Tillys flower no color

740 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Frogtofall, Jun 28, 2011

SanduskySerpents

Discussion Starter · Jun 28, 2011

When my tillys grow the flowers they bloom with no color and just seem to fall off and rot. Is this a lighting issue or moisture? I try to keep them from getting to wet.

Save

1 - 12 of 12 Posts

Brotherly Monkey

· #2 · Jun 28, 2011

SanduskySerpents said:
When my tillys grow the flowers they bloom with no color and just seem to fall off and rot. Is this a lighting issue or moisture? I try to keep them from getting to wet.

they usually only last a day, if that. The color issue might be due to fertilization, though. Most of mine come out with a violet purple color

Save

By no color do you mean pale, or green? I don't know any green flowered tillandsia (I don't know them all), except T. usenoides (spanish moss). Most are purple or blue. A nice red flowered one is T. albertiana.

I'd also suspect a nutrition issue, although if they are in a tank with frogs, it is hard to imagine what that could be. Usually more nutrition than most plants need in a frog tank.

Save

fishr

· #4 · Jun 28, 2011

If the viv is completely sealed, via, a glass top, without some air flow, this might be a reason too.

Save

Brotherly Monkey

· #5 · Jun 28, 2011

littlefrog said:
By no color do you mean pale, or green? I don't know any green flowered tillandsia (I don't know them all), except T. usenoides (spanish moss). Most are purple or blue. A nice red flowered one is T. albertiana.

I'd also suspect a nutrition issue, although if they are in a tank with frogs, it is hard to imagine what that could be. Usually more nutrition than most plants need in a frog tank.

Spanish moss is predominately yellow flowered, I believe

Save

Brotherly Monkey

· #6 · Jun 28, 2011

fishr said:
If the viv is completely sealed, via, a glass top, without some air flow, this might be a reason too.

I could see that leading to early rot, but no sure how it would effect actually flower color. Unless the actual bulb, or even spike, were being effected by some type of rot

Save

littlefrog

· #7 · Jun 28, 2011 (Edited)

Brotherly Monkey said:
Spanish moss is predominately yellow flowered, I believe

Looks green to me when it blooms in the greenhouse. Maybe yellow-green, I guess.

I must say I've never had much luck with the typical tillandsias in a viv. The ones you normally see, anyway, that are silver/grey colored. That color is an adaptation to high sunlight (think sunscreen). Don't think I can get that much in a tank. There are some species of tillandsia with very different foliage (look like vriesia or guzmania), like T. wagneriania. Those probably would do well.

Save

gosaspursm

· #8 · Jun 28, 2011

I agree with little frog. I have tillys growing both inside (under 4 grow lights) and outside on a ficus tree. The ones outside produce more colorful flowers than the ones inside. As much as we attempt to reproduce the sun....we just aren't there.

Save

MeiKVR6

· #9 · Jun 28, 2011 (Edited)

Tillandsias in tanks... The flowers don't last 1/4 as long as they do outside in the open. I assume it's more about the humidity than anything else. The flowers seems to wilt pretty quickly. On the other hand we had a few Ionantha hybrids in the store (just on the grow rack) flower and stay blooming for at least a full week!

One of our local breeding partners (working with cresties) has a few dozen Tillandsias in his house and in his vivariums, as well. His wife is the Tillandsia master!

All of the "house" Tillandsias are pupping like crazy, and it seems like there's always at least one or two flowering when I stop by. Here's a shot from a couple weeks ago. I think it's Tillandsia aeranthos, but you can see a Bulbosa behind it.

edit: to clarify - that's in his living room, not one of his vivariums.

See less See more

Save

Brotherly Monkey

· #10 · Jun 28, 2011

littlefrog said:
Looks green to me when it blooms in the greenhouse. Maybe yellow-green, I guess.

after looking around online, it seems you're right. Though, someone sent me a variety that flowered yellow, with a large plant order.

Save

littlefrog

· #11 · Jun 28, 2011

Always variants on the 'typical' for any species, might well be a yellow one. Might want it, it is hard to find the flowers on spanish moss usually!

Another Tillandsia that might be worth trying in tanks is T. bicolor. I just got two from Ecuador this spring. Hopefully they will grow well. They look like small neoregelias, more than anything.

Save

Frogtofall

· #12 · Jun 28, 2011

littlefrog said:
Always variants on the 'typical' for any species, might well be a yellow one. Might want it, it is hard to find the flowers on spanish moss usually!

Another Tillandsia that might be worth trying in tanks is T. bicolor. I just got two from Ecuador this spring. Hopefully they will grow well. They look like small neoregelias, more than anything.

You mean T biflora? If so, I've been wanting to try that one myself for a while. Hook me up mang!

Save

1 - 12 of 12 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month