drdawg said:These are all native to Florida (some found in only 1-2 counties in the entire state and no where else in the world). I am trying to collect every Tillandsia that is native to the US. I have made a good start but have more work to do.

What a fantastic idea. You should be busy for quite awhile. I understand there are quite a few. They are just amazing little plants to me. I could just sit and look at them. They all seem different , even those of the same type.

How can you tell if they are babies or older plants? How old do they get before they reproduce? Where do you see the babies ?

Well, Jacquie, the "mother" plant will be the one you purchased. Pups will grow alongside that mother plant, growing from her base. Generally speaking, when the mother plant blooms, pups will begin to grow. The mother plant will begin to die as soon as she has bloomed, but it may take months or even well over a year before that mother plant withers.

Do they all bloom? Here is the smaller plants...today was soak and feed day. They are drying now.

I am anything but expert here, Jacquie, but every one I have ever had (grown for more than a year anyway) seems to have bloomed.

This is my bigger one I didn't have a pic of when I posted my others. My MIL found it in FL. Its' base is wedged between the trunks of some little dragon trees (Dracaena marginata) and 1 little Ti plant (Cordyline fruticosa.) There's some Spanish moss at the base of the air plant.


It looked the same as this one she kept, that had this inflorescence on it. Hopefully I will see its' bloom sometime in the reasonably near future. Same hope to you & yours, JB!

I love tilly's too! I had a thread about my tilly's: The thread "tillandsia on the rocks" in Houseplants forum along with other growers
Testing them on rocks and other ways to display them. I really love it when they start making the bloomstalk, so colorful!

I saw a tilly seller's stand in San Francisco last Labor Day, so cute!

@tarev that setup is gorgeous!
I might have missed this already answered, and if so I apologize for the repost: Do these little guys survive in office-lighting? No windows, just 24/7 fluorescent lights.

Hello Officefairy! I grow mine outdoors but I have read it can survive on flourescent lighting as long as plants are positioned about 3 feet from light source.

These are so cool.

You can grow almost any tropical plant under artificial light, @OfficeFairy. Some require only low light to grow but most require moderate to bright light to grow and bright light to bloom. If you have typical office lighting, you would probably have to supplement your lighting with additional light. Your ceiling fixtures probably don't produce enough lumens (with plants being 6-8' away) and perhaps the right spectrum to grow plants well.

I have fun with mine because every time I soak them they go into a different container. I have made up several different containers and so each week I have a new look on my air plant counter. Here is what a few of them look like this week. All are beach or shore displays. Enjoy.

Jacquie.

JB-
LOVE...LOVE...your beach displays! You are so talented!

How is your supply of stuff to decorate your horse-shoes?
What do you need the most? I could grub around and see what I can find for you.
My neighbor's big Hemlock has a load of the little pine cones on it,
Did you use those? I can pick off whatever I can reach.

Have lots of asst. silk flowers too. LMK! Gita

Thanks Gita. I am not doing much in the horseshoes just now. Considering I am no longer in business I have been just playing around with little things that do not take too much time or space. I have plenty of everything just now thanks, I think I will be doing some for the Christmas store but I am not sure how I will feel then. It is such a mess bringing things here to the house to work on. I would like to be able to work in the shop again, but again, I am not sure if I can do it without some discomfort. The old body is being a problem. I am still taking Balance Therapy and back at the Chiropractor to assist on getting me able to walk properly again. I am doing so much better physically and mentally. I am actually much better all around. Of course the jerk of a therapist I have keeps reminding me I am 88 years old. Not to expect too much. Well, he can kiss my old butt too. OOPS...sorry. Just reacting to things people should NOT say to older people.

My Grandmother always said age is just a number. I bet you are young at heart.

Hamwild said:My Grandmother always said age is just a number. I bet you are young at heart.

LOVE YOUR GRANDMOTHER.

Great attitude, JB!!!

We're all young at heart, thanks to the years spent gardening, and communing with Mother Nature! Doing what we can, when we can!

Tara--I am with you on this age attitude. Age IS (to some extent) just in the mind.

JB has a few years on me--but i am NO spring Chicken. Next BD (March) gonna hit the BIG 80! I swear I do not feel old at all. The old aches and pains are a reality--but I just deal with it.
JB and I have been "friends" for a long time. Never met each other--but we know each
other's souls well. You could say--"We are "kindred souls"....

Tara--Have you "caught"my "Motto in Life" yet somewhere? Part of it is always under my name.
The whole thing reads..."Life is mind over matter. If I don't mind--it does not matter".

I just keep on going like the energizer Bunny. Still work PT at the Home Depot in garden.
18 yrs. now... Glad to get up and go there--it makes me smile just to walk in. And--i do!

Gita

JB,

If you are going to still make some Christmas horse shoes--those little pine cones
are PERFECT. In my country (Latvia) boughs of evergreens and pine cones are
the main decorations for the Holidays. NO flowers or other 'blings".
Just small x-mas tree cuttings with the mini-pine cones and, maybe, some red berries.
^The latter would have to be "artificial"--or they would all shed. Except the little pine cones.

OH--adding one of the yarn elves I sent you would top it off royally.

I will pick off all the small pine cones I can anyways.
Never know when they might come in handy.

PS--I always thought you worked on all your crafts in your home????
What do you mean in "The Shop"???? Is this "Shop" part of your house--OR--do you get together
with other crafters and work in a "SHOP" to produce your pretties.? That sounds like fun.
Something I may do--some day--when i am "old enough" to join a Sr. Center.

Stay well--my DEAR friend!!!!! Maybe we can get together sometimes....and have a crazy day
working in your SHOP.
We will have some Wine too---my favorite is "Moscato" (sweet) Comes in a BOX.

How far do you live from me? I am 2 mi. off of I-95--Exit 67W. (White Marsh Blvd.)
I have your address--should Google the map to it....

Hugs, Old Friend---Gita







The last picture is of my DD Benita who, along with her SO of 5 years just bought a house
in Kensington (near Rockville).
Here she is--we are about to have a 1st cook-out at their place.
The menu was---Fresh caught salmon (from AK) a friend brought them with sliced
tomatoes with fresh Mozzerella cheese and basil on ot. YUMMMMMMMMY!

Gita

Gita Honey, I have a big bag of tiny pinecones...bought them years ago and use them on the shoes at Christmas. In fact when I was doing shoes for all occasions I even used them with pumpkins once in awhile just to bring the late Fall season alive on the shoe. My shop is in a small house here on the farm that is so old you would think it would fall down. It had a kitchen, bath and living./bedroom area in it and heat, so since no one is living in it ( years ago we used it as a guest house, when the horse people would need a place to stay when they were showing in the area or judging shows in the area) we removed the kitchen and I use the kitchen area for my shop. Plus part of the living area for storage, etc. It is a great little place to work in and I have a radio and TV there, but never use the TV anymore only play tapes on it. Can't buy those kind anymore. Tapes are history. I keep my freezer in the little house with my bird seed in it so I can still buy in bulk and freeze it. That way I save money and order only twice a year instead of monthly. NO SENIOR CENTERS FOR ME HONEY.

Now, Back to the Air Plants. I have been dealing with these people. They have lots of information on their site, plus stuff to buy.
http://www.airplantshop.com I have had a great time visiting their site.