Not Just For Air Heads!

A houseplant that doesn’t need soil? You can grow that!

We have our Tillandsia plants displayed with seashells because they look like they could be undersea creatures. In truth, these plants are most often found attached to trees or rocks.

Tillandsia are epiphytes, meaning that they don’t take nutrients or water from the trees they are found growing on but absorb these through their leaves. If you take one of these plants home, you do have to water it…it’s not a plant that you can forget indoors. It is, however, easy to care for.

Water indoor Tillandsias three or four times a week, or every other day, by spritzing it with water in your sink. Keep the plants near a bright window but not in direct sunshine. Once a month use an extra mild fertilizer after the plant has been watered.

You can hang Tillandsias outside under the shade of a tree for the summer, but don’t forget to squirt them with water frequently!

Attach these air plants to seashells, branches, or rocks but never pot them in soil. We have our plants displayed with bits of colorful moss but they should not be potted in moss because it will keep them too damp.

You can propagate most Tillandsia plants by removing the small “pups” that grow from the base of the mother plant. Separate them when they’re about half as tall as “mom.”

Tillandsia plants are in the bromeliad family. They may be called air plants, but they’re not just for air heads! Tillandsias are sure to please people who are curious about nature and like something unusual.