Air Plant City

Receiving Air Plants as Christmas Gifts

2007-12-21T06:20:00.000-05:00

You open a box you receive the day before Christmas and it contains pretty plants but wait, they have no roots... The instructions say soak, but soak in what, where? Do I plant them?, you wonder... NO Do NOT plant, do exactly as the note says, soak.

By now you have had them out of the box and doing the research so hopefully you found me at www.airplantcity.com and then you found this or you have contacted me, which you can do from the site.

Simple steps to enjoy your Air Plant.

1. Try to learn their names. Tillandsia Brachycoulas for instance. Go to the site and browse the galleries. Contact me with your senders email address and I can probably tell you exactly what you received. Sorry I haven't gotten tags yet but will on all plants in the new year.

2. Choose a container. Do not use a clay pot, or a deep receptacle unless you fill it up with something like marbles, pebbles or shells. The plant has to have air circulation on all parts of it and should never sit in a wet container. Get creative. You can literally use anything except copper and I don't suggest anything that can rust.

3. If you see unsightly roots, cut them off. I sometimes leave roots on if I think the plant would do better hanging. You can use fishing line to tie around the root, attach a hook to the other end and hang anywhere there is bright light or indirect sun light.

4. The tips of the airplants can be cut if they are brown on the ends, broken, or otherwise unsightly from shipping.

5. The most important thing to remember is that they like their bath at least once a week. Soak upside down, shake gently afterward to remove the water from between their leaves, put back in the light and enjoy...

POSTING TO THIS BLOG

2007-11-05T18:33:00.000-05:00

I guess I finally got listed in the search engines. I don't normally monitor this site anymore but now that I am getting hits, I will pay attention. My website is www.airplantcity.com and I have many plants available and some great info along with many other articles that I have written and not published here. Please visit and let me know how you found me.

I promise to be better about moderating and will pay more attention here than I have in the past. Thanks so much for visiting.

Cathy

Winterizing your Air Plants

2006-10-15T10:16:00.000-04:00

Common sense tells us that tropical Tillandsia will not withstand winter. So those of you who live in the North have already brought them inside. This is just the beginning though. In order for your Air Plants to survive winter inside, you need to make some small adjustments to their environment.

Chances are that you have electric or gas heat in your home. This type of heat is very drying as we all know from the changes in our own skin. It will reduce the humidity in our homes and this can be detrimental to your Air Plant. Air misting is one way to combat this dryness and should be done daily. Air Misting is different then plant misting.

In a prior article, I talked about plant misting and making sure that you saturate your plant, in Air Misting all you are doing is wetting the atmosphere around your plants and is exactly what it sounds like. Spritzing some water in the general area around your plants occasionally during the day.

Another way to increase the humidity is to place some decorative bowls of gravel or shells around your plant area and keep them filled with water. I like to do this with colorful glass bowls or vases on my window sills so that they catch and reflect the light.

Other winter considerations:
Fireplaces. Make sure your plants are a good distance from the heat and embers of your fireplace.

Air Circulation. Your plants need to have air enough to dry them after watering but should not be placed too close to a heater duct.

Light. Bright light is important and if can not be supplied naturally then by all means use artificial lighting. Do NOT place your airplants too close to an incandescent bulb though and please read my article on Indoor Lighting. Also, please do not place your air plants in your Christmas Tree. The lights on the tree are hot and will burn your plants.

Lastly, if you open your window during the day for fresh air, make sure your plant is not effected. Going from room temp to cold will hurt your air plant. Oh and make sure that if you are spraying your room with that wonderful air freshener, you are not spraying your plant with it.

Catherine Essigmann
Air Plant City

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK FOR AIR PLANT CITY

2006-09-26T09:53:00.000-04:00

I HAVE OPENED MEMBERSHIP. NOW MY CUSTOMERS CAN POST COMMENTS ABOUT THEIR AIR PLANT ORDER WITHOUT HAVING TO BECOME A MEMBER.

Please leave a comment about your satisfaction on this post. I appreciate any ideas or suggestions you have about improving my site or my business in general.

Please if you have negative comments that I have not heard before, allow me to address them before you blast me here. I respond quickly to problems and have many solutions available if you are not 100% satisfied. Your air plant, and your business is important to me.

Cathy Essigmann
Air Plant City

Misting your Tillandsia Air Plants

2006-08-20T16:35:00.000-04:00

When I talk about misting, it is important to note two things:

1st, Just a casual misting is not enough. The plant must be wet, not moist. Mist over every part of the plant, top and bottom of leaves paying close attention to the tips as well. Make sure the plant is completely moistened.

2nd, Misting will increase the humidity for a very short time. To maintain a higher humidity level you can place standing water close to your plant.

Keep in mind that while misting is an important tool, it does not replace a good soaking.

Visit Air Plant City to download the pdf of this post and many others.

A word about Air Plants and Air Circulation

2006-08-11T12:14:00.000-04:00

I learned a valuable lesson about air circulation with a group of Tillandsia Tenufolia Blues...

I placed a group of the air plants together in a clay pot with a hole in the bottom for draining. The tops of the plants were exposed and looked wonderful. I kept my normal watering schedule and sprayed them daily, kept them out of all but early morning sun and they seemed to be thriving.

Boy was I wrong! When I removed them a week later for soaking, I was horrified. All the air plants in the middle of the grouping were actually brown and brittle from the bottom to the part where they were exposed above the pot. The only explanation is air circulation...

I try to keep my plants together in families for ease of packing and soaking but normally keep them in open baskets or wire containers. I know now Do Not Use Clay, lol.

Remember to visit Air Plant City for more care information and to purchase Air plants/Tillandsia online securely

HELP! My AIR PLANT is dying

2006-08-03T14:13:00.000-04:00

Ever feel like pulling your hair out because NOTHING you do is working and your Tillandsia is dying anyway?

I have. One species in particular, Velutina is my nemesis. I have tried different locations, different watering schedules, daily administrations and ignoring it. I cannot keep Velutina in stock.

So what is my advice? First line of treatment would be to soak the leaves, not the stem itself, by placing it upside down in a bucket with vitamin b restorative added to the water. Leave it for the day, then place it in bright light and leave it alone. If its above 50 degrees and below 90 degrees, place it outside in mottled sunlight. This can be accomplished by placing in a tree, around (or under) other plants, hanging near a window on a screen porch, etc. Then only mist it well from then on until it starts to grow new growth or perks up. Once a plant starts to die, less
hands on is always better.

If that doesn't work then make note of the type of plant it is and order the opposite type from then on. For instance, if the brachy's (thin leaf) aren't growing well in your area, order the thick leaf air plants like Streptocarpa Mini X or Recurifolia or vice versa. Also if your bad about your watering schedule, always opt for the thicker leaved, silvery plants. These plants do much better with less water.

Visit Air Plant City to read about individual plants or other care questions. Also email me your questions and I will
be happy to help in any way I can. airplantcity@yahoo.com

Tillandsia Mounting Tips

2006-06-19T12:33:00.000-04:00

We know that Air plants will grow without soil. We know that we can mount them on all kinds of mediums. I have tried several and to be honest, I am disappointed with a lot of my displays. They look great to start with and seem to be very well mounted and then....

Hot glue works well for inside displays. I have a gun that has a low setting that protects my plants from too high a heat or a burn and I found that this is fine to keep a plant in place within the display but there are drawbacks. Do not place outside in hot sun or too close to a hot window. This softens the waxy adhesive and it no longer holds anything until it cools again. Makes perfect sense right? I just never thought of it until my display just fell apart.

Never use copper wire to mount an air plant. Copper will kill your plant. I have also learned that using something that rusts feeds your plant Iron. Too much iron is definately a no-no. Plant stake wire, or jewelry wire is great. So is Fishing line.

So what is the perfect mounting? Liquid nail works great, the waterproof kind. Also using the plants own roots is great. Remember that the roots do not absorb nutrients so if you have enough root, use wire around it or glue just the root structure. I have also used the roots to pull through an opening in shell or piece of driftwood and then glued that in place.

All in all, experimentation is the best advice here. Just be careful to protect the plant from damage by not using copper, rusty items, or too hot a glue gun.

Be sure to visit Air Plant City for more care items.

HOT SUMMER SUN AND AIRPLANTS

2006-06-08T08:31:00.000-04:00

Air Plant City
Air plants can get sunburn....

Air plant leaves possess tiny scales, properly called trichomes, that serve two major functions. First, they assist the plant in absorbing water and nutrients. Second, they help to reflect sunlight off of the leaf surface. If you live in the south, the grayer your plant, the safer it is in the sun.

Florida direct sunlight in summer is never good for your plants but morning and late afternoon sun can be tolerated for the flesher, grayer airplants such as Recurvafolia v sub or the Seleriana x Circinnatoides pictured here. Notice the thickness of the leaves (better to hold moisture) and the grey color. The Streptocarpa mini x is another good choice and is very pretty with great clumping characteristics.

SIGNS OF SUNBURN include brown spots, dried out patches appearing on inside growth, and very unhealthy splotchy appearance of outside leaves when totally wet.

TAKING CARE OF SUNBURNED PLANTS. Take the plant out of the sun and provide it with bright light. ( a sun shade cloth can be used as cover), gently pull off outside leaves if totally damaged and easily removed. Cut with scissors if you can't gently remove manually. Soak plant weekly in a vitamin B revive bath. Spritz with water daily. Do not fertilize until plant is healthy. If plant is "in pup" and the pups have been damaged, remove them also trying to save as many as you can. Don't be discouraged or impatient AND do not over-soak as the plant will come apart if it stays too wet too long.

For more care information be sure to visit Air Plant City's Care page

More Inside Lighting info

2006-04-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

Air Plant City
Incandescent Plant Grow Lights
Most incandescent plant lights are best used to highlight indoor plant groupings and have very little use as a true plant 'growing' light, even those that are labeled as a "grow light".

Newer color corrected incandescent spot grow bulbs are suitable for adding supplemental light or highlighting to a single plant, such as an orchid or indoor bonsai tree.

However, you should never place an incandescent bulb closer than 24 inches over your plants. Incandescents burn very hot and will burn plants when placed close enough for them to appreciably affect plant growth.

Most incandescent bulbs have an average life span of 750 hours.

SODIUM LAMP (HIGH-PRESSURE SODIUM LAMP)
High-pressure sodium lamps operate by igniting sodium, mercury, and xenon gases within a sealed, ceramic arc tube. Sodium lamps emit light energy in the yellow/red/orange regions of the spectrum; the red spectrum stimulates flowering, and fruit production. Many indoor gardeners switch to sodium lamps when it is time to induce flowering or fruiting of their plants.

SON-AGRO
A sodium bulb which, according to the manufacturer, Philips Lighting, produces 30% more blue light than standard sodium bulbs. The 430-watt SON AGRO also emits 6% more light than the standard 400-watt sodium lamp.

METAL HALIDE (MH) LAMP
A high-intensity discharge lamp in which the light is produced by arcing electricity through a mixture of metal halides. The light produced by metal halide lamps is in the white-blue spectrum, which encourages vegetative growth and "bushiness," while discouraging upward growth. This is the bulb to use in the first, vegetative phase of plant growth.

Gro-Lux Wide Spectrum Fluorescent Tubes 20-watt
The Best All-Around Lighting for Seedlings to Houseplants!

I will be adding this and more information plus links on the care page of Air Plant City

How to keep Airplants inside

2006-03-29T19:12:00.000-05:00

Air Plant City

Many people that love air plants live in the north or other regions that are not conducive to keeping your airplants outside. So what is the best way to keep them healthy and happy inside?

1. They need bright sunlight but will not survive on a hot (or cold) window sill so my suggestion is to place them within 3 feet of the window. some ideas for this: A decorative rack, bird cage holder, or plant stand. Remember you can hang air plants from fishing line, decorative pot hangers or even curtain rods. Just attach your plants root to the line, attach a hook and arrange to your hearts content...

2. They need moisture. Place a tray of pebbles filled with water beneath your arrangements. Don't fill it over the pebbles so that the water doesn't touch your plants. This provides humidity and also collects the excess when you mist them daily. Remember to soak them weekly for at least an hour. Fertilize once a month.

Air Plant City

2006-03-11T10:05:00.000-05:00

Air Plant City

BLOGGING: YOU CAN POST A COMMENT BY CLICKING ON THE WORD "COMMENTS" UNDER EACH POST. AS I DON'T ALLOW anonymous POSTS YOU WILL HAVE TO REGISTER. IT SHOULD BE EASY. IF YOU HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, PLEASE EMAIL ME AT email">INFO@AIRPLANTCITY.COM

THANKS AND HAVE A GREAT DAY.

CATHY

Air Plants with Fragrance

2006-03-02T22:33:00.000-05:00

There aren't many airplants that have fragrance but below are two that do. It amazed me that a bloom so small could fill a room with beautiful scent. These plants are a little more expensive but worth every penny.

Crocata v Tristas
Tiny yellow flowers with great scent

Durati
Pretty violet flowers, strongly scented

Air Plant City

Find them at Air Plant City

Different Airplants require different watering schedules

2006-02-17T07:38:00.000-05:00

I have noticed that the Air plants with thin whispy leaves are harder to keep hydrated than the leaves that are wider and flesher. If you have a whispy leaf plant such as Juncea or Tenufolia, you might consider soaking significantly longer than you would Velentina or Recurifolia v Sub. Also misting to maintain higher humidity is important for the thin leaves.

I have found that you can actually look at your plant and tell that it needs water. It appears thirsty, lol but seriously if your leaves are curling in on themselves at all, water is in order. Visit Air Plant City soon

Tillandsia - Stricta

2006-02-16T16:34:00.000-05:00

I Have found that the Stricta is pretty delicate and I noticed that they require more water as noticable when the leaves start to curl. Also you really need to dry them before putting them back into any container. If they stay wet too long, they fall apart. Remember caring for airplants is a learning process so if you fail a few times don't get discouraged. Your plants will tell you if they are thirsty by thier appearance. What they won't tell you is if they get TOO much water so don't over do.

I have a few large plants on sale at Air Plant City and a beautiful picture of one right on my home page.

Air Plant Watering. Tap water or Not?

2006-02-16T09:24:00.000-05:00

When you soak your plants, do you use tap water straight from the faucet? I don't advise tap water unless it sits out for awhile. Keep a bucket handy and fill with water then sit outside in the sun.Let the bucket also collect rain water.

Remember that airplants collect their nutrients via the water and droppings from birds and dying bugs naturally. Have a bird or a fish pond? Either leavings are great natural fertilizer. When I clean the filter in my fish pond, I collect some of it in my bucket. I then add water as needed and use this to hydrate my plants. You can do the same thing when you clean out your bird cage or fish tank. Just remember that this is a natural fertilizer and you do not have to use a store bought product on top of it. Too much fertilizer will damage the plants.

I have plants on sale at Air Plant City and a care page with basic information on caring for your air plants. Visit soon.