Tillandsia pruinosa is native to northern South America, Central America, southern Mexico, the West Indies and Florida. It grow epiphytic in shady, humid hammocks at an altitude ranging from 0 to over 1000 meters above sea level.
Tillandsia pruinosa, also called as The Fuzzywuzzy air plant, Platystachys pruinosa, Tillandsia breviscapa, Platystachys tortilis, Tillandsia tortilis, is a species of the genus Tillandsia. This species was described by Olof Swartz in 1797.
IDENTIFY TILLANDSIA PRUINOSA AIR PLANT
Tillandsia pruinosa is native to northern South America, Central America, southern Mexico, the West Indies and Florida. It grow epiphytic in shady, humid hammocks at an altitude ranging from 0 to over 1000 meters above sea level.
It is a small to medium sized epiphyte (rarely exceeds 20 cm), acaule species with 5-10, many-ranked, contorted or secund-spreading, gray-green to silver, 0.3-0.5 cm, densely pruinose-scaly, scales coarse leaves. The sheath is dark chestnut brown within, ovate to elliptic, conspicuously inflated, forming small pseudobulb, 1.5-3 cm wide; blade linear-subulate, semi-succulent, margins involute, apex attenuate.
The Fuzzywuzzy air plant bloom in spring-summer from the simple or compound inflorescence, with squat and distichous ears giving the inflorescence a globular appearance. The primary bracts are oval, scaly and pinkish. The floral bracts are long, scaly and pink. The flowers are sessile, tubular, 3 cm long, violet color, sometimes bluish. The stamens and the pistil are exserts.
TILLANDSIA PRUINOSA 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 pruinosa requires a good light and tolerates full sun (avoid the afternoon in summer if the plant is young or has not been used). You can also cultivate them in partial shade.
Temperature:
The required temperature ranging from 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:
The Fuzzywuzzy air plant need the moderate to low level of humidity. This species can withstand short periods of drought. Good aeration is required, the plant must dry quickly (in less than an hour).
Substrate, growing media and repotting:
Tillandsia pruinosa refer to be mounted on a solid substrate that does not retain water. Place the plant very close to a window indoors in the winter and preferably outside the summer in sunny or partial shade. 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.
Watering:
Two or three times a week in summer, once or two times a week in winter according to the luminosity and the ambient humidity. Obviously when it rains and if you grow it outside, it counts as a watering. It will prefer to be grown upside down, to limit the problems of stagnant water at the base of the leaves. If you prefer to suspended the plant, turn it over for a few seconds to drain the excess water after each watering.
Fertilizer:
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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