Sky plant

Sky plant: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Compact rosette 5–10 cm tall and wide; forms a cluster in time.

Leaves

Narrow, stiff and pointed, 4–6 cm, silvery green from the many scales; turning red or pink before flowering.

Flowers

Violet tubular flowers with protruding yellow stamens, among the red inner leaves, from April to June.

Offsets

After flowering young rosettes appear at the base; the mother plant lives on for a while and then slowly dies back.

Roots

Short and wiry, mainly for anchoring.

Flowering: April–June

Why grow it?

• Grows without soil: set it on a piece of wood, a stone, a shell or in an open glass globe.
• Small and playful: it fits on any windowsill or shelf.
• Turns red or pink before flowering, with eye-catching violet flowers.
• Forms a cluster or ball of rosettes over the years.
• Little work: a weekly soak is enough.

Sky plant: where does it grow best?

• Plenty of light, but no harsh midday sun behind glass: an east- or west-facing window, or a south-facing one with a net curtain.
• Airy: after soaking it must be able to dry within a few hours. Never in a closed jar or terrarium.
• Moderately warm: 15–25 °C, not below 10 °C.
• A bathroom or kitchen with daylight suits it well, thanks to the more humid air.

Light

Bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid

Watering

Moderately

Size

0.1 m tall, 0.1 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 10 °C

Goes well with

• Staghorn fern: Also grows without soil, on a board on the wall; together they make a green wall.
• Other air plants: Larger and silvery grey species grouped on a piece of driftwood.
• Mistletoe cactus: A trailing cactus that also grows on trees in the wild, for the same light spot without harsh sun.

Sky plant: when and how to plant it?

1. You can give it a spot at any time of year; it never goes into compost.
2. Set it in a shell, on a stone or a piece of driftwood, or in an open glass globe.
3. If needed, fix it with nylon thread or a soft tie around the base, never with copper wire: copper is toxic to air plants.
4. Position it so that water can drain out of the centre and it is easy to lift out for soaking.
5. Soak it straight away for half an hour in rainwater and let it drain upside down before putting it back.

Care

Watering

Every week, soak it for half an hour in rainwater at room temperature. Shake it gently and let it drain upside down; it should be dry within a few hours.

Water quality

Use rainwater or low-lime spring water, not water from a water softener.

Misting

In very dry air you can mist with rainwater between soaks; it does not replace soaking.

Feeding

From April to September, once a month, a bromeliad or orchid feed at a quarter strength in the soaking water.

Thirst

Strongly curled, dull leaves mean it is short of water: leave it to soak for a few hours.

Tip: After soaking it turns greener; when it goes silvery grey again and the leaves curl slightly, it is time for another soak. Always let it drain upside down.

Sky plant: when to prune it?

When: It is not pruned. Remove dry lower leaves now and then and the spent flower spike after flowering.

How:

• Gently pull off or cut away dry, brown leaves at the base.
• Cut brown leaf tips off at an angle so the shape stays natural.
• Cut off the dried flower spike after flowering.
• Leave the mother plant beside her young rosettes until she has completely dried up.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Offsets

After flowering young rosettes appear at the base. Break or cut them off when they are a third to half the size of the mother plant, ideally in spring or summer, and care for them as adult plants.

Cluster

If you leave the offsets, a small ball of rosettes forms over the years, which you can soak as a whole.

Sky plant: how does it get through the winter?

• Indoors all year: it cannot take frost and dislikes temperatures below 10 °C.
• In a cool room soak it less often, every 10–14 days; in the warm, dry air of central heating keep soaking weekly.
• In winter give it the lightest spot, perhaps right by the window, but not against cold glass.
• In summer it can go outside in a light, sheltered spot without harsh midday sun, as long as nights stay above 10 °C.

Diseases and pests

• Rot in the centre: The centre turns brown or black and the leaves come loose in the middle, caused by water standing in the centre or a spot that is too wet and airless. Always let it drain upside down; a rotten plant cannot be saved.
• Drying out: The leaves curl strongly, turn dull and the tips go brown and crisp. Soak it for a few hours and then regularly.
• Too dark: It turns pale, grows slowly and does not flower. Move it somewhere lighter.
• Mealybug: White, woolly tufts between the leaves. Remove them with a cotton bud.

Through the year

• January: Soak every 10–14 days in a cool room, weekly in warm, dry air. Lightest spot.
• March: Back to weekly soaking. Light spot without harsh sun.
• April: Inner leaves turn red, first flowers. Resume monthly feed in the soaking water.
• May: Flowering. Soak weekly and drain well.
• June: Last flowers. Cut off the spent flower spike. It can go outside in a sheltered spot.
• July: In warm weather soak weekly, mist now and then in between. Offsets appear.
• August: Feed. Detach large offsets.
• September: Last feed. Bring indoors before the nights turn cold.
• October: Choose the lightest spot.
• December: Soak less often in a cool room.

Did you know?

• The genus is named after Elias Tillandz, a 17th-century physician and botanist in Finland.
• The name ionantha means ‘with violet flowers’.
• Air plants belong to the bromeliad family, like the pineapple.