SDBS Annual Show 2016 Orthophytum glabrum

Silver Category II Division M This year's show & sale was a great Steve Salley success, with over 200 judged show Neoregelia & Aechmeas, Neo. entries and a veritable plethora of Fireball x lilliputiana, Neo. tigrina, sale plants of every description. Neo. lilliputiana, and others Show plants received appropriate accolades by a steady stream of Silver Category III Division DC visitors, who also perused the Dave Kennedy heavily-stocked sale aisles and Ursulaea tuiutensis scooped up a fairly impressive Bronze Category I number of broms. SDBS thanks Division S Section F everyone involved! Al Evans Aechmea ‘Bert’

Bronze Category I Division S Section B Robert Kopfstein Neomea ‘Shooting Star’

Bronze Category I Division M Section F Dave Kennedy Dyckia ‘Kaz’

Major Awards

Gold Mulford B. Foster Dave Kennedy Tiilandsia Jalisco-monticola hybrid

Gold Morris Henry Hobbs

Dave Kennedy Tillandsia ‘Kaylan’

Silver Category I Division S Dave Kennedy Tillandsia hildae

Silver Category I Division M Dave Kennedy

Tillandsia ‘El Dimmitt Doble’ THE BROMELIAD BLADE | June 2016 4

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Upcoming Events Highlighted Meetings

June 11, 2016 at 10 AM San Diego Bromeliad Society Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 104 David Anderson from New Zealand Bromeliad Society on growing bromeliads in Auckland, NZ. www.bsi.org/webpages/san_diego.html

July 9, 2016 at 10 AM San Diego Bromeliad Society Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 104 www.bsi.org/webpages/san_diego.html

June 13 – 19, 2016 Bromeliad Society International World Conference Houston, Texas www.bsi.org/webpages/san_diego.html

Monthly Meetings

1st Tuesday, 6:30 PM San Diego Orchid Society Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 101 www.sdorchids.com

2nd Saturday, 10 AM San Diego Bromeliad Society Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 104 www.bsi.org/webpages/san_diego.html

2nd Saturday, 1 PM San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room 101 www.sdcss.net

2nd Monday, 5 PM San Diego Horticultural Society Surfside Race Place at the Delmar Fairgrounds www.sandiegohorticulturalsociety.org

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SDBS MEETINGS SDBS 2016 June Program Meetings are held at 10 AM on the second Saturday of each month at Officers Balboa Park, Casa Del Prado, Room This month we are fortunate to have 104. President a traveler stopping by San Diego on Robert Kopfstein [email protected] his way to the Bromeliad Society 760-726-8300 International World Conference in San Diego Bromeliad Society Houston. David Anderson will be 1st Vice-President (programs) Webpage OPEN speaking on cultivating bromeliads in his home of Auckland, New Zealand. www.bsi.org/webpages/san_diego.html 2nd Vice-President (plants) The Auckland climate is rather similar David Kennedy to ours but with cooler temperatures THE BROMELIAD BLADE [email protected] 858-278-6532 and more moisture all year around. It San Diego Bromeliad Society is amazing what can be grown with Juliana Raposo, Editor Secretary lots of good (rain) water, a non- Ruth Contino 6979 Sweetwater St [email protected] scorching temperatures and higher Carlsbad, CA 92011 619-303-2144 humidity. 858-349-1405 Treasurer David has long been active in the Al Evans, Jr. [email protected] bromeliad world for many years. He To send material for the newsletter, 858-492-9866 has held key positions in the New please contact Juliana at Zealand Bromeliad Society and has [email protected] Newsletter Editor been a member of the Board of Juliana Raposo Make sure to submit your contribution [email protected] Directors of the Bromeliad Society before the 20th of the month for 858-349-1405 International. His bromeliad garden inclusion in the next newsletter. in Auckland is extensive, including Past President many large Vrieseas, Alcantareas, Robert Vitacco [email protected] Tillandsias, and Neoregelias. 2016 SDBS Membership

See a bit of his garden on page 9. To renew your membership, please contact Al Evans, Treasurer Board Members [email protected] 858-492-9866 June Opportunity Table Scott Sandel [email protected] by Dave Kennedy Renewal Fees: 1 year 619-325-1990 x 110 This month will be a Tillandsia Nancy Groves extravaganza, and about time! We Single email $13 [email protected] acquired a slew of good tillys from Dual email $17 858-453-6486 Justin Allen's big sell-off; clumps of Single USPS $28 Dual USPS $32 Lucia Velazquez interesting forms of T. purpurea, [email protected] straminea, dura, bergeri, chiapensis, 619-283-0500 etc. Plus, we will auction off a Renewal Fees: 2 years number of tillandsias from Tropiflora Bob Walters that were obtained when Dennis Single email $22 [email protected] Cathcart spoke recently in town. 619-282-2246 Dual email $30 Single USPS $52 Dual USPS $60

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Puya Opportunity

It seems like Bob Wright never stops tinkering with his plants. Someone took a Puya alpestris inflorescence to the Horticultural Society meeting when Dennis Cathcart was speaking, in May.

While all the folks marveled at the beauty, Bob seized the opportunity to harvest some blooms (with permission from the owner) and pollinate his own Puya venusta that he took to the May meeting. Great thinking, Bob! I want a seedling of that. One of Bob’s unregistered hybrids, done 15 years ago: Pitcairnia burle-marxii hyb.

Bob is known for his love of When asked about his hybrids, he’s spiny broms. He’s been not worried about posterity… experimenting with hybridizing for many years, I haven't registered any of my and having great fun with it. hybrids, but I haven't released Here’s what he had to say very many, only a few. Not when I asked why he grows every hybrid is a show stopper, bromeliads from seed: but some growers seem to think that all offspring should I have been growing be registered if the cross is seed, off and on, for made from two famous over 20 years. It's one parents. A good example is all way to increase the the Dyckia crosses made with diversity of your Bill Baker's hybrids. That's just collection. It takes my opinion. time, but not as much time looking backward, as looking forward from when you first plant the seed.

Bob's P. venusta in bloom. Notice the white thread, marking the flowers that were pollinated with

P. alpestris

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Dennis Growing Cathcart Bromeliads

Dennis Cathcart's presentation at the from Seeds SD Horticultural Society May meeting by Eloise Lau was a treat. Dennis and his wife Linda, owners of Tropiflora nursery, Dan and I have been growing spent 40+ years traveling the world bromeliads from seed for years. We in search for plants and introduced have successfully sprouted and Tiny Aechmea metertensii grown many to the horticultural trade. grown dyckia, ursulaea, aechmea, from seed fosterella, neoregelia, pitcairnia, The talk was a condensed account of puyas and tillandsias. Sprouting years of nature travel and them doesn’t seem to be the exploration, divided by habitat types problem. Keeping them going can and illustrated with lots of photos of be more difficult. bromeliads dwelling in their natural state. From time to time, he threw in Tillandsias are our down fall. We some humorous bits to remove us have started them on screen, on from a bromeliad-induced trance – potting soil and even on coconut from earthquakes to unfriendly bark and tree fern but have not

donkeys and neon tarantulas. raised any to adulthood. The only ones that seem to grow are the ones Aechmea metertensii seedlings The habitat shots of bromeliads were that start as volunteers among the at times, surprising - think Spanish moss or in a clump of T. funckiana and T. cyanea colonies tillandsias. living on exposed cliffs, no shade in We put our seed in Sunshine sight. I always though these plants Professional Growing Mix. We soak liked shade and humidity. the seed overnight in warm tap Extreme survivalists like T. latifolia, water. We do not sterilize anything. forming lonely clumps on sand dunes We just put the potting mix in a pot, in Peru where it's "too dry for wet the potting soil down, put the cactuses" - in Dennis' words. I for one seed on top of the potting mix and had never heard that Dyckia put the pot in a plastic bag. The seed brevifolia in the south of Brazil grows usually sprout in a week or two. on riverbanks and can stay When the seedlings sprout, open the submerged for weeks, unscathed, plastic bag to let air in, but keep the when the river floods. sides of the bag upright to keep the

humidity in. This will allow for air But particularly mind-blowing are the movement that helps the seedlings photos of lesser-known bromeliads survive. Give them a weak solution in remote jungles, plants that we will of fertilizer every week or two Adult plant never see because they are unfit for beginning when they are about an cultivation. There are many species inch high. like that, living beautifully, in hiding. Here are pictures of Aechmea metertensii: THE BROMELIAD BLADE | June 2016 9

David Anderson’s Garden

Tillandsia leiboldiana (left) Tillandsia (right) Garden view (bottom)