I apologize but the string of b is new to me, I wouldn't be able to do anything other than a couple of leaves. unless I got a good offer, then I would give it up entirely. I've also acquired the common jade since my last list update. ive never tried the elephant bush. the jade in general are supposed to be easy to propagate. I have had no problems with cuttings from my Gollum. ive rooted a couple of common jade leaves. and in the process of rooting several cuttings and leaves from both the common jade and Gollum.

I have no idea about the black dots or the bumps....but I would advise you to simply remove those leaves. Sure, the plant may look a little naked for a few weeks, but new leaves will grow. Some of the other pics show simple sunburn. You can pluck those leaves, too. Josh

Goodmorning Everybody ! :) I heard from my swappers last night...:))) Mariann I have a couple of surprizes for you...We love putting surprizes in our boxes Regina started it.. Chell you are so creative and your writing is so much fun to read... I bet the boys loved playing pirate.. I can see their smiling faces now...What a great idea to make a hideout.. They will always remeber their hideout mom made for them... Norma I havent traded with you but I am sure you went way above in sending her nice cuttings..I seen pics of what you send...They are awesome boxes..:)) Please dont be sad..:)) Regina howdy :) I am so sorry about Mark having to have surgery and the heart condition would just send me into heaven.. Wow I am so glad to read it all went well...Shooo My heart sank for a minute...He will be all healed for college this fall..:)) You empty nester dont go through what I went through...Stay busy and call them alot... I miss my kids so much it hurts sometimes... Dogs are okay but they cant replace our true babies...I love reading about chell and her boys... It makes me smile so much... Frances lol You poor gardener..ahhah You need a break from mother nature..Really..:)) Oh big snakes yucky... I would be screaming... I love chippies...They are so cute...Havent had many around with a cat now...Kiki has brought home two gardener snakes...He was very proud of himself... Yesterday I was getting ready to go out and play in the dirt...The crows or blackbirds were screaming...It just like a scene in the movie the "birds"... It creeped me out really bad...I couldnt see what they were yelling at.. I watched tv...Than got bored and went coleus shopping..lol The master gardener sale for the next county over is tommorow... I cant wait to see what they are going to be offering..I have never been to this one...Oh I almost forgot..I heard from the master gardener I met...Looks like we are building another gh..lol She wants to do it closer to fall since everyone is busy with their gardens...I am glad we could help her..They are a pain to build.. well I gabbed enough lol must be the strong coffee and I got a lot of sleep...:)) Have a good day everybody..Barb

Hi everyone. Josh – Let me first say, welcome to the forum and I hope you stay and build a happy association with all of us on this site. The aim of this group is to share information, experiences, pictures as well as asking and answering questions on bromeliad related subjects. There are some very experienced growers on this site and because they specialize in different genera there is usually someone who can answer specific questions and if not, knows another site where you can access an answer. The main rule in trying to get an ID for any bromeliad (or any other plant for that matter) is to post a picture because as they say, “a picture paints a thousand words” and shows the plant much better than any description ever can. Unfortunately you say you are unable to post a picture, and I understand where you are coming from and how frustrating you must find it, as I too went through the same problem. There may be someone reading this with more computer knowledge than I who can help you to post pictures and I’m sure they will soon give you some advice. However, before “Garden Web Bromeliad Forums” were amalgamated with “Houzz”, and was in its original format, all pictures had to be posted via a second host such as “Photo Bucket” or a similar, so maybe you could try this. In the mean time we have to try and answer your questions based on the information we have. You say you bought your plant at “Lowes” which I assume is a store similar to our K-Mart, Big-W, Bunnings etc. here in Australia (please correct me if I’m wrong). These stores just “on sell” plants and I have found the staff are not “nursery trained” and most have little idea about plant care and this is where your problems can begin. For example, plants are sometimes left out in the full sun when they have previously been grown with the protection of shade or glass house conditions. This can result in leaf burning and the dehydration of the plant as well, however these signs are obvious by the condition of the leaves and the wary buyer would leave them alone. Generally the two main areas of trouble with most plants can be traced to “over-watering” or “under-watering”. If the plant feels very light, this usually indicates it has dry potting mix and has been under-watered, which may lead to dehydration of the plant and eventual death. If it feels heavy, it has usually been over-watered and the potting mix is water-logged which may eventually lead to rot which can also kill the plant, so these are the two main things to look out for. I imagine your “Lowes” stores sell a similar range of plants to those sold in our stores in Australia. These are mainly, Guzmanias, Neoregelias, Vrieseas and occasionally some Aechmeas (mainly fasciata). You say your plant had several pups and this is the first “clue”, as this often happens with Guzmanias and Vrieseas, especially those that have been produced by tissue culture. Also if a plant is stressed (and this can be the result of either of the two causes mentioned above) it will immediately try to reproduce itself because the plant’s system thinks it is going to die, and the production of multiple pups (where usually just one or two is normal) is the survival reaction of the plant in operation. Next you say, “most brom’s are epiphytic, right?”; This is correct, and this fact give you a clue to the conditions required. When growing on a host tree, or sometimes a rock (saxicolous), these plants have abundant air supply around the roots and no matter how wet they get, they dry out pretty quickly and don’t stay wet. This then tells us that our potting mix must be free draining and shouldn’t stay wet either, so this is the first thing to look at. There are as many different potting mixes as there are growers, but a good “basic” type of potting mix for most the commonly grown bromeliads mentioned above is 50% bark based orchid mix and 50% good quality general potting mix; this will allow free drainage and will retain some moisture without being too wet. Another very common problem with new growers is to leave their plant standing in a saucer of water to “keep it watered” as this too will cause water-logging and ultimately rot. I have on occasion heard shop assistants tell customers this is what should be done, which only highlights their lack of horticultural knowledge in these matters as this is a sure way of killing your plant. I would have suggested that a few of days after watering, you knock the plant out of the pot and examine the mix; if it’s damp but not wet, fine; if it’s still very wet, your mixture isn’t free draining enough. However you say, “should I repot without the peat? It's still kind of wet and I haven't watered in a week! In this case I would definitely de-pot the plant, remove the peat and re-pot in a more suitable potting mix as the present mix is retaining too much water. While on the watering subject, another thing to look at is the pattern of drainage holes in your pot; more often than not drainage holes are too small and need enlarging or even extra holes bored through the base of the pot to facilitate quicker drainage (You should be able to water the plant and shortly after see the water run from the drainage holes). Also the fact that your plant has soil gnats (sometimes called “fungus gnats”) prompts me to ask if you removed any rotting or dying roots when you re-potted your plant, as you said when you bought your plant it was “starting to get root rot”. If you leave the dead and rotting roots on the plant even though you’ve repotted it, you may have just moved the problem into the fresh potting mix. Even if all the roots are dead and rotted, they should be removed and the base treated with an anti-fungus solution or powder; the plant will eventually grow new roots and in the meantime, an occasional half strength mixture of foliar fertilizer could be applied to provide nutrients. Fungus gnats don’t damage plants as such; their presence is mainly just a nuisance. Larvae, however, when present in large numbers, may damage roots and stunt plant growth, especially in younger plants. Root damage and even plant deaths have occurred in house-plants when high populations of larvae were present in “over-wet” potting mixes. Thus, a houseplant that is wilting may not indicate a lack of water, but rather too much water and roots damaged by fungus gnat larvae or other causes of unhealthy roots. However, too much or too little water, root decay, fungi, and improper soil conditions (e.g., poor drainage, or waterlogging) are much more common causes of wilted plants. You say of your plant, “It stays very warm and humid, with indirect light (on a bright, covered porch)”; this is OK but the most important bit of the equation is “missing” and that is the fresh circulating air such as outside grown plants in culture and those in habitat are able to access. You also say that “Maybe it's not even a brom?” and without a picture I don’t think any of us can say for certain either. However you go on to describe it and say, “It (and it's pups) are a sort of yellow-green on top, with purple undersides. Long narrow leaves with no serration. The roots look terrestrial, but the plant is very clearly nothing like my cryptanthus. Hope this helps for id.” The fact that the leaves have no serrations, narrows the field considerably as Neoregelias and Aechmeas have serrated leaf edges, so given the information you have provided, I would suggest it’s either a Guzmania or a Vriesea as they are the two most commonly sold types of bromeliads outside the bromeliad nursery environment. Just for comparison, I'm posting two picture below of firstly of a Guzmania and secondly a Vriesea. I hope all of this “twaddle” doesn’t confuse you too much; I did get a bit carried away and thought I was writing a book, but it was all intended to help. Guzmania 'Hilda' Vriesea 'Evita' All the best, Nev.