#67 Keep Spanish Moss Thriving Abundantly | My Very Easy Watering, Feeding and Care Routine

[@nailajane]

A most thoughtful and helpful video, thank you so much for recording and posting these. I also have Spanish moss that needs a little TLC (I live in a dry climate), and I was searching for ideas on how to mount it to a fallen branch. The little insights into your daily life were also delightful and very sweet. I have 3 indoor kitties who keep me company while I potter around my plants ❤

[@lebooshdiaries]

oh hi there! thank u for your lovely kind words. I appreciate it very much. Hope you are able to finally mount your spanish moss on a branch or drape it loosely, that would be another nice idea. Dry climate can be a challenge, hope the moss is doing well. 3 kitties is just perfect and sounds like they don't bite the plants, which is good! Some of mine do that is why my living room area is devoid of plants, only in the bathroom and study. Have a good weekend!

[@anneeli3089]

Hi! I'd just like to say that the nursery did not tie the airplants into a clump - it is a naturally formed clump - ionanthas tend to grow in clumps. It is normal that when the airplant flowers and dies, it produces offsets or "pups" and over many years, the clump gets bigger and bigger and the older "mother" airplants die. It's a pity you separated the clump because it would just keep getting bigger. When they all come into flower at the same time, it is quite spectacular. Your spanish moss looks amazing 😊

[@lebooshdiaries]

Thanks for your kind comment! I understand they grow in clumps because once i separated them, each one grew pups, so adorable. But this big ball was not a natural thing because in the video, u can clearly see me cutting the metal wires that hold the ionanthas together. I've seen the nurseries get clumps of ionanthas, like 4 - 6 big clumps and then tie them together into a ball like what I had. The ball was also tied to the spanish moss with a metal wire which i immediately removed once i brought it home. So much metal everywhere. I wished they didn't do it like that.

[@CherryBerryFashion]

Excellent job dear lady, I throughly enjoyed this video ❤️ Fun fact - for me it’s easier to take care of the spiky air plant rather than spanish moss but I’ll try your method cause it looks very promising!

[@lebooshdiaries]

hey thank you friend! Lovely to know that the spiky air plant is easier for you. My spiky ones keep dying on me and I think I have about 5-6 left and some of them are growing pups. I don't soak them weekly unlike the spanish moss and they seem fine. I don't really know where to place these spiky ones so I left it on my boudoir. You must have many air plants! Thank you for the lovely encouragement on my video, appreciate it. Have a good weekend.

[@PinayCraveRecipes]

Thank you for your video it's really helpful ❤

[@lebooshdiaries]

Hey there, thank you so much. if you ever need to ask anything on spanish moss, feel free to drop me a message here anytime! I will try to help. Have a good weekend coming ahead!

[@leafycorner]

Could you please tell the name of the fertiliser which you used?

[@lebooshdiaries]

Hi there, I used Miracle Grow indoor plant food which is a liquid type. Just one pump for a lot of water, as shown in the video. But I do not use it anymore as it is really not needed for Spanish Moss. In fact, more fertiliser could harm it. If you really want to use one, as your nursery for specific fertiliser for air plants or bromeliad fertilizer. Don't use it too often. Spanish moss can survive with just tap water, or best, rain water if you are able to collect. Thank u.

[@leafycorner]

@@lebooshdiaries Thank you for the info :)

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

My Spanish moss died on me. How long do you soak them for and do they require bright indirect light or full sun or low light?

[@lebooshdiaries]

@ProgressiveDiscussions Sorry to hear that your Spanish moss died. I soak them for 20 mins as per the video, but sometimes I forget and left them soaking for 1 hour. They are still ok. Some people do soak them for 1 hour. Preferably some place where there is bright light but indirect sunlight. No harsh sun shining directly onto them would be ideal. Most Spanish moss die due to rot from being wet actually, not because they are underwatered. They technically can survive by getting moisture from the air, esp if they are placed or hung at places with high humidity, like bathrooms. In my video, I explained that you must always ensure they are fully dry after soaking them by hanging them at a ventilated space where there is good air flow. Ensure the rope that they are strung on is also dry. If you have it strung on metal, I also advised in the video to remove it from the metal because metal will rust eventually and that rust will cause the eventual death of the spanish moss, no matter how well it is cared for. Spanish moss can be hung on anything except metal wires. Hope this helps!

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

@@lebooshdiaries thank you for your very detailed advice. The care of Spanish moss seems identical to all the Tillandsia's I have at home but then again I believe it is an air plant also. I have some of that green coated soft Horticulture wire but maybe that is not advisable.

[@lebooshdiaries]

@@ProgressiveDiscussions It is my pleasure to help where I can. Yes, it is part of the tillandsia family, genus of bromeliads. I believe those soft green coated wires can work but hope they will not wear out in the long run because when you soak them, it will get wet then dry then wet again and again. As long as they don't wear out and expose the wire underneath, then it should be alright. If you decide to give it a go again and get few from the nursery, ensure you get the freshest ones and not those hanging for a long time on metal wire. Just peek into the inner parts of the spanish moss bunch where it is touching the wire. If the strands inside the bunch is already turning black (from metal exposure), don't buy it. It will surely die sooner or later. If it's a mild grey, then get it but immediately remove the wire when you get home and cut off those dead parts. They cannot be saved. It may be quite painful to cut the strands because then they will look shorter but it's better for the overall strand. I showed how i cut it in my vlog #62, if u ever want to see it. I had left them hanging on metal wire for weeks before I found out from another plant enthusiasts about metal toxicity so when I finally cut them, I had to cut a lot off. The inner parts smelt of rust. I don't know if nurseries will be able to sell spanish moss without bunching them up on wires, that would be most ideal. Then we could just string the loose strands on whatever we want without having to cut them to remove from the wire. If there is anything else, feel free to ask. I'd be happy to answer if I know yea.

[@ProgressiveDiscussions]

@@lebooshdiaries thank you. Copper is particularly toxic to plants. I have this very soft yet very strong polyester nylon cord that I got from the Dollar Tree store. I could probably use that.

[@rudranildas6955]

Watering frequency in a week for Spanish moss??

[@december1034]

Once to twice depending on how hot and dry the climate is

[@ariharanka4216]

My Spanish moss is turning brown.I am spraying everyday.Should I soak Once a week.Spraying daily is the problem for browning?.How to save the plant

[@lebooshdiaries]

Hi! Thanks for posting this question. It's a tricky one given that I don't know where you place it (outdoors or indoors) and what kind of climate do you live in. But I will try give it a go to answer you the best I can. 1) Turning brown can be part of the lifecycle of the moss, that no matter how u spray it with water, it's just its time to die. Just like regular plants in soil, eventually their leaves will turn brown and they wither away and then new leaf comes out. 2) Depending on how you display the Spanish moss, if you bunch it up like me, then spraying may only get onto the outer parts and not the inner parts and the inner parts could be drying out, hence browning. But if you say you sprayed well into the inner parts of the Spanish moss bunch, then maybe you are not allowing the inner parts to dry out completely before spraying it again the next day. Browning can occur when the plant doesn't get sufficient water but also, too much water. Overwatering most of the time is the cause of rotting, which turns the strands brown. It is essential to ensure when the Spanish moss is wet, let it air and dry out before giving it water again. It needs to be hung/displayed in a space that has good air flow so that the moss dries before the next water spray/soak. 3) If you bought it from the nursery, usually the Spanish moss would come in a bunch and tied together using metal wire. These wires are cheap wires and they will rust eventually and that rust is poison to the plant. It will eventually die, no matter if u give it the best care. Most of the time, the browning will start at the part where the Spanish moss is touching the wire. Kindly remove the wire and restring them on plastic or jute, anything that is not metal. But those brown bits, they need to be trimmed away because they are gone, cannot be revived. If u are interested, u can watch my Vlog #62 on how I removed my Spanish moss from metal wire. It's a bit tedious but worth it to stop the moss from dying eventually. 4) I prefer soak method becos it ensures every bit gets water. And once a week is good enough. If you live in a dry climate (vs humid), then maybe you may need to do it twice a week. But again, once u soak it, allow all parts to fully dry, if it's in a bunch, try to spread open the bunch and let air in so the inner parts dry. Hope this helps!

[@ariharanka4216]

@@lebooshdiaries Thank you for your advice.I am new to Air plants and your advice will help me lot .

[@lebooshdiaries]

@@ariharanka4216 sure! u are always welcomed to ask me anything else anytime. Hope your plant will be alright.

[@ariharanka4216]

@@lebooshdiaries Defenitely

[@felipebarran1350]

Don't use chlorinated tap water

[@roshanariyarathna2073]

Hi please send you put fertilizer name

[@lebooshdiaries]

@roshanariyarathna2073 Hi there! I used Miracle Gro Indoor Plant liquid fertilizer, 1 pump into my big tub of water so it's very dillluted. Someone told me not to use this, so I would recommend that you find a liquid fertilizer that is specifically for spanish moss or if not available, then liquid fertilizer for orchid or bromeliad. You can always ask the nursery where you bought your spanish moss from for fertilizer, they might sell. But just to let you know, even if you do not put fertilizer, the Spanish moss will be alright. I've stopped giving it fertilizer for a few months already, and I will do an update on my spanish moss plant care by end year. Hope you will be around to watch that video. Thank u!

[@Noooname2024]

Air plant needs orchid or tillandsia fertiliser. They are different from other houseplant. To fertilize air plants, use an air plant-specific fertilizer or a bromeliad fertilizer a few times a year. Another option is to use a regular, water soluble houseplant fertilizer at 1/4 of the recommended strength. You must use bromeliad fertiliser. And your soiled plants needs 'regular fertiliser' Can you Tell me Mss why do you mislead peoples who watching videos?

[@Noooname2024]

I forget it. For air plants the regular fertiliser is too strong my man. 💩

[@lebooshdiaries]

Hi there, thank u for your comment! Yes I know about the orchid and tillandsia fertilisers because many people talked or write about it. I didn't know about the bromeliad fertiliser, i will check it out, thank u! Reason why i used what I used is because I couldn't find tillandsia fertiliser where I live. I have the regular fertiliser with me so i tested it at the beginning and after 4 months, it was thriving so i decided let's just stick to this. I only fertilise once a month and just one small squirt into the big pail so it's very dillluted. It's not a strong fertiliser. Some months I actually forgot to fertilise, and there was a month where i accidentally pumped 2 squirts instead of 1 because I forgot I had pumped earlier. The spanish moss is doing well, I had it since Jan 2023 and it's now in the 8th month. I was planning to do a 1 year update of it by end of the year, I will give u credit for mentioning the fertilisers. Definitely didn't do this to mislead anyone, I don't gain anything from it. What I have just works and I didn't think it could cause upset to anyone. Sorry if it upset you but don't let small people like me get to u. Be happy yea.

[@fingloidfing3337]

Why dont show your face princess?

[@lebooshdiaries]

Good question! I do silent vlogs that focuses on actions and ASMR sounds in which the face is not so relevant as I am not talking. If you search for silent vlogs, 99% of them do not show face and I am more comfortable with that and it's for privacy as well.

[@lilyflower5895]

What a creep. Calling a stranger "princess" when she's posting a video about plants. Get a life.

[@ninaminnebo8192]

Creep vibes indeed 😱