Bromeliad species do not have roots as we normally expect. Instead they have "hold fasts" which are used only to hold the plant in place, normally on the trunk or branch of a tree but in some cases also in soil. The Tillandsia are primarily epiphytic meaning they grow on a tree or other plant. In the wild they collect rain water in the central cone so the only way to water them is to keep them damp and fill the cone with clean water on a regular basis. Most of the plants you have shown can be caused to attach themselves to a piece of cork bark if strapped in place for a long enough period. I have also used just a tiny dab of Liquid Nails glue to cause them to attach but they still need to be wired in place for at least 6 months or longer. We have a large artificial "tree log" in our tropical atrium almost covered with bromliad and and other epiphytic plants. All are watered via an overhead misting system. Misting on a regular basis is best but don't forget many of these have periods of dryness in the wild as well. You can see a few photos of our log on the homepage of the link below. Steve Here is a link that might be useful: The Exotic Rainforest

Nev, gonzer. Sorry for the year-late reply. The thread must have gotten buried before I got back to the forum. To answer your questions and Kathi's, I live in the tropics. We only have two seasons: summer (hot and humid from March to May) and rainy (typhoons are frequent from June to October, becoming less frequent until February; it is also noticeably cooler from Nov to Feb). My city, Manila, is approximately 16 meters (52 feet) above sea level. Average temperatures are 25-35C and humidity is in the mid 70's. These pictures were taken in April, mid-summer. The plants are mounted or hung in a way that makes it easy for me to move around and ensure that they get full morning sun. I water daily during summer but do so less frequently during rainy seasons (every other day to every two days depending on how rainy and humid it gets). They receive half the prescribed dose of general purpose foliar fertilizer.

Several methods will work. Adhesives that do the job include Marine Goop(tm) and Liquid Nails(tm). Some people use a hot glue gun but be aware of the possibility of burning the plant. Other people use wire; you can use aluminum or steel wire, but never copper wire. Plastic coated wire such as bell wire is also fine. You can very small amount of sphagnum moss on the glue to hide it, but a large amount of spahgnum will stay wet and encourage rot. Cork bark is great for mounting Tillandsias, as is grapevine. Freshwater driftwood from unpolluted water is OK but ocean driftwood is not!! Trees with a rough surface such as live oak, baldcypress, and bottlebrush are good; trees with flaking bark are not.

Here's one that I mounted with wirethat I got from Rainforest Flora, where I bought most of my tillandsias. I think it is some kind of aluminum wire, but you have to make sure that the wire you use is safe for the plants. I have used nylon wire for others. Here's another one I hung with wireI think it is similar to one that you have. I made the wire into a sort of spiral going around the plant loosely.