airplants really do need care
water: I give them water every 2 days, running under tap water, or if they are really dry, a soaking for about an hour. The base of tiny ones can rot if left in water too long (several hours).
fertilize:
And I've been fertilizing them once a month. Tonight I actually read that you should fertilize tillandsia lightly, but spray it like you would spraying it with water, all over the entire plant, root to leaf tips. The top one is having a pup (the new green growth inside the exterior mama plant).
insecticide: The middle one I bought from the store in person and I'm not sure I believe it's really from Argentina like the tag says. I think store tags are mislabeled sometimes.
The night after soaking it for the first time, 1 tiny pin-head sized black mite came out of it. I soaked it again and 2 came out, so then I made an insecticidal spray by mixing baby shampoo with water. I sprayed it and soaked it in the solution making 3 more mites come out. Then I soaked it in clean water to rid the shampoo scent. After a few days of close inspection, it's clean and insect-free!
containers: To prepare for 3 more coming in the mail, I got new containers which include 2 tall, clear glass candlestick holders. Their containers can be anything really. I've seen them placed in seashells, sea urchins, terrariums (ones where they can dry out), plastic dinosaurs, any dry stable place really. They pretty much just need nutrients from the air, some water, and light.
care: I just don't really get why I've read a lot online that they require little maintenance. If I don't need to water them for a week or two (like a golden pothos), then they would not need a lot of care. You can't just ignore them. And then I see them at the local convenient store at the cash register glued down into ceramic pots. They have broken and bent leaves with brown tips. They were pretty much uncared for and in a bad state. And why do I see them inside ornament balls because they need water and circulating air?
#tillandsia #airplant #garden
