I never soak any of my tillandsias - I mist or spray them only, but all of mine are outside - I have not tried growing them indoors. They do better outdoors because they need air circulation, and if your air is stagnant, that could be part of the problem.

How are you mounting these? Are you hanging them? I do not know what climate zone you are in, and so you might get better info from the nursery where you bought them - try sending them an email.

Thanks for the tips everyone.

They are just loose in a garden tray. I put them in there upside down after watering to let the excess drip out.

It's just this variety that is having issues. All my other air plants are happy, growing, flowering, pupping... The usual air plant activities.

It's just so strange because the leaves are so curled and shriveled, I figured they were too dry...

Sometimes one can grow great Tillandsias and all, but one, will be happy and thrive. The one I can't seem to grow is Butzii. Despite living with me in a low-humidity part of the USA, they still got some mold or maybe it was mealy bug. They just basically fell apart. So I haven't bought any in 2 years or so. When I say "dry", It's currently (March 29, about 1pm) 64F, quite windy, with 22% humidity (which I'd consider high if we were in the summer), though all my Tillandsias are inside.

My soft gray strictas are doing okay though. No special treatment (they get the same as everything else). I try to practice benign neglect, though I do like to rearrange them from time to time, and I do talk to them. "You're looking fine, hang on, soon you'll get to go outside!"

Butzi are happy to be attached to coconut fiber..much more solidly then to cork oak. I think,if you staple coconut fiber to some branch,driftwood,etc of your choice..Tillandisa quickly attach. Butzi also seems to work its way to pointing downwards. A tip from the plant?

Are the stricta's indoors or out? Sounds like you are drowning them when bases rot. Spritz them instead. A few hour bath in water that you are doing is more then they can take sounds like. TLC in this case is a good spray twice a week.

Good tips on the Butzi! I'll watch out for coconut fiber for sale around here (nearly all of our few nurseries are far, on the north side of the city, but coconut fiber searching is a good excuse for a long bus ride and walk trek). All my soft-gray strictas are fine All my plants winter indoors, then when it's nice out (i.e., nights are warm enough, no lower than 50F), they go out in a north-facing porch. Six months in, six months out. One would think the high desert would have a longer warm period but no. We are currently experiencing spring rain, and it's windy and cool out , but as the temps rise today (and certainly tomorrow) and wind calms down, I'll put out some of my hardier (grayer) plants to get some sunshine. I think the Spanish Moss will enjoy it. Maybe birds will take some for exotic nests.

edit (if I could), Stanofh, I see you were making good stricta suggestions to original poster. I think I'll probably use wire or fishing line and hang all mine in a row on my porch later this spring. That should please them.

I discovered the butzii- coconut fiber thing by accident. Just let one that fell off of a cork oak bunch lay on a Broms cocofiber wire basket liner combo. Darned if the T.butzii didn't quickly attached to the fiber..and it also sent out long roots. I never saw that done to cork oak.

I can see how once its attached to the fiber- THEN I guess you could staple that to some ornamental driftwood...or a real tree. Possibilities.