I just got these guys for Christmas and I've had another for over a year now. What are other anon's experiences with these weird plants?
Bumping with my oldest air plant. Had this guy for over a year. You can really see how much larger it is than the rest.
Air plants are creepy but I like them. I live up north so we don't have anything like them. When visiting Florida I've seen them clinging to branches and abandoned objects where plants shouldn't be. It lends them an otherworldly, eldritch quality, and I picture them moving when nobody's looking.
They like fishtank water, especially if it's planted tank water, because it's dilute nutrients and ph.
In florida where I grew up, trees with lots of spanish moss had nitrogen fixing lichens on them that leached with the rain. They are cool and a really common one can treat aids theoretically.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tillandsia_recurvata
>>2024105
Owning fish is pretty much free fertiliser for your plants. All those nitrates that are otherwise considered waste...
>>2024105
So, I should, in theory, be able to dunk in my changed water once every two weeks and keep it alive?
>>2024180
If your tank is planted then yes. It does matter a bit if you have REALLY high nitrates, but if it's under 20 ppm, you're great. If you have driftwood, or blackwater then nitrates won't give you problems cause it's ideal ph then.
Orchids like phals are really good with this too.
>>2024683. It also innoculates the plant with aerobic bacteria, and sometimes even nematodes that help the nutrient supply line get to the plant. In tillansias case I think they grow their hairs for the reason of dual reason of reflecting light, as well as housing the bacteria that repel pests like mold.
Having tillandsias/orchids/cacti/jade succulents helps other plants grow, because they make co2 at the time the other plants make it. And vice-versa. Plants need oxygen too, they just generally give more than they take.
They do best as a big bunch, if they pup, let them stay together, because it helps them grow faster and better. If you want to make pups faster, then pop them in a plastic bag with a slightly bruised apple for about a week, letting them breathe occasionally. It will kill the main plant after a flower display if it has enough light. But not after making at least a couple pups.
>>2024701
Can someone else confirms this works? I've wanted mine to pup for the longest time because I like the thought of always producing more plants. I also heard many species will bloom once before dying. I really hope that's not true for mine.
Can you use cyanoacrylate on tillandaias to fix them to branches and stuff for decorative purposes?
>>2024729
All Tillandsias die after blooming.
But the pups replace them, and the main plant becomes a junction point.
>>2024749
that isn't true.
they start declining after many of the off-shoots have already matured, they don't spontaneously combust.
>>2024813
Maybe under ideal conditions. I've had several ionanthas die leaving me with small pups that grew faster afterwards.\r.
>>2023351
Where can you get plants like these if you live in Nevada. Is there a place you can buy them online? Are they expensive? How much light do they need? Can they survive the cold winters?
>>2024975
I get mine online. They're tropical plants and don't do well with low temps or dry air. You should probably only grow them indoors and maybe bring them out in the summer.
