Air plants prefer indirect light that is bright. That is, unless the windowsill receives filtered light or merely soft morning sun, don’t plan to keep them there. Air plants have a tendency to grow a little wilted “In direct sunshine, especially when amplified through a glass window or terrarium, things get “cooked.” In low light, on the other hand, they will be unhappy. Our air plants are kept in the brightest rooms of our home.
Yes, grow lights can be used to give additional light for air plants or even serve as their sole source of light! But take attention of what I said “Growing Lights” This necessitates the use of full-spectrum fluorescent or LED lights that are specifically designed for plant growth. Incandescent bulbs do not produce the quality of light required by air plants to photosynthesize.
Maintain a distance of 3 feet or less between the air plants and the light source. If artificial light is their primary source of illumination, keep it on for at least 12 hours every day to ensure adequate illumination. In that situation, a light timer might come in handy.
Can air plants survive without sunlight?
Air plants make excellent office plants since they demand indirect light, which they can get either through a window or artificially with full spectrum fluorescent lights.
Of course, there are exceptions to everything in nature. Some silver-leafed air plants can withstand more direct sunshine than others. One of the few tillandsias that can tolerate full light is the enormous Xerographica air plant (read more about the Xerographica here).
We propose that you experiment with varied lighting circumstances for your air plants to observe how they respond. Where have you seen the best success with your air plants? What hasn’t worked for your air plants in terms of lighting?
How do I know if my air plant needs more sun?
Leaf yellowing may also indicate that your air plant is exposed to too much sunlight (more on this below). You may see a huge number of discolored or even dead leaves if your air plant has blossomed.
Where do you put air plants?
All air plants are native to tropical areas where freezing and frost are unheard of. Is it necessary to keep them at temperatures that you are comfortable in without wearing a sweater? Temperatures are usually in the 60s and higher. Place them away from air conditioner vents and drafty winter windows.
Air plants need at least a few hours of bright, indirect sunlight per day to thrive. It’s best to put it within 1 to 3 feet of an east- or west-facing window, or within a foot or two of a light source. They may have hotter, more direct sun and longer exposure if you keep them well watered. Avoid places that are dimly lighted.
Can air plants get too much sun?
As previously said, air plants thrive under indirect sunshine. If your air plants are exposed to too much sunlight for an extended period of time, they will lose moisture, burn, and eventually die. The leaves of air plants are coated in microscopic scales called trichomes that serve two purposes. They help the plant absorb water and nutrients in the first place. Second, they aid in the reflection of sunlight off the surface of the leaf.
What is the lifespan of an air plant?
Air plants, often known as tillandsias, are perennial plants. This indicates they survive for an average of more than two years (source), with a lifespan ranging from two to five years. However, the length of time they live depends on the type of air plant as well as the growing conditions.
Can air plants survive in a bathroom?
Air plants are well-known for their low-maintenance nature they don’t even require soil! Don’t forget to provide enough light for the plants a brightly lit bathroom is ideal. Every 2-3 weeks, submerge air plants in a dish of water for 12 hours.
Should I water my air plant?
Isn’t it true that air plants live on air? No, that’s not right! Air plants don’t need to be watered because they don’t grow in soil. While the plants can withstand prolonged drought, they will not develop or thrive and will finally die if water is in short supply. If you follow the instructions below for watering your plants on a regular basis, they will live for a long time. The good news is that, because these plants are so forgiving, you won’t have to worry about their upkeep. When you leave on vacation, there’s no need to hire a babysitter.
How often should I soak my air plant?
On our Facebook page, we get a lot of queries on how to water air plants, so I wanted to elaborate a little. While Tillandsia (also known as air plants) are easier to care for than many other plant kinds, they do require some upkeep and TLC, and water plays an important role in their overall health. Here are some of the most common questions we hear about watering air plants, along with our answers:
This is mostly determined by your climate and where you keep the air plants, as well as the Tillandsia species (learn more about mesic vs. xeric air plants here) and the type of environment in which it grows in nature. We reside in Tampa, FL, so it’s very humid here for the majority of the year, and we don’t run the heat in our house during the winter like our friends up North (I’m not trying to rub it in!). We water our plants twice a week on average, but individuals who live in drier climes will need to water more frequently. Depending on the time of year, you may discover that you need to water your plants less. It also depends on where you keep them in your house or office. A humid bathroom will keep the plants moist, but those near an air vent or heat source will need to be watered more frequently. (Please note that keeping your plants near heat sources is not recommended.)
Note that, while humidity might slow the drying process, it is not a suitable watering method in and of itself!
Again, you’ll want to adapt your watering methods based on your climate and air plant species, but we recommend soaking your plants in water at least once a week for MOST air plants and settings. You can use anything that allows you to totally submerge the air plants, such as a bowl, bucket, or your sink. Soak them for 30-60 minutes at least once a week, and every other week if you live in a dry area, give them a longer soak for an hour or more. If you live in a humid environment or have a xeric air plant, you may want to cut the soak time in half.
After bathing, make sure the air plants are completely dry. Turn them over and softly shake them, or lay them out to dry with the leaves down. Allowing water to remain in the leaves can cause the plants to decay. The plants should be placed in an area with sufficient air circulation and should be able to dry entirely in 4 hours. If your plants are housed in a globe or terrarium, ensure sure they are thoroughly dry before bringing them back home!
You’ll notice how wide and open the leaves are after soaking them, and how much more “happy” they appear. This is how a properly hydrated air plant should seem! If the color turns slightly dull and the leaves begin to close/curl over time, this is an indication that your Tillandsia is thirsty, and you should give them another soak. If your air plant is in desperate need of water, soak it for several hours or overnight to see if you can rehydrate it. Before soaking or spraying them again, make sure they have a chance to dry thoroughly.
It’s also a good idea to spray the plants in between waterings. If you live in a dry area, this might be a terrific method to keep plants healthy and offer them some additional attention. Unless you have one of the few varieties of air plants that like low moisture, such as the T. tectorum (which we only propose misting) or the T. xerographica, misting is not a substitute for a proper soak (which we recommend dunking instead of soaking).
When it comes to water, air plants aren’t picky, and most tap water is good, but it all depends on the water quality in your location. Because these waters are more nutrient-dense, the best water to use is rain water, aquarium water, or pond water (note: if using one of these waters, don’t add any additional fertilizer). If you’re using tap water, let it out for a few hours to allow the chlorine to disperse (maybe 24 hours in some areas.)
Do not use distilled water because it is too “clean” for these plants and will deprive them of the nutrients they require. Also, avoid using artificially softened water because it contains too much salt for Tillandsia.
We recommend soaking your air plants in the morning to ensure that they dry completely throughout the day, as well as because air plants utilize the evening to breathe carbon dioxide and will be unable to do so if they are wet in the evenings.
This is known as CAM, and you can learn more about it in our page on how air plants breathe. You can check on them before going to bed and put them back in their terrariums or displays if you expose them to some indirect sunlight.
These are the most frequently asked questions about watering air plants. Did we respond to your question? If you’re not sure, just ask! Are you looking for more information on how to care for air plants? Visit our Air Plant Care page for more information.
Do you soak air plants upside down?
When it comes to watering air plants, the bottom line is to bathe the leaves every week to ten days. Then, before returning the plants to their original location, make sure they are totally dried upside down.
What do you do when you first get an air plant?
The name “air plant” is a little deceiving. Members of the Tillandsia genus are named after the fact that they may grow without any soil at all. In reality, one of the most common misconceptions we encounter in air plant care is assuming that Tillandsia just require air to survive.
Air plants are epiphytic (meaning they grow on other plants without harming them) and emerge from the curves and branches of trees in their natural habitat of South and Central America’s forests, mountains, and deserts.
Air plants are among our favorites; they look great on their own and are included in many of our Plant Craft items, such as aeriums and mounts.
The following are the best methods for air plant care that we advocate. We’ll start with an overview of how to care for air plants in general, then move on to specific adaptations for aeriums, terrariums, and mounted Tillandsia.
Air plants require strong, indirect light to grow. Rooms with southern or eastern facing windows are ideal because they will be brilliantly lit by the sun for the majority of the day. North-facing windows also perform well, as long as the plant is close to the window and the window isn’t obscured by trees or a neighboring apartment complex. Western light arrives late in the day and can be extremely hot and strong. You don’t want to fry your air plant, so be careful!
As a general rule, the more light the air plant can tolerate, the higher the humidity in your environment. This implies that if you’re going to put your air plant somewhere where it’ll get a lot of light, you’ll need to spray it more frequently – twice a week, if not everyday. Because the humidity from your shower will take care of most plant misting, a sunny bathroom provides a great home for an air plant.
Many customers question if they can keep an air plant in an office or basement room with no natural light. Yes, however there are a few guidelines to follow in order to assure your plant’s success.
It’s essential to use full spectrum (fluorescent) lighting. Regular incandescent bulbs do not produce the quality of light required for photosynthesizing by these plants. Your Tillandsia should be no more than 3 feet from the source of light. Also, if you’re using fluorescent lighting, the plants will need at least 12 hours of light per day.
If you live in a basement or want an air plant in your office, we recommend purchasing a dedicated bulb for your plant (such as a Gro-Lux, Repta-Sun, or Vita-Lite) and placing it on a 12-hour timer to ensure that your plant receives all of the light it need.
Watering an air plant is the most difficult aspect of air plant upkeep. Some individuals swear by misting, while others swear by soaking, and still others combine the two in their air plant care routine.
Watering air plants is difficult in our experience because the plant’s needs vary drastically depending on the location in which it is situated. The first step in watering your air plant is to assess its surroundings. What kind of light does your plant get? At this time of year, what is the temperature in your home? Is the environment excessively dry (does your plant have access to a heater or fireplace?) Is it hot and humid?
After you’ve answered these questions, you can tailor the air plant watering schedule to your specific requirements. As a starting point, we recommend the following:
- Soak your air plant in room temperature tap water (or rain/pond water if you can find it) for 5-10 minutes every one to two weeks.
- After soaking, gently shake your plant to remove any extra water. In a light area, turn it upside down and place it on a towel. This is vital information! If you leave your air plants in too much water, they will quickly rot.
- The plant should be able to dry completely in no more than 3 hours after the soaking is finished. If your plant is left wet for an extended period of time, it may rot. To help things dry faster, try putting it in a brighter area with better air circulation.
- Mist your plant thoroughly once a week to ensure that the entire surface is wet (but not so much that there is water dripping down into the plant).
- The more water you need to water as the weather gets hotter and dryer (summer, early fall). The less water your air plant needs the cooler and more humid the air is (winter and spring). But keep in mind that heaters and fires dry out the air!
- Do all of your watering first thing in the morning. Evening soaking or misting interferes with the plants’ capacity to breathe overnight, resulting in a longer drying time.
The browning or crisping of your air plant’s leaf tips is a sign that it’s been under-watered. When air plants are under-watered, their inherent concave shape becomes more pronounced.
Unfortunately, it’s generally too late to salvage your air plant if it’s been over-watered. Your plant has likely succumbed to rot if the base of the plant turns dark or black, and leaves are dropping out or off from the center.
When it comes to temperature, air plants are relatively laid-back. They thrive in temperatures ranging from 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures should be around 10 degrees colder at night than they are during the day.
Once or twice a month, incorporate orchid or Bromeliad fertilizer into your watering routine to keep your air plant happy. Simply sprinkle a pinch into your water and carry on as usual. Fertilizing your air plant promotes blooming and reproduction (or pup more on this later)
Air plants only flower once in their lives, did you know? These blossoms can last anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on the species, and can come in a wide range of vibrant colors, including pink, red, and purple. Flowering is the highest point in an air plant’s life cycle, but it also signals the start of the plant’s old age: after flowering, the plant will die.
But don’t give up! Depending on the species, your air plant will reproduce by putting out 2-8 flowers just before, during, or after flowering “Puppies.” These tiny air plants will eventually grow into their own mother plants, despite their modest size. When the pups are about 1/3-1/2 the size of the mother plant, they can be securely separated. Take care not to pull them out too soon, since they are absorbing nutrients from the mother air plant!
Above: A brass mister is a stylish and classic Tillandsia Xerographica companion.
While larger air plants look great on a windowsill or tabletop, we prefer to incorporate their smaller siblings into our living art “Aeriums” are a type of terrarium that is solely dedicated to air plants! Here’s everything you need to know about air plant care in glass.
- Simply take your plant from the aerium, terrarium, or glass to mist/soak it, then allow it to dry before putting it in the glass, as directed above.
- Keep in mind that maintaining your air plant in glass will produce a microclimate in which the glass vessels will be more humid and hot than the surrounding space.
- Avoid placing glass vessels too close to a window. The sun’s beams are amplified through glass. You don’t want your plant to cook!
- You won’t be able to soak your plant because it won’t come out of the glass, so you’ll have to rely only on misting. This is perfectly OK.
- Smaller glass means less air circulation, which means longer drying time for the plant and less misting.
- Larger glass = more air circulation = faster plant drying time = more misting.
- When misting your air plant, make sure to mist around it rather than directly into it. You don’t want to overwater it; instead, you want to keep it moist.
- We recommend starting with weekly misting and adjusting as needed, depending on the vessel.
You won’t be able to wet your mounted air plant like you can with air plants in small glass pots. Mounted air plants, on the other hand, will require more regular misting than aeriums because they are not enclosed in a humid microclimate. Starting with twice weekly misting and adjusting as needed, depending on how long it takes your plant to dry in your location, we recommend starting with twice weekly misting.
If you follow these air plant care instructions, your Tillandsia should thrive in no time! Do you have any queries or tips regarding caring for air plants? Let us know in the comments!