Tillandsia on Cholla Wood

We love Cholla wood! It comes from the Cholla cactus of the American southwest and it consists of more than 20 species of the Opuntia genus.

It is commonly found at plant nurseries, pet stores or a multitude of online shops, but we recently discovered it is fairly inexpensive at Hobby Lobby!

Cholla wood is perfect for mounting orchids and tillandsia (air plants) and that’s what we did here, of course. The many holes in the Cholla wood worked perfectly when attaching the many plants. The plants we used were Tillandsia Funckiana and Tillandsia Tenuifolia Strobiliformis.

Wiring

We decided we wanted to hang them so we attached some aluminum wire at one end of the Cholla wood and gave it a decorative spiral. Simply use the holes that are already there for wiring. It’s easier to do this before all the plants are attached and you’ll avoid breaking them too. Remember, don’t use copper wire with your air plants – copper will kill them.

Attaching Plants

We took our E6000 adhesive and began gluing the tillandsia to the cholla wood. E6000 is the best because it’s strong and weather proof. Don’t use hot glue because it’s not as strong and the heat may hurt or even kill the plants.

Place the root end of the plant into a hole to see how far you can insert the plant and that’s how far you will place the E6000 adhesive. After you insert the plant into the hole you’ll want to wipe off the excess glue that may leak out.

Keep working around the wood until you have the desired look.

Watering

Let the glue cure overnight before you water the tillandsia. You can check out our Tillandsia Care section for tips on watering your air plants.

After you’re finished, find a great place to show off your project – hanging off a tree branch in filtered light is always a great spot!

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