Description
About Tillandsia edithae, Silver form
Tillandsia edithae Silver form is the greyer, tighter selection of a Bolivian species best known for one thing: it produces a genuinely red flower, which very few Tillandsias do.
Where the large green form is bigger and greener, this clone stays compact and carries a heavy silver trichome coat throughout. Against that pale foliage the scarlet bloom reads even harder.
The plant grows on rock in the dry Bolivian highlands, building thick recurved leaves along a short sprawling stem. It is stiff, dense and considerably tougher than its size suggests.
Three grades run from 2 inches to 4 inches and up. Because the silver form stays small, it works well massed on a shared mount where several plants can flower together.
Growing Tillandsia edithae, Silver form: Care Guide
High Bolivian rock means sun, wind and cold nights. Therefore grow it hard and keep the water sparse.
- Light: Very high light, including direct sun. Strong light is what brings it into flower.
- Water: Soak 20 minutes every 12 to 14 days. Thick leaves and dense scales hold reserves well.
- Drying: Invert and shake. Recurved leaves overlap and trap water where they cross.
- Airflow: Strong airflow after every soak.
- Temperature: Exceptionally cold tolerant, from 35°F to 90°F. Cool nights encourage flowering.
- Feeding: Feed monthly through the growing season with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: No soil. Mount on rock or cork and let the sprawling stem run across it.
- Pups: Offsets form along the stem. Leave them attached to build a mat.
Our Air Plant Care page covers the basics, and the large green form sits in our Rare Air Plants.
