A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Aarons Tillandsia (Bromeliads) "Air plants"

I thought i would post some pics of my Tillandsia (Air plants) i didnt know where to put this post?

T. Diguettii


T. Streptophylla X Ehlersiana


T. "Tina Parr" (T. Seleriana X Ionantha)


a dry desert-like tillandsia from the Andes mountains T. Plumosa


A possible natural hybrid? T. Veluntina


about to flower T. Didisticha

Very Neat looking plants Aaron!!

Hey Aaron as you know I bought one Till Tri-color at the garden show how long does the bloom last??? and does it bloom year round I have so many questions so just give me all the info you can for its care and blooming periods PLZZZZZ !!

I think the one I bought is AWESOME I sure wish I could have afforded a pup from the curley ended one that one was over the top awesome!!! So Glad we got to meet!!!\

Thanks soo much for any info on it !!!

Diane

I have brought many from San Francisco and Puerto Rico and have never been able to keep them alive.

Give us some hints.

Tillandsia Tricolor will not bloom year round... each plant sends out only one "bloom spike" or peduncle... then dies... after producing and establishing a "pup" or offset...usually i would estimate there will be 6 to 8 individual flowers... and i think i remember seeing a pup already growing... these plants are sooo collectible with over 500 species and almost 400 man-made hybrids...

watering is a must... many people get the wrong picture... when they hear "air plant" everyone thinks air is all they need... that simply isnt enough... frequent watering and fertilizing will maximize growth... many tillandsias grow in dry-forest regions... with frequent rain and warm temps or gentle breezes to dry them off... to fend off bacterial infections or fungal attacks... these two will quickly kill any tillandsia... the most common culprit indoors is suprisingly enough... MILDEW!!! which once tillandsias are introduced indoors becomes a magnet for this quick-growing fungus... many people see the very dry leaves and feel impelled to water frequently... keeping your tillandsias wet for too long give ample time for mildew to reproduce and kill your plant... or they keep the plant too wet and literally suffocate the poor thing... remember tillandsias both take in water AND air through thier leaves... just like humans we cant both breath and drink/eat at the same time... we have to make time for only one or the other... since may tillandsias originate from lands much closer to the equator these plants need a very balanced day/ night or photoperiod... the best way to combat this is to set up gorw lights to come on as soon as the sun sets, during the shorter winter months... tillandsias are highly evolved BUT simple plants... they have adapted to nearly every environmental condition in central and south america... so many may need alot of water and some can grow right with cacti... with very little water... the best key to remember is green-leafed tillys need more water and grey "ashy" leafed tillys need little water... let me know if you have any more questions...

--Aaron

Lovely plants you have Aaron!

but ultimately a specific tillandsia must be investigated into to find its preferences...

heres some more tilly pics...

T. Caput Medusae X Seleriana ... hybrid


T. Ionantha var. Zebrina... notice the stripes...

T. Pruinosa


T. Bulbosa


T. Arriza-Juliae... rare collectors plant

Hi Aaron,

We have a bromeliad at home - not sure which one. The leaves are massive compared to those - very wide, dark green, quite long, and prickly along the outside. There was a pink flower on it (I think) when we got it (mum was given it as a present) but that was a few years ago and it hasn't bloomed since. Any ideas how we can get it to bloom?

Thanks,

Em

hmm theres alot of bromeliads that match your description... each bromeliad blooms only once... but each bromeliad grows a "pup" or new baby plant that will grow and flower itself... depending on how big or slow growing your bromeliad is, will determine how soon you should expect a new fully grown plant that will flower... one thing to remember is that all plants will not grow or thrive with out the proper conditions... bromeliads are very well known for just sitting there and not doing anything for many years at a time, JUST because it didnt get the best conditons for it to grow in... try gradually increseing the light exposure, begin feeding every time you water (with an orchid food one drop or tiny pinch per gallon), and increase humidity by misting daily...
let me know if you have any other questions...

--AARON

Aaron, most of your plants in the pics, you're either holding or they're just laying on something for the exception of one that is in a pot. Where do you put them, do you pot them, or do you just leave them laying on something???

I tried to grow one a long time ago but it died. I think it was mounted on a piece of driftwood.

It it enough to just mist them, or do they need a little pool of water like a pot? They obviously don't need potting soil, do they??

Here is tillandsia production in fl, my friend owns the nusery.

nusery

Emma rose,

Your Bromeliad is an Aechmea fasciata, one of the most popular in the Bromeliad family.

Getting the offset to bloom takes time and patience and usually several years. Provide lots of bright light with a few hours of direct sun each day. Keep it potbound. Professional growers have learned that exposure to ethylene gas helps to promote flower production. If you place your mature Bromeliad in a plastic bag along with a ripe apple (source of ethylene gas) for about a week to 10 days, this may promote a flower 1 to 2 months later. Note: Make sure there is no water in the cup when you place it in the plastic bag or rot will develop.

Let me know if this is unclear.

Will Creed
Interior landscaper

Wow That was awesome!!

glad you liked the photos, i have a bunch more.

They do a great job of growing there.

My mother brought home a common air plant from Fla.
and I don't think it's doing so good at my house,
but I got a ton of seeds off of it, but they are sooooooo tiny and like a dandelion seed pod thingie on the end of it..

the majority of tillandsias, do not need to be potted... they are highly advanced plants that have the ability to efficiently absorb water through the leaves... and because of this the roots only function is to "anchor" the plant to a host (these plant are not pasasitic)

watering, many need to be misted until dripping wet... and allow to dry completely, the rest may need a small pool of CLEAN water sitting in the middle ( i.e. T. fasiculata)

I dont like to mount my tillandsias on drift wood... i just prop them up in a pot so their leaves dont break or get folded...

let me know if i can answer any other questions


--AARON

BUT when they are established these plants grow like weeds im waiting for many plants to flower...

WOW how did you know this was an Aechmea???
Emma rose said the plant had PINK flowers Aechmea Fasciata has LAVENDER/ BLUEISH flowers and NON-serrate leaves with only a terminating thorn-like growth... Emma said the leaves where serrate along the edges...
i try to discourage many people from using the ethlyene gas techniques... this process will rush the plant and will result in smaller flower spikes and fewer flowers... this also exhasuts the plant and offsetting will be interrupted...

Aaron The Tri-color till I got at the Dallas show.. It hasn't bloomed yet but the bud looks fine my question is,, The tips of the leaves are browning. curling and drying (about an inch ) HELP! Do I need to move it or does this happen when they continuely'brush up against' a wall or object where it's sitting?..

Aaron,

It is important to understand what people mean not what they actually write. When Emma referred to pink flowers, she was describing the pink bracts that are much more noticeable than the purple flowers. Most folks do not make the distinction that you do between the bract portion of the inflorescence and the actual flowers. In addition, A. fasciata leaves have spiny edges that may not technically be serrated, but it is clear that was what Emma was referring to.

Finally, I would note that plant hobbyists who have only one or two Bromeliads may want to try using the ethylene gas just to accomplish a re-bloom and are not so concerned about the technical aspects to which you referred.

Wow, AWESOME pictures!

Aaron, I have a bromelid (don't know what kind) that had a pretty yellow flower when I bought it last year. It lasted a very long time (months I think). Like the person above, someone told me to put the plant in a bag with apples until they rotted to get it to flower again but it never did. Just a stinky GROSS mess of rotted apples when I opened the bag! How else can I make my bromelid flower again? Thanks, Maya.

well i am not attempting to try to interpret what Emma wrote (i am not a mind reader, neither are you)... and i have never seen A. Fasiata with serrate leaves (other than the terminal spine)and i've worked at a nursery ive seen hundreds and i have my own sitting on my desk... there is obviously a misunderstanding... may be its a Neoregelia many have both pinkish blush, and some with pink flowers... AND the leaves are serrate all the way...

besides you dont have to defend your tips to use ethylene gas... i am stating my opinion of what i find to be negative side effects.... ultimately the action lies with the owner of the plant weather they want a poor quality plant, or something they can be proud of...


--Aaron

HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

THIS IS A NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECT I WAS TALKING ABOUT

stinky apples uck!!! sometimes the "stinky apple" method wont work because a plant needs to be of a certain age to produce a bloom... the process takes a lot of energy something a small plant cant produce... another is many Bromeliads BLOOM ONLY ONCE (all the ethylene gas in the world wont make them bloom a second time), all bromeliads bloom only once and produce a "vegetative offset" (a baby plant a.k.a. a "PUP" )this pup will grow into an adult,and will produce a flower of its own...ONE QUESTION, has your plant offsetted (produced a baby plant) yet?? if it has keep it connected to the "parent" or "mother" plant until it is roughly half the size or bigger of the parent... this will assure a bigger healthy plant... all plants will need some sort of "fertilizer" including bromeliads... dunk/spray your bromeliad with an ORCHID FOOD to help grow stronger and faster and when it reaches the size of the parent dunk/spray with ORCHID BLOOM FOOD to encourage and produce giant flower spikes... it helps alot to add some SUPER THRIVE... both sould be applied every time you water with a concentration of ONE DROPLET per gallon... let me know if you have any other queations thanks for commenting on my pictures ill post some more soon...

--AARON