Having plants at home often implies vessels full of land, prepared substrates and periodic watering. This is the usual scenario for those who decide to bring green into the doors. However, there is a species that challenges this basic rule of gardening: it does not need land to survive, exempts roots to feed, and can remove from the air what it needs to grow.
Tillandsias, known as air plants or air cloves, belong to the bromeliad family and are distinguished by the ability to absorb water and nutrients through the leaves. There are over 600 species, mostly small, but some can reach up to four meters high.
How do Tillandsias live
According to the Germigar Garden Store website, these plants grow in nature supported by trees or rocks, where roots serve only as support. Survival depends on moisture, water vapor, and small air -suspended particles, which are captured directly by the leaves.
According to the same source, this feature makes them suitable for cultivation in interiors or balconies, although outside their natural habitat need some care to adapt.
At home or abroad
Write the store website that the place where they are placed influences development. In interior environments, moisture can be controlled more easily, but outside the wind and temperature variations can dry the plant quickly.
Adds the publication that, therefore, it is recommended to choose a space protected from the wind and with good light, as the plant originates from desert areas, accustomed to heat during the day and freshness at night.
Light and colors
It refers to the same source as the shade of leaves helps to realize the need for light. Darker green plants tolerate less exposure, while those with gray or bluish tones support greater solar intensity.
Despite these indications, there is no fixed rule and it is necessary to observe how the plant reacts to the environment until it finds the right balance.
Watering and hydration
According to the same source, the need for water is reduced. In nature, the plant is moisturized through the accumulated night condensation on the leaves. At home, it should be sprayed a few times a week in summer and less times in winter. In intense heat periods can be submerged in water and left hanging, which allows to quickly recover hydration.
Note that the leaves serve as indicator of the state of the plant: If they are firm and stretched, it means that hydration is adequate; If wrinkled or collected appear, it is a sign of lack of water.
It refers to the same source that, in a domestic environment, it may be necessary to reinforce nutrition with specific leaf fertilizer, as inner air may not provide sufficient nutrients.
According to, with proper light, regular spraying and punctual fertilization, these plants can be kept at home without major difficulties. Tillandsias show that it is possible to cultivate green land, only with what is suspended in the air.
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