Could be Aechmea Del Mar or Blue Tango...neither like our Texas heat..but survive in the shade...The original will eventually die away and leave pups in its place.
I wouldn't repot until the bloom is gone and that should last a good while

I have the same plant and DelMar and it's too big for DelMar. I think it's too big for Blue Tango, but mine hasn't flowered yet so I don't know. I was thinking it might be Blue Max but that's just a guess.

It will never grow in that pot: they hate Longhorns but Gators are OK. The original pot is fine, just leave it in the pot and put the pot in the ground to keep it all steady.

You're giving it too much sun. I'd find it some more shade, probably 2 hours of sun would be plenty. It will die in a year or so but should have nice pups by then.

You mean Home Depot actually put a name (albeit wrong) on the tag??? Usually it would just say "Green Plant".

Thanks to all of you for responding so quickly.

hotdiggetydam (neat name)and Winterlager-thanks for the info, I have moved it to a more shady area. I looked at images of the 3 possibilities you stated and the Del mar was the closest but not a match unless the bract on the one I have is in an early stage. This one has more white than the Del mar but it is very close.

I was also relieved to hear that this bromeliad still has a while before its demise. I was originally upset when I read they die after blooming and thought we would only have it a couple of weeks.

Winterlager-What can I say, my daughter and my money go to UT. LOL The plant will just have to adjust.

Gonzer-So you apparently have ran across some creative labels at HD also. ;)

Once again, thanks all

Deb

I saw this plant at home despot today and it was labeled 'Blue Moon'. I guess it's not a registered name since it's not on fcbs.

Winterlager...I bought mine in Austin and it was labeled "Aechmea Fasciata". And your HD showed "Blue Moon" Once again HD creative labeling.

The original pics are gone because I reorganized my photo files. So I am including some of the orginals along with some new pics.

I have looked online at the Del Mar and now that the bract has matured more it does look like a Del Mar.

Earlier Photos

{{gwi:479544}}

{{gwi:479547}}

And this is what it looks like now

{{gwi:479549}}

{{gwi:479552}}

{{gwi:479555}}

Approximately how long does it take for them to bloom once they are at this stage?

I have never had a bromeliad, but looking around on this forum I may pick up more. There are so many varieties.

You all take care,
Deb

He is a pic of my delmar. The top of the flower spike broke off and you can't really tell but it's not as big as Blue Moon. I'd say it's half the size. I think from pup to flower is about 2 years for delmar, Blue Moon seems slower.

{{gwi:479556}}

I have Ae. Blue Moon and it doesn't look like your photos. The blues in my Blue Moon are not as vivid. Also, the leaves on mine are not as bright a green. My Blue Moon blooms readily; in fact, it is sending out a second set of flower spikes for this year.

The plant is Del Mar I had the mgr of our HD call the grower

Del Mar is a patented plant. I wonder if the grower has the rights to sell it? None of the growers that I know feel that they can sell it.

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/PP13421.html

How can you patent something that you don't even know what the parentage is? And It is probally the reason it has a generic tag. As far as selling Del Mar many nurseries offer it for sale. Or the fee's were paid to sell them.

I'm not sure what you mean by unknown parentage. The patent is pretty explicit. I found it an interesting read.

WL,

Since the grower is Bullis and I imagine that is where Home Depot gets theirs from, it would seem HD has a right to sell the plant.

But why mislabel it? I still don't think it's a Delmar. The description in the patent doesn't really match. In the end, I'd just say it's Blue Moon and sell it as much as I want.

I know personally of a local nursery that orders from Bullis and they get plants they did not order and that are mislabelled.

I also sent the photo's to Harry Luther he ID'd it as Del Mar

Seems like this discussion is getting a bit heated. Please don't over my account. I was just innocently asking for an ID so I could find care instructions for that particular brom.

One interesting bit of info. I went to daves garden site and there are some pics of the Delmar and they show it listed as Drawf Blue Tango Bromeliad "Del Mar". Go figure, they are using both names.

I went to Bullis site and the Delmar does look like mine according to their photos. Rather it is a Blue Tango, Blue Moon or Del Mar, they look similar and the care should be about the same for any of them.

Hope there is no hard feelings over this.

I do want to thank all of you for spending time to help me on the ID. I do appreciate all your help.

I think it is a awesome looking brom with striking color. Wish I could find a site to show what the blooms actually will look like. The spike is gorgeous I'm sure the blooms will be also.

Deb

Deb we like to argue. And for something so important as this, we may stay at it for weeks.

I'm not sure why you think that there is more to see. The actual opening of the flowers will be insignificant and you probably missed a lot of them already.

Hi,
I'm a new member from Australia. It looks exactly like my DelMar. They are available in Australia but hard to find and expensive. The good news is that they are good puppers. I have 3 pups on mine already and the flower has just finished.

OK, not that it matters, but here goes. I was at a society gathering today and talked to Ken Marks about this mess. He says that Blue Tango and Blue Moon came from the same grex of Aechmea fendleri x Aechmea dichlamydea trinitensis. They then crossed one of them (I don't remember which) again with dichlamydea trinitensis and got DelMar which they choose because it was smaller than Blue Moon or Blue Tango. The bottom line is that they all look quite similar but DelMar is smaller and more compact.

Here is one of the original photos showing a fairly large plant:
{{gwi:479558}}

Here is a DelMar that I took today:
{{gwi:479559}}

and a close up of the flowers.
{{gwi:479560}}

WL...Bless your heart for all the time researching the correct ID of my Brom. I will assume that I actually have a Blue Tango and will care for it as such.

As far as flowing goes, I originally thought that the bract was a tight cluster of buds which would eventually open. Kind of disappointing that I was wrong and the blooms are so insignificant. Just goes to show ya that I know absolutely nothing about broms. However the bract is stunning and happy to have it.

Once again thanks for clearing up the ID. Sincere appreciation to you and all that responded.

Deb

Hi to all I have just been reading the forum with great excitement as I am in the UK and have had my Del Mar for about 2months now and it was flowering when I bought it but now the flower has died. I keep it indoors as our weather here is not as warm as you folk. So I keep it on the window ledge and since the flower died I have noticed new leaves shooting out and my question is when will it flower again and what is my best way to care for this plant and what to expect now the flower has died. Thanks in advance for your help.

I just purchased my first bromeliad(delmar) over the weekend and it is an awesome lookin plant . I have done some research and asked advice from some people and I keep getting conflicting advice..DO I NEED TO MIST THE PLANT DAILY AND OFTEN? I have also heard that because they enjoy humidityi needed to place the pot on top of 2-3" of wet gravel ..IS THAT AN AFFECTIVE WAY TO KEEP HUMIDITY? PLEASE I WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL ADVICE AS I AM REALLY A BEGINNER IN THIS REALM.ARE THERE ANY IMPORTANT TIPS THAT I MAYBE MISSING?

Hi travisalouie,

Well it looks like we have a "trifecta", three new Bromeliad Garden Web members all on the 26th. Welcome to our forum and may you learn a lot, share a lot, and enjoy your involvement with us.

As for your question, firstly we need to know where your are living, your growing conditions such as climate and whether or not the plant is grown in the house/unit, green house, shade house or the open garden.

I am in Australia and growing in a mild climate. I just grow mine with my other aechmeas in a shade house beneath 75% beige coloured shade cloth. Some plants sit on mesh benches while others are suspended with hangers from the roof timbers as they like good air circulation. I water once a week in winter and twice a week in summer. I also water beneath the benches and wet down the floor to create a nice humid environment. The plants grow well for me in these conditions, however that's not to say the same would apply in your area, therefore you need to give us the extra info. mentioned above.

Welcome once again and all the best, Nev.

Thank you for coming to my rescue Nev. I am in the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, north east San Antonio to be exact. I live in a third story apartment complex with a beautiful view and plenty of air circulation. We are currently coming out of spring and about to hit summer. Evenings are in the 70's to upper sixties and the air is kinda dry for this time of year but, it is starting to get humid.During the day it gets in the upper 80's. Summers here are very hot and very humid with temps reaching over 100. My bromeliad (bruin-hilda)is what we named her stays under the patio so there is nothing but shade and again, plenty of air flow. I transplanted her into a little bit of a bigger pot about 3 days ago when I first got her and, she seems a little depressed. Her bottom leaves are sagging. I used a dry soil with moisture control and used another mixture of moisture control soil with miracle grow. I just placed BRUINHILDA on top of a dish that i filled with gravel and water. Is this good? Do I need to mist the plant? How much do I fill the plants cup with water? How and how often do i rinse the cup ..How especially?Do you feed your bromeliad? AGAIN THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO HELP... I thought that I had done enough research but have found that I really did not have close to what I needed. Every so called "expert" has major differences in their advice.Im not sure who to follow .She is a beautiful plant and I dont want do anything wrong...LOL!! Any and all advice would be great to help our relationship grow...LOL!!!THANK YOU AGAIN!!! ..IM really glad i found this forum...

Very concerned ,
travisalouie

Hi again travisalouie,

Personally I think you could get more informed advice from someone else on this forum who lives in your area and perhaps in an apartment.

It would also help enormously if you could post a picture of the plant in question.

Is there anyone here from Texas or thereabouts who can give travisalouie some better advice than I?

All the best, Nev.

Thanx for tryin Nev I truly appreciate it ... Attached are some pics of my plant including the patio to give you an idea.. Can you at least tell me about the watering part? How do you clean the cup and how often do you water the soil? Do you feed the soil ? I know that you are in a very different climate but anything you can tell me about the above questions might help...again thanx for your time

Here are some pics of my plant....Again any help would do as far as watering and keeping the cup clean ..any advice Nev would help

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:479526}}

Hi travisalouie,

I thought you may have had some advice from someone from your country by now, but I'm sure it will come.

Firstly, how long have you had the plant? Secondly, when you got it were the leaves droopy like they show in the pic? Thirdly, were the leaves as dark in colour as they are now?

First glances of your plant indicate to me that it isn't a "happy" plant and not getting enough light. This is because the leaves are dark in colour, a bit dull looking and droopy (compare to the other pic's on this thread). A healthy, happy plant has a sort of a slight sheen to the leaves and not as dark in colour (again, compare to the other pic's).

The gravel in the saucer idea for creating humidity is OK as long as the plant isn't siting in it. It should be on a couple of bits of brick or something similar, to keep it up off the gravel so it it doesn't contact the water. If it is continually in contact with the water it may be water-logged, and the only sure way to check this is to tip it out of the pot and inspect the mix at the bottom of the pot. If it is wet and soggy, wash all the old mix off and repot it into a new free draining mix. Another thing that will cause the leaves to darken in colour is too much fertilizer which is high in nitrogen, this often occurs at the level of the original commercial grower who feeds heavily to hurry things up. I've also been told they don't like an air conditioned environment. Whether this is true or not I don't know as I don't have air conditioning, I use fresh air instead.

I have previously purchased healthy looking plants from department stores and after I've had them home for a few weeks, they began to look "unhappy". This was because they had originally come from a commercial grower who had them in a controlled environment, fed them to the max. to hurry up the growth rate and then gassed them to bring on the flowering. Once I took them home they were coming into a completely different environment and took several months to adjust. They didn't die, they just seemed to sit there and look unhappy because they didn't like sudden the change in conditions.

Many years ago when I grew orchids, an old grower told me to always buy plants the were underfed and grown rough. That way when I gave them just a little bit of care, they would take off and grow better in appreciation. On the other hand he said if I bought a well fed plant that was soft from growing in forced conditions, I could expect it to go backwards initially until it re-adjusted to my less than perfect conditions. Another thing this old bloke told me was that more plants die from over watering than underwatering and if you're in doubt as to whether a plant needs watering or not, put it off for another day. I think the same applies to brom's as well and this is what I've based my growing on.

To summerise, check the mix to make sure it isn't too wet, and if it is, change it. Gradually increase the amount of light the plant is getting and just be patient. Plants take time to adjust to a change in environment.

Come one American Garden Webbers, what about some advice about apartment growing.

I hope this helps a bit,

All the best, Nev.

Nev, for all the plants I grow we do not have a single houseplant. We use to have tons! But dragging the hose (100') through the window every time and using a shower nozzle kinda screwed up the stereo. Pissed off the wife too.

Hey Nev! I checked the bottom of my pot like you told me and sure enough it was soggy! I didnt think to place a brick to raise the plant up out of the wet gravel..AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!I want to repot the plant but im afraid that i will stress her out even more considering I just transfered her to this pot last saturday. Do you think that it will harm her if i transfer her once more? What do you use for soil? The person that sold the plant to me said that I should use the same soil and mix it with the moisture control miracle grow soil. And yes she did look like that when I got her. Im including a picture of my patio below. As you will see She never gets direct sunlight. Im really afraid that I will move her and she will get to much sunlight? If you look at the included pic do you think that you might be able to suggest a place? Youve helped out quite a bit and I REALLY DO APPRECIATE YOU ! I promise I wont bug you anymore if you could just answer these last questions.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:479528}}

Hi travisalouie,

Well in view of no other responses to your questions I will do my best to advise you. But I must point out that the info I give is based on what I would do if the plant were mine and growing under my growing conditions. You say "I have done some research and asked advice from some people and I keep getting conflicting advice." What you must realise is that everyons growing conditions are different and what suits one wont suit another, hence the difference in the advice you have been given.
You say that when you repotted the plant, you were told to mix some of the old potting mix with the new. From what I have read there are two lines of thought on this, the first being that if you include some of the old mix from the pot of a "happy", well grown plant into the new mix, you will speed up the growth of the healthy bacteria in the new mix which is benificial to the plant. On the other hand, if you mix some of the old mix from an "unhealthy" plant into the new mix, you may well be introducing the cause of the plant being unhealthy in the first place. You also say that you "used a dry soil with moisture control and used another mixture of moisture control soil with miracle grow". I am unfamiliar with "miracle grow" but I assume the moisture control you speak of is similar to what we call water crystals which are used for water rentention in soil. If this is that case I see that you have used two lots of this and combined with the fact that the plant was siting in the gravel and water its obvious that the plant is suffering from excess watering and your mix is waterlogged and probably beginning to "sour" so I would dice the lot and start again with fresh.

A good open Cymbidium Orchid Mix would probably suit your plant and if it didnt drain freely enough you could always add some small polystyrene peices to open it up a bit. Growing conditions vary greatly and no doubt mine are very different to yours. Because I live in an area close to the sea I need a very open free draining potting mix as the prevailing winds are usually moist sea breezes which tend to keep mixes a bit on the damp side. If however you were in a dry area you would need a less open mix to prevent it from drying out too quiclky. The mix I use consists of 70% ½" Pine Bark, 10% ½" Charcoal, 10% medium Perlite and 10% ½" polystyrene pieces. This suits my conditions but would possibly be too open and free draining for yours.

When repotting, I always try and shake free as much of the old mix as possible, trim off any dead or damaged roots and then repot using new mix only. (I wouldn't add any fertilizer to your plant as it appears stressed and fertilizer wouldn't help at this stage) After I have done this, I would give the plant a thorough watering, starting by filling the vase to over flowing and then saturating the mix until water runs freely from the drainage holes, this will settle the new mix around the roots. When the surface of the leaves have dried off I would then use a watering can to give it a watering of "Seasol" mixed in water at the recommended rate for stressed plants. This would be applied to the leaves as well as the surface of the mix. I dont know if Seasol is available in your area but you could Google "Seasol" to find out more about it and perhaps get something similar from your local nursery. Seasol is like a "tonic" and can be used on all plants and especially helps with ones that are stressed. People often refer to Seasol as a seaweed fertilizer but technically it is a plant conditioner as it contains virtually no nitrogen or phosphorus therefore it can be used all year round, on all plants, and will not interfere with other nutritional input programmes.

You say you are just comng into summer there so as for the position of the plant, I would say by looking at your pic its getting far to much shade and the light needs to be increased albiet gradually. Does that area ever get any direct sun or is it the shady side of the unit? If it does get direct sun you should avoid this as you should never move a plant from shade to full sun as this will caused excessive burning of the leaves and stress the plant even more. I would suggest you move the plant perhaps a couple of feet closer to the light source for a month or so and then increase it gradually until it is getting about 50% light with out any direct sun.

I hope the above info helps in some way and I think the reason you havent had local responses is that your message was tagged onto an old post. If you had started a new post with perhaps a title of "Please help me", Im sure you would have been flooded with advice from US members of the GW.

Feel free to ask any other questions you have as thats what this forum is all about, "sharing information"

All the best, Nev.

Great advice Nev!

Hey Nev!!
I did what you suggested.I repotted her and used a mix of organic soil that a gardner with alot of experience with bromeliads suggested and orchid bark for better draining. I pulled her out of the pot that she was in and rinsed her roots of the old soil and planted her in the new mix. I did find a new place for her and plan on getting her there over the next week or so by gradually moving her closer to the rail where it may get a little more direct sun. I am on the sunny side of the building but seem to get alot of shade still so I am hoping it will be enough direct sun. I also bought a seaweed fertilizer and plan on feeding it through the center cup next week to give the plant a little time to acclimate to the new soil before I fertilize. HOPEFULLY THIS WORKS!!! Cant do much more. Thanks again for all of your help and Ill send u pictures of BRUINHILDA the BROMELIAD to show you our progress.THANX AGAIN !!!WISH US LUCK!!