Seite 1 von 2

Xeric bromeliads

Verfasst: Freitag, 4 März 2005, 20:58
von mosasaur
I would like to hear from others about how they grow the xeric genera - Puya, Dyckia, Deuterocohnoia in particular.

Kenneth

Verfasst: Freitag, 4 März 2005, 21:39
von Timm Stolten
What do you want to know in particular ?
Soilmixes, growing from seed, propagation ?

Most of 'em can be grown generally like cacti.
Dyckia or Encholirium prefer a really warm climate, most Puya
can stand temperature just above zero °C.

I use a standard cacti soil, without any humus or fertilizer,
just mineral stuff like sand, gravel, lava, pumice or granite.

Raising them from seed is pretty easy but takes some time.
What is it, that you want to know more off?
For more details: ask here ;-)

Greetings, Timm

Details

Verfasst: Samstag, 5 März 2005, 3:34
von mosasaur
Actually I wnt to know all the details, because different people have different methods! The most successful growers of Dyckia that I know grow them in a rich soil and give them plenty of water. As for temperature, here I let them get down to 3 or 4 degrees Centigrade with no harmful effects that I see. No one way is necessarily the only way to grow auccessfully!

Why not Hechtias ?

Verfasst: Samstag, 5 März 2005, 11:06
von Timm Stolten
It is very interesting, that Dyckias seems to be that hard. They are easy
to grow from seed. If you are interested, I do get seeds every year,
which I don't really need. I could send you some over, but you need to
wait a little bit.

Have you ever thought about growing Hechtias ?
The genus Hechtia is a native Mexican and Texan, so these plants
might grow best in your area.
Do you have a greenhouse, or are you thinking of keeping
them outside the whole year ?
In case it gets that cold in the winter you should keep them rather dry
during that time, but it is hard to tell from here, because we do have to
cultivate them very different, because of our climate.
Due to their size there are not many people in germany who grow them.
Dutring summer they really need a lot of water and nutritients.

The interesting thing about them ist, that they are dioecious, so for seed
production you allways need 2 plants, one of each sex. A lot of times
both plant even look different, but are still the same species.

There are 2 specialist on that genus near you, John Utley and Kathleen Burt-Utley,
I think that they are at the University of New Orleans, working
on a systematic/evolutionary study of the genus Hechtia. They have
published a lot in the past, so I suppose, are having a huge collection.
Maybe that is a good source to get some plants or seed.

Greetz, Timm

Hechtia et al.

Verfasst: Samstag, 5 März 2005, 18:34
von mosasaur
Thanks, but I get seed from the BSI seed fund - I have quite a few growing right now! As for the hardiness of Dyckia - some parts of Brazil get occasional frost, enough to kill coffee plants. Also, if any are highland plants this would also account for resistance to frost. I have noticed written acounts that say Brazilian plants are often resistant to low temperature but Caribbean plants are not.

No greenhouse. We have a few nights of frost every winter, usually less than 10. I keep my collection small and either bring plants inside or shelter them under an evergreen tree. Seldom do we get temperatures below minus 2 C. The dyckias stay out.

I have grown Hechtia in the past and will soon be trying others in that genus. I know the Utleys and even audited John's course in tropical botany. Both of them sometimes give talks to the local bromeliad society, and we are very happy that they do so!

Let me expand on how I grow mine. I use a rich soil and in warm weather give them lots of water, much dryer in winter. I grow aloes the same way and both seem to like this regimen. I do try to make the soil fast draining.

One more thing. From what I can tell, Fascicularia and Ochagavia are available in Europe, but here Fascicularia is very hard to find (I do have one) and Ochagavia is not obtainable. Do they prefer cool summers?

Re: Hechtia et al.

Verfasst: Samstag, 5 März 2005, 19:26
von Timm Stolten
mosasaur hat geschrieben: One more thing. From what I can tell, Fascicularia and Ochagavia are available in Europe, but here Fascicularia is very hard to find (I do have one) and Ochagavia is not obtainable. Do they prefer cool summers?
I think so, yes. They are the only bromeliads that have become neophytes
in parts of Ireland, Scotland, the british channel islands an in some spot of
the French Normandy. Here there are only a few specimens around, but
at least inside of a greenhouse they do well, but quite hard to get them
into bloom. They do not seem to be difficult in cultivation, so if I were you,
I would give it a try.

I am trying to grow them outside the whole year, but eventhough
Heidelberg is supposed to be Germanys hotted city, we still get too low
temperatures for them. They survived just once.
This is what happend this winter, I still don't know if they will survive that:

viewtopic.php?t=294

Bild

Verfasst: Dienstag, 18 April 2006, 20:23
von chanin
Hi Timm and Kenneth

This is my very first post from Thailand to your forum and it would be a long one!!

I’m also a guy who was hooked by those spines of Dyckia & Hechtia and also their relatives. But you know I’ve had to do a lot for years seeking such a rare stuff from here to increase my little collection. I envy you, Kenneth, for the awesome Dyckia hybrids that showed in USA every year!!

About this topic, I don’t know how cold temperature in your region could have any effects to the plant, but here in a real tropical climate like Thailand, I can grow them outside all year round. The only problem is sometime there would be too strong sunlight for a tender species or too much rain for a few delicate rot prone species!!

So, I grow most of my xerophytic succulent bromeliads under lath house (30% cut off sunlight). I agree with you, Kenneth in that Dyckia like more humus in soil media than we thought. Mine is 2 parts loam, 2 parts small pellet size pumice, 1part perlite and 1 part peat moss or our local coconut peat. If available, I will add some bone meal too.

I use plastic container for most of ordinary species and clay pot for delicate species. My plants receive 5-7 hours sunlight per day. Watering is once or twice a week depending on climate. But for the rainy season the plant seem to be really fleshy.

From 70 different items, most of my collection is Dyckia, particularly dozen variations of the handsome silvery D.marnier-lapostollei and its variety ‘estevesii’.

Some of really nice Dyckia hybrids in my collection came from William Bill Baker of CA in USA via some help of my friend.

Some interesting are stuffs from Dutch Vandervort such as D.estevesii which has fan-shape leaves or bigeneric hybrid : xDyckcohnia ‘Conrad Mortan’ and xPuckia ‘Sparkle’ from Tropiflora that look gorgeous.

Actually, If possible, I would like to make some hybrids too. But I found a problem that my plants are quite difficult to flower. In fact, none of them have flowered yet, except D.marnier-lapostollei that bloomed last 4 month ago after a bit cooler winter here. So, I thing our weather is not cold enough to stimulate the plant’s blooming.

Enjoy spiny!!

Chanin from hot Bangkok city

Verfasst: Dienstag, 18 April 2006, 20:42
von chanin
Hi Bromelian these are some xerophytic bromeliads in my collection, Bangkok city, Thailand

<a><img src="http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e240/ ... ction2.jpg" border="0" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket"></a>

Verfasst: Dienstag, 18 April 2006, 20:51
von chanin
This is an awesome, Hechtia glauca from Mexico

Bild

Verfasst: Dienstag, 18 April 2006, 20:58
von chanin
A variation of Dyckia marnier-lapostollei which has more upright leaves that I give it a nickname "Tsunami"

Bild

Verfasst: Dienstag, 18 April 2006, 21:07
von chanin
One of the most curious, Dyckia estevesii with its distichus fan-shape leaves. I really don't want to talk about how much they cost!!!

Bild

Verfasst: Dienstag, 18 April 2006, 21:18
von chanin
An unnamed hybrid from William Baker. I got two seedlings via my friend last year. I can't imagine how beautyful it would be when mature growth.


Bild

Verfasst: Mittwoch, 19 April 2006, 3:18
von chanin
These little gem, Dyckia choristaminea, typical form and small form. I really like them and hope to see their nice golden blooming!!

Bild

Verfasst: Mittwoch, 19 April 2006, 3:26
von chanin
Both are Dyckia fosteriana, different cultivar; 'Silver Queen' above and 'Bronze' bellow, they came from Michael Bromeliads years ago, never bloomed for me!!

Bild

Verfasst: Mittwoch, 19 April 2006, 3:37
von chanin
These gorgeous bigeneric hybrid, x Dyckcohnia 'Conrad Mortan'. They just showed me their mauve tint on silvery leaves after I gave them more direct sun.

Bild