Hi sdandy,
I'm reasonably new to growing brom seed, however I recently purchased some seed of Alc. brasiliana from a seller on Aust Ebay just to see if I could grow them in my area.

Well surprise! surprise! - almost 100% germination rate, so I'm well satisfied with the purchase.

Good luck with the hunt, all the best, Nev.

Good, thanks Nev. I see that seller on the US version too and was definitely thinking about getting some. Good to know that the seed was good. Phil mentioned a while ago that he planted a bunch of Alc brasiliana seeds and I'm assuming he got them from the same seller. The picture that the seller has is quite impressive.

Are alcantarea seeds and other non-gooey, non-berry formed seeds a little longer lived than bills, neos, etc? It would seem that the seed from Tillandsioideae and Pitcairnioideae might behave slightly differently than the 'wet' seeds. I will probably will try a bunch from the Brom-L group especially as I know I want to try the vinicolor.

I have heard from several people who got seeds of the Alcantarea brasiliana on ebay , all have had xclnt germination . The seeds were very fresh . I know someone who has got lots of seeds from the brom-l seed bank , good results . Can't wait for Hohenbergia burl-marxii seedlings .

Ugh...speaking of the h. burle-marxii, I was ticket draw away from getting one at our last meeting. It went to the first ticket drawn and mine was second. Soooo close, but no cigar.

I got a H b-m from Tropiflora last August. Supposedly it's the "Dark form".

FYI, the BSI seed fund has some Alcantarea seeds.

Hi everyone -

Where is the Brom-L Seed Bank located?

If it is from outside Australia, will the Australian Quarantine Service allow Brom. seeds into our country and does anyone know the procedure?

Sdandy - Sorry for hi-jacking your topic but I thought this info. may be helpful to us all.

All the best, Nev.

Seems on topic to me. I think they/it is in the Netherlands. It looks like they also have some Belgium affiliations too though. I think seeds are much easier to send internationally, but not sure what the rules and regulations are exactly (so I will stop typing before my foot goes anywhere unwanted).
-andy

Nev,

I haven't imported seed, it looks like you can if it is on the AQIS list and is clean and free of dirt Etc.

The link below may help.

I would love to know if you have any success.

Rick

Here is a link that might be useful: Seed FAQ

Hi Rick

I don't think I'll be telling you of my success or otherwise any time soon. I've just opened the AQIS site and looked briefly at the relevent document.

It has quite a comprehensive list of acceptable bromeliad seed as well as all of the AQIS requirements with the various departmental rules and regulations, all 22 pages of them.

I expect I'll probably have trouble sorting it all out because if it's written in "Government talk" like most of these things are, I'll probably need the help of a 'Legal Eagle' to decipher it.

Thanks for the link anyway, all the best, Nev.

This might help
It is the 2 lists of approved brom seeds anything not on the list would have to be submitted for assesment(that could take years LOL)
Nothing genetically altered seed is permitted, clean dirt free, no wooden packages etc
http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_casecontent.asp?intNodeId=8251939&intCommodityId=7515&Types=none&WhichQuery=Go+to+full+text&intSearch=1&LogSessionID=0

http://www.aqis.gov.au/icon32/asp/ex_casecontent.asp?intNodeId=8650791&intCommodityId=12648&Types=none&WhichQuery=Go+to+full+text&intSearch=1&LogSessionID=0

I know it is possible to import bromeliad seeds to Australia. First of all, the seeds must be clearly labeled. Try it, those from Brom-L are not expensive.
I am really curious to know whether the older seeds will germinate.
Good luck

Tomas

Hi everyone - Thanks HDD and Tomas for the extra info. If I give it a go I'll let you know what eventuates.

All the best, Nev.

I have recvd many packets of brom seeds in the mail . As they are so small they usually come in a standard envelope and none has ever been opened by the AQIS team .

hey nev u metioned at the top of the page that you had almost 100% germination rate, my question is what condition did you grow them in as out of the 300 seeds i brought only 7 came up, i am sure i brought from the same guy as you so it is ever i had some bad luck and got a bunch of duds or more likly my growing conditions arnt good enough.
Phil

Hi Phil - That was the first time I tried alcantarea seed and I treated them the same way as I do all my other seed. (It doesn't work for me with Tillys though).

Stage 1:
First I take a rectangular Chinese Take-Away food container and fill it to 1/3 with coco-peat (seed raising grade).

This has previously been well soaked with ordinary town water and the excess water squeezed out leaving just enough to keep it damp.

I put the lid on and then microwave it for 5 minutes on high. This is supposed to kill any unwanted nasties which could be in the coco-peat.

I then opened it up, spread the seed over the top and settled them onto the coco-peat with a fine mist hand sprayer. (They don't get any more water until they are at stage 2)

I then replace the lid, write the name and date on the lid and the side of the container. This is then put on a mesh shelf on a north facing wall of our back closed in porch where it gets good light but no direct sun.

When the seedlings have reached as high as the lid I put the containers out in our south facing porch with my other baby seedlings for a few weeks to aclimatise.

Stage 2:
Take a 4" angle grinder and cut drainage holes around the edge of the bottom of the container. I then remove the lid and put the container with my other seedling containers in a poly-styrene brocholi box and give them their first watering.

The poly-styrene box has previously been cut down to 4" high and is 1/3 full of packed down damp coco-peat. (It fits six containers comfortably)

I find the peat absorbs the excess water which runs through the containers when I water and it seems to help maintain an environment which I am getting good results from.

Hope this helps, all the best, Nev.

P.S. How's the shade house coming along?

Thanks Nev, its always good to see other peoples methods (especially now as I am getting to the stage on my first seedlings where I have to do something else with them). The more I hear of slightly different methods the more it makes sense and the small little details become more obvious (or at least make sense). I have seen someone else mention these broccoli boxes...what are these? Its about the time I dig out the old posts to read again, I think someone had a picture using the broccoli boxes...
-andy

My big Tillandsia rauhii, which I'll take over Alcant. any day, is finally flowering. It will be interesting to see the germination time compared to normal tills or Al's.

Oh, come on Gonz, you can't do that to us without providing pictures! Was that the one modeled earlier with the sandal? Lets see the photography not using the macro.

thanks nev i have been using peat moss and perlight 50 50 i have not been puting it in the mike but i have never had problems before and i do put it in the chinese containers i had them outside so maybe alcantare's like to be warmer.

as for the shade house dont ask i am still trying to comvince my dad that were he wants it is a bad place it might be closer to were the house will be built when we eventuly get one but the problem with were he wants it is that it get no morning sun only midday sun and after noon sun.

Phil

Nev, how long does your stage one last? I'm finding that my seedlings can take a lot of sun and as long as the chewers don't get them they grow really well without enclosure when they get some direct sun. I'm also starting to put the time release fertilizer pellets on pretty small seedlings and as long as they get some sun they grow fairly fast and still color up.

These orlandianas I grew from BSI Seed Fund seeds that I planted last June, so they are about 8 months old. I kept them in a bag until the end of September. They didn't have any character until recently when they started to catch some sun. I don't think I put fert pellets on them until December.

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Hi sdandy

What we commonly call broccoli boxes are just poly-styrene boxes 11 1/2" wide by 23" long and about 9" high with a wall thickness of about 3/4". They have a fitted lid and are used for shipping broccoli from the growers to the markets and then to the retailers. I get mine from the local fruit retailer for $1 each. They also make great improvised coolers to keep your BBQ meat, wine and beer cold as well.

To use for the seedlings, I usually glue on the lid and using a fine tooth saw, cut right around the circumference of the box 4" up from the bottom and again 4" down from the top. This gives me two well insulated boxes 4" high to put my seedling containers in.

The 1" bit in the middle I break up and use for drainage in the bottom of my pots so nothing is wasted.

As well as this they have many other uses for bromeliad growers and I have even seen them used as benches.

All the best, Nev.

Hi bromadams

The length of stage one varies according to the type of seed involved. I've had Acanthostachys reach the top of the container in six weeks while Guzmanias take sometimes up to eighteen months.

The only feed they get is a mist spray of Phostrogen 1/2 strength about every two weeks or whenever I remember to do it. This is only after they have grown two leaves and are starting to get bigger.

I've never been able to grow Aechmeas as quick as your sturdy looking orlandianas; the best I've done was with some Ae. Blanchetianas and Bil. Roseas which got to about two inches high in about twelve months.

My problem is, that when I start stage two I move them to a south facing area which gets less light (especially during winter) and growth slows down and they become strappy. As that's the only protected place I have to put them, I have to make do.

Unfortunately when the time comes to pot them up, it does take a while to harden them up again. But I am having fun and getting resonable results albiet not as quick as you.

I guess it suits me to grow them slow as any faster, I wouldn't be able to keep up with the potting up.

All the best, Nev.

The rauhii.

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in his setting for the last 10 years

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Hi Gonz,
A very interesting plant. A friend of mine also had one of these in flower two years ago and what an amazing sight it was. It was growing in her garden (more like a man made jungle) on the side of a very steep hill beneath palms and other trees.

The spike which was about six feet long, emerged from the plant on one side of the track and was just like an arch over the track. I had never seen one before and being pretty ignorant about Till's didn't know there were species that grew so big.

When the flowers finished I was lucky enough to be given some seed to try. They germinated OK but were so slow, slow, slow.

Two years down the track they were still only about 3/8" high so as I estimated I would need to be about 100 to see them flower, so I gave them to a friend who collects Tillies hoping he can do better than me and may see them mature.

Thanks for the pic's, all the best, Nev.

Nev, on/in what kind of medium did you spread your seeds? Truthfully I've never tried to germinate terrestrial tills so all my seed are spread upon cork bark. Did you place them on top of a damp potting mix?

Niiice flowers. What a nice dark color. Are the terrestrial tills easily crossed with the smaller ones? Or are they far enough apart that they act as sub-families? How long is that inflorescence?

Hi Gonz - I grew them on Coco-Peat in take-away food containers in the same way that I described above in answer to Phil's question re. growing Alcantarea seed.

The lady who gave me the seed grew some on a block of (I think it's called "Oasis"), anyway it's the stuff florists' use when arranging flowers.

Her babies never even got as big as mine did and when she tried to transplant them into a mix, she lost the lot so I guess this is one I will leave for the experts, but "if you don't have a go you'll never never know".

All the best, Nev.