It is almost impossible to grow indoors. The best way to start it is locate some where in your area that it is already growing and get a start from there. Hang in in a tree and let nature do the rest.

Read the first two paragraphs of section 3 on page 2 of this article.

Here is a link that might be useful: linky

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Hi martyp,

I can't add much to what has already been said except that I grow mine outdoors in coastal NSW one street back from the sea where it often gets salt from the ocean blown onto it by north east winds and that doesn't seem to worry it.

Also I hardly ever water it as it seems to do well just on the humidity in the air. I don't know of anyone in my area who grows it indoors though as we've no need to.

From what you say, I think you've already identified the problem as industrial polution and how to get around it.

As minxie said, hang it in a tree if you have one. Maybe the leaves and branches will protect it from the industrial fallout.

By the way, welcome to our friendly forum, and I hope you become a regular contributer and enjoy sharing the wealth of knowledge to be found here.

All the best, Nev.

Hi everyone,
Many thanks for your replies, very much appreciated.
I've taken note of all your comments.
I don't think it would be possible for me to hang it outdoors because of the climate where I live (near Birmingham, UK). We're currently having a very chilly and rainy Summer, there's barely been a sunny day in July as yet, raining nearly every day. Last winter was quite extreme, I recorded one frost down to -9C and a couple of periods when snow laid on the ground for several days.
The other problem would be not having any significant sized trees in the back garden as they're all saplings. I currently have just a small cherry tree and two fairly big buddleias.
Thanks all again for your responses :)

Due to the thinness of it's leaves SM needs more air circulation than "ordinary" gray-leafed Tillandias. Maybe as an experiment you could position a small circulating fan aimed at your plant and see what happens?

Thanks gonzer, I'll give that a try and see how things go.

I'm wondering what to do about water as I'm concerned the rainwater here might be acidic. I thought about distilled water or mineral water? Or that reverse osmosis water you can get in Aquarist stores?

I thought of a couple of other things about Spanish Moss cultivation, I wondered if anyone could advise...
1) They get nutrients from the run off from tree branches. I considered simulating this maybe by soaking maybe an oak branch or bark maybe in the rain water I use or at least maybe running the rain water over a branch or bark before putting it in a spray bottle?
2) I'm never sure if sure if energy saving bulbs are good for plants or not? All my bulbs are energy saving in my house, I wondered if they're any good for the Spanish Moss. I hang it in front of windows anyway (South Facing).

Any advice much appreciated.

Many thanks

Hi I live not so far away from you in the UK (in Derby) and grow Spanish Moss. I used to grow it outside in the summer (hanging from a tree branch: but you could hang it off anything, your big buddleja, a gutter, low eaves, the washing line!), and then overwinter it in a sunny window, from about September to March. During the winter I misted it with rainwater once a week and it did fine. The quality of rainwater in the UK is generally very good so I wouldnt worry too much about pollution unless you live very close to a large road or next to an industrial site. Mine certainly doesnt complain at Derby city rainwater.
My plant now lives in the greenhouse because I got fed up with rescuing bits of it from all over the garden every time we have a gale...last years wet summer didnt seem to bother it much.
Ali

Remember that Spanish moss is a grayish-leaf Tillandsia and, as such, its water requirements are pretty light. These Tillandsias do not want to be overwatered. In Florida, where they grow as natives, they survive draught conditions very well.

In the meantime, fertilize those sapling trees so you can grow a habitat for this very cool Tillandsia. It has lovely tiny flowers when it blooms.

Many of our homes have more polluted air than outside. Cooking oils, air sanitizers, cleaning compounds, smoking and insectides all contribute to the polluntion inside. Growing trees is one of the best ways for an individual to help clean up the air outside.
Sm doesn't seem to growing near wood burning chimneys. Maybe the cresote emitted?

"Many of our homes have more polluted air than outside. Cooking oils, air sanitizers, cleaning compounds, smoking and insectides all contribute to the polluntion inside."

Well said Minxie.

Hi All,

Can anyone tell me where did the name "Spanish Moss" originate? I always thought the plant originated in America so what is the connection with Spain?

A silly question I know, but I've always wondered about it.

All the best, Nev.

Here ya go Nev!

Here is a link that might be useful: link-a-roo

Re: Nev's question and Gonzer's link: In Hawaii it is often called "Pele's Hair", referring to the volcano goddess Pele.

Here is a link that might be useful: Pele's Hair

Hi Gonz and Lisa,

Thanks for the interesting links. Now I know where the name came from.

Also another very interesting pice of information from Gonz's article:
Why Moss is Desirable for Stuffing: No known insect will attack moss fibre, eat, destroy or live within it.

I wonder if the same applies to the living moss, and if so, could it act as a deterrent to insects if it is draped around the top of pots containing broms?

For those who don't know of Lantana, it is a real pest in Australia as the description from a recent A.B.C. Gardening Australia fact sheet explains:

"Lantana camara might look like a strikingly attractive plant and in some respects the foliage and flowers are quite beautiful. The species is a genus of the verbena family, native to Mexico, the Carribean and Central and South America. But it is now known as a weed of national significance and is regarded as one of Australia's worst weeds. It's invasive, it has potential to spread and it is impacting on the economy and the environment.

Lantana was first recorded in Australia in the Adelaide Botanic Gardens in 1841, and a few years later it had spread to gardens up the east coast of the country. By the 1860s it was reported as a weed in both Sydney and in Brisbane. But in spite of its weed status, a few specimens are located in the Royal Botanic Gardens, Melbourne.

Botanica calls lantana the "Jekyll and Hyde of plants" because it's reviled in warmer, wetter parts of world, where it invades pastures and forests and is poisonous to stock, but in cool, temperate parts of the world it forms quite an attractive shrub.

Lantana is a problem because it forms a dense thicket. It usually invades disturbed land and river margins, particularly open, sunny areas. Given the right conditions, it spreads quickly. Lantana is a lalopathic, releasing chemicals into the surrounding soil to prevent seed germination, notably of the native flora, so that it eventually takes over native bushland.

As with other successful weeds, lantana can spread in different ways. It layers - that is, it produces roots from where the plant touches the ground, and that produces new plants. But more importantly it's propagated by seed. These are ingested by birds and foxes, which spread them through their droppings. This means it can spread over a distance very quickly. But perhaps more importantly, it can produce up to 12,000 seeds from one plant in a year. No wonder it's become a problem weed."

I know it's a bit off track but just out of interest for other GW members, I once had an orchid growing mate (about 40 years ago) who had a cousin who owned a farming property in Northern NSW and on his property Spanish Moss didn't grow on the trees, but instead was prolific in amongst the Lantana bushes.

Most Australian farmers will quickly eradicate any Lantana on their property but my friend said his cousin preferred to leave it there because he liked the look of the enormous clumps of Spanish Moss hanging from it.

It worked for us too, because every time my mate came back from up north, he would bring a large bag full of moss with him which we shared and hung above our orchids, and that is where the Spanish Moss I have in my garden today originally came from.

I know it's a useless bit of info., but there it is.

All the best, Nev.

Nev, good info on Lantana (the plant from hell). I cannot STAND the smell of it's leaves and out here it gets infested with thrip annually to the point where it has to be totally cut back. Did I mention that I can't stand the smell?

It grows best in humid areas, but away from salt spray. In the SE US, it grows best in rural areas at least a couple of miles inland from the coast. In cities, the urban heat island effect keeps dew from forming most nights, and it seems to be sensitive to salt air on the immediate coastline.