We have 2 lovely air plants (Tillandsia bergeri from the Bromeliad family) growing off our super productive lemon tree. After a quick google i learnt that air plants come from the same family as pineapples and the leaves are used as a herbal supplement to treat pollen allergies 🙂
Our plants are home to a multitude of other species including a massive furry caterpillar that looks identical to one of the leaves. These plants seem to have been connected to the lemon tree for many years and are happily growing and floating over the lemon tree branches. We are moving house soon and will miss the air plants in our new home. Does anyone know of a way we can take a small cutting without harming the parent plant and ensuring the cutting survives?
You can just break off a piece of the “stem” and take it with you – that’s how we obtained our first piece.
When you get to your new place just hang the new piece in a tree with a similar position to where it is currently growing.
Yes. This is passalong plant from friends. Just, only ONE of our bits makes flowers. So make sure to take flowering if you have it ;>)
cool plant! does it take anything from the plant it is on? or could you grow it on a non-living piece of wood or even metal?
Cool thanks for the tips- Mol-d -As far as i know they aren’t parasitic so you could grow them on something non-living – good ol wiki says they use trichomes on their leaves to gather moisture and nutrients from the air (dust, decaying leaves and insect matter)-so they would need to be around other plants. I also read you can use waterproof glue to stick them on the new substrate 🙂
If i could get my airplant to grow like this i would be very happy:
https://plantarium.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/airplant.jpg
airplants rule! i should get some for my balcony.. B-)
Just do remember to water it in dry weather. Just because it is an “air” plant doesn’t mean it can live without water.
We had clumps of it in our old house. The clumps would grow so large they would weigh down the tree branches. We would constantly give away pieces to friends, and it would just grow and grow.
serendipitous to read this post today. i was thinking about getting an ‘old man’s beard’ air plant for the flat just last night. i was surprised to hear they can live inside very well, and not attached to another plant.
em, we have some if you want to get from us …
Does anyone know of any wholesale nursery’s that sell airplants in Cape Town surrounds?
hi ther I have a wholesale nursery called the garden of edan and we sell a variety of airplants if youre interested give me a call on 0824567872
Question
What do we do with the dead blooms? Leave them or remove them