Tillandsia Spotlight: Novakii Air Plant

Originating from Mexico, the Tillandsia novakii is a large, impressive specimen of a plant. They have reddish-purple leaves with dark green hues that extend from the base in a rosette type fashion. When exposed to plentiful sunlight, their already red leaves will blush an even brighter red. 

Blushing signifies that an air plant is ready to begin blooming, and the Tillandsia novakii plant produces a red inflorescence with silvery bracts and purple flowers when blooming. This inflorescence, also known as a bloom spike, can grow to be over a foot tall, and can last many months. They are a nice light color which contrasts the red of the plant perfectly.

These plants have a pretty healthy drought and temperature tolerance but they do like to be watered at least once a week. The best way to water the T. novakii is to either dunk it in a bucket of water, or spray the plant until it is completely wet. Always make sure to shake out any excess water from amongst its leaves, as trapped water can cause the plant to rot. They will enjoy bright indirect sunlight and some early morning direct sun can be tolerated depending on your location and overall environment.