Officers

PresidentTerrie Bert

Vice PresidentDavid Denholm

SecretarySusana Pouso

TreasurerRoyal Bruce

Visit us at

http://sarasotabromeliadsociety.org/

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Upcoming Meeting

Location: Selby GardensDate: Date MondayMay 14, 2012

Time: Regular Meeting time 7:30pmSpeaker: Dr. David Denholm Topic: Bromeliads in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. David traveled there in January and visited the National Gardens in Rio. He has been a club member for 4 years, and have been growing for 6 years. He also has  a degree in Botany from University of Michigan prior to his medical school. 

*************************Work Shop: Time: 6:45 PMInstructor: Ken PhelpsTopic: Plants Judged at Show

Members are encouraged to bring the show tags from their entries at our show to discuss the comments the judges made.

Refreshments Menu— Debbie will be making Shepherds Pie and Salad

requested $2 to cover cost of ingredients. Please bring desserts to share.

Upcoming Events

May 25-27Central Florida Home & Garden ShowOrange County Convention CenterUniversal Blvd.Orlando 10-9 Fri., Sat. 10-6 Sunwww.orlandohomesshow.com

May 26-27So Florida Cactus & Succulent Society Show & Sale 9:30-4:30Fairchild Tropical Garden10901 Old Cutler RdCoral Gables 305-667-1651www.fairchildgarden.org The WORLD BROMELIAD CONFERENCE will be held in Orlando later this year.Mark your calendar for September 24- Oct. 1st 2012.

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SBS Show 2012

Our Society enjoyed a nice 32nd Anniversary Show. There were 242 entries. Everyone who came or participated had a great time. Since this was the first time we have had our show and sale away from the mother ship, Selby it was an interesting event.

Dr. Tony Tucker handled entering all the entries for the show in the computer had a long day and Dr. Terrie Bert was entry chairperson.

Shirley Evans, Susana Pouso and Kathy Knuth did an outstanding job for the judges luncheon. Considering there was no use of any kitchen facilities, the ladies really came through with a tasty lunch and we enjoyed leftovers almost all weekend.

The clerks for the judging were Susan Stobo, Shirley Evans, David Johnson, Kathy Knuth, Susana Pouso, Patsy Worley with a pitch in bye Inez near the end. The judges Chairman David Denholm kept everyone on track and did a super job. The judges were Ron & Carolyn Schoneau from Gainesville, Dr. Larry Giroux from Ft. Myers and a student judge Linda Sheetz.

Hats off to Shirley Evans who not only handled the luncheon and clerked all day but obtained the awards for the show, which is quite a feat.

About 25 people attended the pot luck with gorgeous arrangements made and donated bye Linda & Dennis of Tropiflora. Again with no kitchen it was a challenge to everyone but there was plenty of food to go around and enjoyed. No one went home hungry.The auction was a success with 25 attendees with about 19 bidders that raised $1,304 for the SBS and 59 items were auctioned.. The auctioneer was basket wielding Ray Lemieux along with helpers Ken Phelps, Jeanie Scott and Crystal Nemec. Dennis had to take time out to take a frog outside that was in one of the auction plants.

Plant sales were hindered this year due to loosing days’ sales with no public sales on Friday, plus the construction going on at the Convention Center didn’t help. Bob Stickney, Ken Phelps and the Dolatowski's manned the sales area all weekend. The employees at the center; however, were extremely nice and helpful to us in anyway they could. We also had a plant raffle with a nice basket of plants donated by Anne Marie Pech. We had several members take the time to man the raffle/membership table including David Johnson, Bill Timm, Eva Talbert, Sara De Godoi, Susana Stobo and even Inez. I kept asking people where they heard about our show and many said from the flyer given out at Tropiflora,

newspaper articles, the billboard sign at the Convention Center, the Garden Show that Dave Johnson was on and even emails so we had people come from a variety of sources.

Attached also is a listing of all the exhibitors showing ribbons and awards earned.

COMPANY STORE

Ken Phelps has a variety of pots, and other bromeliad supplies if you need something special call him at 792-7922 as he doesn’t always bring everything with him and it’s a lot to hall to the meetings.

New members and member Updates

Sara De Godoi email is Saradegodoi@gmail.com

Judy & Pete Barnhart email isjudyb1776@aol.com

Welcome New Members

Joseph Harrison & Karst Garber5850 Myakka Valley TrailSarasota, FL 34241850-451-6489jhbonz@aol.com

Mike Foley3704 W. Swann AveTampa, FL 33609813-289-7888

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mhfo813@aol.com

Plant of The Month

Bye David Whipley

Nidularium (Nid-u-lar’-ium)

Nidularium is derived from the latin word nidulus which means small next. It refers to the inflorescence which in most species is nested into the rosette of leaves. The first Nidularium species were probably introduced into Europe in the mid 19th century. Today there are abut 40 recognized species in the genus. There were more, but recently some were reclassified and moved into Canistropsis and Edmundoa.

Nidularium angustifolium Photo by Len Dolatowski

Nidularium species belong to the subfamily Bromelioidea. Most species are from the rain forests of eastern Brazil where they are usually found in moist, shady conditions. They grow on the ground or in low trees at altitudes ranging from sea level to about 6,000 feet. Most plants have soft shiny foliage that is finely toothed and ranges in color from lime-green to dark purple. Leaves can be spotted, striped or solid in color. Plant size varies from medium sized plants such as Nidularium regelioides which is about 18 inches across, up to large plants like Nidularium procerum with leaves that can be up to 3 feet in length.

For the most part, Nidulariums are not grown for their foliage; they are grown for their inflorescence. Once they start to flower, the bracts can stay in color for up

to six months. The bracts can be yellow, orange, maroon or red, and the flower petals can be white, red, blue, or deep-orange.

Their colorful, long lasting inflorescence, and their tolerance of low light make Nidulariums an excellent choice for indoor growing. They enjoy bright indirect light, and direct sunlight will burn their tender foliage.

CULTURAL REQUIREMENTS

Light: They like low light (80% to 90% shade which is about 1000 to 2000 foot candles). Too much sun and their colors bleach out, and their foliage is damages.

Photo by Derek Butcher

Temperature: They prefer temperatures in the range of 55-65 degrees Fahrenheit at night with the temperature raising to 80-90 degrees in the daytime.

Most species will not tolerate temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit except for very brief periods of

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time. On the other hand they do not like hot, sunny summers. Care must be taken to give them good air circulation, and to protect them from the direct rays of the sun.

Water: Keep the plants well watered when they are actively growing. Cut back on the water during the winter when the temperatures are lower and the plant’s growth slows. It is helpful to flush the rosette occasionally with plain water to rid the plants of salt build up.

Fertilizer: A slow release fertilizer added to the mix when potting pups will get them off to a good start. Well-established plants growing in good light can be fertilized every watering with dilute (1/4 strength) general purpose fertilizer applied to the growing medium. Cut back on the fertilizer in the winter when the temperature is cool.

Medium: A mixture of 50% bark nuggets and 50% peat moss will suffice, or use a mixture of 50% coarse perlite and 50% peat moss. In any case, the medium should be well drained and slightly acidic.

Containers: Plants can be started in 4 inch pots, and then moved on to 5 or 6 inch pots as they mature. Nidulariums like to be under potted so the pot should be only slightly larger than the plants root system. Plastic pots are preferable to clay pots because plastic pots dry out more slowly, and it is easier to keep the uniform moist conditions that Nidulariums enjoy.

Propagation: You can grow plants from seed, but starting with a pup is quicker. After blooming most plants produce pups near the base or in the leave axils. When the pups are 1/3 to ½ the size of the mother plant give them a gentle tug; if they separate easily, they are probably mature enough to survive on their own.

Place the pups in a 4 inch pot using the same type of mix that the mother was growing in. The ups usually will root faster if you remove any brown lower leaves, and treat the exposed portion with a rooting compound. Once the pup has rooted and actively growing, it can be moved up to a larger pot.

Insect/disease: Properly spaced plants growing in a well-ventilated area are seldom bothered by disease or insects. Occasionally a plant will be attacked by a fungus, but recovery is rapid when treated early with a good fungicide. The primary cause of insect damage is scale. Treat the plants with an insecticide to kill the current crop, and improved your air circulation to reduce the chances of future infestations.

(reprinted from Bromeliad Society of Houston newsletter Vol 33 No.8)

Editors note: You can also check out our library for publications about Nidulariums.

*****************************************Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies of

April 14th.

Highlights of the Quarterly Florida Council meeting follows: by David A Johnson

1. The Audit Committee reported the financial records are in excellent condition and the ending balance is $23,094.752. Dr. Teresa M. Cooper, presented a detailed Bromeliad Weevil report. She will be speaking to SBS in June.  The Caloosahatchee Bromeliad  Society in Ft. Myers holds an annual fundraiser for weevil research and in their March auction raised $1,175.3. The President of the BSI was out of the country, but shared the following report     A. The BSI has agreed to fund a bromeliad related research project to be published.     B. They are hiring a firm to develop a new website for BSI     C. They are looking for a new webmaster and a new membership secretary.     D. Consideration  is being given  another interesting research project that has applied to BSI for funding.     E. The BSI Board has approved a proposal to establish a World Headquarters at Selby Gardens and a final arrangements committee has been appointed to work out the details such as a job description for the part time employee etc.     D. Funding has been approved for a student research position through Selby Gardens.     E. Preparations are underway for the annual Board meeting at the World Conference.

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4, The major topic of the afternoon was the status of preparations for the World Conference. The program booklet is almost complete. Ads from various Societies are still in final design and placement. The final program of events was distributed. There will be nine seminar  speakers..6 on Friday and 3 on Saturday. Concern was expressed about the financial arrangements with the BSI. A work group will  resolve the issues.  5. There will be an Extravaganza in 2013 in Clearwater, Fl. Arrangement details are in process.

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