Air plants

Does anyone grow air plants? I love Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), but I recently bought four, more traditional, air plants at the Harrogate Flower Show. My reasoning being that my conservatory is often very humid and they should like that.

I have only just displayed them today after Googling and realising that you can suspend them with a piece of wire. Anyone have any experience with them?


Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides), with T. tricolor embedded.


T. pseudobaileyi


T. juncea


T. cyanea. I gather that this is the only Tillandsia that you can grow in a pot but, as the roots are just used for attachment and don't take up any water or nutrient through them, soil isn't necessary. I would have preferred to have displayed them more naturally attached to other plants, but they don't seem to look right attached to shrubs or bananas.

I still don't really understand how they can survive just suspended in air - but they obviously do.

 

Peter, I used to grow a few, but never found a good humid spot for them, so I used to dunk them in water once a day, especially spanish moss during the summer.
I dont think we ever really get enough humidity for them to grow unaided.

 

My T usneoides is in the greenhouse taking 3c at night on ocassions in winter but I keep forgeting to spray or dunk it so it is looking very dry.
I have one T cyanea variegata in a pot and that is all.
Our Wyvale here had a few specialist Tillansdia in pots, they were over a foot high, I decided not to buy one as there really isn't any room for any more.

 

Pete, I think you have put your finger on it. Without humidity they must be difficult to grow. I wouldn't have bothered if I didn't have my conservatory. Whilst the humidity was only 30% in there this afternoon with the doors open and sunny outside, it was back up to 95% a few minutes ago now that its cooled. 95% humidity now at only 20C is really quite pleasant, but of course it gets oppressive at higher temperatures.

Strongy, the reason I bought mine was that the only room I have left in my conservatory is for plants that hang from the roof. That's interesting that usneoides will take that low a temperature. I have only sprayed mine two or three times in the 18 months that I have had it, but they seem to be thriving in my humidity.

Do you think I could grow Vriesea and Guzmania as air plants too? - they are air plants aren't they?

 

Saw some Tillandsias in the "wild" on my recent trip to Orlando

The trees next to the hotel lake were festooned with T usneoides. But only the ones right on the shore. Trees even a few meters back had none.



And this is Tillandsia recurvata growing on trees in the hotel gardens

 

That's an amazing picture of T. usneoides. I also saw them in Orlando some years ago on trees round a swimming pool.

Very interesting about how sensitive they are to humidity levels. It must make it pretty hit or miss growing them in the UK, unless you spend a lot of time misting them.