In an effort to reduce carbon footprints relating to the import of Tillandsias and Platyceriums and also to save $$$$ on buying plants for the 2012 SGF, your truly have started on a project (“quest” sounds so Camelot) to propagate as many plants as possible. With airplants, it is just a matter to getting the required plant, getting it to spike, bloom and pup (lots and lots of them!).
Unfortunately, there are some airplants which started to spike/flowers when only a pup:
Ionantha “Ron” pup blooming two months after removal from mother plant.
Eric Knobloch pups spiking less than 6 weeks after removal from mother plant
They are just this small:
I attribute this to the fact that my growing area has bright direct sunshine for at least 9 hours a day, can be hot and has a good water supply full of nutrients (read pond water).
The pups produced by these young plants might not be very strong. Will be keeping an eye on them.
Also thanks to those factors, a few of my precious darlings have started to spike:
T. streptophylla x pseudobaileyii “Gorgon”
28″ inch long T. caput medusae
The prettiest of my Nellie Roses
Bulbosa Belize “Giant Form”
The circle of life continues. I would love to have them continue growing big and lovely and not flower at all but nature will take its course. Will have to make sure, though, that the second generation does not start the third generation too fast.
For platyceriums, it is a slightly different ballgame.
You have to find a mature plant. THEN you have to wait for the spores to be ready. If you get there too late, you will find this scene greeting you:
P. coronarium with shedded spore patch
This is one of the spore patch I am looking for: a P. Grande’s spore patch:
The Platyceriums I have lined up for propagation are:
P. Bifurcatum
P. Coronarium
P. Elephantosis
P. Grande
P. Ridleyii
P. Wandae
Look out for a blog from me about three years later to see what how the spore programme has progressed.
