Do you have a sick or dead air plant? If your air plant appears dull, brown, or limp, it’s likely due to overwatering. Indeed, these indicators may indicate that it is quite thirsty! This air plant care guide will show you how to revive a sick air plant that has been neglected, shipped from far, far away, or is just looking a little under the weather.
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.
Do air plants die easily?
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 I know if my air plant is healthy?
Tip: Keep an eye on your plants’ leaves to see whether they’re thirsty. Curly leaves are drier, and a healthy white fuzz on your plant indicates that it is healthy, not that it is drying out. Under-watering is also indicated by brown leaf tips and a withered appearance. Take note of how your plant appears following a nice soakÂhow does it compare to how it seems now? Because each plant is unique, pay attention to what it is teaching you right now.
Why would an air plant die?
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 harmful problem is overwatering your plants. Air plants, like succulents, store water in their leaves, which can keep them alive for up to two weeks.
What happens when air plants turn brown?
It’s possible that your air plant is getting too much sun. While they prefer being in filtered sunlight, if they are exposed to direct sunlight all day, your plant may become sunburned and turn brown. Despite the fact that they are dubbed “air” plants, they nonetheless require weekly watering.
What does air plant rot look like?
Detecting Rot Rot or fungus may have infected the base of your air plant, which appears brown and feels extremely soft/mushy to the touch. A rotting air plant may frequently lose leaves at its base and may begin to fall apart, or the air plant’s center may come out.
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 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.
How long do air plants last?
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.
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.