Hi everyone.

Lynngun - I assume by the name 'Flaming Sword' you mean Vriesea splendens; do you have a picture?

You say your plant hasn't been exposed to any insects that could assist in pollination; do you know this for sure? You should consider that some Vrieseas (and I don't know if your is one of them or not at this stage) can only be pollinated at night and it's possible that a small moth or other night insect could have pollinated the flowers without your knowledge. (In habitat this pollination is often done by moths and small bats).

It's also possible that flowers on some plants have the male and female parts in close proximity and it's possible that any movement of the flower can cause pollination to occur (self pollination or "selfing"). Again I don't know if this is possible in the case of your plant.

All the best, Nev.

I am wondering if it is self pollinating. It has been kept indoors so if it needs a bee or small moth to pollinate it this likely did not happen. I am not sure if the fact that it has produced seeds necessarily means that the seeds have the ability to grow.
The plant that I have is a Vriesea Splendens.

Thank you for your advice.

L.G.

Hi everyone.

L.G. - You are correct when you say, "I am not sure if the fact that it has produced seeds necessarily means that the seeds have the ability to grow." as the seeds can either be fertile or sterile and the only way to find out is to try and grow some.

This isn't as complicated as growing orchid seed but is not quite as easy as growing seeds in your garden; however, it isn't difficult for the hobbyist to do by following a few simple instructions.

I have grown Vriesea seeds in a closed in unheated porch area while others I know who live in a colder climate, grow them in an old empty fish aquarium with grow-lux type lights to give good light and maintain a warm temperature. I can tell you how I do it but you would have to adjust the method to suit the climate in your area.

There are many different ways of growing bromeliad seed and the method described below is a method I use and have had success with. All you need is a plastic take-away container like you get when you buy "Take-Away" from you local Chinese restaurant and some Coco- Peat or Peat Moss as a growing medium.

I don't put any holes in the bottom of the container, but just fill it to two thirds of its depth with damp Coco-Peat or Peat Moss.

I then microwave the container and contents on high for 5 minutes to sterilise the growing medium.

When cool, I spread the seed (not too thickly) on the surface of the medium and spray with boiled water from a hand sprayer to settle the seed in place.

I then cover with the lid and place in a well lit (not direct sun) warm place for the seeds to germinate.

If the Coco Peat is sufficiently damp there will be no need to remove the lid to add any more water as the condensation will form within the container and circulate to provide sufficient moisture.

Depending on the time of the year and what genus the seed was taken from, germination usually occurs in anywhere rom 2 - 6 weeks. The picture below shows Neoregelia seed which is 6 months old.

When the seedlings eventually reach the top of the container (12-18 months), the lids can be removed and at this stage I cut drainage holes in the bottom of the containers because once the lid is removed they will need watering to prevent drying out. (It's possible to do this without disturbing the seedlings), and it can be done with a hacksaw blade to cut small "V's" around the bottom edge of the container.

The containers are then put into a polystyrene box with a couple of inches of Coco Peat in the bottom to maintain humidity. They are left here until they are large enough to be thinned out and transplanted into another container/s in groups of about 12-25 small plantlets.

Plants in polystyrene box awaiting transplanting.

These secondary containers or community containers as they are called must also have holes in the bottom for drainage.

Keep these in a warm well lit location and just provide sufficient water to keep the growing medium moist. They can be given a liquid fertiliser each two weeks at about one quarter of the recommended strength, and as the plantlets out grow their containers they are just potted on into a larger container or pot in the usual manner using a potting mix suitable for Vrieseas.

It's an interesting part of bromeliad growing and well worth trying.

All the best, Nev.