Tillandsia, aka “air plants” are quite popular right now. We all love the fact that these epiphytes are interesting in texture, don’t require soil to grow, and have colorful flowers. But some people wonder how they might display and grow air plants to best advantage. Here is a suggestion.
I wanted to display mine so I could see them well, which will also remind me to water them regularly! Just because they are called “air plants” doesn’t mean that they can survive on air alone. The most common cause of death for these epiphytes is that people forget to water them, especially when houses are warmed by central heating or wood stoves in the winter. So making an attractive display not only shows the plants off, but is a visual reminder to sprinkle the plants every four days or so.
I thought that putting these plants on lichen covered sticks was a natural combination, and doing it so that the display could be taken to the kitchen sink frequently for spritzing seemed to make sense. Note: I pruned these off of live trees so that the branches are supple and bendable…if you pick up dead wood it will be more brittle and likely to break when you try and bend the twigs into each other.
You can order Hydroton here:
Orchid/Hydroponic Grow Media – 2 lbs.