Air plants can be divided into two categories: mesic and xeric. These classifications distinguish tillandsias from two quite different types of habitats. Xeric tillandsias often develop more slowly than air plants from the mesic group.
Tillandsias that are xeric grow in hot, dry conditions naturally. They appear fuzzy because they have more trichomes, which are holes on leaves that absorb water.
Since there is less water available in hotter settings, larger and denser trichomes enable them to absorb more water. They shield against the damaging effects of direct sunlight as well. These factors contribute to the slower metabolism and slower growth of xeric air plants.
On the other hand, mesic tillandsias are native to regions with regular rainfall and generally high humidity. They lack the silver/white fuzz, have less noticeable trichomes, and have a greener appearance.
Tillandsias from xeric regions have adapted to survive under these conditions. They require a lot of indirect sunlight at home (some may survive a few hours of direct morning or afternoon sunshine every day), as well as regular watering. Mesic tillandsias, however, require more frequent watering. They often develop more quickly than air plants in the xeric group.
Reason #2: Air plants are slow growers
Air plants develop slowly; in fact, they are among the slowest growing plants. It takes at least a month or two for air plant seeds to germinate, and another four to eight years for them to grow into full plants. For the first two to three years or so, their growth will be very sluggish.
Most people use pups to propagate air plants, however even pups take 2-4 years to develop. When you purchase medium-sized air plants, they frequently grow for a short time before giving birth to puppies (offsets). Pups eventually grow into independent plants and can be cut off from the parent plant when they are half as big.
The parent plant will blossom for the first (and only) time at this time, and then it will start to produce pups. Your tillandsia will be ready to reproduce at this point. The parent plant begins to deteriorate after producing pups.
If you keep the parent plant and don’t separate the pups from it, it will eventually grow into a lovely cluster. Just consider the fact that after a few years of growing, plants only ever bloom once. The parent plant then gives birth to pups, at which point its existence is done.
It will take between 12 and 16 months for a newly purchased plant to show noticeable growth. You should notice blossoming in one to three years.
Spring through mid-summer, followed by early fall through late autumn, are the warmest times for air plant growth. During the winter and the height of the summer, they won’t grow much if at all.
Reason #3: Lack of care
Despite their hardiness and low maintenance needs, air plants still need to be cared for. They need a lot of direct and indirect light, as well as watering (yes, tillandsias love water and cannot thrive without it). Additionally, your air plant won’t grow or thrive at all without adequate air exchange, hydration, and light.
A lot of light is needed for air plants, most often filtered light. Avoid subjecting them to intense direct sun for more than a couple of hours each day; doing so will burn the plant.
Air exchange is crucial as well.
Ensure that the room is ventilated once every day. If you’d like, you can also take your plants outside for a few hours each day (or at least few times a week). But don’t leave them in the air conditioning.
Watering is yet another crucial component. Watering air plants frequently is necessary. Less irrigation is needed for xeric air plants compared to mesic air plants.
During the warmer months, deep water your plants for an hour once every 10 days for xeric plants and once a week for mesic plants. Because they are prone to decay, certain plants don’t require deep watering (such as t. tectorum).
Running a lot of water over the plants for a short period of time under a shower or sink will also water them more frequently and less intensively. For mesic air plants, do this three times each week, and for xeric air plants, once per week.
Air plants won’t get enough water from misting alone. Every two to three days, you can spritz your air plants. However, at least once a week, you should soak or submerge them for extra deep watering sessions. Shake off any extra water consistently (you can even leave your air plant to dry upside down).
While this is a broad suggestion, the best course of action is to learn what each species of tillandsia requires.
Tip #1: Promote rooting
The beautiful thing about air plants is that you can exhibit them nearly anywhere by just arranging them on top of different things.
However, roots will be encouraged if you secure your air plants to fixtures that they ordinarily cling to in their natural habitat. Better roots will therefore encourage more rapid and superior growth overall.
To achieve this, you must secure your air plant to items like driftwood, wood, tree fern slabs, bark chips, and trees, among others. By encasing the base in moss, you can attach your air plants to those items.
After that, secure by wrapping the plant around the mounting device with some floral wire, as shown. You might need to do this by drilling holes through the display for the wire.
Tip #2: Fertilization
Fertilizing your air plant might assist if it’s not growing. Although air plants can survive without fertilizer, fertilizing your tillandsias is strongly advised.
By doing this, you dramatically increase the lifespan of your plant. Your air plant won’t thrive if you don’t fertilize it. Your air plants’ growth and coloring will both be enhanced by fertilizing.
In the wild, they actually take in nutrients from the nearby sources and decaying stuff (such airborne debris, dead leaves, and bugs). Through the trichomes on their leaves, they take in water-soluble nutrients.
We must use specially prepared tillandsia/orchid fertilizer/food because we don’t give our indoor air plants with natural sources of fertilizing at home. Fertilizers for air plants, like this weekly spray, frequently contain additional nitrogen and potassium for foliage development (new tab).
Tip #3: Provide favorable conditions
Make careful to offer your air plants the best conditions for growth and success. This includes plenty of filtered strong light (a terrarium cannot have more than one hour of direct unfiltered sunshine), excellent air exchange, and regular watering.
Make sure there isn’t a draft, but if it is near a window, ventilate the space once daily or move the plant outside for some fresh air (they love it).
To assist them tolerate more heat in the summer, deeply hydrate your air plants and lightly mist them in between. Your air plants won’t last very long if you keep them in showers or gloomy areas.
How can air plants develop more quickly?
You’ve had your air plant for a few months, but despite your tender care and attention, it seems to be doing nothing. What is happening? How quickly do air plants actually grow? Don’t give up just yet; air plants called tillandsias actually grow quite slowly. They will eventually grow and blossom if given the right care; it just takes time!
Although certain species of Tillandsia grow more quickly than others, on the whole, they grow quite slowly, which makes them all the more unique when you have a huge specimen plant to exhibit! The growth rate of an air plant will also vary depending on whether it is a tillandsia seedling or an offset from propagation. The first two years of a seedling’s existence are spent growing slowly, rarely exceeding one inch in size. After the first few years, they begin to grow slightly more quickly as they reach bigger in size. Even though plants grown from seeds grow more slowly, they often are larger and better specimens than plants grown from offsets. In comparison to plants grown from seeds, plants developed from offsets or “propagation” grow far more quickly and typically blossom within the first few years as the cycle continues and they create offset of their own!
It can take a long time for the Tillandsia fasciculata tropiflora to reach this size.
Consider the locations where your species of air plant grows in the wild when caring for your air plants. Does the species come from a dry, arid desert with little water (xeric), a cloud forest at a high elevation, or a humid, rainy rainforest (mesic)? Due to the changes in climate, plants located in these particular climates will exhibit particular features and grow accordingly. Plants may develop more slowly in dry climates than in more humid, moisture-rich conditions.
Look at our blog entry (Mesic Vs. Xeric Air Plants) for more information on the distinctions between mesic and xeric plants, as well as what conditions each will require in terms of water and light.
Your ability to accurately recreate the plant’s natural environment will have a significant impact on how quickly it grows. Patience is essential because it might take years for a small air plant to develop and blossom. Although it’s not an exact science, your plant can surprise you and grow and blossom more quickly than usual!
If your plant hasn’t produced pups or offsets yet, don’t worry; it might just be a slower-growing plant. Most air plants will produce pups or offsets during the first year of their existence, after blooming. Just keep giving your plant the attention it needs and making sure it gets enough water and light.
This puppy is developing slowly. It can take a long time for T. xerographica to reach maturity.
T. xerographica is one of the Tillandsia species that grows slowlyest; it can take years for it to reach a size where it can bloom and produce pups. Small T. xerographica plants, which have a diameter of 4-5 inches, may be 3-5 years old! The T. capitata and T. harrisii are two other slow-growing plants that get rather big.
These large-growing Tillandsia plants, which are all slow-growing (top to bottom, left to right): T. harrisii, T. xerographica, T. xerographica in bud, and T. capitata
The T. ionantha variant, T. stricta, T. aeranthos, and T. brachycaulos are some of the air plants with the fastest growth rates. These plants are all categorized as mesic varieties, which implies they prefer more water and filtered indirect light.
These Tillandsia species that develop more quickly bloom and produce pups than other species. (From top to bottom, left to right) T. ionantha, T. stricta, T. brachycaulos, and T. aeranthos
In addition to routine watering, you can give your plants a boost by fertilizing them once a month. This will promote quicker growth, blooming, and pup production. To encourage the growth of your air plant, check out and buy our specially designed Tillandsia fertilizer!
Be patient with your plants; they will grow best with the right amount of light, water, and airflow. When the seasons change, such in the summer or winter, you need alter your care routine. You should have a healthy air plant that eventually blooms and gives birth to pups! You could even manage to cultivate a sizable specimen air plant!
What is the lifespan of air plants?
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).
Do air plants grow slowly?
When air plants are grown in settings that resemble their native home, they develop the quickest.
- In homes with higher humidity and less light, mesic air plants thrive. Watering air plants often is required.
- Due of their adaptation to desert environments, xeric air plants favor more sunlight and less hydration.
Both varieties of air plants develop slowly, with the first two years seeing growth of less than an inch.
After blooming and maturing for up to five years (from seedling), air plants generate pups, which can either be used to start new plants or left connected to grow larger air plants.
How long does the germination process take for air plants?
Even though air plant seeds are tiny, they have what are known as parachutes or comas on top of them. Because of their fluffy parachute top, seeds can move around with the wind in the natural world. Brown seeds with a fluffy top will predominate.
Brown seed pods will also grow where the blossoms formerly did. The seed pod will resemble a cotton puff once it has opened up. The seeds can then be separated using tweezers. They resemble dandelion seeds somewhat.
In order to avoid being readily swept away by strong rains, most seeds in nature are dispersed right before a rainy season. They land in places where germination is more likely to succeed, such as on cliffs, trees, and other locations.
Please see this post if you’d want to learn more about how to pollinate the flowers of air plants and how seeds develop.
How to grow air plants from seed?
Gather seeds to begin the germination process. Some seeds will begin to sprout within the seed pods (you will notice small green nubbins on them).
The next step is to get a sizable dish (the larger, the better, depending on how many seeds you have) and some substrate ready. Make sure to space your seeds widely apart. This will give the plants more time to grow before you need to divide them. Tillandsia seedlings that are too small can break easily.
The optimal substrate for tillandsia sowing should have adequate moisture capacity and be able to drain well. Select a sizable, transparent container and fill it with the substrate. As stagnant air will kill seedlings, make sure to let adequate air exchange.
Step 1: Soak the seeds
Some seeds, as was already noted, will begin to gently sprout even while still inside seed pods. If they have begun to sprout, you will notice tiny green nubbins or points on them.
Observe the seeds after removing them from the seed pods. You can move on if you spot green nubbins.
However, if your seeds appear dry and browned, soak them for about 14 days in warm water in a plastic or deli container (some might take up to 3-4 weeks to germinate). Make sure to have holes in them while keeping the lid on. Additionally, open the lid occasionally to let air flow.
Keep seeds out of water for no more than four weeks. By now, hopefully, you will notice green nubbins; remove them and place them in a growing medium.
Step 2: Spread them
It is difficult to separate the seeds of air plants, which is one of the main difficulties. To ensure that you can see all of the seeds clearly, spread your seeds out on the table, preferably against a dark background.
The puffy coma portion, which is the top portion, will have seeds on the bottom. Use a magnifying lens and tweezers if required to carefully separate each seed.
Step 3: Place seeds on a growing medium
After around two weeks, the seeds should be planted on a growing medium to continue growing. The material you choose should be able to retain moisture without getting overly soggy.
Make sure to leave as much space between seeds when laying them. You can prevent having to separate them when they are fragile by doing this. When choosing a substrate or growing environment for your air plant seeds, consider: