Description
About Tillandsia red abdita
Tillandsia red abdita is a form of brachycaulos, and it is the one to stock if colour is what sells for you. Where ordinary brachycaulos flushes red at bloom, abdita holds deeper colour and holds it for longer.
The rosette is more compact than straight brachycaulos, with shorter leaves that arch tightly rather than sprawling. That density concentrates the red instead of spreading it thin.
Like all brachycaulos forms this is a tank type. The leaf bases overlap into a well at the centre, and the plant holds standing water there exactly as a bromeliad does.
Three sizes run from 3 inches to 8 inches and up. The larger grades colour hardest, since the flush intensifies as the plant approaches flowering size.
Growing Tillandsia red abdita: Care Guide
Water goes in the cup, not over the plant and out again. Therefore the routine differs from your silver stock.
- Light: Bright indirect light with some gentle morning sun. Light drives the red, so a shaded plant stays green and loses its selling point.
- Water: Keep the central well topped up and let the plant drink from it.
- Flushing: Tip out and refill weekly with fresh water.
- Do not invert: Never turn it over to drain. That empties the reservoir it lives on.
- Airflow: Moderate airflow. Humidity is welcome rather than a problem.
- Temperature: Comfortable from 55°F to 95°F. No frost.
- Feeding: Add diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength to the cup water monthly. Feeding deepens the colour.
- Mounting: No soil. Sit or mount it level so the well stays full.
- Pups: It offsets freely after bloom, often several at once. Separate at one third the mother’s size.
As a tank type it belongs with our Bromeliads. See our Air Plant Care page, or our Rare Air Plants for more colouring forms.
