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Growing Vrieseas in the ground in Southern
California.
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| Article Type: | Brief article |
| Subject: |
Bromeliaceae
(Care and treatment) Volcanic ash, tuff, etc. (Usage) |
| Author: | Wright, Jim |
| Pub Date: | 09/01/2010 |
| Publication: | Name: Journal of the Bromeliad Society Publisher: Bromeliad Society International Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Biological sciences Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2010 Bromeliad Society International ISSN: 0090-8738 |
| Issue: | Date: Sept-Oct, 2010 Source Volume: 60 Source Issue: 5 |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States |
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| Accession Number: | 257434813 |
| Full Text: |
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thirty years ago it was almost unheard of to grow Vrieseas in Southern California outside of a warm greenhouse. They were thought to be susceptible to our cool winter nights (48-52[degrees] F average). As time moved on, trial and error proved that many Vrieseas would do exceedingly well out in the garden. Strong filtered light is very important- in my case a few hours of direct sun doesn't appear to cause any bleaching of the leaves. I never fertilize any of my Vrieseas; they seem to do just fine and, in fact, maybe even better without fertilizer. Flushing the cups frequently will help prevent rotting. My plants get watered with regular sprinklers whenever I water the palms they are intermingled with. During the summer this would be every 5-7 days; much less during the rainy, cool season. I have found, after using various planting mediums, that volcanic rock (1/2-3/4" diameter) is ideal. The advantages of volcanic rock are: (1) Its ability to hold the plants firmly in place in an upright fashion. (2) The root zone is well aerated and dries rapidly, avoiding a soggy medium. (3) A bed of volcanic rock creates a visually appealing Bromeliad bed. Guzmanias are treated the same as Vrieseas and bloom equally well. One of my all-time favorite Vrieseas is V. philippocoburgii. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Photos by the author. |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2010 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |
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