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<DIV><FONT color=#008040>Hello All,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Although Mr. Heckart has good advise with regard to light levels, and protection from excess rainfall, I must disagree with regard to temperature. For many years I'd grown a T. cyanea that had refused to bloom, although otherwise growing and offsetting normaly. As I had resided in southern Connecticut at that time, ( near New York ) and had lacked the space for a proper greenhouse, I would grow my plants in a shadehouse during summer and bring them indoors under grow lights when temperatures cooled in the fall. For years I'd seen photographs of Hawwaiian gardens where T. cyanea was grown effortlessly as a bedding plant, and wondered what I was doing wrong. It was'nt until visiting Hawaiian Sunshine Nursery in Hilo that the proprietor, David Fell, informed me that their usual low winter temperatures dropped to an average of 48 degrees farenheit. Armed with this knowledge, I decided to leave my plants out until a little later in the season to approximate this seasonal change. As temperatures in my area drop dramatically with the onset of fall, I was only able to chill the plant for 3-4 weeks before night temps would drop below 40, so to be safe had brought the plant in for the winter. To my surprise, the plant bloomed the following spring with inflorescences every bit as tall and proud as their hawaiian cousins, and provided that day temps during the blooming period were in the upper 70's with humidity above 50 percent, the fragrance of the blooms was intoxicating! </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> As T. ionantha is not a high elevation plant, I have not found chilling to have much effect on them. Although you had'nt mentioned which variety of ionantha(s) you are growing, I can offer that some seem easier than others. T. ionantha " Druid" seems easiest for me, where ionantha van hyningii has'nt bloomed in the several years that I've grown it, although it otherwise seems to grow normally, produceing an elongated pendant stem with numerous offsets from the leaf axils. I've considered removing some of the offsets to grow on separately and trying different growing conditions to see if I'm doing something contrary to the plants wishes. This way if one fails and dies, I'll still have the mother plant to keep for stock.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Although there are probably not many bromeliad growers in your area, an alternate source of information may be found amongst the orchid community. It has been my experience that many orchid growers and nurseries often have at least a few Tillandsias hanging around, although they often seem reluctant to properly identify them. Still they may be willing to share cultural advise. Although orchidists have long realised the differences in temperature requirements with regards to the elevations that their plants reside in nature, this idea seems slow to gain acceptance within the bromeliad community. Here in the U.S. our bromeliad growers have to provide some form of protection during the winter months, and considering the high costs associated with heating a greenhouse, heating is usually kept to a minimum. Thus they are provideing a seasonal drop in temperature without knowing it.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Also many growers seem to fine tune their collections with regard to climatic conditions in their area. The xeric, dry growing species seem to do best in southern California where limited rainfall is more to their liking. Conversely the mesic, wet growing species do best in the higher rainfall and humidity of southern Florida. With this in mind, you may be able with a little research to find plants that grow in climates similar to those that you experience.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Although I've not visited Singapore, I'm aware that you experience near constant high temperatures, rainfall, and humidity. To that end, it would seem to me that you might seek out species that reside at lower elevations near the equator. Those that reside in mangrove swamps, like T.bulbosa, and kegeliana might be likely candidates. Also amazonian species like T. paraensis may also do well, though these are sometimes difficult to obtain. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Unfortunately the bulk of Tillandsia species seem to occur at the limits of their range, southwest Brasil, Argentina, northern Mexico are but a few examples. One might theorize that they seem to thrive on adverse conditions, with near extreme seasonal temperature fluctuations.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Lastly I may refer you to an article in the BSI journal from the recent past ( sorry, I've forgotten the specific issue in question) authored by Derek Butcher, the BSI's current cultivar registrar. This article pertains to an invitation that "Uncle Derek" had received from the Singapore Botanical Garden to help identify their bromeliad collection. Unfortunately it seems that the bulk of their collection is reluctant to bloom given the unchangeing cultural conditions provided by the conditions there, thus making identification dificult if not impossible for many.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> Hope that all of this has been of some help, or at least provided food for thought.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#008040> All the Best, Kevin Becroft</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>