Christene Gilby, owner of Sunworshipper Succulents in Belleville, returned as guest speaker for the May meeting of the Tweed and District Horticultural Society. This time, Christene spoke about her second “love”, air plants. The colours, shapes and texture of these plants are what makes them so unique in addition to growing without soil!!!
Christene’s presentation highlighted the unique characteristics of air plants and their care:
-although the plants, which are native to Mexico, Central and South and America do not require soil, they do have a root system that allows them to attach to trees in their natural environment
-they tend to grow on the north side of trees to avoid direct sunlight
-in her store, Christene uses the fluorescent lights; bright indirect lighting in the home is fine and grow lights can also be used
-distilled water or water treated with water softeners should never be used to water air plants; acceptable water is pond, rain and tap water
-watering is scheduled in the store and she uses the “soak” method; plants are soaked for 4 hours, shake off water by grabbing the roots and letting dry on a towel for several hours
-shaking the plant is important to avoid too much water collecting between the leaves that can rot the plant
-misting is another way of watering…a light mist only
-water every two weeks in summer and every ten days in winter
-room temperature is acceptable
If you notice brown tips, simply snip off the brown. If a leaf breaks, cut off the leaf on an angle. The root system can also be trimmed.
The colour on air plants, called “blushing” occurs prior to blooming. If more colour is desired, parts of the plant can be manually painted or spray painted with a special paint. After blooming, the plant produces its babies. When the baby is a third the size of the parent, it can be carefully removed with sharp scissors to become its own plant.
Christene had several unique containers to display the air plants.
Members were given the opportunity to shop for air plants at the conclusion of the meeting.
The store, Sunworshipper Succulents is located at 191 Dundas Street East, Unit #3 Belleville
Phone 613-970-1556
Email…sunworsuc@gmail.com
UPCOMING EVENTS:
May 17…Plant Sale at Tweed Memorial Park @ 8am
June 3…Victoria Whitney from Griffins Greenhouses in Peterborough will talk about the best annuals to include in your gardens and planters for continuous colour throughout the summer. There will be plants for sale. Cash only.