Tillandsia question

[SheilaJ]

I bought a Tillandsia ionantha ball at the orchid show in March, and I promised myself that if I could keep it alive I would buy some more tillandsias. The ball has a wire threaded through it, with a hook on the top end that is great to hang on my wire orchid shelf.

I did well with it, so now I have an assortment of tillandsias on order. I am wondering what is the best way to fasten them to a string?

I don't want to strangle them, impale them, or have them fall off. All of the online directions talk about mounting them on wood and cork and such, but I just want them mounted on a string, preferably facing up. I guess it would be OK if they were mounted on something tiny, as long as I could still hang them, take them down easily for soaking, and give them 360 degree air circulation.

Suggestions? Thanks!

[Ross]

I treat my Tillandsias and other genera like orchids. In time they will multiply themselves, but slowly. If you want to mass them together (a rather unusual and artificial growth form) then mounting may be your best option. Mine regularly grow roots, which in nature are used as hold-fasts. They get most of their nourishment through their scaly leaves. You won't really strangle them at all. Some folks even hot-glue them to mounts. I just leave mine as a discrete plant/clump and soak them in my orchid mix for as much as 1/2 hour every week or so while growing and less often when growth has slowed down (winter). Guess the final decision is up to you. I'm with the ones preferring mounts.

[unhappykat]

Is the ball of your T. ionantha threaded by a piece of string or it the string attached directly to a piece of the inner rhizome of the plant? Ive never seen tillandsias hung by strings but i have sen them tied at the very base of their growing stalk, usually where the roots are or would be attached, usually at this point there is a small woody stalk forming and the wire is tightly wrapped around it and then the plant is simply bent into the desired position and the wire is bent to form a hook at the top. After several seasons of growth the plant multiplies and engulfs the base of the wire hiding it in a neat little ball of leaves and flowers. I suppose a piece of fishing twine could be substituted for the wire and tied to the base of the plant but you would not be able to get it to point upwards and would have to wait until it clumped.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Like Ross had said, I like to mount mine onto a piece of wood. I have a couple that are consistently putting out roots. It takes a while for them to grow them, but once they do, they just keep growing them. I tie them onto the mounts with fishing line. Even if they don't have roots, you can try to hold the plant in place on the mount using fishing line without having to use hot glue, TillyTacker, or any other glue for that matter. Whether you want to put a little bit of moss on the mount is up to you. You can totally forego the moss and it wouldn't matter.

If you still want to do the Tillandsia ball, just find the center where the roots clump together and tie using a thin wire, string, or fishing line.