Bromeliads: Beautiful and Bizarre

Bromeliads are such a diverse group of plants. From the pineapple (Ananas spp.) to the Tillandsias (air plants, hanging Spanish Moss) there are an enormous variety of habits, leaf forms, patterns and flowers. Native to the Americas, from the southern states of the USA to central and south America, there are species adapted to grow from sea level to high altitudes, from dry regions to rainforest. Many grow well in our sub-tropical region and are relatively easy to care for. Some are epiphytic, some are extreme epiphytes – not requiring soil, perching in trees and existing on rainfall and air-borne nutrients accumulating in the central cup of the plant. They are not parasitic and do not harm their hosts. Others cling to rocks (the saxicolous types) or grow on the ground (terrestrial types).

The Bangalow Garden Club recently visited the Pinegrove Bromeliad Nursery at 114 Pine Street, Wardell, where owners Ross and Helen showed off their wonderful collection and explained the growing conditions and requirements of the various groups:

• Terrestrial types: free-draining soil or built-up garden bed to allow good drainage, or pot in a good potting mix.

• Extreme epiphytes: tie to a tree, put in an empty pot or in 2-3cm of potting mix in a wide Vanda orchid pot. Use stocking or coated wire, not bare copper wire, to tie the plants up or use a builders’ glue, such as Liquid Nails (not silicone or PVA glues) to attach to the tree.

• Light: softer leaves require more shade. If you fold the leaf and it snaps it indicates it can take more light (think tough grey pineapple leaves). Spotted leaf types will go red in full sun – move into dappled light to retain variation.

• Watering: bromeliads in shady spots can generally get by on rainwater alone. They only need water in the central cup and don’t need to be wet all the time. Think 10 minutes for a rose, 10 seconds for a bromeliad.

• Fertiliser: use a slow release pellet-type fertiliser in potting mix or spray with half-strength liquid fertiliser to keep bromeliads robust and healthy.

•  Dividing up plants: Offshoots (‘pups’) coming from the base of the parent plant can be cut with a knife (see photo) once they are at least one third the size of the parent plant. Stoloniferous types can be divided by cutting the stolon about three cms from the parent plant, then placing the offshoot into potting mix. Bromeliads can be propagated from seed, taking from three to 25 years to reach the flowering stage.

If you’d like to know more about bromeliads, the nursery has a discussion group at 11am on the third Thursday of the month. Everyone is welcome. Words and pics by Judy Baker