I have just inherited a tiny pathetic air fern. The kind that looks sort of like a spiny cactus. Can anyone tell me how to care for, and hopefully propagate this plant. Thanks kathy kmjtawanda [at] aol.com
They are not ferns. They are Tillandsias, a type of bromeliad., Most are epiphytic, though some are terrestrial. I don't think yours is terrestrial. They often do well mounted, with wire or glue, on wood or rock, with a bit of sphagnum or spanish moss around the base,mostly to hide the mounting method, and like to be misted often. Daily is not too often. They need humidity so a pebble tray with water underneath can help too. If they are happy, they will flower. If they flower, like bromeliads do, the parent plant will eventually die, but usually will sprout one or more 'pups' at the base, which grow on for the next year. They like lots of bright light but don't need direct sun. If they get a lot of light you may see some reddish colouration, but it won't hurt them. It's as shame they are sold stuffed in containers with no drainage, it often kills them. Yours actually does not look that bad.. many are quite a pale green colour, or even grey, having a sort of cottony looking covering on them. Pop that one out of the container, see if it has any roots. They tend to be sparse and quite wiry looking if healthy.. if spongy, they are rotting,and should be cut off. Dust lightly with cinnamon. If there are no roots, that's not unusual. You can take it out, mount it on something, a pretty rock, a shell, some driftwood maybe. Mist it often, set the mount over a pebble tray, it should be fine with some luck.
I wish you success. I should have mentioned, if you want to mount your plant, there are two basic methods. Gluing or tying. You can use hot glue, but let it cool as much as possible before sticking the plant on it. Clear silicone works, but you have to support the plant until it sets. Tying is what I prefer. Thin monofilament fish line, or wire in brass, copper or aluminum, usually available in small spools or hanks at hardware stores, all work. Aluminum is easiest, but the bright silver shows. Alternatively, you get soft aluminum wire or filament for jewelry making. The mono is much thinner, the wire comes in loads of colours, just costs more. The mount should have coarse texture, fissures or cracks for the roots to take hold on. Tillandsia roots are not for feeding, they're holdfasts, for security. Once they grow into a mount, you can remove the ties. Use some sphagnum or spanish moss to hide the wires or glue. If you use a smooth mount, glue is the only real way. Barnacles make an interesting mount.. stuff the hollow 'shells' with moss lightly and wire the plant into the top of the holes, and it should root in eventually. Cork bark is a super mount, so are many pieces of driftwood. Both sold for aquariums and reptile keeping. Lava rock would work too. If it's tippy, try gluing it to a piece of slate or tile for stability. And Tillandsias, like all bromeliads, feed from the moisture and whatever else falls into the centre of the plant in habitat.. since they are usually under tree canopies. If indoors, a very weak liquid fertilizer can be used to mist it while it's growing once a month or so. There is lots of info on the net.. try this site for some lovely pics of a driftwood mount. http://tuysonvien-whereigarden.blogspot.com/2009/04/my-grafted-tillandsias.html
Forgot to add, use some sphagnum [orchid] or Spanish moss to hide the wiring or glue, and it will also help hold humidity when misted, and looks nice too. You might be interested to know that Spanish moss is also in the bromeliad family. I've seen it used live in California on mountings. I have not yet found it being sold live in Canada, but I've also not tried very hard to find any :-).