First you soil looks to heavy. add 1/3 perlite to help with drainage and root airation.
The brown appears to be heat scorch. try a shady spot with a lot of air circulation

Was the table made of pressure treated wood, ie. picnic table? If so, you may have copper leaching onto the plants. Copper is toxic to bromeliads.

Hi David,

I'm not an expert but then even learners can sometime identify problems from their own experience.

Firstly, the leaf damage: Were they packed with wet foliage (were they damp when you unpacked them?) and exposed to extremes of heat or cold during transit or since arrival? Damage from these causes isn't always immediately apparent but gradually starts to appear after a few days.

Secondly as bodiggly said, have they been exposed to CCA treated timber at any stage, remember copper is very "bad medicine" for brom's.

I don't think your potting mix would have caused that damage in the short time you've had them unless something toxic got into the pot. As for potting mixes, I use a very open mix of mostly pine bark, charcoal and perlite as I live in a damp maritime climate near the sea.

As for being salvagable, in my experience brom's are extreemly resilient to all types of damage and can often recover, don't give up!

Just an after thought, they haven't been standing in a saucer of water have they? (But I still don't think that would cause that damage in that short time) However, if so, take them out of the pot and leave them a day or two; trim off the dead tissue and then repot.

Are any of your other plants from other sources showing the same damage?

I know questions, questions, questions, but we have to ask them to help solve the problem.

All the best, Nev.

First off thanks for the info and advice everyone...

Minxie - I tend to agree that the soil does seem heavy. I will be certain to ammend it with some perlite based on your suggestion.

Bodiggly - The table was made of plastic. One of those cheapo WalMart circle table specials. Thanks for the heads up regarding copper leaching. I did not know that one since I am realatively new to Broms(cept my Bilbergia).

Nev - Firstly, the leaf damage: Were they packed with wet foliage (were they damp when you unpacked them?) and exposed to extremes of heat or cold during transit or since arrival? Damage from these causes isn't always immediately apparent but gradually starts to appear after a few days.

They were wrapped in Newspaper which was damp and they seemed to be in great condition upon receipt. There is a possiblity that these plants were exposed to Heat during transit since it was shipped from the south to me in VA and the temps have been in the mid to high 90's. I did have these plants outside, so I would say that I subjected them to high heat for 4 days with no sunlight at all.

By the way where are these plants Native to? I am just asking so I can attempt to simulate conditions.

The pots that I am using have 3 plugged holes in the bottom and 3 open holes in the bottom as well. There is a saucer built into this pot and I have been sure to pop them off during watering times. There was a little bit of standing water in the center"mouth" of the plant for probably 3 maybe 4 days. I flipped the pot over to drain that bit of water a day or 2 ago. I have often seen the water in the center of my Bilbergias before and have never bothered to drain them.

None of my other plants are showing signs of decline at this time. I have been very fortunate this year and have not lost a single purchase. I do have a few more Neos on their way from the same seller and I would like to prevent this type of damage.

Thanks for reassuring me that this is reversible and I will be sure not to discard these former beauts.

I have a few general questions... How fast do these grow? What size pot would one suggest for these plants? What temps are the highs/lows this plant can withstand before damaging(I may end up growing these as indoor plants all year round)? Also what do you feed these plants with and how often?

I think that is all for now, thanks again.

Hi David,

I think you have a simple case of "baby sun burn" or lack of drinking. You must remember your plants are young "pups" and are quite fragile at this point after shipping. You need to "acclimatise" them to their new environment, as it is quite possible they were raised in a nice warm, humid greenhouse before they were sold to you. If you then throw them outside to the elements they can often go into shock, especialy if they get high temperatures like you said and get to feel that hot yellow thing in the sky actually on their backs for the first time. It's a bit like NOT putting your newborn baby out in the sun or cold for any length of time (if at all !) until they can handle it.

That said, some Neo varieties are tough and will cope with direct sun from a young age, but yours aren't and need to avoid midday sun and excess heat at this stage. I would put them under some fruit or evergreen trees so they get lots of warmth and morning sun etc, but not hot midday sun and give them plenty to drink in your summer.

Also, some other tips
- make sure your mix is much more open (as Nev says) and leave the saucers off your Neo. pots
- DO KEEP water in the "mouth" (or "cup" as we call it). If you have to tip it out to repot etc, always replace it straight away and ensure ALL leaf catchments have water in them (especially in Spring and Summer which is the growing season)...in Winter water the roots only but make sure you can still see water in the cup.
- I wouldn't bother feeding them anything...Neos don't need fertiliser as a general rule, if you grow them "hard" you will get more compact leaves and better colours when they mature.
- Your pot sizes look okay at this stage...some will grow large but it won't bother the plant, just repot if the pot keeps falling over etc.
- Wait until they establish themsleves and new leaves grow from the centre, then trim off the burnt / dead leaves...it won't harm the plant, they are generally very tough

Hope all that helps a bit, and welcome to the forum, you will certainly learn heaps here in a short time if you keep coming back and asking questions !

Cheers
Graeme

Graeme:

You have some great knowledge there and thanks for sharing. I will be sure to take all of your suggestions into consideration since the health of my plants is very important to me. I don't like throwing money away lol. I will be certain to keep water in the cup... I wasn't sure before if this would cause rot or not. I will also keep my broms inside for a while after receiving them through the mail.

Basic question... When trimming burnt leaf tips do you cut down to the nonburnt area or should I just cut the complete leaf? I would typically keep green(or red in this case) on the plant so the plant can use up the energy then discard as it sees fit.

Thanks again,
David

I have a great looking Neo Carousel and Neo Amazon on the water and will now be looking for Neos with a little yellow or orange in them.

Can anyone recommend a few other must haves(potted only since it is brrr in winter here)?

Hey Peanut

Check out
N.heatwave (bright orange to my eyes)
N.tangerine (name says it all)
N.Kautskyii (spelling) Yellow
N. Orange flush

Will have to think of some more...

Dennis

David,

Neo. Punctatissima is another good choice for a yellow mini, Kautskyii as Dennis pointed was one of my must haves.

The problem you may have is that a lot of yellow Neos require good light to bring out the yellow, you may end up with green Neos if it doesn't warm up in your part of the world.

Sharp scissors work well to cut off the dead bits, I haven't tried it but there was a post about putting aloe vera on the cuts to stop the edges browning.

Rick

Hi David,

Yes, just trim the brown/dead parts off and leave the rest of the leaf to sort itself out. If the leaf is the lowest one and mostly or totally brown, take the whole leaf off.

Good idea to keep new pups inside for a while when you get them (especially if it's cold or very hot and dry), put them out in the EARLY morning sun then back in or in the shade before midday and back inside at night. Remember most Neo's HATE the cold and you will get similar burns to what you have had from the sun from very cold winds etc. So yes, you will need to house them under shelter from frost and wind during colder months.

Generally, if your Neos have thick / hard leaves, and dark colours - they will handle more sun than those with variegations or longer, thin, white/green leaves. You really need to ask around and get some books or advice on specific Neo's to be sure, as there are many different varieties that can handle different conditions. "If in doubt" keep in the the shade with dappled sun if possible and inside in winter.

For a beginner with Neos, have a look at 'Manoa Beauty' and 'Noble Descent' and the awesome large species correia-araujoi for classic "must haves" with lots of bright red/orange/yellow colours, nice form and hardy nature (which is what you will need where you are).

Cheers
Graeme

I will put in my 10 cents worth,and i am no expert on Neo's First,the pups in my estimation where far to small to be send even next door,i have now made it a point;if you do not tell me the size of the plant in centimetres? i dont care what you have ,you can keep it ,cause i know you are selling junk (lesson 1 ) now should this happen again ? when you get youre pups soak in water and sugar (about 1 cup to a bucket of water) dissolve and soak for at least an hr, we used to do this with jungle collected orchids that where a bit 'of' all survived admirably.(lesson 2) also it pays to put in a cool shady place for a couple of days ,that cuts the stress ,but mist them over so the dont transpire (lesson 3) most people pack and post plants DRY , dont understand that idealogy at all,you dont go in the desert without water do you ? so if your plants arive dry ? use lesson 2 ,use it anyway, you have nothing to lose .its not your fault peanut,i feel the damage was done before you got the pups,it just did not show yet,but i think they will survive . Lesson 4,Never fertilise a sick plant ,you will only stress it more ,Cheers Jack