DECEMBER 2018 NEWSLETTER

What's Happened and What's Happening

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Contents of Newsletter

Report of the November Meeting.
Christmas Celebration
Thursday 6 December.
Practical Class: Seed Raising.
Guest Speaker: Amanda Meads with 'Making A Green Wall Display'
Results of November Popular Vote.
Upcoming Events.
2018 Meeting Information.

Editor: Maxim Wilson maxim.wilson@internode.on.net.

November Meeting Notes
President Barry Kable welcomed guests and new members.

Bar codes may need replacing.
Older bar codes have thinner lines on them and processed very slowly at the Spring Show. Please see John Olsen to have these replaced with new bar codes, at no cost.

Our recent Spring Show was a success.
The new venue at Belmont was considered very suitable. There was a near record in total sales over the the two days. $1,500 was raised for the drought-affected farmers by the Raffle.

Guest Speaker was Amanda Meads on ‘Making A Green Wall Display’
Amanda takes the lead in the assembly of our club's EKKA Display. Bob Cross did it for years and Amanda regularly draws on his experience still.
BSQ has entered the EKKA competition for 50 years and regularly takes out one or more of three awards.

Amanda started with a wooden frame mini wall, and proceeded to adorn it with bromeliads, while drawing attention to the elements of
Floral Design such as

Proportion and scale: pays attention to the size relationship between elements
Harmony and unity: the pleasing combination of materials and colours
Rhythm, or the visual flow and movement within the arrangement
Balance, both physical and visual, and
Emphasis, or the focal point that draws the viewer eye.

The display starts taking shape.

Amanda advises having darker colours central, with lighter colours more peripheral.
A bigger plant with stronger colour does well centrally to draw the eye.
Tillandsia usneoides has a wonderful effect on the display (but she has to prevent birds stealing it for their nests !).

Pots and labels must be carefully hidden from view. Species can be grouped together for good effect.

Amanda showed is a bird made entirely from bromeliads, and was used in the EKKA display.

Thanks Amanda for an entertaining and educational presentation.

Plants of The Month were Neoregelias and Nidularia with Pam Butler and Barry Kable.
Nidularium (in Latin means nest) is a small genus native to eastern Brazil. A rosette of shortened inner leaves forms before flowering, and may colour up, and the inflorescence projects above the leaves. They prefer lower light than Neoregelias, and burn in full sun.

Barry showed us Nidularium innocentii which he keeps under 70% shade, and grows them in orchid mix and starts the offsets with 8 month Osmocote which he tops up after 6 months.

Nidularium rutilans variegated has dark red spots on medium-sized leaves.

Neoregelia 'Yang'

A very large mounded rosette to 24-30" across w/many symmetrically arching wide leaves uniformly variegated in ivory and heavily spined in the carcharodon pattern. In good light the entire plant takes on a uniform hot pink flush and is widely recognized; distributed since the 1996 WBC as an unnamed hybrid but now named by Skotak.
This is separate seedling from 'Yin'. Tricolor Group.
Seed Parent: carolinae
Pollen Parent: carcharodon.

Nidularium 'Bahiana Variegated' was in the raffle, and in competition

Pam showed us Nidularium 'Ruby Lee'
Nid innocentii var lineatum x innocentii variegate?

Practical Class focussed on Seed Raising by Tom Isaac and Barry Kable.

Collection of seed is efficient using small muslin bags which are tied over the bloom after seed formation has begun; see below (available from Kmart, 5 for $3.)

Sowing the seeds. Tom removes the seeds from the pods, spreads them over a piece of shade cloth stretched tightly over a shallow box. Water is gently sprayed on the seeds which stick to the shade cloth.
Tom now avoids hessian bags.

Germination can take weeks to months. Store the box in shade, sun kills the seedlings. Daily or twice misting or watering is best. Let seeds dry between waterings. Bob Hudson is said to mist 10 times daily (in Cairns). Once germinated, transfer to the shade house.

Barry Kable discussed raising Alcantarea and Dyckia from seed. For Alcantareas, he uses a mix of sphagnum and perlite in a Chinese take-away container with holes in the bottom for drainage.
Transfer is first to a Community pot, then to 80ml pot, then to 100ml pots.

Barry's Alcantarea seedlings.

Christmas Party
The BSQ Christmas Party will be a buffet dinner with a Monster Raffle.
Date: Thursday 6 December 2018
Location: Easts Leagues Club, 40 Main Avenue Coorparoo QLD 4151.

Membership Renewal
Membership renewals are due end of February.
Visit the website to renew your membership.

Popular Vote Winners
Novice
1st xSincoregelia ‘Galactic Warrior’ from Gilda Trudu.
2nd Neoglaziovia variegata from Selga Boothby.
3rd Tillandsia cactiola from Alfonso Trudu.

Intermediate
1st Billbergia alfonsi-joannis from Pam Butler.
2nd Tillandsia xerographica x Tillandsia roland-gosselinii from PAM Butler.
3rd Guzmania ‘Roseanne' from Graeme Stay.
3rd Neoregelia ‘Tangerine’ from Pat Barlow.

Advanced
1st Quesnelia ‘Tim Plowman’ from Barbara McCune.
2nd Tillandsia caput-medusae from Ron Jell.
3rd Nidularium innocentii from Barbara McCune.
3rd Tillandsia concolor hybrid from Bruce Dunstan.

Decorative Display
1st ‘Crowed House’ from Ron Jell.
1st ‘Gracilis Tree’ from Gilda Trudu.
2nd ‘Green to Red’ from Ron Jell.
3rd ‘Odds and Ends’ from Ron Jell.
3rd ‘Living Wreath’ from Alfonso Trudu.
3rd ‘Christmas Wreath’ from Gilda Trudu.

Billbergia alfonsi-joannis from Pam Butler.

Quesnelia 'Tim Plowman' from Barbara McCune.

xSincoregelia 'Galactic Warrior' from Gilda Trudu.

Tillandsia cacticola from Alfonso Trudu.

Guzmania 'Roseanne' from Graeme Stay.

'Crowded House' from Ron Jell.

'Christmas Wreath' from Gilda Trudu.

Neoregelia 'Tantaliser' was in the raffle.

Mini Show Annual Results
Advanced
1st Barbara McCune.
2nd Ron Jell.

Intermediate
1st Livia Doidge.
2nd Fred Thomson.

Novice
1st Alfonso Trudu.
2nd Gilda Trudu.
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Popular Vote Annual Results
Advanced
1st Ron Jell.
2nd Barbara McCune.

Intermediate
1st Fred Thomson.
2nd Livia Doidge.

Novice
1st Alfonso Trudu.
2nd Gilda Trudu.

Fred Thomson is retiring from the job of Competition Steward after seven years.
He has done a sterling job, to be taken on by Greg McLeod.
Many thanks to Fred, and welcome Greg.

GoldenBroms
The Australasian Bromeliad Conference will be held at the Gold Coast on 17-20 October 2019.
http://goldenbroms.com

Tillandsia Day 2019
The annual Tillandsia Day will be held
8:30 to 4pm, Saturday 23 February 2019 at the Kedron-Wavell Services Club.

The international guest speaker is Martin Siaw from Shanghai, China and works at Inca Gardens.

Location:
Kedron-Wavell Services Club
Kittyhawk Room
21 Kittyhawk Drive
Chermside QLD 4032.

Cost:
$35 and includes lunch and morning/afternoon tea.

Book and pay online to reserve your spot. Tickets are limited so book early.
https://www.trybooking.com/ZMYV or
https://www.trybooking.com/448157

More details about Tillandsia Day 2019.

International guest speaker for Tillandsia Day 2019, Martin Siaw.

2019 Meeting Information

Meeting Show Schedule

January - MINI SHOW

Class 1 – Aechmea species and hybrids
Class 2 – Vriesea species and hybrids
Class 3 – Dyckia species and hybrids
Class 4 – any other flowering bromeliad species and hybrids
Class 5 – species