It must be the vengeful spirit of Mulford Foster, Bob! How do you do with Crypt. fosterianus and Ae. fosteriana?

I haven't had a problem with either of those two, but I can't grow high-elevation plants. I've had lots of failures with things like Till. multicaulis, so I don't even try anymore.

One that I don't understand, though, is Vr. guttata. I don't think that's a high elevation plant but it's just difficult. Many years ago I bought a healthy-looking clump of about 6 of them in a pot. Naturally I wanted to make more so I divided the clump up, and all but one of them bit the dust soon thereafter. The remaining one limped along but never did throw out a single root. I eventually took it out of the soil mix and put it in a small pot full of perlite, where it lived for many years, but no roots (I foliar fed it) and no babies. It finally went to the big compost heap in the sky and I've never tried another one.

There seem to be certain varieties that just don't want to root. A couple of others in this category are xNeomea 'Strawberry' and Neo. 'Golden Chalice'. They may seem at first to be rooted in the pot but then one day they'll get all loose and wobbly and malnourished-looking. When you give them a little tug they pop right out of the pot, and there's just nothing going on down below. I don't understand why these particular ones do that-- anyone else experience this?

Still, compared to how many different types of succulents I've lost, I'm doing comparatively well with the broms!

Lisa,I'm with you on Vr.guttata,I had one from Bird Rock Tr.that was rooted,nice and healthy, until I got hold of it. I really wanted to see that pink inflorescence with the yellow petals. But alas,it did nothing for a few months,then gradually deteriorated leaf by leaf,even tho it was outdoors in the summer.I never ordered a second one,chalking it up as a 'touchy' plant.So now I just look at pictures of it.
I had that same thought about M.Foster,but My aechmea and cryptanthus plants are doing very well,so go figure!
Bob

How about some more stories to make us feel a little better about our disappointments?

Well, you know where I'm headed, for any future Tillandsia growers. The one on e-bay right now, T. dyeriana, is just too much trouble! I've tried everything but tuck it into bed with me. . Cool/humid, hot/humid, warm/airy...everything. It's one of those "nice to look at but..". Stay away from that one unless you're blessed with real good Mojo!
The other Tills that are troublesome are:
humilus
andreana
imperialis
'Houston' (for some unknown reason, every one!)
macdougallii
globosa
Them's r my toughies. No real problems with other genera except a few of the V. fenestralis forms seem to take forever. Good post Bob.

One of the most beautiful plant I always want to keep is Till. tectorum, all type,
but I think Bangkok city is too hot/humid for them.
I've never make it even one, they will all gone within months !

Stephania, T. tectorum is one of those Tills that thrive best when neglected the most. They really, really dislike having their leaves moist. What you can do is take 4 photographs of a really nice tectorum (front, back and sides), tape them together to form a cube and suspend your "new plant" from a wire! All the benefits of having one without the hassle of too much humidity! ;-)

Hi gonzer. re: T.dyeriana,I got one from Tropiflora a few years ago,and tho slow growing,it did eventually flower for me.I may find a 35mm.photo of it,and post it.It did not offset,so that was my only experiance with it.Guess I was just lucky.
Why 'Houston'does'nt make it for you is the kind of mystery that this post is about. The real 'puzzelers'.
It has such easy parents,stricta and recurvifolia.
Not at the top of my 'trouble'list,but close,are three similar looking Guzmanias that I've had. (for a short while).
They all have very attractive leaf designs,and make nice additions to the home.
Guzmania's: bismarkii;lindenii;and andreettae.
But in a few short months,each was dying off.Guess they didn't like our water,or something.And yet,other Guzmanias that I have did very well,happy with our low-light conditions in the home. Here's a pic of G.lindenii when it was still here. Nice plant,but...
Bob
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Bob, the Guzmanias you mention are ones that I don't even try because they fall into that "higher elevation" category and most of the people I know who have tried them have failed. I do have a friend in an area of the island that gets cooler nighttime temperatures and she grows lindenii very well. I wouldn't have thought too much heat would be a problem for you though!

I don't know what it is. I've grown and bloomed T. dyeriana without too much trouble but T. deppeana just doesn't like me. I know others who have big beautiful ones, though, so I don't know what's so different about my place.

Bob, your post brings back some sad memories. I had both G. bismarkii and G. lindenii for a couple of years before they mysteriously croaked. I'd love to try again with either of them. I'll add to my failures G. musaica (2)and G. zahnii variegata (2). Attempt #3 with G. zahnii is struggling. I had T. dyeriana once before. It flowered and then died. I picked up another to try at the San Diego conference last June. It's in spike now and looks healthy, so perhaps I'll have better luck this time?
I have had success with Vr. fosteriana 'Vista', and Dyckia fosteriana 'Silver Queen'. I had both of them for a few years now. Vr. guttata is one that pined away quickly on my first attempt. I aquired a second one a few years ago, and it's done well. It's flowered twice for me, and is going to seed now.

Hi Paul.Interesting,both of us in Z-6,some same,some opposite results. You reminded me of another recent loss,D.fosteriana 'Silver Queen',but that was my fault,got water on the rosette,and it developed stem rot while dormant indoors.I too lost my one and only G.musaica before it flowered,and I think thats a difficult one also.But I did well with my first G.zahanii variegata.I had two very similar Guzmanias,by name of 'Sir Albert'that are look-alikes to zahanii var.,just smaller in size,and gave them to the Botan.Gdns,and one bloomed this year.
If you have time,I'd like to see a pic of your successful 'Vista'.Really like that one,but just no luck with it.
Bob

Guz. musaica is a somewhat touchy species. I was told that it's super-epiphytic and would be much happier mounted on a tree than in a pot. Haven't tried that yet, I've been keeping it potted but have never been able to increase it because as soon as it throws a pup the mother plant craps out. It has bloomed, though.

Thanks for your trick Gonz !

It's also hard to keep some puya successfully in hot Bangkok city too.
Last year I got young plants of Puya alpestris and P.beteroniana.
They seemed not well and gone within few months, while P.mirabilis grows like a weed.

Had a similar experiance with T.tectorum,Gonzer. I've had it for over a year,and knew enough to just leave it alone,just hanging in space above my other broms.It was doing well until one fatal mistake.I happened to get some misting spray water on it,and soon after,it went to Til.Heaven. Does'nt that plant Ever get a little thirsty?

Stephania,I think you're right about your Puya's being too hot and humid,except the miribilis,which is well described as 'growing like a weed'. I too have young 1 year old plants of Puya alpestris,berteroniana,and dyckioides.They are doing nicely,and the dyckioides is only 6" tall,but already has 5 offshoots forming at the base.So I guess the cooler and drier conditions are to their liking.
The mimibilis I bought from YuccaDo this past Summer has doubled in size,and has split into two plants.And the seedlings I grew are now about 4" tall,and growing fast.
Yes,its a weed!
Bob

Is anyone growing Bill. seidelii? I ordered one about 5 years ago and as soon as I got it what few leaves it had started to turn brown. I cut them back and managed to keep it alive as a chopped-off tube, but it took several years before it gave me a pup, at which point the mother gave up completely. Now the pup looks just as sad as she did. Why is that one so much more difficult than most?

I should probably just chuck it, it's not worth the effort. They must have had a better looking photo of it on FCBS earlier becuase I remember thinking it had really unusual markings, but I'm not seeing that now.

Bob, Here's a photo of my Vr. fosteriana 'Vista'. I guess I should be content with such a fine G. lindenii 'imitator'!
BTW, another of our local bromeliad society members had his 'Vista' bloom this past summer. It's now growing a couple of healthy pups, and possibly (?!) a seed pod or two.
Paul

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That plant's a Wowzer!
Lisa jogged my memory about this Vriesea I obtained from John Arden's neighbor, Werner Krausbie, over 10 years ago. Herr Krausbie did not know the name but said it was slow. This 4" pot is 10 years worth of growing! Ant ideas as to it's identity?
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gonzer why the 4 inch pot? maybe a large pot would suit the plant better? The coloration on the leaf tips resembles 'chameleon'

It's root system is minimal at best, hdd. Throughout the years I've re-potted in different mixes maybe 3-4 times. I'm lucky to see one new leaf a year. It's in the greenhouse now so maybe something will show.

Gonzer,That one looks like its from the group of vrieseas that were hybridized in Hawaii. Could be heirogyphica X fosteriana 'Red Chestnut'.(looks like it has the fosteriana R.C.in it).Or,'Pahoa Beauty'x heiroglyphica ;,or just plain 'Pahoa Beauty'.
There was a collection of these hybrids that were offered by Tropiflora in the Fall of 1994,and I picked up a bunch of them then,and still have four left.They are very slow growers tho. And small pots are recommended for most vrieseas,until they get some decent roots,which takes awhile.
Lisa posted some vrieseas from Hawaii this past Summer,that would help ID yours.Don't recall the month or topic tho. Lisa...help here?
Bob

Hi Lisa,in answer to your post on B.seidelii,I have not seen or heard much about that one. I scaned the fcbs site to see if it was used in any crosses...zilch ! The photo there looks like a pretty bad off plant (brown leaf). And if You can't grow it,who can? That one is not on my 'want list',for sure.(Not listed in Michael's either...Hmmm.)
I have one Bil. that I can't keep healthy for long,Bil.'Manda's Othello',that usually ends up like your seidelii did.(two plants and counting) ;(
Bob

Bob, they must have had a better looking photo of B. seidellii on FCBS earlier, or I never would have ordered it. The one I remember showed rather striking markings, and no evidence of yellowed leaves like the one on there now. It also didn't show the rather pathetic little flower either! I got it from Michael, so maybe he's discontinued it now. Can't say I blame him, but for a hybridizer getting new species with potentially desirable traits is always at the top of the list. Hybrids may be more beautiful, but in many cases I tend to think "I'll bet I could make something like that myself if I wanted to, so why buy it?" Unlike some of you, I don't seem to require instant gratification. ;-) You can't make a species though, and it represents new genetic material rather than just rescrambling the same old stuff.

As to gonzer's Vriesea, it's clearly some kind of fosteriana hybrid, but I'm not sure what. I'm not seeing any heiroglyphica traits but it could be a Pahoa Beauty relative of some kind, or even PB itself. Hard to tell, particularly when it's still small and stressed-out. A lot of things look about the same under those conditions, but it's definitely got fosteriana of some sort in it, and most likely some gigantea (Nova or other cv.). The other species that show up in foliage hybrids most often are platynema and fenestralis. Not seeing any obvious markers of either of those, but there could be some in the mix somewhere that would be more apparent in a mature specimen.

I keep bringing this up, but you have to keep in mind that the registered hybrids are just the tip of the iceberg. Particularly with something like foliage Vrieseas where there is a significant time investment and almost every seedling has some redeeming qualities, it is standard practice to sell off all your culls at a cheaper price, so there are far more unnamed ones out there than named varieties.

Lisa, I'll have you know that my plant is NOT stressed out! I talk to it every day and read it bedtime stories at night. Stressed out? Uh uh. ;-)

My worst nightmare bromeliad WAS Vriesea hieroglyphica. I must have killed six before I FINALLY got it right! Now, I have a beautiful plant!

I had a Vr guttata. It began flowering six weeks after arrival. Absolutely gorgeous. It did nothing to perpetuate itself. kaput! rotted.

I have a halfway decent looking b&w foto of Billbergia seidelii from the 1976 Alvim Seidel Orquidario Catarinense catalog. NICE looking plant! Price is a bit steep these days, $30. ---Stitz