Hi Tomas,Ok,now some Vr.seed can be like that so as you didnt say what you have sown at times i will generalise ok?i sow my seed in 'coco peat'(shredded coconut fibre)i first soak it in a pool algicide called 'Aliginox or Algitrol' both are blue cloured and contain NO COPPER,@ a rate of half a cup to 15 -20 litres of water for at least 2 hours,squize some water out and put in trays or pots (i use 300 x 350 nursery trays, leave about 1 centimeter of space from top edge of container, cover with glass and sit in full sun for 2 hrs minimum ,let cool and sow the seed on top (do not bury the seed)gently mist the seed do dampen it down till its all stuck to the 'coco peat'using water with the 'Alginox' @ rate of 3-5 mill per litre of water,cover with glass or clear plastic and sit in a warm ,well lit area (no direct sun)keep like this untill the seedlings are about 1 cm tall,take the top of occasionally for inspection,if any Algea growth occurs in a spot or the container is getting a bit dry , dampen with the water and 'Aloginox'but only when its cool or in the evening ok? for me and my friend Tamera this system works well,she does a lot of Billbergias as well,and between us we would have aprox 40,000 seedlings in different stages(thats conservative)losses are small but with some crossings the death rate can be high,we transplant the seedlings to trays again when they reach 1-2 centimetres height,spacing them so there are 100-120 to a tray,they get fertilized there on in and when a suitable size go into small pots,DO not let them get dry at any stage for to long as Vrieseas dont like dry feet. you could use german peatmoss or shredded treefern fibre ,if its organic and compostible material like indoor plant potting mix it will grow to much Algea and drown the roots and create all sorts of proplems,it has to be sterile medium that does not break down,it does not have to nourish the seeds,as once they are up you can foliar feed ,Moss growing is not a problem but the dark green Algea is a menace,hope this helps ,it works for us and Kerry Tate,Allan Phythian,Francess Wilson,Richard Harper all use this method as well and results are great,i trust this helps people ,and it works for all genera,yes even fuzzball Tillandsias,bye for now Jack

They probably would benifit from a small fan moving the air around them, and you may be keeping them too wet. They look like they are big enough to let the potting mix dry out smoe before watering them again. Have you noticed any fungus gnats, their larvae will eat the plants roots and kill the seedlings. If you do have fungus gnats, sprinkle some ground cinnamon into the pot and water it in, it will keep more gnats from laying their eggs in th pot, it works!

One more factor, is the rule of the jungle, only the fittest survive, I would rather have a half dozen good seedlings than 30 marginal ones.

I think you are keeping them too wet now.

meant to tell you that its normal to have a few seedlings that really zoom away and a few that seem to struggle ,you must expect that ,nothing is perfect

yes thats a good point Bambi,even though i find Vrieseas dont like dry feet ,htere is a big difference between moist ,damp and wet, the trick is to keep them just moist,bear in mind that what works for one may not work for some one else,

Jack,

I was growing seedlings pretty much the way you described and misting at night with reasonable success rates but I was told that watering at night would kill my bromeliads so I stopped doing it.

Do you think misting seedlings at night does any harm? I suspect that it doesn't.

Thanks,

Rick

Hi Rick,misting at night might do harm if the are very small AND you expect frosts, no it does no harm and in hot summer is very beneficial keeping them wet all the time is a no no but so is keeping them dry, moist is the key specially seed that is just starting to germinate it must be kept moist, i tend to be single minded and if it needs a drink i dont care if its snowing ,if its a stinking hot day i water, and despite my best efforts to the contrary some of my plants still grow ,i have found that in winter that a plant with a dry root system will suffer more severe frost damage than a plant with a moist root system

Tomas,

Is that dark coloured substance on the surface of your mix just the colour of the potting mix, or is it a type of algae?

{{gwi:478047}}

If so, this could be part of your problem.

All the best, Nev.

Jack,

Thanks for the reply, I'm only fairly new at growing from seed. I have killed a few by letting them dry out, misting at night will definately help me.

Tomas,

Sorry I can't help you.

Rick

Thank you all for the information. Jack, I too grow in coco peat, mixed with 50% perlite, and I surely have the algae problem, will try your hint, the algaecide should be available in aquarium stores, right?

Nev, the black surface is the dead algae, when it grows I keep the mix drier and it dies, but the substrate will deteriorate this way.

Rick,
the evening misting, I can say what aplies to orchid growing. Everybody says do not mist in the evening, the plants will stay wet during the night and this favors the fungus penetration to the plant. If you mist in the morning, the plants will dry quicker. During the hot and dry summers here I mist in the evening, the plants will dry out the same but not so quickly. That's it I think.

Ciao
Tomas

If I want to control algae I spread a thin coating of Peat Moss on top of my seed mix. For me, seeds will germinate just fine sitting on Peat Moss. The dark Peat Moss seems to prevent algae growth by blocking the light or something, I'm not really sure.

However, the stuff I grow grows fast enough that the algae makes no difference so I rarely bother.

Bromadams,

I find right what you say for aechmeas, billbergias, neoregelias, but not for vrieseas, tillandsias and also guzmanias.

Tomas

Tillandsia seeds I just put on an appropriate tree and wish them luck. So far, many have been lucky.

I have been able to get a few Vrieseas to germinate on Peat Moss but I got bored with them after a few months (way too slow) and tossed them. However, that may not be a very good method as my germination rate was quite low. It could have been old seed or, as you say, Peat Moss is a poor choice.

Once I got tillandsia seeds germinated on a dead branch, but the plantlets disappeared the next year, our mediterranean hot and dry summer is not good for any epiphyte, as far as I know very few grow here, mostly ferns. Your humidity will do it.

Vrieseas are as easy to germinate as the other bromeliads, but their vulnerable stage is much longer.

Tomas

Hi Tomas ,yes its me again, to buy the Alginox or Algitrol you go to a store for pool accessories as it is meant for swimming pools ,it would kill fish by burning their gills.there may be an equevalent made in Italy but make sure its free from copper,the active constituent should be Benzalkonium Chloride Ok ? i have used the product for years and its even safe on maiden hair ferns.Jack

Hi Jack,
benzalconium chloride is the active ingredient of the most common house disinfectant here, maybe I could avoid just another bottle. Could you tell me what is the concentration of it in your pool algaecide? In the disinfectant it is 1,5g/100g, I would have to try as there are some other ingredients, but they seem harmless to me.

Tomas

Hi Tomas, the Benzalkonium Chloride is at 150g/l in the pool Algicides ,i would not use house dissinfctants ,some ingredients may seem harmless but not all is what it seems at times as manufacturers have different names at times,and it may well contain Formalin or Formaldehyde under a different name wich will do them no good,however if it has that little in it its of no use anyway.you can try it on a few little plants but ? you would have to use it undiluted and may not be a good thing depending on what else is hiding in the bottle

Hi Tomas,

Thanks for starting a very interesting post, and I'd like to add to it by asking Jack another question.

Jack, when you are preparing your seedling trays and you have put your Alginox treated Coco Peat in them, you say that you cover with glass and sit in the full sun for a two hour minimum.

What is the purpose of putting them in the sun? Does this, combined with the Alginox treatment, sterilize the Coco Peat?

Thanks in advance, all the best, Nev.

Hi Tomas, yes that really sterilizes the trays ,i have found that to be a great way and does not cost energy ,make sure trays are moistened again after the 'cooking' by misting water/alginox mix and then sow the seed ,as the seed is so easely blown away i do that indoors,when the seed is in place i use the hand held spray bottle over the tray(12-18 inch above) and very gently mist ,not to vigorous when the seed plumes are all transparent with moisture you can dampen down, the idea is that the initial spraying 'glues' the seed to the peat ok? beast of luck tomas ,you'll be fine , Jack