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

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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.

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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,

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

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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).

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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

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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.

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

T. ‘Druid’ T. baileyi x ionantha

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

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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>.