How to Grow Tillandsia Xerographica Air Plants

Tillandsia xerographica

Tillandsia xerographica, commonly known as the king or queen of air plants, makes a much more impressive statement than its diminutive relatives.

While many tillandsias remain compact, this species can reach three feet in both height and width, making it one of the largest air plants in cultivation.

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T. xerographica has striking silvery-gray rosettes that can be mounted on outdoor trees in Zones 10 to 11, displayed on indoor bark arrangements, or simply positioned on a shelf.

This versatile giant adapts well to both outdoor and indoor growing conditions, though gardeners in cooler regions bring T. xerographica inside during winter months.

Xerographica is native to Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras where it grows in hot, moderately humid areas with little rain.

This isn’t an air plant for a terrarium or other area with high humidity. It needs good air circulation and moderate humidity.

As with other air plants, it doesn’t grow in soil. It’s known as a xerophytic epiphyte, which means it is attached to trees and other flora, and survives with very little water.

You’ll find it in its indigenous range high in the upper branches of tall trees and in the crevices of cliffs and large rocks.

T. xerographica forms a rosette of wide silvery green leaves that curl and twist from a bulbous base.

Depending on the amount of water and temperature in its environment, the leaves can take on a blush hue.

Each rosette can grow up to three feet in diameter on stems that can be a little over a foot tall, making it one of the largest air plants in cultivation.

The leaves are covered in fine hairs known as trichomes.

Trichomes are a defining characteristic of air plants because they help the specimen absorb nutrients and water, enabling them to live in extremely dry environments.

These trichomes also help protect it from the sun.

Xerographica became extremely popular in the 1970s and to keep up with the demand, wild specimens were harvested extensively.

By the late 1990s, this species was rapidly becoming rare in the wild and was declared nearly extinct by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

It was placed on the restricted list, which meant that few left Central America and Mexico for about a decade.

Eventually, in the early 2000s, farmers were allowed to cultivate theT. xerographica with strict rules to ensure that populations never dropped too low.

In the past few years, growers have been exploring how to propagate the queen of tillandsia via seeds which is much more sustainable than from offsets.

Now let’s look at how to grow these impressive air plants!

How to Grow

When you take soil out of the equation, it makes cultivating houseplants a lot easier, whether you grow them indoors or out.

I can’t help but wonder if that’s part of the reason Tillandsia species are so popular.

Support

Being an air plant, there’s no need to deal with soil, but you might want to mount your T. xerographica.

I don’t recommend using glue because it can contribute to rot, and you will damage the specimen if you decide to move it.

Instead of glue, I prefer to use wire, preferably a pliable, bendy plastic-coated wire. Don’t use copper unless it is coated.

Cut a two to three-foot length and gently wrap the center section of wire around the bulb and maybe a base leaf or two. Use the ends of the wires to attach it to your chosen mount.

If you don’t want the xerographica air plant to anchor itself, for example, if you want to bring it indoors during the winter, you can trim off the roots.

Light

This particular species can tolerate more direct light than many other Tillandsia species.

So long as you protect it from hot afternoon sun, it can handle several hours of direct sun in the morning.

If your T. xerographica has been in shady or low light conditions, move it to brighter light gradually.

Water

The trickiest part of keeping T. xerographica healthy is water. It helps to remember that this plant is xeric, which means it thrives in dry conditions.

I love watering air plants because I don’t have to worry if I’m overwatering or not watering enough.

There’s no need to stick your finger in the soil and try to determine if it’s too dry or too wet.

You can simply soak the plant in lukewarm water for 20 to 30 minutes once every two weeks during the spring, summer, and fall, and once a month in the winter.

Be sure to turn it as it soaks so that all of the leaves are saturated.

On the weeks you don’t water, spritz the foliage to give them just a bit of extra moisture.

Try to use rain, pond, or filtered water if possible. Don’t use distilled water because it’s devoid of nutrients. Municipal water can contain chemicals and metals that aren’t good for your this species.

A reverse osmosis filter is best, but you can also boil the water for a few minutes and then leave it out to cool for a while.

After watering, gently shake off the excess water and set the T. xerographica upside down on a towel or hang it upside down for 10 minutes or so.

This prevents water from becoming trapped in the bulbous base, which leads to crown rot.

If you want to be extra safe with a mounted specimen, you can use a fan on a low setting for about half an hour to dry it.

Fertilizing

Once a month, put some liquid fertilizer in the water. You can use any mild, balanced fertilizer.

A product with an NPK (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) ratio of 1-1-1 or 2-2-2 is fine. You can use a stronger fertilizer, but be sure to dilute it so that it’s right around these numbers.

I prefer to use a fertilizer made specifically for air plants because these products are formulated to be gentle and they have the right balance for their unique needs.

Air Plant Fertilizer

You can find Air Plant Fertilizer in eight-ounce, 32-ounce, and gallon sizes from the TPS Nutrient Store via Amazon.

Don’t feed your T. xerographica at all during the winter.

Where to Buy

With the increased ability for growers to breed and export this species, it has become much more common on the market than it used to be.

Many online retailers carry young, small options.

For example, you can find three- to five-inch specimens available from Amazon.

Tillandsia Xerographica

Or, if you’d like something a bit older and bigger, grab six- to nine-inch plants, also available via Amazon.

Mounted Xerographica Air Plant

If you want a pre-mounted one on a wreath with moss, that’s available from the Bubbleblooms store via Amazon.

By the way, if you see a specimen with a funky color or colors, it’s dyed. That color will fade or grow out as the air plant sheds its leaves.

Propagation

Propagating via offsets is, by far, the easiest way to go about reproducing an air plant.

But sometimes, it pays off to take the road less traveled. If you want to propagate from seed, it’s a perfectly viable way to breed new specimens, but it takes a long time for T. xerographica to reach its mature size.

I would also advise against purchasing seeds online as they are often mislabeled.

It’s best to harvest your own from existing plants, but this is hit or miss, as it can take decades for your T. xerographica to flower.

If you want to encourage flowering, there are a couple of tricks you can use. The first is to double the amount of fertilizer to the water when you soak the plant.

You can also increase the sunlight exposure just a bit. If your T. xerographica isn’t already receiving four hours or so of direct light, make it happen.

From Seed

Once your xerographica is flowering, let the blossoms fade and the seeds will develop.

The seeds themselves are small and slender, and are topped with a coma, which is a fluffy top that helps them fly on the breeze.

They look a lot like dandelion seeds, held in a cluster on the long bracts.

When the seeds are dry and fluffy, gently remove them from the plant.

Examine the seeds carefully, and if you see a tiny bit of green at the base of any, these are already germinating, so set them aside.

Any that don’t have green nubs should be soaked in water for 24 hours to encourage germination.

And then you’ll have to be patient!

From Offsets

Most xerographica air plants put out between three to five offshoots over the course of their lives.

When the plant starts blooming, you’ll find little offshoots developing at the base. If you don’t plan to harvest the seeds, cut off the flower bract as soon as the flowers start to fade.

Let the pups grow for a few more weeks or months until they’re about a sixth of the size of the mother.

The risk of leaving the pup on a parent too long is that you might reduce the number of offsets it puts out.

When the cut area feels dry, you can mount it or simply set the plant in its growing area and care for it as you would an adult specimen.

Managing Pests and Disease

Air plants are wonderfully problem-free most of the time.

Mealybugs and scale both feed on T. xerographica. These pests are similar in that they use their sucking mouthparts to feed on the leaves and stems.

They both move extremely slowly and cluster in groups. Since they are flat and oval, they can look more like symptoms of a disease or funky growth than a pest.

Symptoms include yellowing and wilting, as well as a sticky substance called honeydew that attracts sooty mold.

You can avoid crown rot by watering appropriately and turning the plant upside down to drain afterwards. If crown rot does appear, spray the specimen once a week with a fungicide until the symptoms stop developing.

I strongly suggest using a biofungicide, since these air plants are sensitive to oils and chemicals.

There are many options out there, some of which harness beneficial bacteria to do their good work.

I’m partial to products that contain a peat-based bacterium called Streptomyces Strain K61.

I’ve yet to see any problems in my air plants so with the right care, you should be able to avoid them too!

Bow to the Queen

You can display this air plant the same way you’d any other, only on a grander scale.

As a houseplant, it’s beautiful just sitting on a shelf, mantle, or windowsill. Mounted on a wreath, frame, or piece of bark, it’s even more eye-catching.

Outside, put it in a rock garden, drought garden, or xeriscaping. You can group multiples together for bigger impact, or use them as accents.

I can’t wait to hear how you plan to display yours. Will you plop it in a tree outside or mount it on a frame indoors? Share your design ideas in the comments section below.

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