Content
- Is the care of Tillandsia usneoides as ominous as her look?
- How does the water supply work?
- Should a Tillandsia usneoides be fertilized?
- Does a pruning count to the care program?
- Tips
The Tillandsia usneoides must be sprayed regularly with water
Is the care of Tillandsia usneoides as ominous as her look?
Tillandsia usneoides captures all eyes with its long, thread-like shoots and substratum-less growth. The unorthodox habitus rightly raises the question of whether epiphytic bromelioma comes along with equally eccentric claims to care. Read here how to properly water, fertilize and cut Spanish moss.
How does the water supply work?
Since a Tillandsia usneoides has no significant roots, it is usually attached to a base or cultivated free-floating. The substrateless attitude requires a modified supply of water. That is how it goes:
Please use only soft water with a low calcium content. Perfectly collected rainwater is to simulate the natural conditions.
Should a Tillandsia usneoides be fertilized?
The Tillandsia usneoides absorbs nutrients via its tiny leaves. Therefore, during the summer growth phase, add a liquid fertilizer weekly to the casting or submerged water. In winter, the fertilizer intervals extend to 4 to 6 weeks. A commercially available plant fertilizer is just as well suited for this purpose as a special fertilizer for bromeliads.
Does a pruning count to the care program?
The epiphytic Tillandsia usneoides does not know a form and conservation cut in the classical sense. Nevertheless, it may be necessary to remove dead plant parts to make room for a fresh shoot. So light the bromeliad at the end of winter time. Please use an extra sharp, clean knife. Take the withered shoot in one hand, push it outward and cut it off.
Tips
With free-hanging, substratum-less Vanda orchids, the Tillandsia usneoides enters into a congenial partnership. The dense network of shoots and leaves is integrated into the aerial roots of the orchids. In this way, the Tillandsia species acts as a natural curtain, which keeps the Vanda from blazing sun and dryness.