My neighbour gave me this bromeliad as a gift after I kept an eye on her elderly mother while she was away on holiday.
Neoregelia bromeliads grow on trees in the rainforests of Brazil although this is a variegated cultivar, Neoregelia carolinae "Tricolor". The green stuff below it is not the roots, it's a piece of Tillandsia, commonly called Spanish moss, also an epiphytic air plant. Epiphytic is a term for plants that grow on other plants. Some epiphytes are parasitic and feed off of the host plant but Tillandsia and Bromeliads are not, they use the trees as anchors and draw their nutrients from the air.
I wasn't keen on the little board as a long-term solution so I decided to mount the plants on the wood that my now deceased staghorn fern was growing on. Sadly, the Staghorn fern died one hot spring when I neglected to water it enough 🙈
The bromeliad has tiny roots pushing out and they will need a rough surface to anchor themselves. These roots are not used to absorb nutrients, only to attach itself to the tree. They won't grow much now because it's autumn here but they should get going in spring
If you're wondering how bromeliads get by without roots, they collect rainwater in their centres, called a 'cup' and the secret to keeping them is to make sure there's always clean rainwater or distilled water in there because they don't like tap water. It's a good idea to flush the cup out regularly in summer or you will have your own personal mosquito farm! You can occasionally spray the leaves with a weak orchid fertiliser.
I tied the bromeliad to the wood using a strip of pantyhose, this is a gentle way of keeping it secure until it manages to attach itself. The emerging roots are closest to the bark surface.
As an experiment, I took some moss that was growing in a plant pot and added it there. Hopefully it will anchor itself too. I just draped the Spanish moss around the protruding piece of wood
This is the finished mounting, it will take some months and daily misting with the spray bottle to keep the mosses alive but I think it should do well. I'll keep it in my bathroom over winter but next summer when it rains regularly I will be able to hang it outside in a shady place.
What a beautiful variegated air plant! I've never seen one like that. I would like to take my Spanish moss outside but we don't get enough rain. I mist it everyday but I don't think it's as happy as it can be. Pantyhose are good for tying up plants aren't they? Some people use wire to mount their air plants, not knowing that tillandsias are deadly allergic to copper.
Yup, copper isn't good for most plants, nor wire. Perhaps it's a little cold for your spanish moss? They do prefer tropical and subtropical climates. You can also soak them in a bowl of water from time to time
I think it dries out too much because there's a vent in the bathroom where it's hanging. If it doesn't improve when the heat gets shut off I think I will start soaking it in a bowl.
Hot dry air doesn't sound good at all
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Thank you @phage93!
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That's lovely! Happy Easter, @nikv.
Thank you! Happy Easter to you too
The log looks like a cut off leg. 😊
Good job with your plant. You sure know what you are doing? 😊 👍
Now I have to keep it alive.....
😊👍
It turned out very beautifully! 👍
Your board, in the last photo, looks like a boot or a sock, as you like :-)))
Hehe, wooden socks then
:-)))
That’s a very nice job done!! 🙀👍👍👍😻😻
Thank you!
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Lovely process. I like the minimalistic look of the plants i a few pictures. You're really a passionate person!
I love the final look of the mounted bromeliad, the tillansia gives the wood a softer look.
My staghorn died from termites, I didn't know there were termites in the wood. Silly me. I am desperate to get one now.
All my air plants have died now after we moved to our new home. We get so much sun coming in here and even though I placed them all in the shade they still managed to die.
I'm sorry to hear about that. We spray the tillandsia almost daily with a spray bottle when it is not rainy season to keep them alive
I did that but I guess the change of environment from under a shaded tree to inside the home didn't do it much good. In fact I lost so many of my plants while moving, now I'm trying to build my collection back.
mew!