Mar 15 2017

Tillandsia home care

An indoor flower with a difficult name tillandsia has the same difficult character. Despite the difficulties of home care, it is the most popular of all exotic plants of the Bromeliad family. In the people it is called a tropical star.

This plant got its name in honor of the Swedish botanist E. Tillands (1640 - 1693). In the wild, tillandsia is found most often in the tropical and subtropical regions of the American continent - in the south of the United States, in Mexico, Argentina and Chile, and it grows in the most unexpected places - in semi-deserts, swamps, savannahs, in mountainous regions, in the tropics and subtropics. It can be found even on the border of permafrost. There are many types of tillandsia: double-edged, which grow in Costa Rica; bulbous, found everywhere from Mexico to Brazil; Linden - in Ecuador; usneiformes - in the tropics of the south of America. The shades of the original tillandsias are also varied: from blue-blue to yellow-green. Different varieties of tillandsia are very different in appearance and in the conditions of their cultivation.

Spectacular and catchy, these flowers amaze with their originality and variety. Currently, the genus Tillandsia has united more than 400 species of flowering herbaceous plants: both perennials and annuals, both terrestrial species that are familiar to us, and epiphytes that are completely different from them.

In this article, we will consider those types of tillandsia that are potted, or as they are also called, green tillandsia. More than epiphytes, they resemble herbaceous plants from the Bromelia family that are familiar to us and are more often grown at home as indoor flowers.

Potted (room) tillandsia

Room Tillandsia does not have a well-developed root system. The flower produces a massive dense rosette of narrow long scaly or smooth leaves with sharp tips. The dimensions of the leaves are as follows: up to 15 mm wide, up to 40 cm long. The color of the leaves is dark green, sometimes with a reddish-brownish tint.

An exotic beauty usually blooms in summer, but depending on the conditions of detention, this can happen in autumn and even in winter. Flowering can last up to two or more months. At this time, a tall peduncle of bright color, usually raspberry-pink, appears on the tillandsia. Its shape is original and looks like an ear. Bracts surround the inflorescences quite densely. Each flower consists of three petals of bright blue, blue or purple. The color scheme of inflorescences in different varieties of plants is different. So, the bracts are not only pink, but also purple, red, yellow, orange, lilac - that is, all the brightest acrylic tones, thanks to which the tillandsia always looks dazzling.

This plant is also unusual in that its flowers bloom in turn. Very rarely two or more flowers open at once. But for the entire period of flowering they can open up to 20 pieces. Flowers fade quickly. As they dry, cut them off. Do the same with withered leaves. But an ear with elegant bracts for quite a long time, up to 5 months, stands surrounded by dark green foliage and gives Tillandsia a magnificent decorative look. The peduncle eventually dies off and acquires a light green color. In the axils of the leaves, Tillandsia babies are formed - daughter outlets, and the mother outlet dries up. The next flowering will already be in the grown daughter outlets. Thus, the tillandsia is rejuvenated, and you will admire its flowering for at least another five years.

Kinds

Consider the most popular types of tillandsia with a photo.

Blue (Tillandsia cyanea)

Tillandsia blue (Tillandsia cyanea)

Tillandsia Blue (Cyanea) is the most popular flower for home care. It forms a bizarre rosette of grass-like leaves, the color of which varies from a reddish base to brown-striped plates. The height of the rosette reaches 30 cm. In summer, a flat spike grows from the center of the rosette with dense bracts arranged in a fancy ornament. The fantastic coloring and shape of the bracts seem artificial. Blue or bluish flowers with rhombic petals bent to the sides, bloom gradually, as if a wave rolls over the ear from its top to the base. Bracts are painted in bright lilac or pink tones.

Tillandsia Linden (Tillandsia lindenii)

Tillandsia Linden is similar to Tillandsia blue, but more graceful and beautiful. Her spike is more rounded, not so dense, and the bracts are only pale pink or reddish. The flowers of this tillandsia are also bright blue, three-petaled. The leaves are thinner and collected in relatively loose rosettes.

Tillandsia Duera (Tillandsia dyriana)

Tillandsia Duera

The inflorescence of Tillandsia Duera resembles a yellow autumn acacia leaf. Elegant, very beautiful plant. It develops in the form of a rosette of tongue-shaped flat and long leaves, densely arranged, as if wrapped, around the base of the peduncle. In the center of the rosette on a thin short peduncle, a symmetrical inflorescence grows with loose, two-row arranged leaf-shaped oval bracts of orange or red hues.

Tillandsia Anita

Tillandsia Anita is an ornamental hybrid of Tillandsia blue. It is also popular for home care. Its dense rosette consists of narrow scaly leaves with pointed ends. Flat wide inflorescences are attached to short peduncles and consist of pink or purple bracts, on which bright blue flowers open in turn. Flowering lasts a short time, but the bracts retain their decorative effect for a long time, until they become light green.

Another species is Tillandsia tricolor. Its linear, long (up to twenty cm), narrow (no more than 1 cm) scaly green leaves form a dense rosette. Peduncles - thin, long and erect. Inflorescences in the form of an ear are both simple and complex (several ears). The spikes consist of leathery, oval-shaped stipules, which have the color of sepals, like a traffic light, in three colors: they are bright red at the bottom, light yellow in the middle, and green at the very top. In summer, large flowers bloom, the petals of which grow up to 7 cm in length and are painted purple.

The rosette of this type of tillandsia is formed by narrow, long, green leaves. The decorativeness of the plant is given by spectacular tubular bracts of bright orange-red color.

Home care

And now we will tell you how to properly care for Tillandsia.

Temperature

Tillandsia is a tropical plant that loves warm conditions all year round. For its successful growth and flowering, the ambient air temperature in the room in summer should be within 25 - 28 ° C, and in winter - not lower than 18 - 20 ° C. In summer, you can take pots with these flowers to the balcony, as it is known that Tillandsia are great lovers of fresh air and frequent airing of the room in which they live. They are not afraid of light warm drafts, but they must be protected from cold, especially icy drafts, however, like any indoor plants. It is advisable, during ventilation, not to change the temperature of the flower content dramatically.

Lighting

Tillandsias require as much light as possible, but should be protected from direct sunlight at any time of the year. It is especially important during flowering to protect the peduncle and flowers from direct sunlight - otherwise, the tropical star will quickly fade. The level of illumination should be the same all year round. This is achieved by moving the pot from place to place, or by using artificial lighting. Note that Tillandsias are more fond of natural light than artificial. It is worth placing them on the windowsills of the southern windows, eastern or western. In low light, tillandsia leaves lose their decorative effect, the inflorescences become pale and unattractive. If you really cannot do without backlighting, it is better to use daylight diffused light lamps - Tillandsia takes them for natural light. If you take the plant to the balcony in the summer, make sure that they are protected not only from direct sunlight, but also from possible precipitation - cold rain can kill the plant. Watering.

Watering

Watering domestic tillandsia is given special attention. In the summer, the plant must be watered directly into the middle of the outlet, moisten the leaves, spray them regularly. Even fill sockets with water so that they are well saturated with moisture. After - drain the excess water. Make sure the soil in the pots is always damp, but not wet. Lack of watering can lead to drying of the tips of the leaves and their rounding. Overdrying the root system will cause the leaves to drop. Sometimes, instead of watering, the entire pot with the plant is immersed in water overnight. In the morning, they let the water drain freely - so the earthen ball is saturated with moisture in abundance. It is necessary to water with warm settled water. Sometimes, to soften the water, you can add a few drops of citric or acetic acid to it.

In the warm dry season, the plant is watered every day. In rainy cool weather - less often, you can once a week. In winter, watering is reduced, make sure that the soil dries well between waterings. During flowering, Tillandsia should be watered carefully, trying not to get water on the peduncle.

It is important not to spray during active flowering and during the cold season.

Air humidity

Tillandsias like slightly increased humidity, in the range of 60 - 80%. The air in a city apartment usually matches this figure, except during the winter months, when it becomes too dry due to heating. To increase humidity, regular spraying of moisture around the plant is necessary. There are humidifiers - get and use them. Otherwise, irrigate the room yourself three times a day using a sprayer. Alternatively, place the flower pot in a tray of damp expanded clay or pebbles. During flowering, it is necessary to spray very carefully so that water does not fall on the peduncle. With such care, Tillandsia will delight with its flowering for the maximum time allotted for this.

The soil

Tillandsia will not grow in ordinary garden soil. The right soil for planting Tillandsia can be bought at the store. Suitable soil mixture for flowering orchids. But if you decide to prepare the soil yourself, then take leafy soil, peat and chopped sphagnum moss in equal amounts, and add a little crushed charcoal. It is also good to add a mixture of fine spruce or fir bark, humus and sand here. The main thing is that the substrate is loose.

Fertilizers and top dressing

Potted tillandsias are fed every two weeks in the spring and summer with a fertilizer for flowering houseplants, such as orchids. It is desirable to reduce the concentration of the solution by half of the norm specified in the instructions. Fertilize should be carefully, in a moist substrate. Unlike watering, fertilizer should not be poured into the outlet - its base may rot.

And it is better to use foliar top dressing - by spraying the leaves, since it is the leaves of Tillandsia that better master fertilizers. To stimulate flowering in Tillandsia, you can spray its leaves several times with growth stimulants.

Transplant and pot selection

When the plant grows in breadth to the very walls of the pot, and the roots begin to peek out of the drainage holes, it is time to transplant the tillandsia into a new pot. Usually, it takes two to three years from planting. Every spring, you only need to change the top layer of the substrate to a new soil. For transplanting Tillandsia, prepare a wide but shallow pot, as the flower develops in a specific way. Growth and child outlets replace the parent ones, and growth occurs mainly in width. The root system of Tillandsia is not too powerful and superficial. In a deep pot, she will suffer from waterlogging. During transplantation, take out the plant carefully, try not to injure even the smallest roots. The rhizome does not hold the lush Tillandsia rosette well in loose soil. But you try to compact the soil well and give the plant as much stability as possible.

For young plants that have grown from children or side shoots, a transplant will be required no earlier than a couple of years later.

If you bought Tillandsia in the store already with a flower spike, we recommend that you do not transplant it. Place the Tropican pot in a bright, warm place, and leave the flower untouched until it has faded. Another thing is if the purchased copy has not yet gained inflorescences. We recommend transplanting it into a new, more suitable pot within a week from the date of purchase. Carry out transplantation using the transshipment method, carefully, together with an earthen clod. Try not to injure fragile roots. Fill the free space with suitable soil. The first time, a week after transplantation, spray the plant several times a day with warm settled water, do not water. As long as the root system settles into the new pot, the tillandsia will get enough moisture through the leaves.

Reproduction at home

Tillandsias are propagated in two ways: vegetatively, with the help of side shoots (children) and seeds, although the seed method rarely leads to the desired results.

Features of reproduction by children

The optimal time for vegetative propagation is spring or summer. You already know that Tillandsia itself annually forms from one to several children to replace a faded rosette. Thanks to this, there are always new rosettes capable of flowering on the flower - they can simply be separated during transplantation. True, do not rush to separate: you can only separate those "children" whose size is at least half of the mother's outlet. Too small and weak sockets may not survive on their own.

When 4 to 6 leaves appear on the side shoots, and adventitious roots form, they can be carefully separated from the base of the flower and planted in separate pots filled with a mixture of sand and peat in equal proportions. Sprinkle slices with crushed charcoal. Place pots with shoots in a slightly shaded place with an air temperature of 22 - 25 ° C. After a couple of months, young, strengthened plants are transplanted to a permanent place in a pot with soil, as for adult plants. Flowering will begin in two years, maybe a little earlier. If the tillandsia refuses to bloom, spray it with a solution of zircon - this stimulates it to bloom.

If only one or two babies have formed, you can leave them in the same place, carefully cutting and removing the dried mother plant. Soon new full-fledged tillandsias will grow in the flowerpot, which in two years will give you bright colorful inflorescences with flowers.

seed method of reproduction

If you managed to get yourself or purchase Tillandsia seeds in specialized stores, you can try to propagate it by seed. You need to know that propagation using seeds takes a long time.

The seeds have sprouted

Prepare a container with a lid or other container for germinating seeds. Fill it with a soil mixture of sand and peat. Seeds, not thick, spread over the surface, gently moisten with a fine spray gun and close the lid of the container or tighten another container with plastic wrap. Place your crops on a well-lit window sill with an air temperature of at least 25°C. Seedlings should appear a month after sowing the seeds. Flowering of such plants usually occurs after five years.

pruning tillandsia

This plant belongs to annuals and after flowering begins to gradually dry out. We advise you not to cut the peduncle, because after a while, babies will appear on it, which will be useful for flower propagation. (See above). Other types of pruning for tillandsia are not needed.

Diseases and pests of Tillandsia

Many people wonder why their Tillandsia is not blooming, or why its leaves are drying up. Below you will find answers to these and other common questions.

Tillandsia, like all bromeliads, are quite resistant to diseases and pests. However, weakened specimens can be affected by viral and fungal infections. The disease can occur for various reasons:

• severe waterlogging of the soil;
• low air humidity;
• drying of the root system;
• lowering the temperature of the plant content below the norm;
• drafty cultivation.

Tillandsia blue sick

The disease usually manifests itself on the leaves - they become transparent, the leaf plates become covered with dark spots. Sick leaves should be cut off. The room should be ventilated more often. Plantings - thin out, giving each plant more free space, light and fresh air. Treat diseased plants with copper-containing fungicides.

If an adult Tillandsia does not bloom, you may be keeping it in a poorly lit area with insufficient ambient humidity. But, it is important to know that an adult plant that has already bloomed once will no longer form new inflorescences - it slowly fades, giving life to its children.

With prolonged dehydration, the leaves curl, wither and fall off. Tillandsia loves constant abundant watering, do not forget about it.

When applying liquid fertilizer to the center of the pot, the base of the outlet can rot. It is better to use foliar top dressings, since the peculiarity of Tillandsia is that its leaves absorb fertilizers better than the root system.

Due to its origin, Tillandsia belongs to plants that can adapt to various conditions of detention. But if you want to grow a really beautiful and well-developed specimen, you will have to follow simple rules for caring for it. And then this exotic flower will really become a decoration of your home, and will give its design a special sophistication and originality.

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Tillandsias are a numerous genus of tropical plants of the bromeliad family, often grown as indoor flowers. The sizes are small - from 5 to 35 cm. The division into air (atmospheric) and potted (root) is rather arbitrary. In nature, both of them are epiphytes growing on the surface where it has drifted, in the literal sense of the word: on the trunks and branches of trees, on stones, on the surface of the earth (on the surface, not in the ground!). Unlike other indoor plants, tillandsias are natural species, there are few artificially created hybrids.

Features of growing tillandsia

Tillandsias are not difficult to care for. There are some features, nothing more.

On sale, these ornamental plants appear more and more often, but so far this is not a widespread flower. Many hobbyists order them directly from Asian farms. Even having endured a long journey in a parcel, these exotics take root quite well in the homes of amateur flower growers.

Landing

Complete soil change

If the plant was purchased in a store, then most likely it was planted in transport peat. Since in nature not a single epiphyte grows in such conditions, it must be transplanted immediately. They release the roots from the soil, rinse them and plant the plant in a suitable substrate.

Optimal time

Tillandsias are planted immediately after purchase. In this case, acclimatization will be much more successful - there will be no problems with the roots. It is impossible to create optimal conditions for successful cultivation in peat.

substrate

Tillandsia are epiphytes. They don't need land to develop. If they have roots (and some species do not), then they exist in order to gain a foothold, and not to withdraw nutrients from the ground. In nature, these bromeliads feed on air, which, as you know, is 75 - 78% nitrogen. And this nitrogen is absorbed by the entire surface of the plant: leaves, trunk, and roots. If the roots are immersed in a dense earthy wet mixture, then contact with air does not occur, and this is fraught with decay. Therefore, we choose the substrate as for orchids: the bark of a pine, poplar or other thick-skinned plant and moss, preferably sphagnum, because. it has high disinfecting properties along with breathability. Instead of bark, you can use fern roots, coconut chips or fiber, even ceramic filler - anything that allows air and moisture to pass to the roots, not allowing them to stagnate.

Tillandsia care at home

The conditions that Tillandsia require can be created in apartments and houses.

Location and lighting

The light should be bright enough, but not blinding - these are tropical plants, not steppe ones. It can be grown on south-facing windows, but from June to August shading during the day is necessary. Suitable east and west windows. In the north, additional lighting will be needed from October to March.

Open windows if possible to provide fresh air.

Air humidity

Tillandsias need high humidity. They respond well to daily spraying. In winter, it is necessary to protect them from the drying hot air of heating radiators, to create moisture around the plants by any means.

Temperature

In nature, the seasonal air temperature in the places where Tillandsia grows varies slightly, by about 10 degrees. If possible, create similar conditions at home. In addition, there is a change of day and night, when temperature fluctuations also occur. Daytime temperatures in summer are 20 to 30 degrees. Such cyclical changes will benefit the tillandsia if the change does not occur all at once, but gradually, naturally. This strengthens the plant, promotes early and long flowering and great decorative effect. And sharp fluctuations, drafts are unfavorable factors, they should be avoided.

Watering

Proper watering is irrigation from above, like rain. If the tillandsia has a rosette of leaves, then the water must certainly get into the funnel. The substrate is also moistened, but this is not necessary: ​​with sufficient watering, moisture from the leaves and from the outlet will drain to the ground and reach the roots.

For irrigation use water with a minimum amount of impurities, rain is best. Tap water is settled in an open container for at least 4 hours, then filtered. The water temperature should be slightly above room temperature. Between watering, parts of the plant, including the roots in the ground, should dry out.

top dressing

Natural Tillandsias will live well even without top dressing. But flower growers are very fond of feeding plants in order to increase their size. An excess of nutrients is much more harmful to Tillandsias than their deficiency. Therefore, fertilizers are used only when watering with distilled and tap water, and not with rain water. Apply liquid forms intended for orchids or bromeliads, dissolving in water for irrigation in a very low concentration 1 time in 3-4 weeks in the warm season.

Tillandsias do not need to form a crown by trimming.

Trimming methods

Cut off dead and damaged leaves or parts of the plant in order to preserve the decorative effect. Use scissors or a small pruner.

Tillandsia transplant

Overgrown bushes are transplanted no more than 1 time in 3 years. During this time, the bark in the substrate will begin to decompose, it will need to be changed.

Transplant method

The procedure is carried out in the spring. The capacity for the plant is chosen wider than the previous one, if it is not planned to plant young shoots. The main thing in transplanting is to change the substrate and give the plant stability. Water, put in the shade and do not disturb as long as possible. The roots themselves must be fixed in the filler.

You can simply wind the plant to a mossy snag, it is very beautiful. But care will be difficult - you need to increase the number of sprays at times, because. exposed roots dry out much faster.

reproduction

Tillandsias can be propagated by sowing seeds and separating young shoots. The first method is rarely used, because. the second is much simpler and guarantees the transfer of parental traits.

Reproduction method - planting a bush

After flowering, young shoots begin to appear on Tillandsia. As soon as they reach half the size of an adult plant, they are removed and seated in separate containers. The cut point is traditionally dipped in charcoal and immediately planted in the substrate as for an adult plant. The roots will appear in a month or two and will help the plant to gain a foothold. Under the condition of abundant irrigation, the shoots should not be covered - fresh air is needed.

Bloom

A young plant blooms for the first time in 2-3 years.

Features of flowering

In the middle of summer, a peduncle appears, on which a spike-shaped brightly colored bract is first noticeable. Numerous successive flowers emerge from it. each flower does not live long, but the general flowering lasts several months.

After flowering

Children appear on the faded shoot, which turn a single plant into a bush. The mother plant gradually dies off, transferring nutrients to its offspring. Part of the young growth is planted next spring, and the rest grow in the same place and create volume for the plant.

Improper care weakens the plant, and it is exposed to virus infection or pest attack.

With insufficient or excessive watering, the roots first suffer - they dry out or rot. In the latter case, the problem area is cleaned and transplanted into a new substrate. With proper care, new roots form within a month.

The virus is manifested by the appearance of discolored spots on the leaves. Such leaves are removed immediately.

Pests include mealybugs and thrips. The worm is washed off with a soapy or weak alcohol solution, and the thrips that attack the flower directly disappear, if you cut it off along with the peduncle, flowering will have to be sacrificed. A plant that has not flourished to the end may release a new peduncle.

Popular types

• Tillandsia blue (cyanoea)- a compact epiphyte, from 20 to 30 cm, a rosette of gray-green leaves, there are roots. Bract pink or red, flowers lilac, blue or blue, up to 20 pcs.
• Tillandsia Anita- one of the few industrial hybrids, a variety of Tillandsia blue. Bracts are collected in a wide pink spike-shaped inflorescence, flowers are three-petal, bright blue. The bract persists for a long time.
• Tillandsia Jellyfish Head- from the basal thickening in the form of a bulb, beautiful leaves grow up and fall down on the sides. Bracts spicate red, flowers deep blue.
• Tillandsia tricolor- got its name for the color of the bracts. With good lighting, a transition of red to yellow, and then to green is visible. Peduncle longer than leaves. Root plant, size approx. 25 cm.
• Tillandsia- an atmospheric plant, has no roots and does not need them. Grows naturally on tree branches. Long thin stems are covered with short gray leaves. The flowers are small, inconspicuous, without bracts. The plant gives the impression of a long, tangled gray moss. Propagated by simple cutting off the part. It does not need a substrate, it grows on any horizontal support. Requires frequent spraying or pond from below.

• From time to time, you can give the tillandsia a real shower. To do this, put them in a bath and pour very warm water for 10 - 15 minutes. At the end, rinse with settled filtered or rain water. After the procedure, leave for some time in the humid air of the bathroom. Then take it to a warm dry place. This imitation of a tropical downpour has a beneficial effect on the development of the plant.
• Atmospheric tillandsias can sometimes be simply immersed in warm, soft water for 20 to 30 minutes.
• It is very important to prevent hypothermia of plants, especially after water procedures.

Frequently asked Questions

The part of the plant that has faded dies off. But first it gives birth to numerous children, forming a dense bush. Therefore, the container with the flower is never empty - there is a change of generations, there are always more young shoots than dying ones.

Is the plant poisonous?

There is no information about the toxicity of the plant.

Why doesn't tillandsia bloom?

Flowering occurs in the 2nd - 3rd year. Perhaps the plant is still young. The flowering season is the second half of summer - autumn.

Why do leaves dry up?

After flowering, the faded shoot dies, its aerial part gradually dries out. Damaged leaves also dry out.

How does tillandsia winter?

It is advisable to reduce the temperature of the content in winter to 16 - 18 degrees with a decrease in moisture. If this does not happen, then watering and spraying are kept at the same level.

Tillandsias are very decorative exotics. A collection of different types is able to decorate any room. It's worth getting to know them!

Among the specimens of the flora for indoor breeding there are quite exotic ones that are unusual for sight and perception.

Tillandsia home flower is a genus of evergreen, perennial flowering plants of the Bromeliad family with a representation of 639 species. In the natural environment, you can find it in the vast deserts of Central and South Asia, the southern part of the USA and the West Indies. Popularly, the flower is better known as the "air plant", "moss ball" and Spanish moss.

She got her name thanks to Karl Linna, who named Tillandsia in honor of the Swedish physician and botanist Elias Tillandsius. This material describes the types of tillandsia, presents photos of various varieties and varieties.

The leaves become thinner when planted in rainy climates, while the denser ones grow in drought-prone areas.

Tillandsia is a species of epiphytes, flowers and plants that grow not on soil, but on other plants or other places (stones, walls, etc.). It receives moisture and nutrients from the air through the so-called trichomes, which are present on the surface of the leaf.

This huge genus from the Bromeliad family is sometimes divided into broad-leaved aerial, or as they are also called atmospheric, plants and green ground leaves.

Tillandsia house flower is in many cultures the main ingredient in herbal mixtures for the treatment of pollen allergies. In addition, they will be a great addition to flowers grown in a greenhouse.

They are easy to care for and very exotic in appearance - this in many ways attracts modern landscape designers and just amateur gardeners. Tillandsia can grow in places where no other plants even survive - they can even bear fruit on electric cable on power lines.

This flower was once a very rare species, but now it grows in many gardens on large and hard objects - shells, stones, driftwood and slate. Only two tillandsia varieties can adapt to the soil - tillandsia cyanea variety or tillandsia lindenii.

Look at the photo of the Tillandsia flower of various types that can be successfully grown indoors:

Description of the tillandsia flower and its photo

As I said earlier, Tillandsia is an epiphyte and does not need soil. The roots are used only as an anchor, thanks to which the flower manages to attach itself to a particular plant. Starting the description of the tillandsia flower, you should pay attention to the shape of the leaves and buds.

The leaves often have a transitional color, such as green to red, especially before the flower begins to assemble. But mostly they are characterized by a gray or green color. By the way, this phenomenon is worth paying attention to - this is a sign of a monocarpic Tillandsia plant (a flower that releases seeds and then dies).

Tillandsia leaves open at night and close during the day to absorb gas and release oxygen.

Care for Tillandsia when grown at home

Tillandsia loves bright, indirect sunlight. The temperature in the range from 10 to 32 degrees is not critical for her. But on the other hand, they are sensitive to frost, with the exception of only one species, tillandsia usneoides, which can tolerate night frosts down to -10 degrees. Tillandsia care consists in creating favorable room conditions for it.

When planting for growing Tillandsia at home, do not forget that this variety requires a lot of space around it in order to fully develop.

It is also necessary to provide the tillandsia plant with sufficient moisture, especially if the summer is dry (the plant should be slightly damp). Good light, fresh air and optimal watering levels will allow you to grow a lush and beautiful plant (do not overdo it, especially on cool days).

Saturate the plant with moisture by spraying water on the surface of the bush, especially if the air is hot and dry - the plant in such circumstances requires a constant mist with a high level of humidity.

Important! If the air is cool, then spraying is recommended no more than three times a week.

You can add a low copper fertilizer diluted ¼ in water to the sprayer.

Propagation of Tillandsia indoors with seeds and cuttings

In room conditions, the Tillandsia flower is propagated by seeds or cuttings.

There is also another specific method of division - tillandsia throws out a small process from the base of the mother plant. When it reaches half the size of the parent, it is carefully divided and placed on its own stone.

Reproduction of tillandsia is also possible by cuttings: a pinch of a branch is separated from the ripened mother flower of the tillandsia and set on its own base. It is necessary to separate the process with a very sharp object, a blade, for example, so as not to damage the flower.

In no case, when attaching a young plant, do not use strong glue - choose a slightly weaker one, apply it to the hill and the base of the young bush. Avoid gluing the roots and base.

The newly appeared shoot is grown in a place in bright light, but not exposed to sunlight. In the room, any direction for good growth will be favorable, with the possible exception of only the north side.

If you are growing Tillandsia away from a window, then add artificial lighting - fluorescent and fluorescent lights, which can be found in any store.

You can also grow Tillandsia from seeds, but we want to warn you right away - they will grow very slowly (this process can take several years).

Types of Tillandsia for growing at home

Tillandsia cyanea is also known as "pink feather".

It comes from a family of flowering plants in the Bromeliad family.

The natural habitat is the territory of the tropical forests of Ecuador. This epiphytic perennial reaches ten centimeters in length and forty in width. The bush has rosettes of thin, recurved leaves and paddle-shaped spikes of 20 pink bracts with hints of purple.

Tillandsia anita belongs to the Bromeliad family.

The bush has narrow, but not pointed leaves of dark green color with a matte sheen. Tillandsia anita flowers are blue with pink bracts. They prefer places where there is a lot of natural light, but not the sun.

When caring for Tillandsia anita flowers, it is worth maintaining uniform moisture in the substrate and watering with water with a low lime content. In summer, spray with water with the addition of diluted fertilizers.

Tillandsia bartrami is a species of flowering plant from the Bromeliad family.

Its homeland is Florida and South Georgia, it is also widespread in the United States, in the state of Tamaulipas (Mexico). The name is derived from William Bartram, an early Florida naturalist.

The plant forms clumps up to 40 centimeters in diameter. There are gray leaves (15-20 pieces) 20 centimeters long and 0.4 centimeters wide. The inflorescences are up to fifteen centimeters long, 2-4 mm in diameter and may have up to 20 flowers.

Tillandsia fruits in bartras reach three millimeters in diameter.

In this article, we will introduce you to other types of tillandsia - epiphytes. These flowers, like the green, potted tillandsia, came to us from Latin America, where they are attached to other plants and trees on the slopes of mountains, in tropical forests and stretch higher and higher, exposing their branches and leaves to the rays of the sun. Tillandsia roots do not drink moisture, they serve to fix the plant on some kind of support. Moisture and nutrition to the plant come from the air through the hair scales (trichomes), densely covering the leaf blades. Caring for atmospheric, usniform and other types of tillandsia epiphytes at home is noticeably different from the content of other indoor flowers. For successful cultivation and a spectacular decorative look, you will have to make a lot of effort. But these beauties are worth it. Read on for how to grow this extraordinary plant without roots.

The main difference between atmospheric (air) tillandsias and other plants and flowers is that they have practically no roots. Plants receive nutrition and moisture from the air through the scales covering the leaves. These scales are gray in color, which is why, sometimes, atmospheric tillandsia is also called Gray Tillandsia. Filamentous, almost transparent leaves, together with the same thin numerous shoots, create green lace bedspreads with a gray-silver sheen of unique beauty. However, she still needs roots so that with the help of them she can gain a foothold on the bark of a tree, a snag, or cling to terry moss. In adult epiphytes, the roots become like wire. In a soil similar in composition to garden, clay or sandy soil, the roots of Tillandsia will not be able to gain a foothold and hold a huge mass of numerous shoots of the plant. Under natural conditions, this type of flower grows in the tropics and subtropics. He chooses more open, windy places, preferably in the upper tiers of the forest.

At home, it is almost impossible to create comfortable growing conditions for him. Dry and hot indoor air often destroys the plant. The exception is special greenhouses with controlled humidity and temperature regimes, where atmospheric tillandsia is grown exclusively for sale.

But, more and more often, amateur flower growers grow atmospheric tillandsia at home, and successfully cope with its maintenance.

The most popular types of atmospheric tillandsia

Each species of Tillandsia is somewhat different from the other species. Some are interesting in that they change color before flowering, others are valued for feeling great in any climatic zone, and still others have a wonderful aroma. There are species of tillandsia with a well-developed stem, but among the atmospheric tillandsia there are stemless species. There are Tillandsias that look like tufts of feathers, others like a ball of thread, still others like an old man's silver beard.

Usneiform

The dormant tillandsia is the most popular of the atmospheric tillandsias. It also has other folk names. For example, Spanish moss. In fact, this is not moss at all, and it reproduces not by spores, but vegetatively - from seeds. The light seeds of a flower are carried by the wind in all directions, fall on fertile soil and form new sprouts. But for its appearance and ability to take root where other plants cannot survive, Tillandsia was dubbed Spanish moss. As the plant grows, the lower stems of the plant die off, and new ones grow upward.

Tillandsia

Tillandsia is a typical adaptive plant. It wraps its thin soft branches around a neighboring living plant - a bush or trunk of a huge tree. Filamentous leaves up to 8 cm long and 1 mm wide, arranged in two rows on thin, highly branched stems, covered with scaly whitish hairs. Leaves and stems are densely covered with gray scales. Due to their reflective properties, Tillandsia appear gray-silver. This plant has no roots, it simply hangs from the trees in whole lacy cascades of not very long shoots, clinging to the bark of trees with its thread-like thin stems. The length of the shoot is not more than 20 cm, but there are so many of them, even when they die, they do not go anywhere. Young shoots grow on old ones and eventually grow and intertwine so that they form huge silvery beards up to 3 m long. When strong winds blow, the long Tillandsia beards cling to neighboring trees, the shoots get stuck in their crown and continue to grow there. Surprisingly, this lacemaker also blooms with yellowish-light green flowers in the summer months. Tillandsia absorbs nutrients and moisture from the air. That is why these epiphytes grow in places with high environmental humidity. The most beautiful specimens of the dormant tillandsia are found in Bolivia at an altitude of 3.5 thousand meters above sea level. Where the silvery beards of old people grow, the surrounding landscape takes on an unusually fabulous look, and on moonlit nights it becomes even mystical.

Tillandsia Gardenera forms a large rosette of arched, folded leaves that act as collectors for fog and dew. Moisture after condensation flows down the leaves to the base of the stem, where it is absorbed by the plant.

Tillandsia Bulbosa

Tillandsia Bulbosa

Tillandsia Bulbosa grows as an epiphyte, using the roots only to attach to something. The plant is very beautiful because of the leaves, which turn reddish-lavender when flowering.

Tillandsia Silver

Tillandsia Silver

Tillandsia Silver has such narrow leaves, for which it is called the Hairy or Filamentous Tillandsia. Long leaf blades expand towards the base, bend in a spiral or bizarrely bend and in disorder, in a kind of bunch, move away from the base. Not everyone will even guess that this is a living plant. The countries of Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica are considered the birthplace of this miracle. It blooms in July with light red flowers.

Tillandsia The head of a jellyfish is the most exotic species of tillandsia. Very popular with gardeners for its hardiness and appearance. It grows in the form of a bulb with tightly closed leaf bases. At the top of the outlet, the leaves are bent to the sides. The leaf rosette usually hangs upside down. It has linear or finger-shaped red inflorescences and bright purple-blue flowers up to 3 cm long.

Tillandsia Sitnikova

Tillandsia cinnamon

Tillandsia Sitnikova has reed leaves collected in fancy panicles. The rosette is formed airy, but rather bushy. The length of the leaves reaches 50 cm. During flowering, a magnificent red bract appears in the center of the rosette, on which small purple flowers bloom in turn.

Tillandsia Violetflower

Tillandsia Violetflower resembles exotic corals. It forms small rosettes, no higher than 5 cm in height and width, from thin curved leaves. This tillandsia is able to gain a foothold anywhere and grow in almost any climate zone. Silvery curved leaves are hard to the touch, cone-shaped in appearance. In the summer months before flowering, the inner leaves of the plant turn red. The inflorescences grow small, spiky, blue-violet in color, and the upper red leaves seem to be part of this wonderful flower.

Tillandsia Protruding

Tillandsia protruding

Tillandsia erectus stands out for the bright color of its gray-green leaves, which are collected in a dense rosette. The leaf plates are covered with gray scales and have a narrow, not wider than 1 cm, and long, up to 20 cm, triangular shape. Short peduncles are curved and crowned with a dense spike-shaped inflorescence, on which oval bracts of bright acrylic, often pink, colors are arranged spirally. The flowers are not so interesting, their color is usually blue or purple, not flashy.

tricolor tillandsia

It is a compact epiphyte with linear gray-green leaves collected in a wide rosette. Peduncles, straight and long, have the shape of an ear or several ears with long bracts of three colors: the bottom of the inflorescence is colored reddish, the middle is yellow, and the top is greenish-light green in color with purple flowers.

Tillandsia Louisiana Moss

This is a typical representative of the air tillandsia. It grows in the form of thin long, up to 8 m, shoots hanging from the branches of trees and from rocks. This instance has no roots at all. The plant receives nutrients from rainwater, which dissolves dust accumulated there, plant residues, waste products of microorganisms and algae on the surface of the leaves. When grown at home, Louisiana moss does not need to be strengthened on a support - it will be enough to hang such a tillandsia, for example, on the wall. If only there was an opportunity to grow it down.

Accommodation

Tillandsia atmospheric does not need soil. Therefore, on sale they should not be looked for in pots, but in the form of decorative compositions on a stone, on a piece of bark or wood. Try to immediately decide on the place for growing an atmospheric friend in your home, because excessive tying, tying, hanging and re-gluing a flower injures its delicate stems and twigs.

So, when grown at home, these flowers can be attached at the base of the rosette to trellises, pieces of bark, wood, or to a special design for epiphytes that are sold in stores. It is good to use sawn cypress or larch wood for support, as well as beautiful stones and roots. The main thing is to create conditions for the plant that will not interfere with the free growth of its roots and shoots. The fastening material can be: soft wire, nylon threads or any instant waterproof glue that is applied to the dry part of the stem and the flower is glued, for example, to the bark.

But it is impossible to use treated wood coated with paint or varnish for the base, just like polyurethane foam or gypsum fiber.

Soon the plant will grab onto the support and begin to develop the territory. Consider the moment that, after attaching the tillandsia to the support, you will need to immerse it, along with the support, headlong into the water from time to time. Therefore, for your convenience and in order to injure the flower less, attach it to a small bar, which is then placed on the main composite structures in the room.

Sometimes the rosette is wrapped in sphagnum moss to create the extra moisture needed for atmospheric tillandsia.

If you are too lazy to attach a flower to a support, you can use ordinary stones, of course, washed well first. To grow Tillandsia on rocks, you just need to put the flower on top and wait until it fixes itself on the rocks and sprouts new young shoots.

You can also place an exotic guest in a flat beautiful vase, bowl or even a candy bowl, just make sure that water does not accumulate in the container. Drain it on time. If the plant is constantly wet, it will rot.

Another good way to grow atmospheric tillandsia is in a low flower pot filled with some fibrous material and pieces of tree bark. Make a small hole and place the epiphyte in it. For greater stability, tie the plant to the pot with a soft nylon bandage. After a few weeks, the flower itself will hold on to the support. In this type of cultivation, it is most convenient to maintain high soil moisture.

Temperature

Atmospheric tillandsias do not like high temperatures, they prefer a cooler content than potted specimens. Daytime summer temperature is permissible up to 25 degrees, at night - not lower than 15 degrees. In winter, from November to February, the optimum temperature for them is 14 - 18 degrees, and not lower than 12 degrees.

Lighting

Atmospheric tillandsias are considered shade-tolerant, even shade-loving plants, but they also need sunlight. It is especially useful for them to meet the rays of the morning sun and the sun at sunset. Therefore, find a place for the plant near the east or northwest windows. At home, they prefer light partial shade, although in nature they calmly tolerate the bright sun of tropical forests, where the level of illumination is much higher. It is necessary to take this into account in the winter season and rearrange the compositions with tillandsia to lighter places to the southeast or west windows. In addition, in order to achieve long-term, up to 14 hours a day, lighting of flower arrangements, you will have to resort to artificial lighting. It has been observed that atmospheric Tillandsia species can grow in full artificial light.

Ambient humidity

We remember that epiphytes feed and absorb moisture with leaves from the air. Therefore, it is very important for them to have high humidity in the room, not lower than 75%. It is necessary to maintain at least this indicator. In the morning, spray the plant daily with warm settled water, only during flowering - do not fall on the peduncle. We recommend that you cover the peduncle with a plastic bag during spraying.

In winter, the air in the apartments is much drier. If you don't have a humidifier, you won't be able to keep a constant high humidity indoors with just misting. One option is to purchase a special florarium for growing tillandsia. Some flower growers grow this epiphyte in the bathroom, where they create excellent living conditions for it. Other optimists grow them in aquariums with artificial lighting and temperature and humidity controls, in glass vases, in flower displays - everywhere this plant becomes an interior decoration and the pride of the owner - the grower.
But, it must be borne in mind that these exotics must have access to fresh air, enjoy its freely circulating flows. The room must be regularly ventilated. Don't place Tillandsias in corners or too close to other indoor flowers. In the summer, take the flowers out into the fresh air for a walk and breathe - your pets will really like it. But don't let the cold wind blow or the rain soak the tender shoots of exotics. And ice drafts should never be arranged - not a single houseplant likes this.

Watering

Watering these plants is done by spraying. In hot summer weather, this procedure is carried out daily, or even several times a day, and less frequently in spring and autumn. Once a week, it is advisable to immerse the entire flower in water so that it is completely saturated with life-giving moisture. In winter, with the heaters turned on, spraying and bathing the flower in warm water should be continued. If the room becomes noticeably colder, reduce the frequency of humidifying the green friend. Watch your tillandsia. If its leaves began to curl into a tube along the central vein, the plant clearly lacks water, dehydration begins. Urgently place the flower in a container with settled water, for three to four hours. The ideal water is rainwater. If the tillandsia lives in a planting container, it is necessary to drain excess water from the flower - it is not advisable to allow water to stagnate in the center of the outlet! Water should flow freely or dry within two to three hours after bathing.

fertilizers

Atmospheric tillandsias require almost no fertilizer. If they are planted on bark or a piece of tree, they will decompose slowly and provide enough nutrients for the growth and development of your exotic. Moreover, these plants, eating, purify the air in your room from harmful substances. If you still want to feed your pet, add a small amount of liquid mineral fertilizer to the Tillandsia bath water or sprayer. You can use special top dressing for orchids or universal fertilizers for flowering houseplants. Only divide the norm from the package by 4 - this will be the maximum allowable dose for epiphytes. It is advisable to do top dressing no more than once or twice a month. In winter, do not feed the plant, it can get sick from this or even die.

Transplanting Atmospheric Tillandsias

Sell ​​epiphytic types of tillandsia on pieces of bark, stones, bars. In the same form, they are in your home. Transplanting them, as such, is not required at all. We can talk about a new landing - or rather, about fixing the purchased exotic in the place allotted to it in your interior.

reproduction

If necessary, propagate atmospheric tillandsia as follows: cut off a shoot of the size you need or an epiphyte rosette with or without roots, powder the cuts with crushed activated charcoal and attach or place them in a new place you need. Tillandsia grows slowly, be patient. Although, with good humidity and proper lighting, soon enough new shoots will gain a foothold on a new support and start growing. Congratulations - you have a new copy in the collection of exotics.

Diseases

Atmospheric tillandsia has a risk of infection with fungal or viral diseases. Especially dangerous - gray rot. The cause of diseases is banal - the florist's mistakes when growing an exotic plant. The leaves become transparent, spots appear on them, they begin to blacken. Or the base of the outlet begins to rot.

The most probable mistakes in keeping Tillandsia at home:

• The humidity in the room is too low, the leaves of the plant are twisted. It is necessary to increase the humidity in the room with the epiphyte by any means - spray the tillandsia, bathe, put it on wet moss.
• Your pet is stuck in the wrong place and suffers from direct sunlight. Rearrange the plant in partial shade or under the scattered rays of the sun;
• When airing the room, you arrange frequent drafts that are detrimental to the flower. It is necessary to ventilate the premises, but at the same time try to maintain the usual temperature, avoiding its sharp fluctuations;
• Your epiphyte has rotted the base of the outlet. Perhaps he lives in a beautiful vase, but you forget to drain excess water from it. Avoid prolonged waterlogging of the place where the epiphyte is kept. Another possible reason is watering the plant with fertilizer water.

Epiphytes do not water or pour fertilizer into the planting container. Fertilizers in small quantities are added to sprayers, and through spraying leaves and shoots, the plant receives the necessary nutrients. In addition, fertilizers can be dissolved in a container for bathing a flower (do not forget to reduce the rate by 4 times from that indicated on the package).
Analyze your actions. Correct the mistakes and avoid them in the future. Treat the diseased plant. Remove parts of the flower damaged by the disease, and spray the plant with copper-containing preparations. We are sure that everything will work out for you, and everything will return to normal. Atmospheric tillandsias are quite unpretentious and responsive to careful home care and proper maintenance.

Pests

If you have acquired tillandsia without roots, an epiphyte, you have acquired a miracle of nature! Now you will constantly admire its unusual appearance, rejoice at its property - to live without roots where it was your pleasure to place it. With this unpretentious exotic, you can decorate any corner of your apartment, even the bathroom. For sure, Tillandsia will amaze your guests and become the pride of your indoor flower collection.

Tillandsia is a perennial herb from the bromeliad family. In nature, it can be found in America (from the south of the USA to Chile). Numerous and diverse genus is represented by epiphytic and terrestrial varieties. Domestic flower growers grow an exotic and amazing tillandsia as an indoor flower. In care, he is not capricious, but he amazes with unusual leaves and inflorescences. Sometimes they look like the feathers of fabulous birds or the head of a jellyfish, and sometimes other mythical creatures.

plant description

Tillandsia is a herbaceous, slow growing perennial. Most representatives of the genus live on snags and trees in the rainforest. Some flowers have adapted to life on the rocks. All of them have a rather short and fragile rhizome, which serves only for fixing. The main nutrition is carried out through the leaves.

The height of an adult tillandsia is 5-60 cm. Rigid leaf plates have a narrow, slightly curved shape. On the dark green surface of the leaf, red-brown strokes and stains sometimes appear. The length of the sheet varies between 5 and 35 cm, and the width is 3-12 mm. The entire leaf or only part of its surface is covered with tiny scales that absorb water and nutrients from the air.

In September, a strip-shaped inflorescence blooms from the center of the leaf rosette on a strong peduncle. The buds are flattened and hidden by hard crimson or orange perianths. They are arranged in pairs on both sides of the stem. Flowers bloom 1 or 2 at a time. The soft purple-blue petals are reminiscent of moths crouched to rest on a bright spike. The diameter of the open rim is 20-25 mm. In total, there are up to 20 buds on the inflorescence, their flowering continues until January.

After flowering, the rosette dies and the tillandsia goes dormant. In the next season, new shoots form from the formed buds. One outlet lives up to 5 years. Even before the complete death of the mother plant, children can be found on it. They are recommended to be separated in the year of appearance and grown independently.

Popular types of tillandsia

The Tillandsia genus consists of over 400 varieties. They are conditionally divided into atmospheric and terrestrial plants. Tillandsia atmospheric or epiphytic has a very small rhizome. Its leaves are completely covered with light-reflecting scales, therefore they are painted in gray or silver. The most interesting representatives of this group are the following:

Potted or green tillandsias are grown in the classical way. They are selected special soil and planted in a pot. The representatives of this group include the following plants:

Reproduction methods

Tillandsia reproduces by seed and vegetative methods. Only potted varieties can be grown from seeds. In the spring they are distributed on the surface of sandy-peat soil and slightly pressed into it. Crops are sprayed and covered with foil. Containers with seedlings are kept in a room with moderate lighting and an air temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° C. Shoots appear within 2-3 weeks. After 3 months, 2-3 true leaves form on the plant, and it can be transplanted into a separate pot.

All types of tillandsia form children. A shoot with small roots of its own can be separated and transplanted. Its dimensions at the time of rooting should be about half of the maternal dimensions. Rooting of green varieties is carried out in the soil. Atmospheric plants are fixed on a snag or in a special container. It is filled with sphagnum, charcoal and peat. Tillandsia is propagated by cuttings. It is enough to separate any escape and fix it. It will continue to develop as a mother plant.

Transplant rules

For planting tillandsia, wide and shallow containers are used, since the rhizome has a very modest size. The plant does not need regular transplants. It is only necessary to periodically replace the old substrate. If a large number of children are formed, they need to be separated and transplanted into their own pots. Atmospheric specimens do not need a pot at all. In stores they are sold with a piece of stump or stone. During transplantation, it is important to be careful not to damage the fragile plant.

The soil for Tillandsia should be well-drained and fibrous. It is best to use substrates with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. The presence of lime in the soil is unacceptable. Suitable soil mixtures for orchids and bromeliads. You can make them yourself from:

• moss-sphagnum;
• pieces of pine bark;
• crushed charcoal;
• deciduous land;
• fern roots.

Every spring, the top layer of soil is replaced with a new one.

Content Features

Tillandsias require grower experience in caring for bromeliads. These plants cannot be called completely unpretentious. However, it is possible to master the basic rules.

Lighting. All types of Tillandsia are grown in partial shade or diffused light. Atmospheric varieties grow better in dark rooms, while potted varieties need lighter rooms. It is also recommended to ensure that the last hit of direct sunlight in the morning and evening. In winter, bright lighting is necessary for green tillandsia throughout the day.

Temperature. Tillandsias need daily temperature fluctuations of 5-8°C. The optimum daily air temperature is +22…+28°C. Increases up to +35°C and decreases up to +10°C are allowed. In summer, it is convenient to put flowers on the street, where they will approach their natural conditions. On the street, flowers are placed under a canopy. Rain in temperate climates is too cold for them.

Humidity. Near the plants it is necessary to maintain high humidity. The crown is sprayed daily with well-purified water. Atmospheric plants need up to 3 sprays per day. The more intense the light, the more humidity the tillandsia needs. In October-February, spraying is carried out in the morning. It is also important to regularly ventilate the room. Every 2 months, the flowers are bathed under a warm shower. The procedure should not be carried out during the flowering period, otherwise it will be short-lived.

Watering. Irrigation water quality is of great importance. It should be rain or thoroughly cleaned. Chlorine, lime and other impurities affect the growth and appearance of the plant. On the reverse side of the leaves, plaque may form. Atmospheric species moisten the soil extremely rarely, only after it has completely dried. Potted plants are watered sparingly but regularly. The soil should always be slightly damp. Water should be poured into the center of the leaf outlet. Periodically, you need to immerse the pot in a basin of water.

Fertilizer. Every 1-2 months Tillandsia is fed with mineral complexes for bromeliads. For a healthy plant, half a serving of fertilizer is enough. They are brought in from March to September. It is important to consider that the flower receives part of the nutrition through the leaves. Therefore, top dressing is not only poured into the soil (in the center of the leaf outlet), but also added to the water for spraying.