Air plants don’t grow quickly in fact, they grow slowly. Air plants that are cultivated from seeds need at least a month to germinate, and then 4-8 years to mature into larger plants. For the first 2-3 years or so, their growth will be particularly modest.
Most people propagate air plants from pups, but it takes 2-4 years for pups to mature into mature plants. When you acquire medium-sized air plants, they usually grow for a few years before producing pups (offsets). When the pups have grown to half their original size, they can be detached from the parent plant.
The parent plant will blossom for the first (and only) time during this time, following which it will begin to create pups. This is the point at which your tillandsia is ready to reproduce. The parent plant begins to deteriorate once the pups are born.
You can keep the parent plant without separating the puppies if you choose; this will eventually make a lovely cluster. Consider this: air plants only flower once in their lives, after a few years of development. After that, the parent plant produces pups, and its life is done.
It will take 12-16 months for you to notice substantial growth if you have just purchased a new plant. You should see blossoming after 1-3 years.
Air plants bloom from early spring to mid-summer, and then again from early autumn to late autumn. During the winter and during the peak summer months, they will show little to no growth.
How long do air plants live for?
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.
Do air plants grow bigger?
The following are some of the most frequently asked questions concerning air plants by current and potential owners. If you have any more questions about air plants, please share them in the comments area below!
Do Air Plants Purify Air?
Air plants remove carbon dioxide and some trace chemical pollutants from the air, but they aren’t as efficient as other air-purifying plants. However, some research suggests that they are capable of eliminating mercury and other contaminants from the air.
Do Air Plants Grow Bigger?
Depending on the species, your air plant will grow to full size if it is a pup (baby air plant). As previously stated, air plants can grow to be two inches tall or seven feet tall, so investigate your variety to learn more about how big it will grow. If you buy an air plant in a market, it will almost certainly be fully grown.
Do Tillandsia Die After Flowering?
Unfortunately, when most air plant kinds bloom, it implies they have reached the end of their life cycle and will die soon. On the plus side, air plants produce small pups that will grow to reach the same size as their parents before dying.
Why Do My Air Plants Keep Dying?
The most prevalent cause of air plant death is overwatering. They can easily suffer root rot if they are overwatered, which will destroy them. Make sure your air plants are completely dry within three hours of watering to avoid root rot. Under-watering is the next most prevalent cause, which the plant normally recovers from. To resurrect an under-watered plant, follow the steps outlined below.
How Do You Revive an Air Plant?
Give your plant an extra soak and resume your normal watering routine if you’ve lightly under-watered it (its tips are going brown or have a somewhat dry texture). Follow the procedures below to revive a brown or severely dry plant:
Place the water container and plant in a brightly lit place with a temperature range of 6575°F (1823°C).
If the plant is still wilting three days after being soaked, repeat the processes, but soak the plant for only three to four hours this time.
Air plants are wonderful complements to any plant collection, and they also make excellent gifts for plant lovers. Air plant jewelry can be made out of the tiniest ones. Air plants are also ideal for creating unique decor displays and crafts, such as air plant string art or DIY terrariums. Do you have a unique way of utilizing your air plant? Please let us know in the comments section below!
How fast do air plants multiply?
When it comes to air plants, how quickly do they grow? Air plants take a long time to mature. Growing air plants from seeds can take two to three years to generate a small plant, and they can take up to five years to mature.
Do air plants do well in bathrooms?
Air plants, often known as Tillandsias, are excellent bathroom plants because they can absorb humidity. It’s also entertaining to style air plants. Believe us when we say that the options are unlimited! Place your air plants in a location with bright, indirect light and high humidity to keep them happy and healthy. Air circulation is important since this is how they absorb nutrients and water. Avoid keeping them in an enclosed terrarium because this will keep them overly wet, leading them to decay or become infected with a fungal disease.
Do air plants regrow?
In general, warm conditions are optimal for air plants (a good range is 50-90 degrees Fahrenheit). Don’t worry if you damage your plants when grooming; they’ll grow back. Fertilizer. Fertilizing your plants isn’t required, but it will keep them healthy and encourage flowering and reproduction.
Can you trim an air plant?
We all enjoy air plants since they’re low-maintenance, but like any other plant, you’ll want to trim or prune them from time to time to keep them looking their best. We get a lot of queries about how and when to trim these unusual plants, so we’ve compiled a list of suggestions to help you keep your air plants looking great and identify any problems.
As an air plant grows or acclimates to a new or changing environment, it is natural for it to lose some leaves while producing new ones. Some dead leaves are natural in any living plant, and they don’t necessarily indicate that yours has a problem. You might notice some wilted or dried-up leaves around the base of your air plant, which you can remove by gently pushing on them. When removing dead leaves, however, be cautious since a pup may be growing beneath one of them; in this instance, it’s best to keep the leaf on until the pup has grown to about 1/3 the size of the mother plant and can be securely removed.
At the base of this Tillandsia ionantha, a little pup develops beneath some leaves.
You may notice a small browning on the leaf tips of your airplant. This could be a sign of too much light or insufficient water. This is very widespread in the more affluent areas “ionatha and argentea are examples of “wispy” forms. These browning tips can be carefully trimmed away without hurting the plants. A good rule of thumb is to tilt the scissors and trim the air plant leaf at an angle rather than straight across for a more natural look. If the leaves of your air plants are browning or curling, it may be a sign that they require more water and/or less light, therefore we also recommend “Listening to your air plants and making adjustments to your care as needed. Depending on the amount of water given and the type of climate they are in, some xeric cultivars, such as xerographica and streptophylla, can naturally have curly leaves (read our post on mesic vs xeric air plants).
The leaves of the Tillandsia xerographica will naturally curl and cascade, depending on their moisture, surroundings, and how they are presented.
Air plants, like any live plants, are prone to have a broken or damaged leaf now and then.
These plants are still fully healthy, and the damaged leaves can be cut at an angle to give them a cleaner appearance.
When trimming or pruning your air plant’s leaves, be careful not to cut too much of the length of the healthy leaves. While the air plant is resistant and tolerant, cutting the leaves too short reduces the surface area available for the plant to absorb nutrients.
Tillandsia (air plants) are epiphytes, which means they get their nourishment from trichomes on their leaves and anchor themselves to a tree limb or rock with their roots. Because their roots aren’t employed for nutrient absorption, they don’t require them to survive. When used as houseplants, these roots can be trimmed for aesthetic reasons or used to assist anchor the plant on a wreath or frame. If you do decide to trim the roots, make sure you just cut into the roots and not the base of the air plant.
Can air plants be potted?
Air plants can be grown in regular pots, but their small size and lack of moisture requirements make them ideal candidates for a variety of alternative planter designs.
For something a little unusual, try one of these unique air plant holders.
This larger air plant fits perfectly in a regular family fish bowl. For a distinctive and beachy atmosphere, add some white gravel and a collection of sea shells.
One of my blog followers gave me a photo of her air plant display, which she thought was extremely cool.
The air plants are held in place by a bent wire at the top of these attractive planters, which are made of wood blocks. So inventive. Lilibeth, thank you for sharing! I adore how these turned out!
Air plants enjoy sitting atop trees in the wild. Wrap some sphagnum moss around a piece of wood and attach the plant to it to achieve this look. When hanging in this manner, it will appear natural and woodsy.
Air plants are a great addition to any terrarium display. Terrariums keep the moisture in and provide the optimal habitat for the plant.
This charming teardrop-shaped glass holder is decorated with a heart and wrapped in copper wire. It gives the small tillandisia a natural appearance as it sits on a bed of green moss.
A note on copper and air plants:
Copper pipes and wires can be poisonous to air plants, especially if they are repeatedly exposed to moisture, which is necessary if you water in the container.
If you want to utilize a copper-containing air plant container, make sure it’s completely sealed with a clear coating like Flex Clear.
You can also remove the air plant from the container while watering it to avoid exposing the copper to wet.
An old wooden drawer with sections was transformed into a lovely succulent planter for an air plant and other succulents in this simple DIY project.
Because Air plants grow on host trees in nature, using log holders to display them makes a lot of sense.
For a completely symmetrical container, this lovely log design showcases two plants, one on each end.
Air plants are ideal options for shallow bowl planting due to their modest stature. For a minimalist look, this attractive air plant bowl container includes gravel, a piece of drift wood, and three distinct air plants.
Driftwood is an excellent choice for a planter. The sea naturally polishes it, forming cracks that can be used to plant tillandsia in.
Logs can be used in a variety of ways in planters. Here are some additional log planter options.
My most recent trip to the local farmer’s market was spent perusing an air plant vendor’s stall, which featured a plethora of attractive containers. This bird cage caught my eye, and I really like how it looks.
It was about 5 feet tall and had a massive piece of drift wood to hold the tillandsia plants!
This shield type air plant holder has a rustic holder made of a stained wooden plaque and copper tubing.
It’s simple to construct and looks great with the plant. Walnut Hollow Crafts has a tutorial for a shield planter.
This air plant is perfectly housed in a circular sphere constructed of flat copper wire. The planter is simple to spray and looks fantastic with the colorful moss beneath the air plant collection.
In this interesting coffee pot terrarium, my old Mr. Coffee carafe has a dual purpose.
My air plant was paired with other succulent plants to create a lovely display that requires very little watering.
A jute-wrapped glass bottle with a front round opening is embellished with a single wooden bead. For a fun rustic feel, add some colorful moss in various shades and a spiky air plant in the center.
This is a lovely planter. A side of a light bulb has been taken off to allow the air plant to be placed with some moss.
I like how the copper wire complements the light bulb’s top hue. Cute, different, and just the right size!
This marbled clay loop makes a terrific air plant holder and is a fun DIY project.
It’s constructed of polymer clay that’s been dyed before being baked.
This charming planter is composed of a ceramic cat figure with a plant-sitting area on top.
House of Hawthornes has additional adorable air plant holders.
These ancient metal pipe fittings serve as air plant holders as well.
They’re rustic and one-of-a-kind.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user BookFinch.
In this fairy garden fashioned from a brandy snifter, air plants look right at home. The small deck chair is adorable. It creates the ideal seaside scene! Pastels and Macaroons has a fairy garden instruction.
Last but not least, I recently discovered this beautiful planter at Lowe’s.
It’s a blown glass container with a cutout in the front and two copper wire wrappings.
The copper bloom complements the moss’s vibrant colors and nicely exhibits the air plant.
What kind of display do you have for your air plants? In the comments section below, I’d love to see some images!
What are air plants good for?
Because they photosynthesize at night, air plants are ideal plants to have in your bedroom. As a result, they release fresh oxygen into the air while you sleep. Being in the presence of plants can help you relax, lower your blood pressure, and increase your focus at home or at work.
Do air plants grow babies?
Check out the size of this Tillandsia streptophylla pup that we recently removed from its mother plant it’s huge and healthy!
After an air plant has completed its bloom cycle, it will produce offsets, or new plants “pups” if the right conditions are met. The offsets grow in a variety of ways depending on the Tillandsia species, with some air plants producing pups around the base or root system and others sprouting them from beneath one of but it really serves as protection for the young Tillandsia pup that has sprouted beneath it.
After blooming, air plants produce one to three pups on average. Some kinds can produce a large number of offspring.
When the offsets have grown to reach about 1/3 the size of the mother plant, gently remove them from the mother. The pup will then progress through its own lifecycle, becoming larger and eventually flowering and generating its own offsets if given the correct conditions and care. Gently tug on the pup’s base while supporting the mother plant to remove it. If you have to use too much force to separate an offset that is ready to be removed, we recommend leaving it in tact.
If the offsets are not separated from the mother air plant, they will continue to create a clump “clump” that has the potential to get quite large. The manner you keep them will influence the shape to some extent; for example, hanging clumping ionantha air plants will allow the pups to grow 360 degrees and finally form a spherical clump. These air plant clumps can create several blooms if the conditions are correct, as the individual pups progress through adulthood, finally flowering and producing their own pups.
Following the blooming process, air plants produce offsets, or pups. At some point throughout their lives, all Tillandsia will go through this process, however some types, such as the xerographica air plant, are significantly slower to bloom and produce pups. Tillandsia require plenty of light (the level and intensity that your air plant prefers can vary according on type), water, and air flow to grow during the blooming process and generate offsets. To speed up the blooming process and pup production, you can use a fertilizer specifically developed for Tillandsia (such as this one), but bear in mind that fertilizer should be used in moderation and does not replace adequate care or circumstances.
In our articles about the air plant blooming process and what happens after the bloom, you’ll learn about what happens before an air plant produces pups.