Beautiful! Yours is redder than mine. I should prob move mine to more sun.

Sultry - the friend who sent me the cutting that started this has all his neos in full sun in Z10b (Naples), so I think it would be safe to do that.

How do you grow it?

I was given a bunch last year and I thought they were some sort of orchid-type plant.

I have it in a tree. Its still alive, never took it down all year.

Soooo, I guess it should be in the ground? Mine is red like yours and just stuck in a tree notch.

Jane

Hi everyone.

Jane - Bromeliads and many orchids need the same type of growing conditions. These plants are called epiphytes and when growing in habitat, they usually grow on trees. They just use the tree as something to anchor to and although they don't get any nourishment from the tree, they get their nourishment from the surrounding environment.

Because of the way the leaves are formed, the leaf axils are able to trap water from rain and heavy dew and absorb this to stay hydrated. Also the centre centre of the plant forms a type of "vase" where water can also be stored.

This central vase usually traps small animal and bird droppings as well as small bits of fallen dead leaves and other fine debris. As these all mix with the water, they gradually break down and in doing so, form a weak type of liquid manure which the plant can continually draw on. So you see each plant has its own little micro-climate which provides it with food and water as well. Because these plants dry out so quickly, they require more water than plants growing in pots.

If you chose to mount a plant on a tree, you must make sure it is firm and cannot move otherwise the new roots as they form, will continue to be broken off and can't attach to the tree. As we know, most orchids and bromeliads we see are in pots. This is not necessarily the best way to grow them, but they are put in pots for our own convenience and to make them easier to move around. When they grow in trees they have lots of air around the roots and that's why it's important when growing them in pots the potting mix must be of a very open type and usually consists of a bark based orchid potting mix so they can drain quickly when watered. If grown in a heavy potting mix they won't drain as well and could end up with wet feet which can sometimes become fatal.

If you are growing it in the garden, it should be on top of the soil rather than in it and to do this, just scrape a shallow spot in the soil where the plant can be placed. To keep it in place just put some rocks or bits of wood around it to keep it from moving. Although they are very shallow rooted the roots will quickly anchor themselves into the soil or surrounding rocks.

All the best, Nev

Jane, it's too cold here to leave it in a tree. I have to bring it inside in the winter, otherwise, I'd have it in the ground.

Nev, that's an awesome explanation, but some broms aren't cold hardy, so can't be grown in the ground or in a tree. I do have some cold hardy types growing in the ground, but most neos (neoregelia) are not cold hardy, so I have to keep them in pots and bring them inside in the winter, where they lose their color until put back out in the spring.

I'm jealous, Splinter! I don't even have any full sun to put mine in during warm weather, or it would look like yours. I love it anyway. It's just so much fun to watch it go from green to red.

Here's mine 20 miles from San Francisco. With others like Aechmea pineliana minutia and Foster favorite. For Floridians..old faithful Pandanus in a pot.

Beautiful! I think you may have identified my dark-leaved aechmea that I got as a NOID from a friend. The strange thing about mine is that if I put it in full sun, the leaves tend to lighten. It was much darker in the shade.

In sun and kept on the dry side. A.pineliana turns pink. Especially back lit by the sun. I have it there and in tree's-ha. I can't throw away extra.

Well, that explains it then. I'll put it back in some morning sun only. I'm really bad about hoarding plants too. This year I decided to cut some pups off of my Fireball, but I can't figure out where to put them, and I'm not letting them go. LOL I want to try them in a spot that gets more afternoon sun than morning sun to see if it will get darker.

Hi everyone.

Stanofh - I have found that Aechmea pineliana leans toward pink in colour when grown in good light. More so the small one (Previously called Ae. pineliana var. minuta, but now registered as a cultivar as just Ae. Minuta. See: http://registry.bsi.org/?genus=AECHMEA&id=13268#13268

I have also found that my plants of Ae. Foster's Favorite and Ae. Foster's Favourite Favourite but have darker colouring when grown in low light.

Dirtygardener - You say, "This year I decided to cut some pups off of my Fireball, but I can't figure out where to put them", these too will grow very well mounted on a tree. I even have seen them growing on a large rock in a friend garden.

All the best, Nev.

Ae. Fosters has very sharp teeth..you need gloves to move a clump of it. The bloom too is different. Looking much to me like an Alpinia zerumbet and less bromeliad like. I've used it even in my front yard with large succulent plants. Adds color they don't have.

Nev, it's too cold here to put them in a tree. I have to keep them in containers and bring them inside in the winter, which is why it has to turn red again when I put it outside.

Right now, I had to move a lot of NOID rescued bilbergias out of a spot with too much sun, and need to find a place to put them, but I have so little shade, I may have to give them away. They aren't a very showy species anyway, but they have very pretty red bracts and look good planted in a mass. I'm still trying to find a name for them.