I doubt it. If anything it will provide more humidity to the african violet. I dont think you have anything to worry about : ) Jen

NO Dirt for Tillies, they will rot. how big are those pots? Do they have drainage holes? if so just put enough gravel to set the plants in place or use a cork to attach the plant to.. The only reason for roots on Tillandsia's are to hold in place doesn't take in nourishment or water they are only used for support..basically you can use anything that doesn't hold water. cliff

Indeed, string of buttons & a pinwheel aeonium. =) A couple of accidental starts that were just too cute to toss.

Linda & I seem to fall at odds about watering containers properly. I'll offer up my thoughts for any reader's consideration, & listen in for any additional comment or conversation pertinant to Marcelli's thread. It's extremely easy to over-water any plant in a container, especially when temperatures are high. In addition, there are too many variables to take into account to allow offering specific advice w/o all the info necessary to make informed decisions. Two important considerations are the size of the container in relationship to the degree roots have colonized the soil (size of plant), and the speed (aeration/drainage) of the soil. A gas permeable container (terra-cotta) also would need to be factored into the equation as would other variables like location (sun/shade), air movement, etc. Watering many containers, even with what many consider to be "good" commercially available soils, three times per day if the plant does not need additional water can easily become a death sentence via Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia and/or Pythium infections. That water drains from the drainage hole is inconsequential in determining the level of saturation in container soils. I'm suggesting that it is dangerous to prescribe watering three times daily without knowledge of the above mentioned conditions. Plants do not sip or drink water like we do. Water in liquid form (as in droplets or water occupying soil macro-pores) actually slows water absorption by roots. (Complicated, but I'll explain if you like) Plants absorb moisture molecule by molecule from a microscopic coating of water on soil particles. Even when soil appears completely dry, if the plant is not wilted there is still enough water on the surface of soil particles to satisfy hydration requirements. Actually, from a plant health perspective, the best time to water is at the first signs of the onset of wilt, but since for most that's a little too chancy to be comfortable with, it's better practical advice to say "It's best to water after you allow the soil to become very dry, but before the plant wilts". (I'm not saying this is true for all plants, but it is for at least 90% of what readers here grow in containers - probably more.) In a bonsai workshop with a Japanese master (Ben Oki), one of the participants asked a question, pertinant to this discussion - "How often should I water my ...?" His (Mr. Oki's) expression never changed at all as he answered, "Wait until plant become completely dry - then water it the day before." To this day, I'm not sure if he was serious or it was his brand of humor, but the advice is sound for most plant material. Overwatering in the hopes of keeping soil cool is just roulette. As noted above, saturated soils + heat is a perfect environment for any number of root rot fungi. If roots need to be cooled, excessive watering is not the answer. Any container gardener's number one priority (that's #1) should be to insure soils are properly aerated for the life of the planting or from repot to repot. Without aeration, land plants will not live & the possibility of those plants growing at anything close to potential genetic vigor is as closely dependant on aeration as it is on water, sunlight, or nutrients. We can control the water, sunlight, and nutrients in container culture with ease, but doing anything to alter aeration after the container is planted is a difficult task, indeed. Al