First off i like to say hello to everyone im new to the forum but not new to plants at all. I have my moms 50 year old Pathos plant still kicking, my three year old hibiscus bush and a chrismas cactus that is finally going to be blooming this year (yay).. and some new air plants :D

My question for you guys and gals are is , I know copper is dangerous to most plants including air plants. But is plastic coated copper ok for them. I wanted to turn one of my air plants into a sun catcher ^.^ and wanted to make sure it is safe for him.

Isadorastar, what a cool idea. I think it should be fine but others may have more experience.

@isadorastar. Yes, as long as it is coated, it should be fine. Copper ions could leach through the thin plastic, but probably not enough to be harmful.

Regular un-coated copper can be useful to repel slugs and snails but too much copper can be harmful for plants. The plastic coated wire should be okay if you remember to check that the coating is intact/undamaged.

Love your idea. Please tell me where you found the owl bead. I have a friend who collects owls and she would love that. I also make sun catchers using copper wire and beads but do not attach them to plants. I attached them to stakes (re-purposed chop sticks ) and stick into the soil of hanging pots - keeping the copper away from the vegetation.

Copper is an essential nutrient for plants but can indeed be toxic in high amounts. I'm inclined to agree with everyone that it shouldn't be a problem if plastic coated - people leave Christmas lights in trees year round and presumably the wiring in those is copper?

Afterthought edit - you can also buy copper plant labels, I have some on my daylilies:

https://www.google.ca/search?q...

From what I read the copper reacts more with acid soil. Since air plants have no soil it should be okay. (I am guessing.)

Tillandsia bulbosa (which I believe is the one in your pic) was always the hardest to keep happy, at least for me in the house. It requires a lot more water than any of the grayish or silvery types. You will likely find that having it right side up will allow it to reserve more water, holding a bit of water between the leaves, rather than to allow all excess to drain out when it is upside-down. I could keep the grayish or silvery types happy just by spraying them, but I had to soak Tillandsia bulbosa.

You'll be fine with plastic-coated copper unless you see dark green salts building up under the plastic and then leaching out.

@greene Michaels has some owl beads that look very similar to Isadorastar's , although they appear to be a bit expensive online.
http://www.michaels.com/halcra...

Like Leftwood, I too have had problems keeping that Tillandsia alive. I too soak/feed every 7 - 10 days as well as mist in between.

I agree on the coated copper.

yeah thats were i got them they were pretty pricy in micheals in person as well . wow everyone had difficulties with this one.. i would think it would be one of the better ones to deal with.. i had problems with my butzii with water getting stuck in the bulb and it getting root rot

Here is my T. Caput Medusae aka "Octopus Plant" which is very similar to the one you show, Sue. The care of the Medusae and Bulbosa are identical. This one is growing on a mount that also has the Oerstedella centradenia, which is now in bloom. At first glance, you might think that the medusa is simply held on the mount by the aluminum wire (which I am getting ready to remove), but if you look closely, you'll see a nice root system attaching the plant to the mount. And don't forget, the Spanish moss is also a Tillandsia and is always a great companion plant when growing mounted orchids or orchids in hanging baskets. I think that the Spanish moss raises the humidity around the orchid and they seem to like this.

Awesome I have a medusa as well apart of my fairy house and garden.

That's a nice setup, Sue.

Great ideas and photos, Sue! I have some air plants that I haven't mounted, but it is a good idea. Thanks, Ken!

These aren't the best pictures but I mounted my little Tillandsia's last week.

T. cyanea ......................................... T. caput-medusae

Nice, and one is blooming! Do you have any special secrets to getting blooms?

The T. cyanea actaully just finished blooming and I can't take any credit for the flowers ... I'm really bad about fertilizing on a regular basis and I haven't fed these at all. The bloom is actually the purple flower emerging from the pink bract:

Really nice! I've never had one of those. I have a few noid tillandsias that I hope will bloom for me one of these days.