Greetings .........
I have five different Orlandiana color forms; this is one of my favorites - along with "Ensign". I grow all of these in pots - and they all do extremely well. I use clay orchid pots and a mix of orchid seedling medium with one third potting soil. The whole secret is to achieve quick draining, good air flow, and no "soggy feet".
John
Thanks for the advice about using the orchid mix with the 1/3 soil......................I have my bromeliads in clay pots but didn't realize how important it is for them to drain well.
Hi John, me too with the potting media. I have been making some up with 50% potting mix, 20% bark, 20% sand and 10% Jumbo pearlite. We have been getting oodles of rain, so need maximum drainage. I use plastic squat pots though, and I plant the whole container in the ground, so I can move the plants for maximum health if needed.
I've got an A. orlandiana 'Ensign' and this one, which I reckon would have to be a cultivar. Have you seen this before, and do you know what it might be?
This is the flower
This is the underside
Sue .........
For what it's worth - here are some pics of the various Orlandiana crosses in my collection. I grow them in very high light - so the colors are extremely intense; most people grow them in less light - so the colors might look a bit different!
I am afraid of plastic pots in the ground; we get far too much rain here in Winter Park. I have had friends lose many of their plants when they discovered - far too late - that the roots and lower crown of the plant were rotted from all the moisture.
John
This is Ae. Orlandiana "yellow"
This is Ae. Orlandiana "Reverse Ensign" - replete with pup!
This is a jewel - Ae. Orlandiana "White Knight"
............ and finally - Ae. Orlandiana "Ensign". Again - the color (especially the red) is extreme because of the high light levels in which they grow.
Thanks John, I found my A. 'Ensign" started to burn if in too bright a light, so I've put it under the trees on the morning sun side (East) It had a little nodule on the stem which I'm hoping will form its pup. It deffinitely doesn't have the pink that yours has, but does have quite good colour. The one in the pic I posted has quite a red tinge in the banding, but it just doesn't come through true to colour in the pic! It looks a little like the A. orlandiana posted by bird rock Tropicals on the FBS Website, only mine has a lot more dark patches. Did the flowers on yours start out like mine? (in the pic)? Will it change?
I also found that Orlandiana cultivars don't like to be wet for very long, and so I placed mine where it only gets wet when it rains really hard, (to get through the tree canopy)
They seem to be a bit fussy compared to others, but maybe thats from poor breeding here in Australia?
Loving your Orlandianas!
Thanks again.
Sue
G'day Sue ............
Ae. Orlandiana Ensign will grow in nearly full sun if it is acclimated from winter on through summer. It does want to grow on the dry side - with no wet feet. That's why I use the potting mix I do - along with orchid pots - which have nice slits in the side to allow quick drying and good ventilation. These aechmeas do much better out of the ground. Here in Florida - many growers mount them on gnarled branches or roots. A friend of mine has them growing on large rocks; several are in full sun and are very red; some are shaded - and are very green & white. There is no "bad" breeding in Australia - since all of these cultivars are either offsets or clones. It all boils down to culture - though some cultivars have superior color. The flowers are basically all the same ......... some are simply larger because the host plant is more robust. I too have found this specie to be among the more "fussy" - but well worth any extra effort!
John
