Tillandsia stricta is native to eastern South America where it grows in an area that extends from Venezuela to northern Argentina. It grows either on both the sands of beach dunes and in trees in the foothills of the Atlantic Range at elevation from sea level to 1700 meters.
Tillandsia stricta, also called as Anoplophytum strictum, Tillandsia rosea, Tillandsia conspersa, Anoplophytum bicolor, Anoplophytum krameri, Tillandsia langsdorffii, Tillandsia krameria, is a species of the genus Tillandsia. This species was described by Daniel Solander ex John Bellenden Ker Gawler in 1813.
IDENTIFY TILLANDSIA STRICTA AIR PLANT
Tillandsia stricta is native to eastern South America where it grows in an area that extends from Venezuela to northern Argentina. It grows either on both the sands of beach dunes and in trees in the foothills of the Atlantic Range at elevation from sea level to 1700 meters.
It is an evergreen, clump-forming, short-stemmed, perennial, medium sized, which reaching 10 cm across and up to 20 cm high, with recurved and covered with a kind of frost like scales, lanceolate, pointed, longer than the scape leaves arranged into thick rosettes that grows epiphytically. There is a large number of variations that can be found in Tillandsia stricta plants: from soft leaved specimens to much harder, stiffer types and different colored forms from light green leaves to silvery leaves and even verging on black.
This air plant blooms in early summer from the simple inflorescence, with a single polystic spike and short, giving the inflorescence a globular appearance. The bracts of the flowering stem are imbricate, scaly and green. The floral bracts are oval and broad (especially at the top of the inflorescence) and have a pink / red color more or less sustained. The actual flowers are quite small (1.5 to 2 cm long), not tubular, ranging from purple to light purple, not long-lived, lasting for about a day at best, before it starts wilting, but the colorful bracts remain attractive for up to 10 weeks.
TILLANDSIA STRICTA AIR PLANT CARE AND CULTURE
Cultural information should only be used as a guide, and should be to be adapted to suit you. Your physical location; where you grow your plants, how much time you have to devote to their care, and many other factors, will need to be taken into account. Only then can you decide on the cultural methods that best suit you and your plants.
Light:
Tillandsia stricta requires good light, and it is best placed in a sheltered spot in the garden during the summer to facilitate flowering. it tolerates full sun. This species can be grown in artificial light. Full spectrum artificial light (fluorescent) is best. Place the plant very close to a window indoors in winter and preferably outdoors in sunny summer.
Temperature:
Optimum temperature range for Tillandsia stricta is 10 to 32°C. Get it early enough in the fall if you grow it outside, so that it does not face night temperatures below 4 or 5 ° C, especially if it is wet. The plants can faced temperatures close to 0 ° C (sheltered and dry) for a few hours without damage.
Humidity:
This air plant need the moderate to low level of humidity. Good aeration is required, the plant must dry quickly (in less than an hour).
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Tillandsia stricta can be grown basically anywhere, on rocks, in a seashell or on coral, in ceramic or pottery, attached to wood, on a solid substrate that does not retain water. You can glue the plant directly to the surface with a strong adhesive, or you can wire the plant to the base. Don't cover the base of the plant with moss or it may rot. It can be grown on almost any imaginable decorative mount, including shells, rocks, slate, driftwood, etc. Group them in decorative clumps for maximum effect. Do not use superglue or copper wire as these will kill the plant.
Watering:
Twice a week in summer, once a week in winter according to the luminosity and the ambient humidity. It is much better to water in the morning than at night. Air plants absorb the carbon dioxide from the air at night instead of the day time. Obviously when it rains and if you grow it outside, it counts as a watering.
Fertilizer:
Fertilization is not vital. Occasional fertiliser in water will speed up the growth, reproduction of pups and gain a more vibrant bloom. This air plant can be fertilized with the moderate doses. 1 to 2 times a month in the summer and 1 time a month in the winter.
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