I love this one..looks like a heliconia when in bloom.Last year when I got it it had one plant, now has three pups blooming all at once. Woo Hoo!
:-)
Vriesea Carly
Nice Xmas colors. Do you feed your brom's for better growth and blooming? I take care of one garden that has hundreds of broms and would love to be able to get more flowering stalks.
Another problem I have is with the 'cup' developing a stinky quaility and then their Lab likes to tear them up and eat them. I am putting the final touches on a misting system that will run more well water into the cups and I am hoping this will minimize the problem.
The system will be using almost a 1000' of poly line and about 600 emiters, the largest system I have installed so far. Running the main line and installing the misters is really taking a toll on my arms and legs because these are well established plantings. It has been too warm to wear long pants and long sleeves, our temps have been in the mid 80's, unseasonably warm. Good thing I like my work.
I like to take photos of this site, but, I have never been able to get a good long shot of the beds. I have lots of close ups.....
And a very diverse collection...
Dale, mine just get a little Peters fertilizer every so often I should feed more but get a little lax around em.As for the smelly water. they say put a small pinch of peat moss in the center to keep the bacteria out.I rinse mine every so often to keep em clean.
Nice garden pics.
Kyle :-)
Fertilization works wonders with Bromeliads. Why would this surprise anyone? The Europeans (especially the Dutch), who grow far more Bromeliads commercially, have made a science of it. I am hardly an expert on the subject but I've seen enough results to accept it. I fertilize monthly with "Grow More" Bromeliad Food 17-8-22, not because of the name but because it's closest to the NPK ratio recommended by a Bromeliad growing friend of mine who certainly qualifies as an expert. I use approximately half strength in November and January, skip December and February but I supplement with Osmocote 14-14-14 in the Fall. I also mix in Merit for residual scale control. After the soil application I also spray the same mix on the foliage. I try to do this on a cloudy day and follow with overhead misting after a few hours. In Florida one probably wouldn't need to skip the Winter months.
So much for science; I also add a few drops of Superthrive. I have no idea whether it's a miracle or a scam, but enough people use it and it doesn't cost a fortune.
Dale: I'd be careful about putting well water into the cups. They will not be happy if there's calcium or worse and sodium in the water. I doubt Florida well water is all that mineral pure. Storing rain water isn't easy but there's nothing better. The huge Deroose Nursery in Apopka (Europeans! - mostly Bromeliads) stores a great deal of rainwater that is collected off the greenhouse roofs.
Dave,
Where do you find the Grow More fertilizer?
Thanks,
Kyle
I've been pretty happy with them.
http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm
Had some time today so I went over the USF Bot Garden. Here is one that has its winter color, almost like rosy cheeks. I want one for my front yard. It would look good next to the pineapples (Ananas).
This message was edited Dec 23, 2006 6:24 PM
Here is the one just to the north of the last photo.
Thanks Dave. :-)
Another new pic
one more
