Hi Sander, Gonzer is right, those little grass pups are slow, much, much slower than "normal" Bromeliad pups. However, on plants like Alc imperialis, the grass pups are all you get, as the plant does not produce normal pups after it flowers. If you treat them like seedlings, then you can successfully grow them on. I have found that if they are removed when about 5cm tall, or larger, and they are very carefully removed to ensure you get all of the base, then your chances of success are good. Also, if you can provide them with bottom heat, and humidity, they will produce roots within a couple of months, and can then be treated like normal plants & potted up. I would guess your terririum would be a good enviroment to try growing a few grass pups.

Hi Lisa,yes i can understand your concern and cerainly i have had different plants ( mostly Orchids )that have suffered from viral infection(s) one thing they all have in common is that they all cause the tissue to shrink ,go brown ( negrotic ) and die ,some are very specific ,in Cattley Orchids it may not show for up to 7 years on the leaves ,but the flowers are affected first ,its called " colour break" and a white flower will be streaked with pink to mauve ,this goes brown fairly quickly , Cymbidium orchids are the most prone of any plant i know ,and it shows as a checkerboard pattern of whitish ,and yellowish and pale green ,and lots of almost square flecks of black ,the flowers are last affected ,but flowering gets worse each year , Bromeliads are not that easily infected ( thank goodness) some plants have been infected for the nursery trade,such as the Variegated Abulutons ( chinese lantern hibiscus )just to make them variegated ,that virus has no other affect on them at all ,it is a big and varied subject and to err on the side of caution is allways a good idea ,Your Tiger is different to Shane's ,i have had the odd Neo and Guzmania do exactly that ,and yes the go to the bin ,mostly viruses can't get into a plant unless its damaged .a cut or broken leaf ,or grasshoppers can spread it as can a few other sap suckers ,Aphids are generally to small ,but a large amount of them could lead to trouble ,there are test kits available ,for the 3 main viruses ,but the best way is to send tissue to a Lab,if it is suspected the plant is best burnt,some viruses are so specific they will only attack one species ,such as Amaryllis ( Hippeastrum ) virus ,the amazing thing is that the plant viruses are such simple organisms,and minutely small ,it takes 200degrees to kill Tobacco Mosiac Virus !Burnt tobacco still has live virus in the ash ! However All you readers ,please dont go on a witch hunt and start destroying every plant with a dark spot ,most times its a different pathogen all together , Tissue culture can be done on affected plants and eliminate it in the resulting plantlets ,but ? the resulting plants are very very susceptable to infection ,with Orchids it was found that green seed does not transmit,but dry seed does carry it ,the principle may be the same for lots of seeds ,but some seed can only be used ripe and dry ,Vriesea for instance , PLease understand that i am not employing scare tactics ,far from it , its about being aware ,and i do thank you Lisa for that photo ,its good to have a file photo of that type of thing ,I have so far only had 2 Vrieseas that i felt where definitely affected ,maybe they are more resistant ,maybe i am lucky ,i did do tests to try and artificially induce it but had absolutly no luck at all ,and as you stated Lisa ,you can feel with your fingers ,its either raised or sunken ,and thats not a good sign ,cleanliness is important ,but that goes without saying ,and yes If the symptoms appear on the pup(s) i would start to get worried ,the lack of Zonation is(as you said Lisa ,) some thing that Tiger does by itself and thats no cause for concern , Jack

Thanks for bringing this great photo to our forum Mike. I am just enjoying a morning coffee, and soaking up the view of fantastic Alcantarea's. (Can I ask what forum the original photo was posted..?) A.Tawarea originally came from Hawaii to NZ. So there will be some of that style plant around, but it is smaller than the plant in your photo. A Tawarea is imperialis X vinicolor, and size is closer to vinicolor than imperialis. I have a plant of a vinicolor X imperialis, so it will be interesting to see how its colour develops as it matures. So, I would say the plants in your photo are a form of A. imperialis Rubra, just the conditions they are growing in, somehow bring out that lovely red colouration. There are some A imperialis Rubra at a local subtropical garden "Totara Waters" (see link) They had 2 groups of A. imperialis Rubra, as can be seen in the photo gallery, and all originally came from the same source. However, as they matured, one group (bottom right photo) developed that amazing red colouration thoughout the whole plant. They were grown hard, in full sun...but something caused this group to "colour up" more than the others. Now I have tried growing A. imperialis rubra in a range of conditions, but have not managed to get this colour....yet... BTW if you ever visit NZ, this garden is a must see...! Here is a link that might be useful: Totara Waters

Andrew - thanks for that information, and the link to your outstanding flowering specimen. In Australia, we call those very dark ones Al. imperialis purpurea, of which 'Silver Plum' is a superior clone. Also, if they are grown with the base set high in the pot, then they will produce grass pups - but apparently not so much with the clone 'Silver Plum', similar to your 'Ajax'. I believe all of the imp.purpureas (your imp.rubras) originally came from seed in N.Z. 'Onya Kiwis! Paul - that clone of vinicolor which Jack, Tamera, myself and others have, comes from Bob Larnach on the Central Coast. I'll send you his phone number if you're interested. Andy - yes, the alcs with red in them certainly colour deeper in winter, and full sun. It's got something to do with the difference in day and night temps. They do not colour up as intensely in the constant heat. I have some of the same superior clones growing in different locations in my garden, and those in full sun definitely colour best. I have taken many photos of the magnificent alcantareas growing at Greenstock nursery (was Stockade), north of Brisbane. I might start a separate thread featuring some of them. Stay tuned. Cheers, Kerry