One interesting member of the Bromeliaceae family is tillandsia. This original plant has absolutely no roots at all, and it’s very ornamental.
Key facts to remember
Name – Tillandsia
Family – Bromeliaceae
Type – indoor plant, epiphyte perennial
Height – 12 to 20 inches (30 to 50 cm)
Exposure – light, no direct sun
foliage – evergreen Flowering – depends on the variety
A plant without roots, definitely the reason this plant goes by the air plant nickname.
→ Set it up near or with a home-made kokedama for a double-wow effect
In the wild, tillandsia grows where no other plants can. It’s found hanging off rock cliffs and tall trees, or prickly cactus… and even along electric poles, iron fencing and phone lines!
So your tillandsia won’t be very interested in whatever soil mix you have to offer.
Tillandsia leaves are able to extract moisture from the air, and rain trickling down from higher up provides whatever trace elements it needs to grow and bloom.
It’s thus perfectly fine to just plop your tillandsia on a piece of wood, or something more mineral like a slab of volcanic rock.
Some tillandsia species also like growing in pots.
The ideal season to propagate tillandsia is either spring or summer.
After separating these basal shoots in spring, let the wound cure for 1 or 2 days, and then plant in a mix that contains equal parts of leaf compost, crushed bark and peat.
Tillandsia care is relatively easy, especially once you’ve caught on how to water it.
Note that tillandsia resists temperatures that reach 85°F or 30°C, but will die if it gets any colder than 40°F or 5°C.
Keep in mind during this entire watering section that tillandsia hates calcium deposits, and always prefers watering with either rainwater or bottled water.
Watering, for tillandsia, is different than for other plants: the goal is more to mist water on its leaves, than to actually water it.
Spray water, preferably non-hard, on its leaves 2 or 3 times a week, sometimes more often if the weather is very hot.
Once a week, in addition, soak the tillandsia in water for a few minutes.
Once a month, dip the plant in water with a twice-diluted orchid plant fertilizer: this will increase your tillandsia’s blooming.
Most often, you’ll encounter all the usual indoor plant disease culprits: red spider mite, scale insects, aphids and even powdery mildew
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Don’t use any “leaf shiner” products on leaves, because those products tend to block up pores and the plant can’t extract moisture from the air anymore. Just use rainwater, or distilled water (the one used for ironing clothes, if pure).
