Blooms- The Happy and the Sad

Most of us can admit we have stared intently into the center of our plants contemplating whether that new growth is the start of a bloom or not. We dream about how beautiful it will be, its precious gift to us.

Imagine then hearing someone be disappointed and lamenting about such bloom....Why on earth could anyone be sad? There are some very good reasons, the first being the more common in that once the plant blooms it also begins its cycle towards death. The second one, which is the one I wish to chat about is one that newcomers may not be aware of- growth stops!

When a plant species has the potential to grow into a very large plant we have the expectation of this ginormous beast growing for us- how surprising it is when a much smaller version goes into bloom and we come to realize that that's it! No more size will come of the mother plant, instead it will put its focus to the coming pups. Is this necessarily bad? Well that depends on the goals of the one growing it, but in truth it doesn't mean something horrible. If you are just in love with Tillandsia itself and enjoying your plants there isn't really any reason to be sad- know that the pups will come and they will always leave a gift behind to love.

Back to reason number one- again the life cycle is beautiful and tho in time your mother plant will expire, it takes quite some time! Many collectors that have a species of value will grow the pups to the proper size and then harvest them. This then can either trigger mom to pup again, and even multiple times if in great health. Think of how many years that could be for a Xerographica! So don't despair, there should always be a treasure at the end.