Tillandsia ionantha defy the experts by thriving in Singapore by

Benedict Tay

It is becoming difficult to ignore the fact that growing Tillandsia ionantha in

Singapore is going to be a great challenge. We experience the high of mid 30 to

a low of 26 Degrees Centigrade. Humidity ranges from 75% - 95% throughout

the year. However, I would like to exemplify that even in such an environment,

theories and speculation of how Tillandsia ionantha can still flourish under our

care.

Mystified by Tillandsia ionantha, I have kept species, cultivars and hybrids close

to a decade. Considering that according to Tillandsia years it is only a short time,

as they grow amazingly slowly. Additionally, Tillandsia ionantha is one gem that I

truly love, due to the fact that they blushes red, yellow and peach coupled with

violet to white flowers during the blooming season from September to February.

Furthermore, Tillandsia ionantha flowers readily even in our climate and offsets

grow quickly with the additional rainfall we get. In other words, Tillandsia

ionantha thrives in our local conditions and they do complete their growth cycle.

In the wild, T. ionantha is found between 450m and 1700m from Mexico to

Nicaragua and yet we at Zero metres find them to be successful under our

conditions.

One question that needs to be asked, however, is whether a small island like

Singapore has sufficient space for such a huge population to reside in. Most

Singaporeans live in high-rise buildings and gardening begins not with a front or

backyard but vertically. Hence, I grow Tillandsia vertically too; since there is no

way we can grow them in the front yard, which does not exist. However, if one is

lucky, they get a corridor long or big enough to grow their Tillandsia and it

provides quite a bit of space for the grower to keep up to 200-250 Tillandsia at

one go. Additionally, I grow Tillandsia at various locations to maximise the space

as much as possible. Dandelyn grows her Tillandsia on the windowsill as close

as possible to the ‘outside world’. A small 5ft by 5ft window frame can probably

1

take up to 100 small Tillandsia if placed neatly. In other words, we do not have

the luxury of space so we grow vertically. Additionally, we grow some of the

Tillandsia and other bromeliads like neoregelias under table lamps, fitted with the

newest technology – inverter technology. In like manner it acts also as a

quarantine area where any sickly Tillandsia may be treated. It provides constant

illumination up to 16 hours coupled with air conditioning to lower the humidity to

50%. For this reason, we need to watch our watering regime and not to keep

watering on a daily basis. Rainfall during the September through January period

is the highest and Tillandsia loses water much slower as compared during the

hotest periods during April through August.

We utilise a few methods of getting Tillandsia to grow vertically such as coiling

them up with stainless steel wires, mounting them on cork bark or tying them with

fishing line. In other words, to fully maximise the space given, Tillandsia are

grown almost side by side or even overlapping each other. Here, it provides a

microclimate where the number of Tillandsia growing together provides ample

humidity, which allows us to water every alternate day without worries.

Furthermore, sunlight may be an issue during certain parts of the year when

living in a high-rise apartment. We do not get a constant amount of sunlight and

this means that watering has to be adjusted accordingly. When we are getting 8-

9 hours of direct sunlight, we usually water them daily and when we only get

bright shade, we water them alternate day.

We air our Tillandsia by opening the windows for a few hours up to 5-6 hours

daily to provide fresh exchange of air for good growth. Additionally, the rest of the

time is given cooler temperature by switching the air conditioning on. However,

this is not a norm here and we have another growing place where all the

Tillandsia is placed outdoors. The reason for not including outdoor growing is that

majority of the Singaporeans lives in a high-rise apartment and it is only a luxury

if one has an outdoor setting for growing Tillandsia.

2

Left-Right: Kelvin’s corridor setup and Serene’s highrise setup overlooking Singapore.

On the same note, fans are placed in close proximity and switched on in addition

to the air conditioning during the wetter and hotter season. In Singapore, we

have hot and hotter, wet and wetter, so through the years of growing, a low

humidity provided by the air condition coupled with good air circulation by the fan

provides healthy Tillandsia growth. Most of the time we try to let the Tillandsia dry

by nightfall for them to breath and absorb CO2. However, due to the busy

schedule of Singaporeans, the best time to water is during the wee hours of the

morning or very late at night. We did an experiment for about a year where we

only water at 10 pm at night where the air conditioning had brought the humidity

down to 50%. The result was totally different from what we expected. None of the

Tillandsia perishes and the notion of not watering at night seems to fail to

incorporate the correlation of humidity and watering. In other words, if the

humidity is very low, watering at night does not go against the grain of CAM

plants. In like manner, the Tillandsia has the opportunity to absorb sufficient

water and still able to breathe after they are completely dry.

The high humidity during the wetter season gives us the flexibility to water them

perhaps only once every week and I have gone without watering for about 2

whole weeks. Although the Tillandsia may be dehydrated, it could easily be fully

hydrated after a shower with the sprayer. One of the most feared events is during

the hotter months where it is windy and the warm air provides an acceleration of

spider mites infestation. Most of the time when one spots spider mite infestation,

3

it could be that a few Tillandsias are already infected. The usual remedy here is

using a weak pesticide, however, in my opinion, we prefer hosing the Tillandsia

down with a lot of water and isolate it in the hospital area, where we can inspect

it easily.

Apart from that, I advocate Tillandsia growers and collectors alike locally to have

an alternate perspective of flowering Tillandsia. Although it may be difficult to

flower a number of Tillandsia here in hot Singapore, but the photographs shown,

indicate otherwise. It is prudent for Tillandsia to complete their cycle by blooming

and eventually offsets. By growing vegetatively through the application of growth

fertiliser shows nothing, but a grower who is efficient at watering plants. The very

notion of vegetative growth was formed through societal influence agreed when

Tillandsia fails to bloom readily. However, with the injection of nitrogen rich

fertiliser to maximise lush growth hinders the full cycle of Tillandsia. Some

growers seem to prefer large non-flowering plants.

Another problem with this approach is that it fails to take offsets into account.

Without the full cycle, Tillandsia do not offset at the right time and gives offset

that grows slowly at the side of the parents in hoping to flower.

One major drawback of this approach is that the sharing of offsets amongst the

community is almost impossible. Here it seems to suggest that individual

Tillandsia have became the norm locally and that should be seen in another

perspective. Although the massive and huge Tillandsia gives the ‘wow’ factor to

people seeing Tillandsia, however, such explanations tend to overlook the fact

that bigger is not always better. Tillandsia is being condemned to grow but never

given a chance to flower and eventually offsets to be shared amongst growers. In

other words, they are depriving the plant of its natural cycle whereby it lives,

4

reaches maturity, flowers, sets seed, offsets and dies.

Tillandsia ‘Rubra’

According to many research and online information highlighted, Tillandsia

ionantha requires a temperature drop to 10 degrees to trigger the blooming cycle

(plant of the week 2009). However, the argument here suggests that it is

inconclusive and that Tillandsia ionantha can bloom even in our climate. The

photographs posted suggest that despite all the controversies discussed,

Tillandsia ionantha continues to do very well here in Singapore.

In like manner, the blooming of Tillandsia ionantha is base not only on one

species but also on a variety of them. Illustrating the notion, Tillandsia ionantha

var. stricta forma fasigiata, Tillandsia ionantha var. maxima, Tillandsia ionantha

var. van-hyningii all blooms readily here (FCBS 2010).

5

T. ionantha var. van-hyningii , T.‘Tinca Fire’

T.ionantha var. stricta forma fastigiata

T. ‘Druid’ T. ionantha var. maxima

There are many inconclusive and presumptuous arguments that has arise over

the years. According to Flowers (2008), argued that Tillandsia ionantha requires

6

a drop to 20 degrees centigrade for it to absorb CO2. However, what was

incorrect was that Singapore minimum temperature according to National

Environmental Agency (2010) highlighted that in a 10-year mean the lowest

temperature ever recorded was 23.9 degrees centigrade. In other words, what

could possibly be skew was the information put forth. In like manner, Tillandsia

ionantha became one of the easiest growing Tillandsia here in Singapore.

T. ionantha var. van-hyningii, T. ‘Totem Pole’

T. ‘Victoria’ T. ‘Tinca Fire’

Apart from flowering, Tillandsia ionantha offsets profusely in our local climate,

and this continuous growth and flowering cycle is proven to suggest that

Tillandsia ionantha continues to thrive here.

7

T. ‘Apredato’ & T. ‘Rubra’ T. ionantha var. maxima

T. ‘Druid’ T. baileyi x ionantha

T. ‘Rubra’ & T. ‘Druid’ T. ionantha var. stricta

8

T. ‘Totem Pole’ T. ‘Rubra’

This article has touched on the central importance that Tillandsia ionantha can

thrive readily in Singapore. Taken together, with all the pictures posed at the

outset shows that indeed the myth of Tillandsia ionantha not being able to thrive

here has been busted. Although we may not get the pinkish colouration in

temperate climates, Tillandsia ionantha turns a fiery red due to constant day time

and amount of sunlight it gets. Additionally, the temperature remains quite high

during the day and this does not diminish the notion that Tillandsia ionantha

extends the very notion of its ability to do exceptionally well here. Furthermore,

what could possibly be theoretically impossible is proven possible and that it

makes a great Tillandsia collector, even better.

References

Plant of the week 2009, Tillandsia ionantha sky plant, viewed 31 May 2010, http://www.plantoftheweek.org/week195.shtml.

FCBS 2010, Tillandsia, viewed 31 May 2010, http://fcbs.org/pictures.htm.

Flowers, A 2008, ‘The case of the mysterious druid.: Tillandsia ionantha and its carbon dioxide absorption’, Journal of the Bromeliad Society, vol. 58, no. 1, p. 24.

NEA 2010, ‘Weather wise Singapore’, viewed 31 May 2010, <http://app2.nea.gov.sg/data/cmsresource/20090721544571208250.pdf>.

9