Tillandsia are a stylish and low-maintenance plant to offer your garden-lover

I’m on the lookout for an attention-grabbing plant to offer a very good pal who’s into gardening, and I’d like a suggestion. The plant will probably be grown indoors.

— Diana Perez, Naperville

I’d take into account buying a plant from the Tillandsia genus. They’re generally referred to as air vegetation and may be discovered within the jungle, rainforest and arid desert environments from sea degree to excessive mountain areas. Most species of Tillandsia use their root programs to connect themselves to bushes or rocks and soak up moisture and vitamins by their leaves, which classifies them as epiphytes. The vegetation soak up water by small scales on their leaves that give many air vegetation their silvery or grey look. There’s a massive number of sizes, shapes, textures, blooms, and colours on this group of vegetation. Many bear a dramatic colour change as they go into flower. Tillandsia are comparatively cheap, adaptable vegetation that tolerate a variety of environmental circumstances and require minimal care, so are properly suited to dwelling gardeners.

Tillandsia develop in another way than most different houseplants, so they could be a bit complicated at first. You don’t pot them up right into a container with a rising medium. As a substitute, use glue, wire, fishing line, twisty ties, nails, and staples to connect them to a assist similar to driftwood or steel frames, or put them right into a container similar to a glass globe with none rising medium. The plant will ultimately connect roots that anchor it to the mount. If the plant has a big sufficient root system, a heavy staple gun can be utilized to staple the roots on to the mount. Nails and staples can solely be used on vegetation with a very good root system or woody stolon. Use waterproof glue and let it cool briefly earlier than attaching vegetation in case you are utilizing a scorching glue gun. Keep away from utilizing tremendous glue or copper wire to keep away from damaging or killing the vegetation. Air vegetation shouldn’t be put in containers that maintain water, since they should dry out. When you do place your plant in one thing that holds water, empty out the surplus water after watering your plant. Don’t encompass your plant with moss that holds water that may ultimately trigger the plant to rot. Spanish moss, nonetheless, works properly to camouflage the roots and plant attachments since it’s open and ethereal and doesn’t maintain moisture.

Place Tillandsia in order that they obtain vibrant, filtered gentle whereas avoiding direct solar. Generally, the upper the humidity in your house, the extra gentle may be tolerated by the vegetation. The silvery-leafed varieties can normally be grown in full solar open air. If the air in your house is dry, it’s best to submerge the plant in water for 2 to 3 hours each two weeks or so. If this isn’t possible, use a soaking mist two to 3 occasions per week — extra usually in a scorching, dry scenario and fewer usually in a cool, humid one. Don’t use distilled or softened water on the vegetation. Filtered water, faucet water that has sat lengthy sufficient for the chlorine to dissipate, bottled water or reverse osmosis water is finest.

Many individuals don’t water these vegetation sufficient. The leaves will develop an exaggerated curl or roll if they’re saved too dry. Ideally, give your vegetation sufficient air circulation and lightweight to dry in lower than three hours after watering. Spray misting may be helpful between common watering. In a really sunny spot indoors, they could want each day misting or weekly soaking relying on which technique you favor. Offered the ambiance is just not too dry (as in an air-conditioned dwelling), they will survive with water misting and the occasional soaking. It’s higher to water within the morning than at evening since Tillandsia can soak up carbon dioxide from the air at evening as a substitute of the daytime. This course of is impeded when the plant foliage is moist. Buy fertilizer that’s formulated for air vegetation, as they soak up vitamins by their leaves. Fertilizers for orchids or bromeliads can even work properly. Apply these at quarter to half energy.

For extra plant recommendation, contact the Plant Info Service on the Chicago Botanic Backyard at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture on the Chicago Botanic Backyard.