bird of paradise plants and a vriesea-christiane plant

I have a bird of paradise plant that I got in the mail. it had 1 4"leaf, I got one for my mom and 1 for me for mom's day. she gets her poinsettias to re-bloom and her orchids so I thought I'd give her a challenge... well 4 years later I have both plants with a dozen leaves at 3' tall! and no flowers :-((( one I potted in an enclosed pot with broken china & pebbles on the bottom for drainage and the other is in a smaller regular clay pot.

I also was given a vriesea named christiane. have had it for about 1 year and am wondering how to get it to rebloom.

once I can get them to bloom how to propegate them and then how long til they will bloom again.

these are all house plants as I live in MIchigan. they get to be out in the summer, and get to live in my office in the winter.

thanks for any help you can give me.

beth phillips ... and Flowers are the bomb!!!

Bird of Paradise take a very long time to get to blooming stage, I have heard some say 7 years or more! Here is the Plant Files listing with information: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/619/

and more information care and culture information can be found here: http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic1562.htm

Vriesea take a few years to flower also. There are 24 listed in Plant Files: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/adv_search.php?searcher%5Bcommon%5D=&searcher%5Bfamily%5D=&searcher%5Bgenus%5D=vriesea&searcher%5Bspecies%5D=&searcher%5Bcultivar%5D=&searcher%5Bhybridizer%5D=&searcher%5Bgrex%5D=&search_prefs%5Bblank_cultivar%5D=&search_prefs%5Bsort_by%5D=rating&images_prefs=both&Search=Search

More info about growing bromeliads like vriesea: http://www.bromeliads.info/archives/growing-bromeliads-indoors-overview

I found this info for Vriesea also: http://www.cloudjungle.com/epibook/Vriesea.html

Good luck with your plants and even if you don't get blooms for a long time, you can still enjoy the beauty of the foliage.

The BOP I do know something about. It needs lots of sun - 8 hrs or so. Also, it likes to be fertilized. Do NOT cut any leaves off of it. It needs at least 4-6 leaves to bloom. The more it is fertilized, the faster it will grow. Try something like Super Bloom. It also needs a lot of water to really get started. It doesn't like cold weather nor being indoors. When I say not to cut any of the leaves off, I mean even the old, brown/yellow ones. Why this makes a difference I don't know - just know it does. I'm hoping that the BOP you have is the yellow & blue one because that is the one I am talking about. Also, if the pot that you have the plant in does not have enough soil that could affect it also. It really likes being in the ground or at least in an extremely large pot. It doesn't take to crowding. Hope this helps.

Ann

Ann, that is good information to know! A lot of folks here in Florida have humongous BOP's planted in their yards ... really beautiful plants! I don't think it will survive winters in the ground in Michigan where flowersarecool lives!

I think leaving the leaves on, even the yucky yellow and brown ones is probably because the plant is still taking in nutrients from those leaves until they are finally crispy dead.

I always try to think "What happens in the wild to "such and such plant" if no one is there to baby it?" To me, if it has survived for such a long time without human intervention, it probably doesn't need it. A lot of those BOPs in Florida are the white variety. I assume that the needs are different as when you see pictures of landscapes rarely are they blooming. I have had BOPs still bloom after a freeze - not a really hard one that lasts for hours or days but a a freeze all the same. Now if I could find a way to raise an orchid, I'd be so happy! Tried a lot of them including phals. but I can kill those things, easily.

Ann

I haven't seen many white ones around. Every one I see planted in peoples yards is this one: http://www.floridata.com/ref/S/stre_reg.cfm

just checked the forum been in the hospital for a few days ... the info is great and I've been doing all the wrong things ... yes we have HARD freezes here in MI and FEET of snow on top of the ground. with a water table almost at ground level ... I think the BOP is the orange kind. My husband tells me to quite picking the leaves and flowers off my other plants ... but they are so ugly and dead!!! one is in a 6 or 8" pot and the other is in a deeper 10 to 12" pot.

as far as orchids go my mom has hers in a south facing window and waters and fertelizes them. the little green root like shoots she leaves on but other than that nothing I think ... I'll check and lest you know.

thanks
beth