Bruce Zimmerman | Air Plants Pineapples-Spanish Moss and Earthstars

Members of the Bromeliaceae Family are better known as Air Plants. Most of its members have stiff toothed rosettes of leaves that Wired in Peat Moss on Driftwood or anything makes a real eye catcher

Wired in Peat Moss on Driftwood or anything makes a real eye catcher

form a cup. The cup is used to retain moisture and as such may be smelly if there is not a frequent exchange of water. This cup is not always well formed in all genera but is sometimes replaced by rolled leaves which catch moisture. The cup is where rotting leaves and insects slowly feed the plant through the cup. Its very poor root system is used to anchor the plant into crevices, cracks and holes of trees. The rotting organic material is also the trigger for flowering. As the organic material rots it gives off ethylene gas and its this gas that triggers the flowers. To recreate this in your home, place a piece of apple in a clear dry cleaners bag to rot for several weeks or until the flower buds appear. The original plant dies slowly from the bottom up over a long period of time and as it does young plantlets develop from the base. The separation of these plants potted up are what you purchased originally. Most of this family can also be reproduced by seed. The flower spikes are colourful and long lasting. They are so pretty that the uninformed thing that it is the flower. The flowers themselves will only last a few weeks.

The various Genera can be wired to any board, Fish Tank without water but mist frequently

slab and wrapped in long fibered peat moss. Some Genera like the Tillandsia can be glued to anything even magnetic strips and made into refrigerator magnets.

Air Plants like a frequent shower over the foliage. The ones in peat moss and wired to objects must be kept moist. Those in soil must be kept just moist never wet.

Air Plants have evolved in an environment where high fertilizer values are not essential so feeding is done infrequently and at no more than 50 to75ppm. See Indoor Plant Fertilizing

Common Name	Botanical Name	Care
PINEAPPLE	ANANAS BRACTEATUS STRIATUS	200+ FOOT CANDLES LOW 65°F - HIGH 80°F HIGH HUMIDITY
PINEAPPLE	ANANAS COMOSUS VARIEGATUS	200+ FOOT CANDLES LOW 65°F - HIGH 80°F HIGH HUMIDITY
URN PLANT	AECHMEA FASCIATA	100-200 FOOT-CANDLES LOW 60°F - HIGH 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY
QUEEN'S TEARS	BILLBERGIA NUTANS	150-200FOOT CANDLES LOW 60°F - HIGH 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY AGGRESSIVE GROWER FERTILIZER 75-100PPM
SCARLET STAR	GUZMANIA SP.	150-200FOOT CANDLES LOW 65°F - HIGH 75°F VERY HIGH HUMIDITY DIFFICULT TO GROW
BLUSHING BROMELIAD	NEOREGLIA SP.	100-200FOOTCANDLES LOW 50°F - 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY SLOW GROWER WITH NO REST PERIOD
NEST BROMELIAD	NIDULARIUM SP.	100-200FOOTCANDLES LOW 50°F - 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY
FLAMING SWORD	VRIESEA SP.	200+ FOOT CANDLES LOW 65°F - HIGH 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY
AIR PLANT	TILLANDSIA SP.	100-200FOOTCANDLES LOW 60°F - 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY FREQUENT SYRINGING
SPANISH MOSS	TILLANDSIA USNEIOIDES	100-200FOOTCANDLES LOW 60°F - 75°F PLUS HIGH HUMIDITY FREQUENT SYRINGING
EARTHSTAR	CRYPTANTHUS ZONATUS	150-200FOOT CANDLES LOW 65°F - HIGH 75°F HIGH HUMIDITY DIFFICULT TO GROW TERRESTRIAL PLANT

I took all these pictures at Driftwood Gardens, Apopka, Florida; Harry P. Leu Gardens, Orlando; Hermann Engelmann Greenhouses, Apopka and Disney Animal Kingdom as part of the American Garden Writers Association Symposium in November 2001.