Tillandsias are regarded as true air plants and as such are among the most unusual of the Bromeliad family. They range from bulbous forms and grass like structures to silver tufted masses. Typically they grow where there is free air movement like high treetop environments or across open rock faces, and often they are heavily covered in silver trichomes that help reflect the high levels of sun light they receive in these locations. While some tolerate temperatures as low as 5 degrees C (40 degrees F), or even lower, most prefer temperatures of around 10-32 degrees C (50-32 degrees F). While they require high levels of humidity, they need to dry out quickly and completely between misting or watering. As the trichome scales open to absorb moisture and close to retain it, it is important that the plants are given time to dry out and most plant deaths occur because of over watering.

Tillandsia baileyi X bulbosa ( belize large form)

.

Family: Bromeliad Sub-Family: Tillandsioideae: Genus: Tillandsia Sub-Genus: Native distribution: NA / Hybrid Seed parent: T. baileyi Pollen Parent: T. bulbosa Habit: The plant has a bulbous form with wire like leaves twisting outwards at peculiar angles. Foliage: The leaves have a trounded cross section and are covered with tiny trichomes. Flowers:  Seed: Pups: Cultivation: Fertilization: A mist every week with Epiphyites Delight or Epsom salts during the growing season will help the plant. ( Epiphyte’s Delight fertilizer was developed for a special reason. Nitrogen promotes foliar growth. If you have Tillandsias, Orchids, or other epiphytes and you feed them, take a look at the nitrogen content. If it’s high in urea, the plants can’t use it because the urea needs a bacteria in soil to break it down into ammonia and nitrates. Since the epiphytes don’t have any soil they can’t break down the urea. It was for this reason that we had Epiphyte’s Delight formulated. It contains only ammoniacal and nitrate nitrogen which is immediately accessible and usable by the plants.) Availability: Quite rare