Tropicals & Tender Perennials: I really need to know the answers to this question., 1 by JaxFlaGardener

JaxFlaGardener wrote:
Hi, Marian. It sounds like we are in the same climate Zone. My winters here are right on the borderline of 8b/9a. There typically are a few incursions below 32 F on a few nights for a few hours, and then we sometimes have the "freakish" winters like last year with temperatures in the low 20s F for several hours on several nights. Looking at the USDA Zone Map, the 20s F averaged over a period of time are sort of the expected norm and we are just lucky to have winters that are warmer most of the time.

During normal winters (with 32 F or as low as 28 F), I have not had any trouble getting most bromeliad genera to survive outdoors in the ground. I grow Aechmea, Vriesea, Billbergia and Cryptanthus and they all can survive temperatures below freezing. In the past, I haven't done anything for frost and freeze protection of my bromeliads. The 20s F temperatures last winter killed off the foliage on most of these, with the Billbergia seeming to come through with the least freeze damage. I was very pleasantly surprised, however, that with a slow recovery time of a few months unmolested, most of the other bromeliad genera recovered from the freeze damage and sent up new growth from what remained of the root crown. So, even with those extremes, my bromeliads still performed as "perennials" in my climate.

I've taken a different route with planting bromeliads the past two years. I'm providing a more natural planting medium by placing my bromeliads on the large trunks of some oak trees I had taken down in 2004 during the spate of one hurricane after another and due to the threat of the old oak trees looming over my house roof with individual limbs as large as a good sized tree. I had the tree surgeon leave all the cut trunks and limbs (1) to save money on the cost of felling the tree - about 50% savings (2) so that the workers wouldn't be dragging tree limbs and debris through my established garden (3) to possibly provide some habitat for critters that might want to live around the decaying wood. In my hot humid climate with lots of wood-destroying insects, it didn't take long for even the 3 ft diameter oak trunks to begin to decay. The result after a few years was (1) a good supply of very rich, dark humus soil compost from the decaying wood which amends my sandy soil better than anything I've previously found (2) a VERY happy and multiplying population of earthworms (3) a chance encounter to plant bromeliads on the tree stumps. The result is that the bromeliads on the decaying stumps are MUCH happier than any of my bromeliads in the garden soil plantings. The difference in their vigor is truly amaziing between those bromeliads planted on the stumps and those in the ground. An additional advantage this winter will be that I can easily build a tent over the bromeliad planting using pvc pipe and 6 mil plastic sheeting, and cover the bromeliads with a few dozen strings of small Christmas tree (twinkle" lights and probably bring the bromeliads through the winter with minimal, if any, frost or freeze damage. Another advantage of this bromeliad planting is that I can experiment with adding other tropical plants (Epidendrum terrestrial reed orchids, Cissus discolor vine, Stromanthes, etc.) and probably have them survive the winter because they will also be protected under the tent and twinkle lights.

I will be building the tent and adding the twinkle lights soon after Christmas. I am very happy that the weather here has held off on dropping below about 35 F and I will be able to rush out to the after-Christmas sales to stock up on twinkle lights at greatly reduced prices. I will post some photos here when I get the winter enclosure constructed and the lights installed.

Edited to add: I also grow pineapple bromeliads (Ananas spp.). The conventional wisdom that pineapple plants can't survive below 50 F is totally bogus. They are actually as hardy as other bromeliads I grow and also returned from the root crown after the freeze damage of 20 F last winter, or survived without much damage (like my red-leaved Ananas) due to the minor frost/freeze protection provided by overhanging, taller plants. And yes, I do get pineapple fruit every few years from my pineapple bromeliads! Here's an article I wrote for DG a few years ago about my successful pineapple mini-plantation: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/174/

Jeremy

This message was edited Dec 24, 2009 1:59 PM