air plants safe?
- Thread starter jonr
- Start date
incase someone knows here is the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytZSDd11Aq4
shiftyeyes
New Member
if they are on the safe plant list which is on this forum then its safe if its not listed then dont take the chance
Airplants typically refer to the genus Tillandsia and are safe. I have personally used them for several years in almost all of my builds from dart frogs to pygmy to my current panther free range build.
I don't know of any tillandsia that is not safe.
There are many other plants that can be grown epiphytcally (ie no soil) but not all are safe. The most common types seen in the reptile hobby are from the family BROMELIAD (of which tillandsia is a genus). MOST bromeliads in general are safe and I *think* they are all safe but I can't say that for certain.
To see a sample of an open-air setup I have using both tillandsia and other bromeliads, see here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...s/5647652851478928897?authkey=CJ-1sdnW0KCejAE
The various light green/grey "wirey" plants you see are all tillandsia. There are 4 in the bottom right and several in the upper left spread around.
They are very easy to care for, you can literally hot glue the base (not the leaves, but the hard "base" of the plant) to literally anything and just mist it with water and its happy. It absorbs water directly through its leaves (thats what the silvery flakes are for)
Also of interest are the larger plants that are red in the center and green on the outside (there is one in the bottom middle and one in the upper right). These are epiphytic bromeliads that collect their water through the cups in the center, not roots like most plants. The only use they have for their roots is to hold onto stuff.....similar to tillandsia, you can hot glue the base of these guys to pretty much anything). For these bigger guys I do suggest some supplemental wire because my chams climb onto them and the hot glue has a hard time holding up their combined weight.
If you look closely, there are several (about 15; two noticeable ones are the one in the top center slight to the right and another in the bottom middle directly to the left of the bigger red bromeliad) smaller plants that look similar to the larger red/green plants. These are all bromeliads as well (genus: Neoreglia) and all can be mounted via hot glue and collect water via their cups. The color patterns vary by species, etc. but as a general rule they do "color up" nicely under good light.
NOTE: TILLANDSIA do *NOT* like to stay wet. They will rot quickly if they are kept too wet and must dry out between waterings. In particular, the more "silvery flakes" the tillandsia has on it, the more it likes to dry out between waterings. I can not tell you how many tillandsia I have killed by accidentally keeping them in or near chunks of moss or other things that stay very moist, causing them to rot (you can tell because they will literally just "fall apart")
NOTE2: For the larger bromeliads that have cups, you simply need to make sure the cup always has water in it. I suggest mounting these at a slight angle so that when you mist, the old water inside can spill out a little and be changed with fresh water to avoid stagnant pools in their cups.
NOTE3: Here is a different build using both airplants and TERRESTRIAL bromeliads (these guys are planted in soil since they don't have the same cups as the ones above do):
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...ms/5647654053080166753?authkey=CKfwp9eWlPK9Jw
I HIGHLY Encourage more decorative/display builds!
EDIT: Slight word of warning. There are some types of spanish and other mosses that are "preserved" for floral/crafts uses. These are NOT safe to use to the best of my knowledge (and they usually contain a safety warning on the bag that says something like "wear gloves while handling this product" along with the word "preserved"). Natural spanish moss is safe (but imo not very pretty as it looks dead) but I think there are many better choices...
check out these two sites for a wide variety of tillandsia and bromeliads:
http://www.rainforestflora.com/store.php
http://www.airplant.com/index.html
EDIT2: For TILLANDSIA don't be tricked by the flowers! They tend to flower for a VERY short time (like 1 week) maybe a few times a year at most. Base what you are buying on what the leaves/color/shape of the plants are rather than the flowers cause you will rarely see the flowers
I don't know of any tillandsia that is not safe.
There are many other plants that can be grown epiphytcally (ie no soil) but not all are safe. The most common types seen in the reptile hobby are from the family BROMELIAD (of which tillandsia is a genus). MOST bromeliads in general are safe and I *think* they are all safe but I can't say that for certain.
To see a sample of an open-air setup I have using both tillandsia and other bromeliads, see here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...s/5647652851478928897?authkey=CJ-1sdnW0KCejAE
The various light green/grey "wirey" plants you see are all tillandsia. There are 4 in the bottom right and several in the upper left spread around.
They are very easy to care for, you can literally hot glue the base (not the leaves, but the hard "base" of the plant) to literally anything and just mist it with water and its happy. It absorbs water directly through its leaves (thats what the silvery flakes are for)
Also of interest are the larger plants that are red in the center and green on the outside (there is one in the bottom middle and one in the upper right). These are epiphytic bromeliads that collect their water through the cups in the center, not roots like most plants. The only use they have for their roots is to hold onto stuff.....similar to tillandsia, you can hot glue the base of these guys to pretty much anything). For these bigger guys I do suggest some supplemental wire because my chams climb onto them and the hot glue has a hard time holding up their combined weight.
If you look closely, there are several (about 15; two noticeable ones are the one in the top center slight to the right and another in the bottom middle directly to the left of the bigger red bromeliad) smaller plants that look similar to the larger red/green plants. These are all bromeliads as well (genus: Neoreglia) and all can be mounted via hot glue and collect water via their cups. The color patterns vary by species, etc. but as a general rule they do "color up" nicely under good light.
NOTE: TILLANDSIA do *NOT* like to stay wet. They will rot quickly if they are kept too wet and must dry out between waterings. In particular, the more "silvery flakes" the tillandsia has on it, the more it likes to dry out between waterings. I can not tell you how many tillandsia I have killed by accidentally keeping them in or near chunks of moss or other things that stay very moist, causing them to rot (you can tell because they will literally just "fall apart")
NOTE2: For the larger bromeliads that have cups, you simply need to make sure the cup always has water in it. I suggest mounting these at a slight angle so that when you mist, the old water inside can spill out a little and be changed with fresh water to avoid stagnant pools in their cups.
NOTE3: Here is a different build using both airplants and TERRESTRIAL bromeliads (these guys are planted in soil since they don't have the same cups as the ones above do):
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...ms/5647654053080166753?authkey=CKfwp9eWlPK9Jw
I HIGHLY Encourage more decorative/display builds!
EDIT: Slight word of warning. There are some types of spanish and other mosses that are "preserved" for floral/crafts uses. These are NOT safe to use to the best of my knowledge (and they usually contain a safety warning on the bag that says something like "wear gloves while handling this product" along with the word "preserved"). Natural spanish moss is safe (but imo not very pretty as it looks dead) but I think there are many better choices...
check out these two sites for a wide variety of tillandsia and bromeliads:
http://www.rainforestflora.com/store.php
http://www.airplant.com/index.html
EDIT2: For TILLANDSIA don't be tricked by the flowers! They tend to flower for a VERY short time (like 1 week) maybe a few times a year at most. Base what you are buying on what the leaves/color/shape of the plants are rather than the flowers cause you will rarely see the flowers
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Airplants typically refer to the genus Tillandsia and are safe. I have personally used them for several years in almost all of my builds from dart frogs to pygmy to my current panther free range build.
I don't know of any tillandsia that is not safe.
There are many other plants that can be grown epiphytcally (ie no soil) but not all are safe. The most common types seen in the reptile hobby are from the family BROMELIAD (of which tillandsia is a genus). MOST bromeliads in general are safe and I *think* they are all safe but I can't say that for certain.
To see a sample of an open-air setup I have using both tillandsia and other bromeliads, see here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...s/5647652851478928897?authkey=CJ-1sdnW0KCejAE
The various light green/grey "wirey" plants you see are all tillandsia. There are 4 in the bottom right and several in the upper left spread around.
They are very easy to care for, you can literally hot glue the base (not the leaves, but the hard "base" of the plant) to literally anything and just mist it with water and its happy. It absorbs water directly through its leaves (thats what the silvery flakes are for)
Also of interest are the larger plants that are red in the center and green on the outside (there is one in the bottom middle and one in the upper right). These are epiphytic bromeliads that collect their water through the cups in the center, not roots like most plants. The only use they have for their roots is to hold onto stuff.....similar to tillandsia, you can hot glue the base of these guys to pretty much anything). For these bigger guys I do suggest some supplemental wire because my chams climb onto them and the hot glue has a hard time holding up their combined weight.
If you look closely, there are several (about 15; two noticeable ones are the one in the top center slight to the right and another in the bottom middle directly to the left of the bigger red bromeliad) smaller plants that look similar to the larger red/green plants. These are all bromeliads as well (genus: Neoreglia) and all can be mounted via hot glue and collect water via their cups. The color patterns vary by species, etc. but as a general rule they do "color up" nicely under good light.
NOTE: TILLANDSIA do *NOT* like to stay wet. They will rot quickly if they are kept too wet and must dry out between waterings. In particular, the more "silvery flakes" the tillandsia has on it, the more it likes to dry out between waterings. I can not tell you how many tillandsia I have killed by accidentally keeping them in or near chunks of moss or other things that stay very moist, causing them to rot (you can tell because they will literally just "fall apart")
NOTE2: For the larger bromeliads that have cups, you simply need to make sure the cup always has water in it. I suggest mounting these at a slight angle so that when you mist, the old water inside can spill out a little and be changed with fresh water to avoid stagnant pools in their cups.
NOTE3: Here is a different build using both airplants and TERRESTRIAL bromeliads (these guys are planted in soil since they don't have the same cups as the ones above do):
https://plus.google.com/photos/1101...ms/5647654053080166753?authkey=CKfwp9eWlPK9Jw
I HIGHLY Encourage more decorative/display builds!
EDIT: Slight word of warning. There are some types of spanish and other mosses that are "preserved" for floral/crafts uses. These are NOT safe to use to the best of my knowledge (and they usually contain a safety warning on the bag that says something like "wear gloves while handling this product" along with the word "preserved"). Natural spanish moss is safe (but imo not very pretty as it looks dead) but I think there are many better choices...
check out these two sites for a wide variety of tillandsia and bromeliads:
http://www.rainforestflora.com/store.php
http://www.airplant.com/index.html
EDIT2: For TILLANDSIA don't be tricked by the flowers! They tend to flower for a VERY short time (like 1 week) maybe a few times a year at most. Base what you are buying on what the leaves/color/shape of the plants are rather than the flowers cause you will rarely see the flowers
Your awesome, you answered any question I could have had! I'm going to buy a bunch of these plants and have fun with them. There going to be joined with a Jackson chameleon. Thanks again
deathemperor
New Member
Thanks for the great info too, my veiled just ate a bunch of air plants I was scared he's sicked or something
reptileguy112
Member
I have Spanish moss and air plants (tillandsia) in my green house and enclosures.
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