Contents of Newsletter

• Notices
• Report on the December Meeting.
• Popular Vote Winners.
• Upcoming Events.
• 2022 Meeting Information.

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

• Hall set up. This has been done by John Williamson during COVID. Prior to that David and Evelyn Rees set up the hall for meetings but illness prevents that from continuing. We are looking for someone who might be able to assist from 5.30pm on meeting evenings to set up tables. Chairs will be set in place by members on arrival.
• Sales Coordinator. After several years in the position, John Williamson is stepping down. We require someone to take over this position. He will assist with transition training during his final show in April. This is an essential position if we are to raise funds for continuing sales events.
• Secretary. This essential committee position will become vacant at the AGM. Work involves attending committee meetings and taking minutes at the meeting.
• Raffle Coordinator. This position has become vacant and immediate replacement is required. The role involves selling raffle tickets at monthly meetings as well as selection of raffle plants from sales tables.

LECA stands for lightweight expanded clay aggregate, and is packaged in 50L bags Aqua Clay Pebbles @ $38 each.

Barry starts with a plastic pot with no holes in the bottom. These are hard to obtain.
Barry starts with a pot with a hole in the bottom which he seals with silastic.
With a soldering iron, he makes a 1cm hole 5cm above the base to limit the water height in the pot.

Then the plant is potted with the clay balls, water is added to the height of the hole.
So the plant has a constant water source from below.
The balls are inert and do not break down. They are reusable. 
One of his specimens is 5years old. He has an orchid that is repotted yearly:

Here is a Pitcairnia:

Tillandsia does well:

xSincoregelia ‘Galactic Warrior’:

Maiden Hair thrives in the steady moisture:

Various orchids were shown growing this way.
Alcantarea pups were grown in a polystyrene box with the plants inserted through holes in the lid:

Barry removed the young plants to reveal healthy roots, ready for repotting:

Anthurium in a clear pot exhibits healthy green roots.
Aroids and Agapanthus do well.
The occasional build up of deposit is cleared by replacing the water.
He uses weak orchid fertiliser sparingly.
So far, no disease, and he uses Alginox 
The balls are available at Hydroponics Capalaba, but were not on the Bunnings website.
Thanks Barry for an interesting presentation.
Rob Murray recorded Barry’s talk, and posted the video on FaceBook,
and several people watched it.

Thanks Barry for your interesting presentation.

Plant of Month: Billbergia with John Smits.
John presented us with some of his own Billbergias.
Billbergia amoena var. stolonifera albomarginata.

Billbergia ‘Fred Red’ which is cv. of amoena v. rubra X 'Fred Gerber'

Billbergia 'Foster's Striate'

Billbergia leptipoda ( means ‘thin stem’)

Billbergia ‘Hidden Treasure’, a variegated sport of Bill 'Selby-Seidel', registered by Val Honeywood.

Billbergia 'Allan Ladd'
 
Seed Parent: pyramidalis var. pyramidalis
Pollen Parent: Windigig Special.
Billbergia ‘Platinum’ cv. of unknown vittata(?) hybrid with solid silver heavy scurfing . It pups readily.

Then John gave a comprehensive overview with several well-made slides.
Billbergia have 60 species, and 1,284 cultivars on the BCR.
They are found from Mexico, through Brazil down to north Argentina.
There are two subgenera: Billbergia and Helicodea.
Subgenus Billbergia includes most of the cultivated species.
Subgenus Helicodea are called ‘watch spring’ because their petals recurve and coil. 
John explained the names of some Billbergias:
horrida = rough and bristly
marmorata = spotted
nutans = nodding
pyramidalis = pyramid shaped
filicaulis = thread-like.

Culture: John warned us that fertiliser can turn the plant green and lose its variegation.

Thanks John for your excellent presentation.

Guest Speaker was Andrew Devonshire from Auckland via Zoom.
He shared his experience with hybridising Neoregelias.

Creating hybrids satisfies his desire to create things of beauty.
With a history of collecting walking fish, then caged birds, and tropical fish,
he got hooked on Neoregelias after a visit to Grace Goode in 2003.
His interest in hybridising was aroused by Jerry Stanfield,
and the work on Vrieseas by Andrew Molloy in N.Z.
Andrew acknowledged the help of Lisa Vinsant, of Hawaii.
He started out hybridising Vrieseas, but moved on to large Neoregelias like johannis, cruenta, correia-araujoi, and 'Charm', until these large plants took too much space in his suburban block, so he switched to smaller Neoregelias. Besides, after thousands of seedlings, he failed to produce anything good enough.
His first hybrids took advantage of the bright colours and prominent cross banding in the smaller Neoregelias.
Neo 'Bumblebee' (‘Willy’ x ‘Pheasant') won the top award at a recent show.  Registered 2008.


Neo 'Ritzy Tiger' ('Ritzy' x 'Blushing Tiger') 2007 BCR 

He faced the challenge of finding names not already used.
He hit on the various names for coffee- starting with Espresso.
Neoregelia 'Expresso' = 'Wee Willy' x 'Pheasant' (a cv. of punctatissima ) BCR 2008:

It has greenish yellow leaves heavily cross-banded, reddish brown in strong light.
It is a sibling of the grex 'Bumblebee'.
Neoregelia 'Eclipse' = 'Wee Willy' x 'Purpurea' (a cv. of ampullacea) BCR 2009:

Neoregelia 'Pacifica' = 'Tiger Cub' x ampullacea 2006 
Lime yellow leaves heavily crossbanded brick red with stolons 3cm long.

## His next aim was to add red colour to the strongly banded Neos.
Neoregelia 'Firestarter' was the result, BCR 2009
=' Purpurea' x 'Blushing Tiger'

it showed splayed, coppery red leaves with punctated darker red cross-banding.
## next aim was to add red lines to these hybrids.
Neoregelia 'Life Candy Solar Eclipse' on BCR 2015:

Mature small rosette to 12cm. diameter x 12cm.high.
Lime yellow leaves with random lineated/striated red stripes and some punctated red cross-banding.
Vegetative sport of N. 'Life Candy'. It can produce sports= N. 'Life Candy Lunar Eclipse'. & 'Life Candy' (reverted) .Neoregelia ‘Golden Pheasant’ (ampullacea x ‘Pheasant’) is his most popular hybrid. 

It grows easily, can vary in colour, = ampullacea x ‘Pheasant’ 2008.
This grex has 'Fever Pitch', 'Daydreamer', 'Phoenix'.
Neoregelia 'Sunfire Prince' was registered 2011:

Mature, open rosette to 25cm. diameter x 25cm high.
In strong light, lime green leaves with dense punctated, garnet red cross-banding.
Outer foliage portions turn darker red with age. is 'Golden Pheasant' x 'Skotak's Tiger'.

Neoregelia ‘Sunfire Fever’ 2011.

Mature, open, upright rosette to 25cm. diameter x 30cm. high.
In strong light, lime yellow leaves with punctated garnet Red Cross-banding and fine black spines.
Outer foliage portions and rosette base mature to saturated ruby red.
Neoregelia 'Sunfire Storm'

Neoregelia 'Mai Snow Storm' 2011 is a different grex

'Golden Pheasant' x ('Tasha x Clarice')
Neo ‘Life song’ 2007, BCR.
 
Mature open rosette to 35cms. diameter. Depending on light levels, broad green / lime yellow leaves with red longitudinal lineations and random red flecking, plus pink-tinged white striated variegation. Central cup is amethyst pink at blooming.cross is (carolinae x concentric) x 'Exotica Misty Pink'; Grex sibling = N. 'Life Blood'
A plant to watch for is Neo 'Mai Scarlet Fever'

The cross 'Mai Snow Pheasant' x 'Life Force' which is to be released by Nigel Thompson. 

He reminded us of Kiwi Broms, the Australasian Bromeliad Conference coming to Auckland 23-26 March, 2023.

Thank you Andrew or your brilliant presentation.

Popular Vote Winners

Advanced:
1st Stigmatodon brassicoides by Bruce Dunstan.


Equal 1st Aechmea ‘Black Zombie’ by Barry Kable.

2nd Tillandsia reuteri by Bruce Dunstan.

Equal 2nd Tillandsia durangensis x streptophylla by Bruce Duncan.

3rd Tillandsia ionantha by Barry Kable.

Intermediate:
1st Tillandsia ‘Beauty’ by Pam Butler.

2nd Aechmea mariae-reginae by Maxim Wilson.

3rd Tillandsia tectorum by Alfonso Trudu.

Novice:
1st Tillandsia ionantha by Barrie Brown.
sorry, no photo available.
2nd xSincoregelia ‘Lymanii’ by Coni Smits.

Equal 2nd Billbergia 'Talbot Cherry Maple' by Greg Macleod

3rd Ananas by Eddie Macedonski.

Decorative:
1st Brill-iant by Steve Molnar.

2nd You Light up Your Christmas by Alfonso Trudu.

3rd Greetings by Gilda Trudu.

• The revised edition of Starting with Bromeliads is now available for purchase.