Tillandsia cyanea - Orchid Board

Tindomul · #1 03-09-2012, 11:47 AM

I have had this plant growing in my terrarium since 2006. It has not bloomed for me since Feb of 2008. Finally this year, with an increase in lighting it (along with other hard to blooms plants in the terrariums) decided it was time to bloom again.

Unfortunately these pictures do not do it justice. The blooms are more purple in bloom and the flower bract is not red but Fuschia colour. I cannot figure out how to get the true colours on my Nikon D40.

Gage · #2 03-09-2012, 12:01 PM

Lovely! I have several of this Tillandsia I got as rescues from an "expired" large orchid arrangement that was being dismantled. They were mostly brown and shriveled when I got them, but have since perked up and grown. I hope mine bloom as well as yours in the next year or so.

Tindomul · #3 03-09-2012, 12:14 PM

Thanks for looking. I water mine everyday and it is kept in a terrarium, so it is always humid. The limiting factor here was lighting. For my other tillandsias which I keep hanging by my window the limiting factor I think is humidity and water.
See this thread
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...se-plants.html

Gage · #4 03-09-2012, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tindomul

Thanks for looking. I water mine everyday and it is kept in a terrarium, so it is always humid. The limiting factor here was lighting. For my other tillandsias which I keep hanging by my window the limiting factor I think is humidity and water.
See this thread
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...se-plants.html

Well good job upping the light and getting it to bloom! I think the limiting factor for mine will just be the growth maturing. They have very high humidity (maybe too much, but it gets windy so I think it's probably ok), and dappled sunlight. Do you do anything to fertilize them, or suppliment them with anything?

ezil · #5 03-09-2012, 06:07 PM

I have all my tillandsias mounted on a the "skeleton" of an artificial tree (it took forever to get these plastic leaves off), which I have secured in a flower pot. I have to carry it every day to the shower to spray it. I use rainwater (or melted snow) and find it very hard to keep the humidity up. The cyanea never made it through the winter. Yours makes me think I should try again.

Tindomul · #6 03-09-2012, 06:14 PM

Remember Ezil, I keep mine in high humidity. its my other Tillandsias that do ok in my dry apartment.

Wireman · #7 03-09-2012, 06:24 PM

That looks like a huge plant. Try playing around with the white balance until you get the right colors. Sometimes the weirdest setting will get perfect results.

Tindomul · #8 03-09-2012, 06:26 PM

Hi Wireman, I tried the whitebalance factory settings, not sure if there is another way to change them. I lost my instruction manual. In anycase, those settings made everything worse.
I would say the plant is about the size of a human head with long spikey hair.

ezil · #9 03-09-2012, 06:32 PM

Thanks for the "heads up" Tindomul. My plant was wayyyy smaller (probably a seedling). If they get that big, I better pass - it would take up too much space.

Tindomul · #10 04-20-2012, 11:03 PM

Still putting out new flowers.