Herself's Houseplants

Pony tail palms are not really palms but are members of the Lilaceae family. It is a native of the desert in Mexico.

Desert plants make great houseplants if you can give them enough light. Your home is usually drier than the desert.

Pony tail palms store water in the base so the biggest risk is over watering. Water it like a cactus. Let the top inch of soil go dry before you rewater this plant. If you are not sure whether to water – wait a week.

If the leaves turn brown or the stem shrivels you are under watering this plant. If new leaves are light in color or stem or root rot appear you have given it too much water.

It can grow up to 8′ tall indoors.

See also:
Indoor plants as retro fashion

More information:
Beaucarnea recurvata

Credits:
Thanks for the photo

Tillandsia recuvata grows wild in the US from Arizona to Florida. It can often be found on oak trees, especially live oaks. It is an epiphyte ( air plant ). Ball moss grows 2″-6″ long and produces flowers on 6″ spikes in the autumn. It is part of the Bromeliaceae family of plants.

It can grow in full sun but is happiest under a tree canopy so I’d put it in a low light window or several feet from a window.

It loves humidity, we have ours in the bathroom, kitchens also work well for tillandsia plants. It does not like breezes so don’t put it near a fan.

It is sensitive to lime, which might be why the ends of this one are brown. I’ll have to try it on some bottled water and let you know if that helps. You might want to just use bottled water on yours. Rain water is best if available.

Do not use copper based fungicides near ball moss, they will kill the plant.

Ball moss uses its roots only as an anchor to hold itself in place. All food and water are taken in through the leaves. Small purple flowers appear on long stems in the spring.

See also:
Air Plants, Tillandsia

More information:
Ball Moss
Floridata: Tillandsia recurvata