The care of air plants is simple and they are highly hardy. We have observed them surviving for up to two weeks without light or water in a shipping box (Do not try that at home). You should open the package as soon as your new air plants are delivered. As with all plants, air plants require light, air, and water. We ship them using Priority Mail, which delivers packages in 2 to 3 days.
You should soak your air plants in room-temperature water for 20 to 60 minutes to reduce the stress of transportation. Simply place the plants totally submerged in a dish of clean water. Municipal water frequently contains chemicals like fluoride or chlorine. Your air plants will thrive if you have well water, pond water, creek water, or rain water. Spring water in bottles is another option. Use tap water instead of distilled water since it has more nutrients and minerals that air plants need. Since air plants do not require soil to survive, all of their nutrients, light, and moisture are obtained through their leaves.
Your air plants’ leaves may have a white, fuzzy coating, especially after a thorough soaking. Trichomes is the name for them. Trichomes, which are tiny protrusions on the leaves, are what the plants use to absorb water and nutrients. They are not a fungus or a mold.
After soaking, take your air plants out of the water, carefully shake off the excess water, and then spread the plants out so they may dry completely before being placed in a display. The best spot to let them dry and soak up some sunlight is on a lovely sunny window sill. Avoid placing your air plants in the sun’s direct rays. They prefer direct, bright sunlight. Allowing your air plants to dry completely is crucial if you intend to place them in a glass terrarium, a wall hanging display, or any other type of enclosure (or in a hole to stand them up). Your plants are less likely to rot if you let the air plants completely dry.
Within an hour or two, your air plants ought to be dry. After they have dried, place them where they will receive a lot of bright, indirect sunlight. They will quickly dry out if you place them in the sunshine. Your air plants often simply require a weekly 30-minute soak in water. In addition to the soak, you might need to spritz them with water once a week if they are in an extremely dry or heated area. If their leaves start to curl, that is a sign that they are becoming too dry. If you observe this happening, give them a nice bath. Despite their name, air plants require a little bit more than just air to survive.
Spraying them with water two or three times a week would enough if you are unable to let your air plants soak in a bowl of water while they are on display.
In a closed container, are air plants able to survive?
You are missing out on one of nature’s wonders if you have never heard of an air plant. An air plant is just what you need if you love plants but find it difficult to keep them alive. They are the ideal fuss-free plant for people with bad green thumbs because they can survive and grow without soil.
While there are many ways to grow and show your air plants, the ideal setup usually involves stunning terrarium containers. You can pick from a far wider variety of pots because they acquire all of their nutrients from the air rather than the soil. To make an eye-catching display, you can either opt to use only one species of plant or combine several different types in a larger pot. When it comes to terrarium containers, your creativity and imagination are basically the only limits. You may make beautiful bases to set your other plants on top of in addition to your air plants. You can make your terrarium containers anyway you like them, whether it be with sea sand, rocks and pebbles, or moss.
When starting terrariums for air plants, there are a few things to keep in mind even if they don’t need much care:
- Avoid using containers that are too high or too small because they restrict airflow. Air plants require regular air circulation. Closed pots and domes are not the best choices for air plants.
- The majority of air plants enjoy warm weather, although they should not be kept in full sunshine.
- Pick a container that allows you to offer the occasional misting and liquid fertilizer your plants may require.
Choosing the container and the goods to fill it with is the fun part of cultivating air plants (if any). Every room in your house will be perfectly satisfied by the wonderful selection of containers we have here at 46 & Spruce. Some great possibilities for your air plants are as follows:
Hanging Terrariums
Your home will look gorgeous when you showcase your air plants in lovely hanging terrarium containers in your window. This is the ideal method to add some greenery to your home whether you live in an apartment or a house without a garden, plus it looks lovely! Select hanging containers with wide holes to promote airflow. If you want to highlight a single type of plant, the Cube Geometric Hanging Terrarium is the ideal choice. If you want to highlight multiple types of plants, the Round Hanging Terrarium is a terrific choice. These look fantastic draped in the window of your living room or on a patio in the shade.
Vase Terrariums
Small rooms can be filled with vase terrarium containers, or you can put a variety of vases together to make a statement display. A tiny table topped with some moss and your air plant looks elegantly vintage when a small vase, like the Brandy Vase, is added. Your very own indoor air plant garden can be made using various-sized Square or Cylinder vases arranged in a bigger space. We adore the way that short vases for display that are filled with stones or moss appear. Additionally, your plants will benefit from the optimum airflow in these lower vases.
Bowl Terrariums
For individuals who want to unleash their creativity, bowls are the ideal choice. To provide a striking basis for your air plants, fill bowls with stones, moss, or even dried twigs. Smaller plants look beautiful displayed in prism bowls. In order to create a wonderful air plant garden for a large dining room table, choose a large Modern Cylinder Dish if you want something that has the WOW factor.
Can air plants survive without water for a long time?
There may be affiliate links in this content. Your purchases generate a small commission for us. Additional Affiliate Policy
An air plant’s best formula for success is proper care. Despite the fact that air plants are among the easiest indoor plants to care for, it is still preferable to give them some attention. Taking care of your air plants include giving them the water they require, the right amount of light, appropriate airflow, and fertilizers like orchid plant food to improve their health.
Without water, air plants may survive for two weeks. Additionally, the plant’s health is compromised even if it is still alive. Regarding the recommended watering regimen, you should bathe your air plants in water at least once every two weeks and spritz them once a week.
How long before an air plant starts to rot?
The most likely reason why air plants rot is overwatering. Air plants can be watered in one of three ways: misting, dunking, or immersing.
Misting is when you completely moisten the air plant using a spray bottle. Put air plants in a basin of water or under running water and remove them right away to immerse them. When you give the plants a longer wash by submerging them in water for 1030 minutes, you are submerging them.
Submerging mesic variety once or twice a week won’t harm them because they require more water. Every two or three days, they can also be misted and submerged in water. However, because Xeric species don’t require much water, they shouldn’t be submerged for too long. Every few of days, they would want to be misted. Without water, they can survive for up to two weeks. Too much time spent submerging air plants can result in decay.
Not all circumstances call for these guidelines. Depending on the weather and humidity, the watering schedule may change. For instance, during hot, dry weather, you should water air plants more frequently.
It’s crucial to pay attention to your air plant’s body language! The leaves of an air plant that is thirsty will curl inward. It could also seem wrinkled.
You’ll give fungi a chance to start growing if you place the wet plant in a tight space or let it to stand on moss or another moist surface. The same may occur with air plants that have bulbous shapes or those that have pockets at the base of their leaves where water may collect.
A fungus infection leads to rotting. Fungi come in two different varieties: yeasts and molds. The leaves will become yellow due to yeasts. The surface where moss grows starts to get slimy and black, and eventually starts to degrade.
Whatever method you use to water your air plant, you should shake it to remove any extra water before hanging it upside down or placing it on a towel to dry completely. After four hours, if it’s still wet, use a fan to dry it out.
Ensure that the plant doesn’t get moist at night. At night, air plants breathe by releasing their spores and absorbing CO2, which is subsequently transformed into malic acid. During the day, they shut their spores and utilise the acid for photosynthesis. They won’t be able to produce the acid and won’t have enough fuel for the day if they can’t absorb CO2. This cascade effect will gradually rot the plant.
How much time do air plants live?
Perennial plants are tillandsias, also referred to as air plants. According to the source, they have a lifespan of between two and five years, which indicates that they normally survive longer than two years.
The type of air plant and the growing conditions have an impact on how long they live, though. They reside in deserts, on various surfaces, and on tree branches in their natural habitat (other surfaces they can grow on).
Air plants only experience one flowering during their existence, which marks the culmination of their development and maturity.
Depending on the species, the flowers might remain in bloom for a number of months. However, the air plant will begin to die when the blossoms start to wilt and fade. Air plants develop pups or offsets before they die to carry on the same growth cycle.
Despite the mother plant dying, you can take the pups out and raise them separately. Separating the pups from the mother is referred to as “division is a method of air plant propagation.
As an alternative, you might leave those puppies grouped together ” (also known as “tillandsia balls).
Does glass have to be used for air plants?
Tillandsia, often known as air plants, have grown more and more popular in recent years. The peculiarity of these tiny epiphytes intrigues us since it contradicts our understanding of the needs of conventional plants. Because of their mystique, air plants are wonderful gifts because producing stunning displays of them is so simple that anyone can do it. Unfortunately, they can also be rather simple to kill if they are not cultivated in the proper conditions. We will go over Tillandsia development patterns, general care instructions, how to create a Tillandsia terrarium, and the tools required for them to thrive in this article.
In order to properly care for Tillandsia, as with all air plants, we must be aware of how they develop. Tillandsia are epiphytes, which means they often coexist parasitically with other plants. They can be divided into two groups: mesic and xeric. In the American tropics, mesic species are frequently found high in the tree canopy, which tells us that they typically like brilliant indirect light, good airflow, regular rainfall, and roots designed for anchoring. Xeric varieties, on the other hand, flourish on rocky outcrops and exposed cliff slopes. These kinds of air plants also have roots designed for anchoring and require much less water, little direct sunlight, and lots of air movement. The trichomes that cover the leaves of the xeric kinds, which suck additional moisture from the air, set them apart from the mesic varieties. In contrast to the mesic air plants’ shinier greenish tint, they almost have the appearance of silver fur.
We may improve the environment for Tillandsia in our homes by being aware of the natural circumstances in which they flourish. I always advise maintaining Tillandsia in an open terrarium because they all thrive in humid environments. The secret is to produce an environment with better airflow and a relative humidity that is higher than that of our ordinary residences. A Tillandsia kept in a confined terrarium or under a cloche is bound to fail. So search for glass containers with large top openings or side holes.
A standard terrarium needs many layers, but an air plant terrarium really only needs one: the drainage layer, as was covered in a previous blog post. The drainage media can be made of nearly anything that won’t decay and has the purpose of preventing the plants from ever sitting in water. For decoration and to raise the humidity, you can also add some moss or lichen.
Finally, and maybe most critically, Tillandsia require the right amount of light. Many individuals attempt to maintain their air plants in too little light. In comparison to their natural surroundings, our dwellings are like caves. Keep them in an east or west facing window if at all possible. They may also be outside of or adjacent to a sunny south-facing window. With a few hours of direct daylight either in the morning or afternoon, the goal is to have bright indirect light throughout the day.
To sum up, the prerequisites for making a suitable habitat for Tillandsia are an open glass vessel, inert drainage media, possibly some attractive moss, and adequate lighting.
Most of the supplies needed to properly feed and water these tiny curiosities can be found around the house. Zenaida Sengo compares air plants to a kitchen sponge in her book Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias to better explain how to hydrate them. You can water the sponge in a variety of ways, including routine drenching, frequent misting, and sporadic soaking. You don’t want the sponge to entirely dry out.
Every day or every other day, misting with a little spray bottle is recommended. You can dip a plant two to three times per week in a bowl of water, in a terrarium with a deep drainage layer, or under the sink in a colander. Once a week, take the plants out of their container and soak them in a bowl of water for 10 to 1 hour. Whatever method you use, make sure to shake off any water that has accumulated in the cup of the leaves to keep the plants from decaying. Keep in mind that xeric cultivars require less frequent watering.
Tillandsia, like all plants, require occasional feedings for optimum growth. I advise mixing a solution of kelp with a well-balanced water-soluble orchid food. Half a dose every couple of weeks or a full dose every month to three months are also acceptable feeding schedules.
You should be able to successfully develop these small wonders now that you have this fundamental understanding!