# Flaming sword Bromeliad



## DaveJ (Jan 10, 2013)

Hi I've a flaming sword Bromeliad in the viv.
It's been in there around eight weeks now and seems to be doing well. The main red swords have begun to produce small yellow flowers I can see loads of them starting to appear between every leaf but they don't seem to emerge fully and seem to go brown and die before they bloom. 

I've another Brom that has a pinkish sword which has also flowered just two pink flowers which are very healthy looking and quite large.

Temp is regulated keeping the tank between 70-76 degrees. Humidity stays between 75-90%. Any ideas ?


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## VenomR00 (Apr 23, 2010)

pictures help


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## DaveJ (Jan 10, 2013)

Had to wait till I got home.
You can see 3wilted ones on the upper sword and a new bud below in yellow.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

First, that is not "Flaming Sword," which is _Vriesea splendens_--a plant that grows way too large for most vivaria. This plant looks like _Vriesea carinata_, or one of its cultivars. Sometimes called "Lobster claw," but stick to the Latin. (From the pic, the inflorescence is not tall enough to be an erythrodactylon cultivar.)

Let's get busy:

1) How high up is it in the tank, i.e., how close is the inflorescence to the lights?;
2) How is it grown/mounted?
3) Do you mist the inflorescence? This can help.
4) Full shot of the tank?
5) Oh yeah, almost forgot--did you acquire this plant in bloom/bud?

Bear in mind that, whatever we find, vriesea flowers are not particularly long-lived--the _inflorescence_ many last quite a while, but not the individual flowers.


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## DaveJ (Jan 10, 2013)

Ok many thanks.
1. The highest tip is 60cm/2ft from the light. 150w MH.
2. It's planted in the substrate ABG mix.
3. Yes misting twice daily.
4. Be gentle 









5. Purchased in a pot rooted. The inflorescence was already established, the flowering has only started in the last few days.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Is it the plant on the right with the paddle inflorescence? That is a vriesea hybrid, looks like one of DeRoose's hybrids--we can key it at 

Bromeliad Encyclopedia - Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies

Did you purchase this at a Home Depot type store? Now and then, the big chains will have appropriate plants--but we have to be thorough before using them in tanks. (I rinse very thoroughly and grow out a bit first; others use a mild bleach dip.)

In my experience, bromeliads acquired in bud often experience a bit of shock when planted in vivaria. Be patient, the good news is that its pups will adapt quite well to tank conditions.

FYI--Guzmania on the left, I would reorient it a bit towards the front so it is not crowded by the wall. Also, over the long term, you should consider elevating both of these bromeliads just a bit. These tanks can get quite moist, and these plants really appreciate better drainage.

Q: Gee, I wasn't harsh the first time, was I? 

How old is this set up? So far, looks good! I like the use of _Tillandsia cyanea_. What kind of orchid is that on the left?


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## DaveJ (Jan 10, 2013)

Groundhog said:


> Is it the plant on the right with the paddle inflorescence? That is a vriesea hybrid, looks like one of DeRoose's hybrids--we can key it at
> 
> Bromeliad Encyclopedia - Florida Council of Bromeliad Societies
> 
> ...


Yes it's the one on the right. Couldn't tell for sure which one it is from the web site but your guess seems the most similar.

Purchased it at a local garden Center and from reading the forums here I washed all the plants as much as practically possible in a 5-10% bleach solution, cleared all soil from the roots before planting.

Thanks for the advice re the Guzmania the angle from the front makes it look a little crowded but it's set back a bit and isn't as close to the left wall as it looks as there's a planting pocket in front with a climbing ficus. I'm hoping there should be adequate drainage as the substrate is above around 2-3 inches of lycea.

Harsh ? No but you never know what sort of a mess I might have made with plant selections. I've never kept plants of any kind before 

It's planted eight weeks now, I'm pretty pleased with it so far, I'm hoping to get moss covering the fibre matting planter on the left so it will look more natural with time.

Yes the Tillandsia cyanea fits there nicely in an outcrop of slate I put together above a mangrove root cave type feature. thanks 
The orchid is a Phalaenopsis I'm hoping it's not getting too much light, I've it positioned half under the slate to give a little shade.

From a slightly different angle.


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## DaveJ (Jan 10, 2013)

A quick question about general maintenance. 
Should dead petals be removed from the viv ? Or is it better to leave in ? I'd imagine springtails and woodlice will eat them ?


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

You mean dead fronds at the base of the rosette? For ornamental reasons, people remove them; however, in the wild the dead leaves form a protective shield for the growing rosette. 

Personally, I will remove 1 or 2 if they look bad...


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## DaveJ (Jan 10, 2013)

Groundhog said:


> You mean dead fronds at the base of the rosette? For ornamental reasons, people remove them; however, in the wild the dead leaves form a protective shield for the growing rosette.
> 
> Personally, I will remove 1 or 2 if they look bad...


Not just dead fronds, but wilted flowers or dead leaves. I assume taking them out would only be for aesthetic purposes. 
As what I'm thinking is that they would enrich the substrate and that can't be a bad thing.


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