Bromeliads from seed

[meridannight]

Tried a few species from seed this summer: Puya alpestris, Hechtia huamelulaensis, and Pitcairnia elongata. Puya and Hechtia are growing along nicely, but the Pitcairnia didn't come up unfortunately. Pretty bummed about that, I really want that species in my collection. Guess I have to wait and try again next time I come across seeds anywhere.

I'm really hoping these guys take off next summer. They've progressed quite well over the 3-5 months they've been in existence.

[nsp88]

I've got some Puya coerulea var. violacea seeds I keep meaning to start. I'm just taking forever to get them (and some other seeds) going.

Did you do anything special soil-wise or anything for your puya? How wet are you keeping them? It sure looks large for having just got started.

If you ever want to swap puya seeds, let me know.

[meridannight]

I've got some Puya coerulea var. violacea seeds I keep meaning to start. I'm just taking forever to get them (and some other seeds) going.

Did you do anything special soil-wise or anything for your puya? How wet are you keeping them? It sure looks large for having just got started.

If you ever want to swap puya seeds, let me know.

I've added a scale image with a fineliner pen for my Puya alpestris seedling. It's the type of growth that you can't tell on a day-to-day basis. But then after a couple of months you realize your plants are bigger. Steady, but not that fast. I should probably repot mine into larger containers soon to accommodate increasing size.

I kept them consistently moist during the time they were germinating and a couple of months after. Now I'm letting them dry out a bit. Nothing special soil-wise, just made sure it was a well-draining mix.

Don't mind seed swaps but I currently have none left except half a package of those Pitcairnia seeds that never came up. I'm not sure how long Bromeliad seeds remain viable on average, but I wouldn't sit on them for too long.

[meridannight]

Update on my seed-grown Puya alpestris. They're growing up nicely. Glaucous undersides have developed, which look pretty.

[meridannight]

And here are my little Hechtia seedlings (if that's what they are). These were supposed to be Hechtia huamelulaensis, but I doubt that. Unless somebody here knows this is what they can look like when this small, these look very far from huamelulaensis to me.

Very slow-growing. Much much slower than my Puyas. These are 1-year-old seedlings.