Air Plants Are No Brainers

Looking for plants to liven up the house for the holidays? Want something other than poinsettias and Christmas cactus?

There’s a group of plants that make excellent houseplants that not only flower at various times of the year (including the winter months), but they need little care or attention and can provide flowers that will bloom for weeks and even months. They could be just perfect.

The plants in this family are relatives of both Spanish moss and pineapples and they all share two very important characteristics. First, they are both epiphytes—or plants that use their roots to cling to trees or other objects for anchorage while actually absorbing nutrients from the air—but more importantly, they are both bromeliads—members of a large family of plants that are peculiar to the Americas.

The clue to understanding the culture of these plants is that they do grow on trees, usually many feet above the ground, where they receive filtered sunlight and moisture (but not dripping wetness) and constantly moving air. If you can come close to simulating these situations, possibly in a sky-lit bathroom or a kitchen, bright living room, or of course, a greenhouse, you can’t fail. They’re also quite portable and easy to move from room to room.

Bromeliads are monocots, which puts them in the same plant category as lilies, corn and grasses. When the seed germinates only one seed leaf (mono) develops at a time. As these leaves develop, they are usually arranged in a rosette with stiff to coarse blades overlapping to form a cup or reservoir, which holds water in the center.

The leaves of most species have minute scales, often giving them a grayish cast. On these plants these hairy scales are actually tiny sponges that absorb water but on other types the foliage can be quite striking and beautiful.

Roots are few, very tough, adhesive and wire-like. When grown in pots, though, these roots grow quickly and can fill a good-sized pot in less than a year.

The roots are very susceptible to rotting and it’s generally accepted that plastic pots will cause too much moisture retention. Thus, clay is preferred.

I confess that we’ve grown several varieties in plastic and compensated by using a very loose bark mix instead of a standard potting soil. Drainage is almost instantaneous in this case.

The flowers usually arise from the center of the rosette and occur as clusters on a stalk. Their showy, often incredibly brilliant, vibrant spikes are called an inflorescence. The individual blossoms are usually small and always have three petals.

While the flowers are often brightly colored it’s the bracts (specialized leaves) which are the center of attraction. The bracts, as a rule, are more colorful than the blossoms.

These plants are often described as long lasting but that’s not completely correct. The long lasting part is generally a reference to the bracts, which can take three to four weeks to reach peak color and then remain at that peak for another month.

As I noted earlier, there’s no guesswork in watering these plants. No Monday, Wednesday, Sunday; no every third Tuesday; and not when the soil feels dry a half inch below the top.

Remember that the roots need very little, if any watering, but never forget to fill the cup in the center of the plant. Some water will drip out of the cup and down toward the roots, taking care of their meager needs. And when the water’s gone from the cup, guess what? That’s right bunky, fill ’er up.

Now the only way these plants can be simpler is if they were plastic. Over-pampering these plants will undoubtedly kill them. Feeding them is option-

al and when done it should be with a very weak solution of low-analysis plant food like a fish emulsion or seaweed extract.

In many cases though, the minerals that naturally occur in our drinking water will suffice. If you do fertilize, do it when the plant is blushing (foliage changing color toward the reds) and while flowering. Mix the fertilizer with water and in the old cup it goes.

Insects are rarely a problem. The occasional mealy bug can be twirled off with a cotton swab soaked in alcohol. And if scale is ever present, it can simply be scraped off with a fingernail or the plant treated with a light horticultural oil.

The only other problem is some occasional leaf burn from too much time in Palm Beach or a southern window. Remember, the plants grow in filtered sunlight in their natural habitat, which means that at most they’ll tolerate a southerly exposure in the winter, but at no other time.

There are three types to look for.

The billbergias, which tend to be tubular, tall, fast-growing and short-lived. But this variety has the most spectacular blooms.

Neoregelia carolinae, which is my favorite, may live for three to four years. This makes a great centerpiece and has the most magnificent foliage colors, turning from a two-toned green to several gradients of green, lime, pink and red over a period of several weeks. Then, for about a month, all four of the colors are present on each leaf.

Finally there are the tillandsias, which are true air plants. These are occasionally sold in garden centers on a piece of tree branch or attached to a piece of tree bark. Small in size, many of them can be grown in a restricted area. Spanish moss is often included in this group, but so are some varieties having fuzzy, pointed leaves emanating from a compact roost, which turns rosy pink when flowering.

These plants used to be hard to come by but there are a number of greenhouse and garden centers in the Hamptons that carry several varieties. Stay away from those offered in supermarkets or from the big orange box, which shall remain nameless, unless you’re desperate or on the cheap.

As an added bonus the plants will often form pups, which are small offshoot plants, or babies, that are formed from the base of the plant and emerge off to the side. As these pups get larger, say three inches or so, they can be separated from the parent plant with a sharp knife and simply potted in another pot.

Remember though, no soil. Use a loose bark mix and water only sparingly.

For more information on this intriguing group of plants, check out the website of the Bromeliad Society International at bsi.org. And also pop in to some local garden shops to find these remarkably easy and intriguing plants. There are also a number of online nurseries selling these great plants.

Have fun. And keep growing.