Description
About Tillandsia ‘Showtime’
Tillandsia Showtime crosses bulbosa with streptophylla, and both parents build a hollow swollen base. The hybrid is emphatically bulbous, with a fat pseudobulb carrying long twisting leaves.
Streptophylla contributes the curl. When the plant dries out the leaves ringlet tightly, then relax and open again after watering, so Showtime tells you visually when it is thirsty.
Bulbosa contributes the movement. Its leaves snake rather than arch, and that habit gives the hybrid a looser, more animated outline than a pure streptophylla manages.
Three grades run from 4 inches to 8 inches and up. At $8 it delivers the sculptural bulbous look that customers usually associate with much pricier specimens.
Growing Tillandsia ‘Showtime’: Care Guide
A hollow base decides everything here. Therefore mounting angle matters as much as watering.
- Light: Bright light. Strong light tightens the curl, though bulbosa parentage means it scorches more easily than a pure silver species.
- Water: Soak 20 minutes every 7 to 10 days. Watch the leaves rather than the calendar.
- Drying: The critical rule. The bulb fills during a soak, so invert and shake firmly every time or it rots from the centre.
- Airflow: Strong airflow. Dry within four hours.
- Temperature: Comfortable from 60°F to 95°F. No frost.
- Feeding: Feed monthly in spring and summer with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: No soil. Wire it at an angle so the base drains freely.
- Pups: Offsets form around the bulb after bloom. Separate at one third the mother’s size.
See our Air Plant Care page, or browse our Rare Air Plants for more bulbous crosses.
