Placement within 1 to 3 feet of an east- or west-facing window, or within a foot or two of an artificial light source is ideal. Gently pull them apart from each other. They usually have strap-shape or slender triangle-shape leaves that grow in a rosette pattern with new growth appearing from the center. Easy Garden: How to Grow Air Plants Air plants are the newest garden trend - they don't need soil or fertilizer and are the perfect easy garden choice for those who want to grow uniquely shaped plants indoors throughout the year. While air plants also seed and spread the traditional way, pups are an easy way to grow your collection. Air plants love warm weather so it's the other end of thermometer you need to watch. They don’t do so well on their own until they’ve grown up a little. A lot of people wonder how big air plants get, or if they even grow at all. Let these adorable little pups grow to be at least one third to half the size of its mother. Seed. For indoor use, you can string or place them on ornaments. Try to collect as many seeds as you can. Avoid dimly lit locations. DIFFERENT WAYS TO GROW TILLANDSIAS FROM SEED By: Andrew Flower, Wellington, New Zealand Presented to the Australian Bromeliad Conference in Adelaide, Australia, 1995 Really, I just like growing plants from seed. Plants that thrive in heat need a later seeding date (mid- or late spring), so the weather is warm when the plants are ready to go outside. But when you turn Tillandsia into a house plant it will need to absorb moisture through its leaves. Air plants are slow-growing plants. Air plants grown from seed tend to be very healthy, vigorous plants. In a lot of ways, this is a good thing since they will not outgrow their display for a long time. Size. How to Grow Plants from Seed. Starting Bromeliads from Seed. Then, when the rain does come the seeds are ready to germinate and grow. If the plant is in a closed, or semi-closed container, lift it out before misting. Using the system, I grew beautiful … How to Grow and Keep Air Plants By Laurie Bloomfield Tillandsias are often referred to as '‘air plants" since they do not require a soil bed in which to grow. Air plants do best with at least a few hours of bright, indirect sun daily. This will keep water from collecting inside the container and causing potential harm to your air plant. When living in the wild, air plants take over surrounding objects like trees and rocks by attaching to them with their root systems. These steps will guide you to grow air plants from seeds: Take a clean paper and separate the seeds from the pod with the help of tweezers. Cold-hardy plants can be planted indoors in late winter or early spring. Seeds of air plants have soft silky stuff around them. Avoid dimly lit locations. Or you can immerse your air plant in room temperature water for a half hour every seven to ten days. The spot should also maintain a temperature of at least 70 degrees. The AeroGarden Seed Starting System works like a dream when it comes to planting houseplant seed. When the pups are half the size of the mother, they can be divided and mounted on their own. Close the seed tray lid and place the tray in a bright spot out of direct sunlight. Air plants (Tillandsia spp.) Seeds of Tillandsia need warmth, moisture, light, and good air circulation for germination and survival; Old tights or stockings stretched over a wire frame, or chunks of tree fern fibre can be used as a substrate for germination Author: Celeste Booth 6 Comments Propagation. Once they have been detached they can be treated as for an adult plant. Tillandsias can also be grown from seed, but this is a slow process that might take years. Plants usually take three to six weeks to grow from a seed to a healthy plant ready to be moved outdoors, but some take up to fifteen. One of the main reasons people grow plants from seed is because they can choose from a wide variety of plants in seed catalogs. Growing plants from seeds is also often cheaper than buying them. Bromeliads are very easily propagated from the pups or offshoots the mother plant creates. Tillandsias reproduce by putting out offsets, or pups, from the base of the mother plant. Protect your plants from anything colder than 45 degrees; they will die at those temperatures. Sprinkle your air plant seeds over the peat moss layer so they do not touch. Air plants can be hung from trees or any supporting structure, such as terracotta pipes or an old tree stump. The most common mistake with an air plant is not giving it enough water. Placement within 1 to 3 feet of an east- or west-facing window, or within a foot or two of an artificial light source is ideal. Tillandsia, commonly known as air plants, are very slow to grow from seed so propagation tends to be the preferred method of growing air plants for most Tillandsia nurseries.