You remember that list I gave you of the three different tribes, Phil? Well, each tribe has a different kind of seed, so they will ripen differently. For a Vriesea it will form a hard pod that will burst open when the seeds are ripe, and the seeds themselves will have a little floaty tuft attached so they can blow in the wind. Same with Guzmanias and Tillandsias. They take a much longer time to ripen than Neo or Billbergia seeds too; it could be anywhere from 6 months to a year. Do not attempt to open the pod when it is still green, the seeds won't be any good. It must be dry and brown and you have to wait for it to pop open on its own.

Neos are completely different. They form a juicy berry and it won't split open or give you much indication when it's ripe. You have to just give it a gentle tug every so often to test it. If it comes off easily it's ripe, if you have to pull hard it's too soon. Usually they take about 3 months, but it can vary. In some of the Aechmeas, Billbergias and other genera in this tribe the berry will change color when it's ripe, but they don't all do that. There's even a few Neos that will do that, but it's hard to see it down in the cup.

Dyckias are in the third group and they have a hard dry pod too, but the seeds are shaped completely differently from the Vrieseas, more like little discs or stacks of poker chips. They will pop open when they're ready, but fall to the ground instead of flying in the wind.

kool thanks lisa so i got ages to wai then cant wait to see what i get