All About Tillandsia Tectorum Ecudar
Tillandsia Tectorum Ecuador is one of the many different varieties of Tectorum. These air plants have BIG trichomes and the Ecuadors have the BIGGEST. These trichomes are what give tectorum its fuzzy appearance and its nickname, Snowball Plant.
Native to Peru and Ecuador, it grows on cliff sides up to 3,500 feet high. The prominent trichomes serve as a sunscreen that reflects the intense UV rays in the high altitudes where they grow. Tectorum was named in 1877 by a Belgian Botanist named Charles Jacques Édouard Morren (1833–1886).
All About Caring for Tectorum Ecuador
These fuzzy wuzzies are a piece of cake. All those trichomes allow it to soak up every drop of moisture available and provide protection from the sun. They are drought tolerant and do well in a home environment. If you like low maintenance, this is the air plant for you.
This is one air plant that you shouldn’t soak. Too much water contact can cause the trichomes to stick to the leaves and the plant to rot.
Read on to learn more about caring for Tectorum……
USDA Zone 10
Mist your tectorum 4 – 7 times per week or dunk it in a bowl of water once per week. Tectorums are drought tolerant and can survive for weeks without water but it is not ideal. If water gets caught in the base it will cause rot. Check out our in-depth guide for watering air plants.
Most grow to around 3 inches wide but can grow to 6 inches wide. Other cultivators get much larger.
Tectorums thrive in bright, indirect light. Place them in or near a window. Since they stay relatively small, a good way to hang them in a window would be in a terrarium or globe as long as it still receives light and airflow.
NO SOIL. Soil will kill most air plants.
The ideal humidity is 60 – 80% but Tectorums can easily survive on much less.
Air plants are non-toxic and safe for children and pets.
Use an air plant-specific fertilizer or dilute orchid fertilizer. The ideal ratio for Tillandsia is 16-9-25.
Propagate from pups and seeds.
Get your very own Tectorum here.
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[…] air plants are the few air plants that can survive on misting alone. This category includes T. tectorum and T. caput. Their fuzzy or velvet texture means there are a lot of trichomes that can absorb […]