The leaves of a healthy air plant should be green to gray in color. The plant should stay intact when you lift it up. In other words, leaves should not fall from a healthy air plant.
There are various methods for reviving a plant. Here are the steps I take to restore the health of my air plants.
Give the Air Plant an Overnight Soak
When I’m trying to revive an air plant, the first thing I do is water it. Remember that just because air plants don’t need soil doesn’t imply they don’t need water. Water is vital to air plants, just as it is to all other living things!
Because air plants lack a root system, they must absorb moisture and that all-important water through their leaves rather than through their roots. I’ve heard too many times from garden centers that spritzing air plants with water a few times a week is a good idea. This, in my opinion, is insufficient water and will leave the plant thirsty. Unfortunately, if this continues for long enough, the air plant will die!
How Long Should I Soak my Air Plant?
I give my air plants an hour-long bath to ensure that they get enough water. I do this weekly throughout the summer and every three weeks or so during the winter. Because I live in the rainforest, I prefer to collect rainwater. However, you can also use tap water! To allow the chlorine to evaporate, simply leave the water out for 24 hours.
After that, just remove the air plant from its container and place it in a bowl of water. The bowl should be large enough for the plant to completely submerge. Leave it in the bath for about an hour before removing it. To make sure the water isn’t accumulating in your air plant’s leaves, gently shake it upside down. After that, return the plant to its original location. It’s that simple!
Make Sure Your Air Plant has Air!
Although it may seem self-evident, your air plant requires oxygen to survive. There are a lot of pictures moving around of air plants in a sealed container that make me laugh Because the plant can’t thrive in that kind of environment!
The solution is simple: keep your adorable jar terrarium, but leave the lid cracked or open to allow air to move freely.
Remove Dead Leaves
Remove any dead leaves from a sick air plant by gently tugging at them and seeing whether they fall off. They’re dead if they’re easy to remove. If the entire plant falls apart as a result of this, you’ve got a dead air plant that has regrettably died.
If only a few leaves fall off and the internal leaves are still green and healthy, your air plant will survive with appropriate care!
Look at the Tips of Your Air Plant
If your air plant’s tips are going brown, use rainfall or unchlorinated water as indicated above. If your plants are becoming brown despite not receiving chlorine, they may not be getting enough water.
After an overnight bath, make sure you’re bathing them more frequently.
What if my Air Plant Falls Apart?
You’ve got a dead air plant on your hands if your green air plant starts to fall apart. This most likely happened because you sat in standing water for too long, or you didn’t shake it off correctly after bathing.
Reread the section about watering, and you’ll have a much easier time with the next one!
How do you revive an air plant?
How can I revive my air plant is a common concern that most people have at some point during their tillandsia growing adventure. The first step in revitalizing any air plant is to figure out what’s causing the problem. Then you can take the necessary steps to address the issue that is causing your air plant to die.
It’s possible that your air plant will turn quite white or gray at times. While a covering of white or gray hair or trichromes on your air plants is typical in most situations, a naturally green air plant that is going excessively white or gray could be an early symptom of your air plant drying.
The good news is that if your air plant becomes very white or gray, it is not dying. When the air plant lacks water, the trichromes simply become more apparent, causing the plant to appear paler than usual.
A dry air plant can be revived by immersing it in water for 5-8 hours. After the soak, shake off any excess water and allow your air plant to dry within 4 hours of watering. Rep the long soaking every 2-3 days until the plant no longer seems to be dry.
If your air plant is drying up again after being rejuvenated with a series of extended soakings, check the light, temperature, and humidity levels of the surrounding environment.
To assist your air plant maintain moisture, keep it away from direct or very bright indirect light. Air plants enjoy temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you expose your air plant to severely cold or hot temperatures, it may be difficult to revive it. Extreme temperatures can dehydrate the air plant to the point where it can no longer thrive.
Root rot is usually indicated by brown or black leaves on the air plant. When air plants are not thoroughly dried out after watering, they might get root rot. When the air plant’s leaves are persistently damp, fungal infections can develop, causing lasting damage to the plant’s cells. The air plant would eventually turn brown or black as a result of these dead cells.
You may resurrect your air plant by gently plucking the brown or black leaves as soon as you notice them to prevent the infection from spreading. To avoid root rot, keep the air plant in a location with sufficient air circulation and allow it to dry quickly after each watering.
Severe occurrences of root rot that spread to the plant’s center can cause the air plant to die. If the root rot is severe enough that the plant begins to fall apart, you’ll need to start over with a new plant.
Growing air plants is a trial-and-error procedure that can take some time. While air plants might wither due to dryness, lack of light, or a lack of nutrients in the water, the most common cause of death is root rot, which is caused by the air plant not drying out correctly.
To avoid the risk of root rot in the future, try other approaches and situate your air plant somewhere with more air movement.
How do I save my rotting air plant?
It all comes down to watering, or more specifically, drainage, when an air plant is dying of rot. Air plants need to be misted or soaked in water to be alive, but they don’t want to be wet. It’s important to let the plant dry once it’s been soaked or misted. If the plant’s center remains damp, fungus will take hold and the plant will die.
After you’ve finished watering your air plant, tilt it so it can drain and leave it for four hours to completely dry. This can be done using a dish drainer or by upending the plant on a dish towel.
Why is my air plant drying up?
If your air plant died recently, it was most likely due to rot. It is the most common cause of death in Tillandsia plants. The main cause of this destructive condition is overwatering your plants. Air plants, like succulents, store water in their leaves, which can keep them alive for up to two weeks.
What does a dying air plant look like?
Your air plant’s leaves may be turning brown for a variety of causes. Underwatering and age are two of the most common causes of your air plant becoming brown.
- It’s a symptom of underwatering if the leaves are brown, dry, and shriveled/extra curled.
- Leaves may appear bowed, but they will straighten out once you water more deeply.
Please keep in mind that as your air plant ages, the leaves will become brown at the base. Aging leaves appear at the base of your air plant, turning yellow, then brown and crispy as they age.
How do you reverse air plant rot?
- If any external leaves are showing signs of fungus or rot, remove them from the root. Attempting to remove the inner leaves if the plant has inner rot will not work and will certainly harm the plant.
Unfortunately, rot is one of those things that is difficult to reverse and salvage a plant once it has started. The greatest way to avoid rot is to prevent it! Cinnamon, on the other hand, is a natural fungicide that has been shown to help minimize or stop rot/fungus on the base of plants and may be worth a try! If only a few outer leaves are harmed, we recommend removing those leaves as well, as shown in the illustration.
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.
How do I know if my air plant is overwatered?
Overwatering Overwatering kills more air plants than underwatering. Your air plant will look brown at the bottom and slimy, which is a telltale indicator. Instead of immersing or submerging your air plants in a bath, use a spray bottle. Between waterings, make sure your air plant is completely dry. Only mist your air plants 1-3 times each week. Less is more in this case. It’s critical to dry your air plant within four hours because they can become overwatered if they don’t. If your air plant doesn’t dry within 4 hours of being watered, turn on the fan and water it less the following time.
Can air plants get root rot?
The care of air plants varies depending on the species, but for the most part, they have comparable needs. Keep in mind if your air plant is xeric (desert-dwelling) or mesic (tropical-dwelling), as this may alter how you care for it. Learn more about light, water, temperature preferences, toxicity, pests, issues, repotting, and multiplication by continuing reading.
What kind of light does an air plant require? It prefers bright, indirect light. They should be placed near a source of natural light that receives light for the most of the day. If the humidity in your area is higher, the plant can withstand more light without being overly dry. A xeric air plant, on the other hand, will be more tolerant to direct or bright sunlight.
Air plants can thrive in the absence of natural light. Your plants will need at least 12 hours of fluorescent light and should be no more than three feet from the lamp if you choose this option.
How to water air plants: The amount of water that air plants require is determined by their environment. Drier, hotter temperatures will necessitate more frequent watering, whereas humid, colder climes would necessitate less. Mesic air plants should be watered once a week, whereas xeric air plants should be watered every two weeks. The following are the basic irrigation guidelines:
Allow them to dry entirely by turning them upside down (root side up) on a towel in the sun (usually for one to three hours).
ProTip: If your air plant hasn’t dried completely after three hours, transfer it to a brighter area to ensure it does. If it is moist for more than three hours, it may develop root rot.
What temperature do air plants prefer? Air plants enjoy temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit (10 and 32 degrees Celsius). Fortunately, they can thrive outside of that temperature range. They prefer humid air, which is why they thrive in sunny bathrooms where they can absorb the moisture from the shower. Some people mist their air plants a couple of times a week to simulate a humid environment.
Are air plants toxic to humans, cats, or dogs? Air plants are not toxic to humans, cats, or dogs, so don’t worry if your pets eat them. However, the plants may be damaged, so clip any nibbled or broken leaves and continue to care for them as usual.
Scale insects and mealybugs are two of the most common pests that can harm air plants. Scale insects feed on the plant by attaching themselves to the underside of leaves. These pests appear on the foliage as small scale-like pimples. Mealybugs are little white insects that feed on the plant. Check for a pest infestation if your plant’s leaves become yellow or fall off.
The most crucial thing to do if you suspect your plant has an infestation is to quarantine it. This will prevent the infestation from spreading to your healthy plants. Consult a gardening professional to determine the best treatment for your unique plant type and infestation situation.
Root rot is the most common disease that affects air plants. This is caused by overwatering or soaking the plant in water for an extended period of time. Root rot is characterized by brown or blackened roots that are soft to the touch. Make sure your plant isn’t overwatered to avoid root rot. Plant care tracking sheets make it easier to keep track of the watering routine.
How to propagate an air plant: Using the plant’s pups is the best approach to propagate an air plant. The pups, which can be seen at the plant’s base, are miniature duplicates of the parent plant. All you have to do is separate the pup from the parent with a sharp tool, taking care not to injure the pup in the process. If you treat the pup like any other air plant, it will grow into a full-grown air plant.
“Repotting” air plants: Because they are not rooted in soil, air plants are the easiest plants to transport. When it comes to “Just be careful not to bend or break your air plant’s leaves or roots when repotting it. Otherwise, simply relocate your air plant to its new location and continue to care for it as usual.
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.