It's great to welcome Spring again, even though we've had an amazingly warm winter. It reached 36 degrees C at our nursery one day in August!
HAWAII: We had a most enjoyable two week trip to Hawaii in August. It was great meeting renowned hybridists Sharon Peterson, David Shiigi & Lisa Vinzant, all of whom were wonderful, friendly, hospitable people. Found some very interesting broms, but it will be several years before they are any available for sale. We visited two islands, Oahu & Hawaii (the Big Island). Loved Waikiki Beach, even though the waves were flat due to it being their Summer. Winter is the time for the big waves. The volcanic activity on the Big Island was fascinating - red hot lava spilling over a cliff into the sea. We drove a four wheel drive to the summit of Maunea Kea, the tallest mountain in the world from the bottom of the sea to the top. We were way up above the clouds, snow was on the ground & did experience a little altitude dizziness & shortness of breath. The sunset was breathtaking.
BROMELIAD WALLS: After the exposure on some of the TV garden shows, bromeliad walls have become very popular. They are a wonderful feature or cover for a blank wall. They can be either in partial shade (neos etc) or shade (guzmanias, vrieseas, canistropsis & other shade lovers). We have recently supplied bromeliads for several walls in Sydney. If you need any information about setting one up, give us a call & we can help you with it.
SHOWS: We will be at the Twin Towns & District Garden Club Annual Flower Show being held at the Civic Centre, Tweed Heads, NSW on Saturday 19th September. Also upcoming is the Bromeliad Extravaganza at the Wavell Heights Community Hall, 175 Edinburgh Castle Road, Wavell Heights, Brisbane. Saturday 10th (8am - 3pm) & Sunday 11th October (9am - 2pm). For further information call Nigel on 07 5485 3515.
FEATURE PLANT: Aechmea 'Del Mar'. We now have this beautiful aechmea growing from tissue culture & can supply quantity. This brom grows well in high light, avoiding the midday sun.
GUZMANIAS PART 3 - Potting Medium & Pots
Potting Medium: Needs to be acidic (5.5 not to exceed 6.2), hold moisture, retain fertilisers & yet drain freely. A commercial cymbidium orchid mix is suitable. A recommended potting mix is composted pine bark combined with peat moss or cocopeat (3 parts bark to 1 part peat moss). Dolomite can be added to the mix to achieve a final pH of approx 6.0.
Pots: Bromeliads need to be snugly potted, with the pot just a little larger than the root area, allowing for a year's growth before potting on to the next size pot & fresh potting mix. Repot in warm weather until the plant fills a 150cm (6") pot.
Next: Propagation, pests & diseases.
Happy growing,
Bob & True Grant
