July 8, 2011

moving to a new blog site

I have been busy moving all of this to a new blog site. I think all new items will be on:


Succulent Bromeliads plus

Same name but new address. If the link doesn't work you can try:

http://succulentbromeliads.wordpress.com/

It should work, I hope.

I think my blog on wordpress will let me do a little bit more, but we'll see.

Take a look and let me know what you think.

Thank you Len

July 7, 2011

Who knows what it is?

I have a habit of picking up seeds that I find some times in my travels around Florida. But some times I don't know what they are. I pick a seed of  this a few years ago and I don't remember what or where I got it. I think it came from Key Largo. Can anyone guess what it might be or better yet know what it is?



I like the fat base.

Ananas lucidus Variegated

UPDATE AS OF 7/7/2011



















New photos of this plant thats going to flower as of 4/7/2011
I like it more ever day.



Ananas lucidus and Ananas comosus var. erectifolius is the same plant. But how we have a NEW variegated form and its great looking.

A decorative pineapple with colorful miniature fruit. In spite of its size (over three feet tall), it is still considered a rather small species because of its upright habit. A showy species with slender, stiff but spineless leaves of coppery reddish brown and tennis ball sized, bright red fruit.

Culture: needs full sun - part sun
Allow the plant to dry in-between waterings. Fertilize every 4-week with a balanced fertilizer diluted to ½ the strength recommended on the label.

July 5, 2011

Ray Lemieux

In July of 2009 Ray Lemieux of Tropiflora gave a talk to our Bromeliad Society of Sarasota. If you don't know who he is, he is the one who cares for and does all the hybrid's on Dyckia's and other terrestrials bromeliads  at Tropiflora.


July 2, 2011

Encyclia tampensis- Florida Butterfly Orchid

I don't have a lot of orchids, but this one I've had for about 20 years, give or take. I don't do anything  to it and it flowers every year. It came with me from Illinois (that’s where I'm from originally). It is hanging where it gets sun and rain.


Bromeliad Cultivar Register

Have you gone here yet?

Bromeliad Cultivar Register

 It's a incomplete list of Bromeliad Cultivar's.



It has a short description of the plant, tells you the Seed Parent and Pollen Parent if known. Who did it and when.
It could use more photo's of the plants. But for the most part it has good information.
I don't know if they are looking to add more to the list or add any photo's. I hope so.

Dyckia Winters Edge is not on the list


June 30, 2011

Up-Date on Hechtia

Back in 6/16/2010 I bought two Hechtia's from Guy Wrinkle. This is a up-date on those plants.

They came with little or no roots (see photos). I have to say they did not root to fast it had taken months ( good part of a year) for any roots to take place.

One year later Hechtia sp. Chilpancingo Guerrero is still not rooted all that well.

Hechtia sp. Sierra Guingola did much better and is rooted well.
This is what it said on Guy Wrinkle web-site about the plants.

Hechtia sp Chilpancingo Guerrero

Found only on grey weathered limestone in southern Oaxaca. The red color can be washed out with too much shade and or water. Shade and water helps in getting Hechtia rooted but after this is accomplished give the plant more dun and less water to bring the color back out."

Hechtia sp Chilpancingo Guerrero
6/16/2010



Hechtia sp Chilpancingo Guerrero
6/30/2011
 







 

June 29, 2011

Euphorbia's

Their is something about Euphorbia's. Lots of different form types to choose from. They come in all sizes from trees to small ball. I'll show some of what I have (don't have that many) and like the best.


 Euphorbia geroldii 

 Euphorbia milii hyb
 Euphorbia barnhartii

 Euphorbia millotii

 Euphorbia tortilis
 Euphorbia iharanae

 
 Euphorbia lactea v. variegata White Ghost


 
Euphorbia leucocephala

 Euphorbia milii  variegated
Euphorbia ambovombensis

June 28, 2011

Dyckia choristaminea silver

I picked up this dyckia a few months ago with the tag reading Dyckia choristaminea silver (RC Brazil).
It doesn't look like a Dyckia choristaminea to me the leafs are to fat and to short.

But it does have silver over a redish leaf. Look at the new offsets coming with a nice redish color.


 This Dyckia choristaminea I have had for years, notice the leafs. 


This one I picked up last year. But it was labeled Dyckia elisabethae. Only time will tell if it is a Dyckia choristaminea or what the tag reads. Who knows it may get larger and start to look like Dyckia elisabethae. 



Two other Dyckia chorestaminea's that come up if you do a Google search are:
Dyckia choristaminea 'Frazzle Dazzle'

Dyckia choristaminea - DWARF Purple Form
I think I need them.

June 24, 2011

Summer sale at Tropiflora

Tropiflora had it's summer sale today so I had to go and see what they had.


It is a Stock Reduction Sale and you never know what they are going to reduce, I'm hoping dyckia.

But no dyckia in the sale. All is not lost I did buy a few dyckia's at full price.

 Stock Reduction Sale in under the tents
It was HOT out there today and it's only 9AM
 

 Dyckia milagrensis
A species had to get it.
 Dyckia reitzii v. rubra x Snaggletooth
I just love the color of this one.
 Encholirium horridum hyb
They said it might be a F2
 Orthophytum sanctum 
I know it looks like Orthophytum glabrum but it's not.
Werauhia sanguinolenta  Rubra 
I had to get it for $5

June 21, 2011

Shopping for plants

We did visit a few cactus and succulent nurseries. Out of the nurseries we went to B &a B Cactus Farm was the friendliest.   

Before
After
I'm done, no water or anything to drink and did I say it was HOT OUT

I'm not sure where this is

June 15, 2011

Rooting Plumeria Cuttings Using The Egg Method

Rooting Plumeria Cuttings Using The Egg Method


Anyone ever hear about this method? I just found out about this today, it sound very weird. This is how it works:

First of all ensure that your cutting has had time to callous over at the bottom.
If it a freshly cut cutting leave it to dry for around 7 days.
Fill the bottom of your pot with a well draining compost.

Then this is the weird part, place a whole egg still in the shell on top of the compost followed by another inch of your mix.

Then place in your cutting.
Then fill the pot up with your potting mix.
Then your pot must be kept as warm as possible and given a spray with water every couple of days to increase the humidity.
Bottom heat is an important factor in this method and a heat mat is ideal.
Cuttings using this method have been known to root in as little as 3 weeks and not only is this a faster method but it also produces a lot more roots.
The theory behind this method is that an anaerobic decomposition takes place and the escaping gases from the egg nourish the cutting and help speed up the rooting process.


I don't know if you remove the egg or what. It might be a good way to get those hard to root Hechtia's to root if it does work.


Am I the only one that was not heard of this? Has anyone tried it? Does it work? What happens to the egg?


June 14, 2011

Whats what

The plants in the photo's below came to me with the names you see.
But they all look the same at this point.
Could they all be mislabeled ( not by me )?
The only thing I am sure of is you cannot believe what the label reads when you get a dyckia.


 Deuterocohnia or Dyckia
I got this plant from Ray at Tropiflora about a year ago and he didn't know what it was of the two.

 Dyckia aff. pulquinensis
Dyckia Silver Spurs