The BromeliAdvisory |
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August 2004 |
Volume 47, Number 8 |
This Month’s Speaker:
Alan Herndon is a trained botanist graduating from Florida International University. Allan is a true native having been born here in Miami. He and his wife Rhonda have a nursery in the Redlands
His Presentation will be “Aechmea and Neoregelia hybridization”.
Alan is a member of the “Herndon Bromeliad Clan”. His family has contributed greatly to the commercial development of bromeliads. The Herndons are not to be compared to the Windsors of Europe they are the Habsburgs.
Alan’s mother brought the guzmania, that is the parent of all these new beautiful hybrids that have appeared the last few years, from South America.
Member Plant Sales Are On
See You
Tuesday August 3rd 7:30 pm
Please turn off your cell Phones.
Pesticides and more Pesticides
Personally I don’t use pesticides for my garden, I’m too cheap. Things in Florida do destroy some of my plants but I just play the numbers game, plant 12 know that 4 will live. Still I’d go ape if one of my raffle prizes got eaten, so I’m glad that there are really powerful tools to control pests.
Let me personally thank Nat De Leon for bringing the “Name that Plant” plant in to our meeting. I got to talk to Nat about why he created this hybrid and we all got to see this plant a 3rd time at show and tell, giving us a chance to see how the plant developed. Nat has also brought one of the parents (Neoregelia ‘Passion’) to show and tell reenforcing to me the value of this part of our meetings.
And now without further ado, Pete’s summery of July’s meeting.
Last month's speaker (Dr. Mary Lamberts) gave an excellent program on how to responsibly combat pests in our gardens. Miami-Dade Ag. Extension Agent Mary Lambert outlined a basic approach to integrated pest management with a four-part strategy. She showed members how Mechanical, Cultural, Biological, and Chemical management techniques can effectively supress harmful insect problems without creating havoc with our natural environment.
Mary also invited members to call in to the Ag- Extension if they have any questions about addressing problems in the garden. Please do!!
Peter Kouchalakos
Bugs Mr. Rico Millions of them! (1)
Without exaggerating, I sweep up 30 of these guys in my home each day. I know I’m not allone. They are Anadenobolus monilicornis. Here is a Miami Herald Article about these new citizens of Miami.
Georgia the owl monkey is at it again. But her caretakers at Monkey Jungle are no longer worried as they watch her frenzied rolls across the bottom of her cage. After all, they have concluded, she is under the influence.
An imported species of millipede from the West Indies is flourishing in parts of South Florida, experts say. The capuchin and owl monkeys at the park like to rub the creatures on their fur, which sends them into a delirious state, said Sian Evans, who heads the DuMond Conservancy, a primate conservation group based at Monkey Jungle, the South Miami-Dade tourist attraction.
A species of South Florida birds also likes the millipedes. Grackles pick them up with their beaks and use them to anoint the area under their wings.
Millipedes defend themselves by secreting a chemical that acts as a natural bug repellent, said Virginia-based millipede expert Richard Hoffman, who helped identify the species. Scientists believe the monkeys rub the bugs on their fur to ward off mosquitoes, a behavior documented in capuchin monkeys but never in the nocturnal owl monkeys.
LOVE POTION NO. 9?
The millipedes' secretions induce an excited state in the monkeys that lasts up to 30 minutes, kind of like how cats react to catnip.
''They bite the millipedes, then reach behind their back and rub it on their fur,'' said Evans, who added that the behavior is natural but rarely seen. ``Their eyes glaze over and they're completely focused on what they're doing.''
Last week, one monkey shared a millipede with four family members and the entire family turned into a ``writhing mass.''
''Could it be we have stumbled upon an ancient primate form of hallucinogens?'' Hoffman said. ``Who knows?''
The presence of the nonnative millipedes at Monkey Jungle drew the attention of the few millipede experts in the country, as well as scientists with the Miami-Dade County Cooperative Extension Service in Homestead.
Students from Florida International University also are studying the millipedes. Senior Cher Moody, a biology major, was the first to test the millipedes on monkeys at the park.
The Anadenobolus monilicornis millipedes may have come from the West Indies or South America on imported plants or fruits more than a year ago, Hoffman said. State agriculture inspectors are trying to determine the critters' origin.
There are about 10,000 known species of millipedes, which are not to be confused with centipedes. Millipedes have two legs per segment with some species reaching up to 11 inches in length.
`KIND OF CUTE'
The West Indies species can grow up to four inches -- twice as long as common South Florida millipedes. Unlike the natives' dull gray color, the West Indian variety has bright yellow and red rings.
''If you like small animals that are not furry, they're kind of cute,'' County Extension Service entomologist Adrian Hunsberger said as she examined one on her desk.
Dr. Paul Weldon, a scientist with the Smithsonian's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va., visited the park at 14805 SW 216th St., last weekend to test the monkeys' reactions to natural millipede chemicals.
Weldon, who has been researching nontoxic mosquito repellents for the Army, found the monkeys had already been experimenting with the new breed crawling through the park.
He sent live samples to Hoffman in Martinsville, Va., who identified them. The species has never been recorded in significant numbers in the United States.
The new species seems to be displacing the native species at the park, outmaneuvering them for the decaying plants that millipedes eat, Evans said.
She said the millipedes do not have a negative impact on the environment.
''It's a fairly benign invasion,'' Hoffman said. ``It will be interesting to keep an eye on it and see and how far it spreads. It may become established and successful or it could be short-term.''
BY DAVID OVALLE
Miami Herald
Posted on Thu, Aug. 08, 2002
http://www.belleville.com/mld/belleville/news/weird_news/3831191.htm
QUICK GUIDE TO BROMELIAD PROBLEMS
Peniel Romanelli
11 December 1999
Bromeliads are generally quite trouble-free, but problems do crop up. Some of the more common ones, along with some possible causes are listed below. Please read the footnotes for more details.
Pale, bleached appearance
Too much light
Poor color
Too much shade
Fertilizing (a)
Long floppy leaves
Too much shade
Brown or yellow leaf ends or edges
Plant grown too dry
Cold or heat damage
Poor ventilation
Mix or water has wrong pH (b)
Brown spots or patches
Watering in full sun
Too much light
Cold or heat damage
Chemical burns - possibly caused by copper or arsenic from treated wood or misuse of pesticides (c)
Abnormal yellow or pale green mottling of leaves
Scale or spider mites (d)
Bites or holes in leaves
Snails, slugs, insects or
Watering in full sun
Quilling (inner leaves stuck together) (e)
Little or no water in cup
Brown, mushy leaves at base
“Wet feet" [f] as a result of over watering, potting too deep, or bad drainage
Center leaves loose, withered, brown or whitish, and soft, with a smell that would choke a buzzard
Crown rot [g] - possibly a result of stagnant water or poor ventilation
a). Avoid fertilizing Neoregelia and Billbergia.
b). Most bromeliads like an acidic mix. Dyckia and Hechtia prefer things less acid.
c). Follow directions carefully. Never use oil-based pesticides, or anything containing copper or arsenic.
d). Look for tiny black specks or about 1/8" grey lumps (scale), or fine webs on the underside of leaves (spider mites).
e). While this is usually humidity-related, a recent discussion on BROM-L cited a reference listing overuse of pesticides as another cause.
f). Correct this quickly. It can lead to caudex (base) rot.
g). Crown rot can be treated by pulling out the loose leaves, thoroughly rinsing the cup with clean water, and filling the cup with a good systemic fungicide for about 1 hour. Drain, let the plant dry overnight, then refill with clean water. The plant probably won't bloom, but you should get pups.
Biological Vocabulary Builders
Annuals: Plants that live for only one year. From seed to plant to flower to fruit and back to seed, all in one year.
Perennial: Plants that survive from year to year. Most lose their vigor in 3 to 4 years but some live for a thousand years.
Albomarginate: Having a white margin.
Variegated: Having leaves striped with different colors.
Pistil: The female organ of the flower.
Stamen: The male part of the flower.
Monoecious: Having separate male and female flowers on the same plant.
Dioecious: Having separate male and female plants. Androlepis, Hechtia, and some Catopsis are dioecious.
Inflorescence: The part of the plant that carries the flowers. (Not just the flowers). Includes the scape (if present), bracts, and flowers.
Bracts: Modified leaves; part of the inflorescence. The bracts are usually the most colorful part of a blooming bromeliad.
Scape: The stem or stalk of the inflorescence.
Caudex: The stem or base of the plant.
Anthesis: The time the flower is completely open.
Terete: Circular in cross-section. Cylindrical or tapering. (2)
Name that Plant
We have a winner – Manny Lorenzo
The Answer: Neoregelia ‘Passion’ X
Aechmea Fasciata ‘Superb’
Manny photographed the plant back at the May show and had the foresight to photograph the name tag. Also he took what is the best photograph of the plant I know of. Nat De Leon created this hybrid intending to make a neomea whose flowers would not be so deep inside the plant that they would be unnoticed. – Kplah (3). Thanks to Manny for supplying the photo. Manny has a neat photography website @ www.tropiscape.smugmug.com, check it out.
BSSF Home and Garden
August’s BSSF Home and Garden features Vice-President Sandy Roth’s home.
Sandy was born right here in Miami at Jackson Memorial Hospital.
Sandy has a five bedroom home built on a little more than a full acre corner lot near the Falls. The Home has been owned by her family for 40 years. Sandy is descended from White Russians, Scottish English and Columbian / Costa Ricans.
Today Ms Roth runs her own business, Sandyscapes. Before that she worked for 13 years in mens apparel and then in Real Estate. Sandy has always been artistically inclined and one day she was asked to make a bid for landscaping and decorating a home. She won the bid and Sandyscapes was born.
I asked her why Sandyscapes and she said “well like landscapes but Sandyscapes”. I didn’t understand at first but as I got to see the home and the garden I began to understand. Sandy has a style that I can only describe as Sandy; lots of mosaics she makes herself, lots of collections of similar thing arranged in clusters, faux finished walls, bird baths, statues and she likes to make special places.
Sandy says she likes to tell stories with her Sandyscapes.
Ms. Roth has a gratitude garden which I think exemplifies not just her style but her “path”. This garden is a small part of her total space but that doesn’t reflect it’s importance. Near her front door but partitioned from the house by plants Sandy has made a bench of coral rock cemented together that is covered with a rustic layer of cement incrusted with multicolored beads.
Here Sandy goes to be grateful and recite a mantra that roughly goes something like –
“I thank you God for the beauty that surrounds me. I am grateful for the opportunities now and in the future to create and turn yards into gardens and houses into homes and make people happy.”
At a catechism I was once taught by a Catholic Father that “You will never meet a grateful bitch.” This isn’t just a joke it’s a tautology of how a person in the state of gratefulness in incapable of being a complainer (bitch). (4)
That is Sandy Roth in brief.
Also please take a look at the different photographs on the web as well as the ones I have include here in the advisory of Sandy at different ages. There is a wonderful song by a band called Five for Fighting named 100 years. After interviewing her I was listing to the song and the two merge so that I was struck with the thought that it is so beautiful to grow older. Maybe you’ll see it too.
I hope these images both in the advisory and on our web page capture this spirit.
PS. Did I mention Sandy is into yoga?
Namaste’ is a Sanskrit word Sandy has written on her Ford. It is both a greeting and a farewell that means I recognize the soul within you – the real you. Or I honor the divine in you. (It’s really hard to translate ontological words from other languages, let alone explain them).
PSS Ms Roth stays real busy doing about fifteen jobs a month.
Here is an image of a bird bath mosaic that is a work in progress.
Membership News:
For Your Information....
"Peter and Clara Kouchalakos have purchased the entire 40 year bromeliad collection owned by members Tom and Nancy Steinmetz. There is an incredible selection of rare and unusual bromeliads for all tastes. Plants are for sale, and if you would like to make an appointment to view the collection, please contact Peter and Clara at (305) 461-2367."
Lightning sparks Florida fires
Posted 7/8/2004 7:35 AM
MIAMI (AP) — A lightning storm touched off three Everglades brush fires Wednesday in western Miami-Dade County, scattering light ash across suburban parts of the city and partially closing at least one major roadway, officials said. No structures were damaged or threatened and there were no evacuations, said Lt. Eric Baum, a spokesman with Miami-Dade Fire-Rescue. But smoke and ash, which hovered over the airport, drifted across the county, and up into southern parts of Broward County. "There's no wind at all ... It's very humid, the smoke's just hanging down," Baum said. Baum said 12 crews had responded to two fires near the Miccosukee Resort and Gaming facility. Those fires prompted officials to close Krome Avenue, the westernmost north-south route in the county, in one direction. The third fire was west of Florida's Turnpike near N.W. 41st St. Firefighters were working with the state Division of Forestry to determine how to fight the growing fires. (5)
August’s Meeting’s Scheduled Events
Raffle Table
Peter and Clara Kouchalakos
Door Prize
Steve Correale
Sales Tables
Will Be Open to for Members to sell
Refreshments
Sandy Roth, Peggy Fisher and Clara will feed us at our July meeting.
Show and Tell
The Usual Suspects; Nat Leon, Steve Correale and a host thousands.
Name Tags for New Members
are available from Connie Johnson. Call her at 305-275-8595 to order yours. They are free the first time; there’s a nominal charge for replacements. Folks, please wear your name tags! It simplifies things for everyone.
Library
Lynne Fieber will have the library open from 7:00pm to 7:30 pm. Please return any books and publications you’ve checked out.
Cool Website of the Moment
Notes from the Editor:
You may reach me at Bromeliad@timewolf.net via Email or at
10011 S.W. 133rd Street Miami FL 33176 via Snail Mail.
Please forgive the brevity of this issue. This month has been interesting in the Chinese sense.(6)
Sources:
(1) Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers
(2) Dean Fairchild
(3) Klingon for Success
(4) Father Russel of St Louis
(5) The Associated Press. Photo NBC 6 Miami. By the way if you have driven north along the Ronald Regan Turnpike Bye Bye Malalucas
(6) There is a Chinese curse, May you live in interesting times