Description
About Tillandsia schiedeana major
Tillandsia schiedeana major is the larger form of Tillandsia schiedeana, a species that ranges from Mexico through Central America into Colombia and Venezuela. Where the minor form is a small, tight plant, major grows longer leaves and a bigger rosette.
It is often covered in more trichomes than the minor form, so the leaves read more silver. The leaves are narrow, stiff and slightly twisted, and they rise from a short stem.
The bloom is a schiedeana bloom: a slender spike of red bracts with yellow tubular flowers, an unusual colour pairing in the genus.
We grade it from 2-to-4-inch smalls and 5-inch mediums to larges of 8 inches, plus small clumps with two to four pups and super clumps with twenty or more.
At 50 cents this is a volume plant, and one of the easiest species we grow. The super clumps are dense balls that sell as finished pieces at a fraction of the cost of building one.
Growing Tillandsia schiedeana major: Care Guide
Schiedeana grows on trees and rocks in seasonally dry forest, often in full sun, and the major form is as tough as the species. Give it bright light, a soak every ten days or so and a good shake, and it will grow, bloom and pup without further thought. Clumps hold water in the middle, so shake a super clump from several angles and hang it to finish drying. It tolerates heat, dry shop air and a missed watering, and it colours up in sun. This is the plant to give a new grower, because it is hard to kill and quick to reward.
- Light: Bright light with direct sun for part of the day.
- Water: Soak 20 minutes every 7 to 14 days.
- Drying: Invert and shake. Clumps need shaking from several angles.
- Airflow: Good airflow after each soak.
- Temperature: 40°F to 95°F. No hard frost.
- Feeding: Feed monthly with diluted TillyBoost Fertilizer at quarter strength.
- Mounting: Glue or wire to wood. Clumps hang well on wire from our Air Plant Accessories.
- Pups: Frequent. Clumps build fast.
Read our air plant care guide, or browse more Air Plants.
