How to grow Bromeliad Tillandsia Fuchsii Var. Gracilis

During or after blooming, Tillandsias produce anywhere from one to a dozen baby plants called offsets, offshoots, or pups. Pups gradually grow to adult size in one to four years, while the parent plant gradually dies over the space of a generation or two.
Plants bloom when mature, given sufficient light, air circulation, temperature, and moisture. These conditions are possible indoors by using ceiling fan, grow lights or a bright window with indirect light, and a tray of pebbles filled with water for moisture. Make sure plants do not sit directly in water or they may rot. Also misting every 1 to 2 days is beneficial to growth. Submerging in water for up to 24 hours will restore a neglected plant, but if your having to do this too often then chances are your not giving it the proper conditions it needs.
Of course keeping plants outdoors is best and little care is needed. By placing plant out of direct sun, such as under a large tree where rays peek through branches is ideal to make plant grow healthy and bloom. A tree also protects plants from rain or wind damage. They look beautiful hanging on a fence or wall of patio. A light spray with a water hose every other day on dry days is enough moisture for healthy growth, but most can tolerate weeks of neglect. The best way to tell if plant is not getting enough moisture, is when leaves start to curl or create a channel the length of the leaf. As a general rule of thumb, the greener, softer-leaved plants require less sun and more moisture and tend to thrive in cool environments, a shaded porch , patio or a south facing wall with an over hang of eaves for shade are ideal areas. The grayer, stiffer leaved species prefer more light and less moisture and usually prefer warmer areas, some early morning sun mottled by the leaves of a tree is ideal, but watch for burn marks, this will indicate too much sun.. Tillandsias love warm moist air but can tolerate temperatures to 45 degrees as long as there is no frost present.
Fertilizing Tillandsias during the warm months will produce much larger, more robust plants when combined with good light and frequent, thorough watering. Plants should be fertilized on a consistent schedule. A very dilute amount every time you water or mist is ideal. But every week or two with a stronger solution is fine. I have used a product called epiphyte’s delight made especially for tillandsias with 17-9-26, but you can use any good orchid food, rapid grow etc. Just make sure you dilute it well.
A strong and healthy plant may be artificially induced to bloom by placing it in a plastic bag with a piece of ripe apple for a couple of days. The ethylene gas from the apple will do the trick in 6 to 14 weeks depending on the species. There is also a product on the market sold mainly to nurseries called Florel, many nurseries use this product to force blooms but I don’t recommend using it, it cuts down on the plants life expectancy and reduces the amount of pupping if it even pups. If plant is allowed to complete its life cycle naturally, the blooms tend to last longer. Be careful that the plants you buy from some nurseries do not force the blooms on your plants, they sometimes do this to make the plant look better and to cause you to come back for another of the same because yours died too early and didn’t have any pups. Not all nurseries are this unscrupulous but there are a few out there.
Usually after blooming come the pups, but some plants will reproduce before then. Pups can be left attached to parent plant, eventually forming an attractive clump, or they can be separated and attached to something else to grow singly. I like to slowly work them loose over a period of time. If you choose to separate the plants, wait until the pups are half the parent size or more, using a sharp knife at the point of attachment. Keep the wound clean and let it dry for a day or two, to allow roots to attach to mounting material, it must be rough or filled with crevices. The plant can be glued, wired, pinned, or tied with fishing line or string.
Mounting or hanging tillandsias is very easy. If your mounting for a show or craft sale, you can use hot glue (cooled to touch but still tacky) or liquid nail to attach the plant, and now there is a new product called E-6000 made especially for tillandsia and bromeliad mounting. Try to get the roots and base of stem only in the glue as older leaves will die off detaching from the plant and it will eventually come loose. For mounting or hanging around your home its best to use fishing line, waxed thread or string or wire (no copper). Make sure air can circulate around the entire plant so it does not stay wet too long when its watered. You will want to tie the plant loosely to allow for leaf expansion and growth and also any emerging pups. You can use just about anything to mount on, Grape wood, Driftwood, Manzanita, Seashells, Coral, Lava Rock, Crystals, Etc. Just be sure your plants all go together, like low light high moisture or high light low moisture.

These estimates for how long Bromeliad tillandsia fuchsii var. gracilis takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

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