Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Aechmea Black Chantinii, Flowering already!, 1 by digital_dave

digital_dave wrote:
We grow in a greenhouse with the approximate low setting of 54 degrees. It's about 20x30' facing south with two separate layers of poly. There are micro-climates inside that affect growth. The furnace end is a little warmer in the Winter; the air-inlet end is dryer in the Summer; the upper benches always warmer, etc. For most of them, 54 is sufficient but some of them aren't very happy.The warmer growers like the Brazilian Vrieseas seem to withstand colder temps than Vrieseas from Peru. Go figure.

Even though Bromeliads are mostly tropical, elevation plays a big part. High elevation dessert plants like Puyas (Peru, Bolivia) are frequently subjected to freezing temperatures and cope just fine. All things being equal, the temperature drops about 3.6 degrees for every 1,000 foot of elevation. So even at the equator it can be quite cool (like in Quito). It's often difficult to know what temperature a plant prefers. I just play around with the micro-climates in the greenhouse and the fussy ones just tend to slowly fade away and eventually die. They don't get replaced (well mostly...)

Dave