Meet the Yellow Air Plant
November 04, 2022
Meet the Ionantha DruidThe Tillandsia Ionantha Druid is a small to medium sized air plant.
Its leaves are pointy and fuzzy with trichomes. Trichomes are the tiny white dots on an air plant's leaves that allow them to absorb the water and nutrients around them.
Blushing/Blooming
Once a year, usually at the beginning of November, our Ionantha Druids come into bloom! Their bloom sets these air plants apart from all others in our greenhouse. The Io. Druid is the ONLY air plant in our greenhouse that blushes to a yellow color. The higher sunlight they are exposed to the more intense their blush will be. Whereas most air plant species in our greenhouse produce purple flowers, the Druid will produce pure white flowers. The ethereal flowers themselves are a sight to see! They may only last for a couple days, but their blush can be enjoyed for a few weeks!
What happens after they bloom?
Ionantha Druid have a life cycle of growing to maturity and then blooming.
Once they have completed their bloom, their flowers will wilt and go limp. At this point the spent flowers can be gently pulled out from the center of the plant.
Before, during, or after blooming Io. Druid will start producing new baby plants called offsets, which are also known as pups. Io. Druid is a quick grower that produces lots of pups that clump together to form a ball. On average it will produce between 2 - 8 pups.
The pups will obtain nutrients from the mother plant as she ends her lifecycle. They can be separated once the pups grow to 1/3 or half the size of the mother plant. A gentle tug and twist will not hurt the plants as you remove the pups.
How to care for your Druid
Air plants require three main things to stay happy and healthy;
- Bright Indirect Sunlight
- Water
- Good Air Flow
Bright indirect sunlight can be achieved by placing them near or on a windowsill if placed indoors. You can also use supplemental lighting if you do not have a window to place them by. A grow light will work just fine for achieving this.
As for watering, we recommend misting your air plant once every 2-3 days. You can also soak them once a week for 20-30 minutes. Care must be taken to ensure water does not pool in its bulbous base, as this will cause rot.
When underwatered, their leaves may show signs of curling and browning.
Good air flow is vital to your air plant, especially after watering. This can be achieved by ensuring you do not display your air plant in a confined space with no air flow. Our favorite way to display air plants is on a driftwood display.
Pictured below is a gorgeous one of a kind driftwood display that is currently available! The Io. Druid clump that you see has been growing on this piece of driftwood for a couple years! This style of display allows them to obtain everything that they need in order to survive, as well as space for their babies to grow!
You can follow this link if you would like to purchase this exact piece: WYSIWYG- Ionantha Druid clump on driftwood 74 - TheDrunkenGnome Airplant Co.
How to encourage your air plant to bloom
Using a fertilizer is a great way to encourage your air plant to bloom. Not only will the fertilizer encourage blooming, but it will also promote growth as well! Here at TheDrunkenGnome, we offer a specially formulated fertilizer for your air plants! We recommend fertilizing your Air Plants with our ready-to-use Air Plant Food 1-2 times per week during regular watering.
8oz Air Plant Food and Fertilizer PLUS Mister - TheDrunkenGnome Airplant Co.
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