Coming back to bromeliads

16 years ago

Hello all! I've been reading through some of the threads here and I feel like I've come to the right place.

I was into tropical plants and especially bromeliads years ago, when I was just a kid. An ice storm destroyed my collection back in 1994 and I just couldn't work up much interest in plants again for many years. But now I'm ready to start back up.

I am looking for recommendations for smaller (under 12" all around) bromeliads which will grow indoors or in terraria. The hardier, the better. I don't currently have a greenhouse, but I am considering building a small lean-to style greenhouse.

Thanks!

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Comments (5)

nathan_the_newt
Original Author
16 years ago
I forgot to mention: I am more interested in wild-type plants than cultivars or hybrids.
malleeaustralia
16 years ago
G'day Nathan and a belated welcome to the forum.

Being a leanrer to broms myself and not knowing your area I wont give you exact recommendations (I find trial and error works best for me) but there are many 'mini' broms - particularly amongst the Neos that would suits your size requirements. Many of the mini Neos are hybrids but there are also many species or 'wild' broms of varying sizes out there.

As for the greenhouse - dont worry at all about building a 'super structure', as you say, a lean to type deal will suffice nicely as long as it protects the plants. I have never built anything before but have recently knocked up some lean-to type shade areas and found it no problem at all. Shade-cloth itself is fairly light so doesn't need a house frame to hold it up. The plants are loving their new home and rewarding me with some beautiful colour.

I hope you enjoy your brom growing and the forum - there are many knowledgeable people here happy to share their enthusiasm. I have learnt a lot from trawling through old posts here as well as asking questions.

all the best
Kristan
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nathan_the_newt
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you very much, Kristan!

I am in Tennessee, USA. The winters here are rather too cold for broms to grow outside year-round. There's 5" of snow on the ground right now, and the temp has reached as low as 7 F (-14 C). So, portable plants are a must!

My favorite thing about bromeliads is their epiphytic habit. I just made a "bromeliad tree" for a friend with two cultivars of Vriesia splendens (I think, they were unlabeled at the store) and some Billbergia nutans pups. I think it came out pretty well; I'll have to remember to bring my camera next time I visit her.

My next project for myself is a 4-foot piece of driftwood that I want to mount on a plaque and plant with all sorts of epiphytes. I've been scouring the web for stores that sell cool plants. I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions to ask here before it's done.
hotdiggetydam
16 years ago
Nathan contact Michael's Bromeliads. He will be of great help to you and has many to choose from.
Here is his email address: info@michaelsbromeliads.com
nathan_the_newt
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks, Hot Diggety! I found Michael's site. He has quite a stock list. It's a bit overwhelming. I'll be sure to contact him when I'm ready to make a big purchase.