Air plants are adorable, resembling pets rather than plants. It’s enticing whether a variation is fluffy, hairy, spiky, or trailing. Air plants are often small, easy to cultivate, and do not require soil. Air plants use scales on their leaves to absorb nutrients and water from the air, as the name implies. They’re popular as houseplants because they’re easy to maintain and require little light to grow.
How do air plants grow and survive?
Tillandsia, or air plants, are native to the southern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and have the ability to survive in hot environments despite neglect. Tillandsias come in over 650 different varieties, and they can grow without soil or water.
Air plants rely on their unique leaves to absorb the water and nutrients they require from the air. The air plant’s roots are only utilized to attach themselves to rocks, trees, shrubs, and the earth. The majority of air plants have long, triangle-shaped leaves and lovely funnel or tube-shaped blooms, which make for attractive architectural features.
Although air plants are simple to care for, they do require special attention in order to live a long and healthy existence. Tillandsia types require constant air circulation as well as very little irrigation to thrive. This can be accomplished by spraying the plants regularly or soaking them in water once a week.
Air plants thrive in bright light and are best suited to indoor environments with lots of it. Wild versions like to thrive in regions with moist ground and partial shade, such as under trees. Tillandsia species are also good companions for orchids on a planted branch because they prefer similar circumstances.
Because air plants prefer to grow in trees, they can be tethered to a piece of driftwood or another plant’s trunk with translucent fishing monofilament and a little sphagnum moss to supply moisture. Air plants hung from the ceiling are a common architectural accent.
How long do air plants stay alive?
Blooms of air plants have a variety of lifespans, ranging from a few days to 2-4 weeks. However, the flowers of certain larger air plants, such as t.xerographica, can endure for up to a year.
If you want your air plant’s bloom to remain longer, avoid soaking it or watering it at all. The bloom of an air plant cannot absorb water, therefore watering it will cause it to wilt quickly.
Tillandsias only flower once in their lives, after which they produce pups and die. Blooming usually occurs within 1-2 years of receiving it, but this can vary.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please see this resource page if you want to learn more about air plant care.
How do air plants get nutrients?
Tillandsias, often known as air plants, are a popular and easy-to-grow plant. They’ve become extremely popular, and they’re frequently seen in homes and offices. Epiphytes, like orchids and bromeliads, are plants that naturally grow on another host, tree, or item but do not take nutrition from it. They don’t need soil to grow, but they do need water, light, and nutrients to thrive. Air plants use trichomes, small tubes in their leaves, to collect moisture and nutrients from the air. Isn’t that amazing?
Air plants, while simple to care for, nevertheless require some effort to grow. Tillandsias can live for several years if properly cared for and produce ‘pups’ (baby air plants) for additional delight. The care suggestions we’ve provided are comprehensive and aimed to assist. Remember, air plants are quite easy to care for; our goal is to provide you with all of the information you need to properly care for your tillandsias.
How do air plants survive without water?
Which sort of Tillandsia you should acquire will be heavily influenced by what you want to accomplish with your air plants.
If you want to keep air plants in a terrarium that gets a lot of light, you should check at Xeric air plants. Meanwhile, if you want to add some flora to your bathroom, Mesic air plants are a good choice because they can endure low light and enjoy high humidity.
Air plants do not need to be watered since they absorb moisture from the air, according to a widespread myth among new customers. This is a myth; air plants, like any other plant, require water, and some must be moistened or drenched on a regular basis or they will suffer.
Because these plants do not require their roots to be submerged in the soil, the term “air plants” was coined. Air plants, on the other hand, do not thrive in soil. They also do not absorb water by their roots, as do other plants, but rather through their leaves.
Can air plants survive in low light?
Air plants are touted as perfect plants for introducing some greenery into dark spaces since they can live in low light. Air plants thrive in strong indirect light, despite the fact that they can survive in low light.
Why are my air plants dying?
Although there is no clear answer as to why any given air plant perished, here is a list of points to consider when considering the health and care of your tillandsias.
Over & Under Watering
An air pant can be killed by too much or too little water. It might be difficult to keep a plant hydrated at times. Soak your plant for 20-30 minutes, shake it off, then let it air dry for a few hours before repotting it. We’ve had the best luck making our weekly water baths a habit. The state of the leaves the day following a good soak is a decent rule of thumb. Curled or folded leaves should be avoided in favor of open, flat leaves. After each watering, aim for this look and adjust the frequency as needed so that your air plants look this way the majority of the time. Aeranthos Major is an excellent hydration indicator for air plants. Depending on the plant’s moisture, the leaves of this species coil and open drastically. In smaller species like Ionanthas, the distinction is more subtle.
When plants are not allowed to dry out fully for several days between water baths, they will die from over-watering. When the air plants are misted with water while inside a terrarium or enclosure, this happens frequently. The enclosure’s tightness retains moisture, which might cause rot at the plant’s root.
Exposure to Salts & Chemicals
Water softener salts may be good for our skin and hair, but they are bad for air plants. Have you ever had a house plant that developed a white crust on the top of the soil after a few waterings and allowing it to dry? These are salt deposits that are particularly detrimental to plants that live in the air. Because air plants don’t have soil to filter their salts, they wind up accumulating on the ends of their leaves. This will eventually suffocate the plant since the trichomes will be unable to absorb water and nutrients. Chlorine, which can be found in certain municipal water, is bad for plants and should be avoided if at all feasible.
Rain, well, pond, lake, or non-carbonated mineral water are the best options. Although free of hazardous salts, most minerals are removed from store-bought bottled and filtered water. Although bottled water will not hurt the plant, if it is the only source of water, it will deprive it of essential nutrients.
Extreme Heat and Light
Plants will dehydrate more quickly if they are exposed to direct sunshine. Sitting near to a hot window or in a hot room has the same effect. Direct sunlight can occasionally cause plant leaves to burn. Air plants should not be kept in glass enclosures with direct sunshine since the enclosures can become very hot (like a miniature greenhouse) and the glass can function as a magnifying glass, concentrating the sunlight on the leaves and causing them to burn quickly. Most air plants like temperatures that you prefer, as a general rule. If you wouldn’t sit near your window for several hours at a time because it’s too hot, your air plant is likely to dislike it as well. The majority of tillandsias like temperatures between 55 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Several species of air plants, however, are adapted to extreme temperatures in their natural habitat. Xerographica, Harisii, and Stricta are all xeric plants that grow in hotter lowland climates. These species can thrive in hotter temperatures and brighter environments as long as they have access to water. In general, the hotter the weather gets, the more watering is required.
Too Little Light
Air plants require many hours of indirect natural light or intense artificial lighting every day. Air plants that are kept in dim restrooms or dark inner halls will soon wilt and perish. Because the lights are on for several hours each day, office settings usually provide adequate lighting. If you have enough light for other typical houseplants like potho vines, spider plants, and philodendrons, then tillandsias should thrive.
Cold
Although many types of air plants thrive natively at high heights, frost or freezing temperatures are extremely unusual. Most air plants are sensitive to frost and temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Spanish moss and various forms of ball moss, which can be found naturally from Texas to Florida and up into coastal Virginia, are the principal exceptions to these guidelines. Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides) can survive nights in the teens and twenties Fahrenheit, as well as a few days a year when the temperature does not rise above freezing. This, on the other hand, would be a death sentence for most air plants, especially those that are commercially available.
We continue to give our 30-day guarantee for plants that arrive DOA due to the cold over the winter. We don’t utilize heat packs to ship the plants right now because they run out quickly and aren’t particularly effective near the conclusion of their life cycle, when they’re most needed. We’ve also discovered that they can actually burn the plants. When ordering plants in the winter, the best option is to have them delivered to wherever you are when mail is delivered (for example, your place of work or school) to limit their exposure to the cold.
If your air plants are exclusively outside during the summer, we recommend bringing them inside as the temperatures drop below 45 degrees. Indoors, any air plant will thrive. There are certain key winter care issues to evaluate during the winter months, especially at higher latitudes. Here’s a link to a different blog post about air plant winter care.
Fertilizer Burn
Higher fertilizer concentrations in the water and more frequent fertilizing may cause your air plants to burn. If you prefer to water by misting, you may want to include fertilizing in your routine as well. However, it is critical that you thoroughly combine and dilute the fertilizer before spraying the plants (at the same one-quarter teaspoon per gallon of water).
Moisture & Poor Air Circulation
Arid deserts and chilly, dry, and windy highlands are home to the majority of air plants. Some air plants, but not all, thrive in extreme humidity. After you’ve soaked your plants, make sure they dry quickly. When they’re drying, we prefer to place them in front of a ceiling fan. This will help to avoid wet bases, which are prone to root rot. We still recommend that you remove your plants out of their enclosures for watering, even if you mist or spritz them. Spanish moss should be hung in an open area with plenty of air. If placed flush against a wall or used as stuffing in a terrarium globe, it will eventually brown.
Their Natural Life Cycle
Nothing lasts forever, and air plants are no exception. Growth, blooming, and reproduction through pups and seedlings are all part of the life cycle of air plants. Although flowering is one of the high points in most air plants’ life, things do not always go worse after that. Smaller air plants, such as Ionanthas, have bloomed for us a number of times every year. The mother plant, on the other hand, will eventually devote the majority of her resources to producing little offsets. The offsets will be the same size as the mother by the time the mother plant has totally given up, and the cycle will resume. Some species appear to prefer producing pups before the mother plant has bloomed, therefore a pupping plant does not always imply that the mother plant’s bloom has been misted! When an air plant begins to produce offspring, you have two options: divide the young air plants or allow the air plants to organically clump together. For further information, see our blog on Dividing Air Plant Pups.
How do you revive a dead air plant?
Why are my air plants dying so frequently? If your Tillandsia isn’t looking its best, especially if it’s shriveled or discolored, it’s likely that the plant is dehydrated. Although spritzing the plant is frequently recommended, it rarely provides enough moisture to keep it healthy and hydrated.
If this is the case, reviving a Tillandsia entails getting the plant back to a healthy, well-hydrated state. The best way to do this is to immerse the entire plant in lukewarm water in a bowl or bucket. To keep the plant from floating to the surface of the water, you may need to attach it to a hefty item.
Allow the bowl to soak for 12 hours in a warm location. Remove the plant from the bowl, place it on a layer of paper towels, and let it air dry before putting it back in its position.
If the plant remains dry and sickly, repeat the method, but just submerge the Tillandsia for around four hours this time. Shake the plant lightly upside-down to remove excess moisture from the leaves.
How do you know if your air plant is dying?
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!
How long can air plants go without water?
Air plants thrive when they are properly cared for. Despite the fact that air plants are among the easiest houseplants to care for, it is nevertheless recommended that you give them some attention. Providing your air plants with the water they require, appropriate light, good air circulation, and fertilizers such as orchid plant food are all important aspects of caring for them.
Without water, air plants can survive for two weeks. Even if the plant is still alive, its health has been compromised. Regarding the right watering schedule, you should bathe your air plants in water at least once every two weeks and spritz them once a week.