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broms under deciduous trees?

14 years ago

I have a bunch of broms, including the Rio Reds I posted recently that are losing their red, under deciduous trees and vines. The leaf canopy above them is at it's thickest right now, creating heavy shade. But in a few months, all that will be gone as they drop their leaves.

Will winter months of sun, followed by summer months in shade, be a cycle that will allow them and some others to keep their color and bloom? or should they all be moved? I guess I'm asking if 4 months of full winter sun will sustain their color through 8 months of various degrees of shade as the canopy leafs back out and gets thicker and thicker?

Lori

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Comments (2)

Minxie
14 years ago
Placing bromeliads under trees that shed their leaves is a messy undertaking. You need to find out what conditions that maximize the best color and healthy growth. If your warmer season is 8 months, under a very shady tree isn't the right spot.
rickta66
14 years ago
Lori,

Four months of winter sun won't sustain your Neo colour through the eight other months without loss of colour.

I have quite harse summers down here which can easily burn greenhouse grown broms in the landscape, I lose colour very quickly on my Neos if I move them to a too heavily shaded location. I have washed out the colour on some magnifiently coloured Neos to stop them burning.

Spring is a good time to climatise our Neos to sun, tough leathery leaves take more sun, supple leaves prefer more protection.

I like to hedge bets and put some in the shade and some in the sun if I have multiples and see which area works best, another option is to dig in a pot and drop a pot into the pot, moving it to a sunnier/shadier position as required.

Morning sun or afternoon sun generally works well for me.

Rick
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