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Which bromeliad for bathroom window?

N

Newman

Hi,
I used to have a pothos plant hanging in our bathroom many years ago, but we removed it and the bathroom has had no plant for maybe 10 years or more now. I was wondering if i could use the hook on the chieling to hang some sort of bromeliad in front of the window? i think the window faces North, does not get direct light obviously, but it gets some reflected light from outside. do you think this will be enough for any bromeliads? maybe some Tillandsia species can be suspended from the ceiling in a humid bathroom environment? or can any of the broms i already have be suspended like this? I have aechmea and guzmania. both are supposed to grow a bit too big, and i think their shape makes them awkward for hanging since they would want light hitting them from the top not the side, but Tillandsia might like light coming in from the side and can bend towards it right?

just wanting to hear everyone's suggestions. thanks!
 
In my experience, Tillandsia species require a lot of light, a more shade tolerant plant would do better. If you could find a smaller Aechmea that would be a better option. I'm not sure what other bromeliads would be suitable or what particular plants would do well as I grow all of mine outdoors and I grow mainly Neoregelia.
 
so you think a small aechmea species would do best in those conditions? it would definitely be lower light...

there really are no low light Tillandsias?
 
I read that a Tillandsia species which is considered a soft leaf and dark green variety (w/e that means) can be grown in shade. i realize now that most of these nice little dry-looking silver Tillandsias I see on this site are the higher-light variety with hard leaves.

so which species are soft leaf and green in color? all i ever see are the silvery ones...lots of those species.
Does anyone know of a soft leaf species i could use?

I thought Tillandsia stricta was a good one but it still says that these need high light...i am stumped.
I am liking this site: http://tillandsias.gardenwebs.net/
 
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Tillandsia butzii, and Tillandsia cyanea seem like the best candidates.
butzii is said to be very difficult to grow if starting from one bulb. easier in clump. but it likes cooler temps. do you think it will work well in a bathroom? it's the most humid area of a house.
 
can't decide between the two...
anyone here grow them?
 
I highly recommend Cryptanthus species for: small size, highly ornamental, and the most low-light-tolerant of the Bromeliads. They need soil however and you will have to pot them. They're often called "Earth Stars" and they grow on the rainforest floor in very deep shade. They need an airy Nepenthes-esque mix, but with moderate fertility.

Tillandsias can often be suspended without attaching to anything, or can be hot-glued or attached with fishing line or bread ties to a variety of interesting objects (rocks, driftwood, etc.). The best way to water when they're that way is submerging them in a bathtub or water bucket for ~10 minutes. They do prefer lots of sun however... of them, T. cyanea will be your best best for survival, but flowering may be reduced by a lot and they may become more prone to diseases/rotting. The light is important for drying them properly between waterings as well as pumping up their overall health and immune systems.

Neoregalia 'Fireball' is also a really good one for low light, high humidity, and aerial planting. Each individual vase stays pretty small too.

I really would not recommend Aechmeas because they require lots of space and light and most are incredibly thorny.
 
yeah i have an aechmea "haiku" and its super spiny. i think i would not be able to use it as an aerial plant and hang one in my bathroom.

You do not think that butzii would work?
i'm going to try cyanea too. I'll attach to a tiny piece of bark and hang it from the ceiling, so that it's in the window light.

This is why cryptanthus would not work - it's need for soil.
Fire ball is awesome! it'll work with low light? it's a red plant so i assumed it needs high light?
 
  • #10
Newman said:
yeah i have an aechmea "haiku" and its super spiny. i think i would not be able to use it as an aerial plant and hang one in my bathroom.

You do not think that butzii would work?
i'm going to try cyanea too. I'll attach to a tiny piece of bark and hang it from the ceiling, so that it's in the window light.

This is why cryptanthus would not work - it's need for soil.
Fire ball is awesome! it'll work with low light? it's a red plant so i assumed it needs high light?
Click to expand...

T. butzii would probably persist for a while but not really thrive-usually the thinner and more filiform the leaves on a bromeliad, the most light it generally expects. If you recooperated it in better light every so often, it might survive long-term. The N. 'Fireball' colors up like that only with really good light, and may remain green if it's only getting sideways indirect light. It's a fantastic, vigorous, and most importantly small plant. However, it has a really cool form and I would still recommend it even if you can't get it to turn red.

The coolest plant of all, if you can give it enough light, would be Tillandsia duratii because it actually makes no roots whatsoever. In my greenhouse I have it twisted onto a piece of wire and hung straight in the ceiling, no soil or anything. Needs a decent amount of light though. Just google some pics of it. The leaves are crazily spiraled and they grab on to everything.
 
  • #12
that is one funky plant!

i think i'll try the fireball! thanks!
 
  • #13
I tried growing some Tillandsias in the bathroom. I thought the additional humidity from people showering would help the plants. However, they kept dieing. My water is softened by using salt. I suspect the salt in the air from the softened water wasn't good for the Tillandsias I had. However, I'm sure there are Tillandisas that grow in coastal areas so I expect salty air wouldn't be bad- at least not for all of them. However, I don't know how the salty air (or fog?) in a coastal area compares to the salty air in a bathroom after taking a shower with softened water. Maybe the softened water wasn't the problem and the Tillandsias needed more care than I gave them. I'm not sure.
 
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