I frequently receive queries concerning caring for air plants that are kept in glass globes because they have become so popular. To enjoy your plant in a glass enclosure for many years, follow these few instructions. If you’re seeking for glass globes, our shop has a wide variety of unusual patterns.
- The more attention you can provide your plant, the bigger the globe.
- When you initially get your plant, give it a 20 to 30-minute bath. Keep an eye on the size and color to determine how content the plant is. Consider this “image” constantly.
- Before inserting your plant into the globe, let it almost entirely dry out.
- Every 4-5 days, mist your plant with one spray for small globes, two or three sprays for globes 3-5 inches in diameter, and more if the plant is in a wide open globe. The objective is to estimate the drying time; the longer the plant can retain moisture, the smaller the globe and less circulation. Overwatering will cause the plant to perish.
- Do you recall how your plant seemed after soaking? If it no longer has that cheerful, healthy appearance, remove it, soak it for 30 to 60 minutes, shake, and let it almost completely dry before replacing in the globe.
- Place your globes away from windows or other areas where they will receive direct sunlight. Keep in mind that the glass will make the heat and sunlight more intense. Some plants may even grow in low to moderate light, though indirect light is preferred.
How Much Light Does an Air Plant Need?
Air plants require strong, indirect light to grow. Good possibilities are rooms with windows that face the south or east because the sun will shine brightly in these areas for the majority of the day. As long as the plant is put close to the window and the window is not covered by trees or an adjacent apartment building, rooms with North-facing windows also perform effectively. Western light typically arrives later in the day and has a tendency to be quite warm and powerful. Take care not to burn your air plant!
The air plant will generally withstand more light as the humidity level in your area increases. This means that you should plan to spritz your air plant more frequently, such as twice a week or even every day, if you’re placing it where it will get a lot of light. An air plant will thrive in a bright bathroom or bustling kitchen since the humidity from your shower or boiling water will take care of the majority of plant misting for you.
Air Plants and Artificial Light
A lot of customers ask us if they can put their air plant in a basement or office where there won’t be any windows for natural light. The answer is yes, but there are a few particular guidelines to follow to guarantee the success of your plant.
Fluorescent light must be full-spectrum. These plants can’t photosynthesize in the kind of light that regular incandescent bulbs produce. Place your Tillandsia no more than three feet from the source of light. Additionally, if you plan to use fluorescent lighting, the plants will require at least 12 hours every day.
We advise purchasing a dedicated bulb for your plant (such as a Gro-Lux, Repta-Sun, or Vita-Lite) and setting it on a 12-hour timer if you live in a basement or wish to keep an air plant in your office to ensure that it receives the proper amount of light to survive.
Sand, rocks, and dried wood arranged in a shallow dish make a wonderful air plant display.
The benefits of misting for air plants
The final technique in our series on watering air plants is misting, which you can employ in between regular soaking or immersing. Read more in our earlier blog posts to learn more about the dunk method and soaking.
If you notice that your plant’s leaves are starting to seem a bit dry or if you live in a dry region with low air humidity, misting is an excellent approach to give it a little additional hydration. Misting is probably not enough water for your plant to grow, therefore you shouldn’t utilize this method as its only supply of water.
The T. tectorum, which has a lot of trichomes, is an exception to this rule and prefers misting to soaking or submerging. In a temperate area, you might only need to mist once a month with one of these guys, or once a week in a hotter environment.
In contrast to other plants with bigger leaves, plants with wispy leaves such the T. ionantha, T. andreana, or T. fuchsii v gracilis may require misting more regularly in addition to weekly watering.
- It’s easy to spritz plants; just use a spray bottle or hose attachment set to the “mist” setting. Make sure the entire plant gets soaked before misting. As previously mentioned, if this is their sole source of water, this is not the greatest approach for watering. If you mist your plants, remember to additionally soak or dip them once a week at the very least.
A useful generalization to remember is that a healthy air plant will have leaves that are wide open, whereas a dehydrated air plant would have leaves that curl inward. Bring on the mist if you see that your plant is starting to appear a touch dry between your regular waterings!
Do I need to mist or soak my air plant?
Most air plants with plenty of trichomes (xeric plants) should be often misted or soaked, whereas mesic plants, which have bright green leaves and less trichomes, prefer to be drenched only once a week. In our blog post Mesic Vs Xeric Air Plants, we go into further detail regarding the differences between Xeric and Mesic plants. However, there is one exception to this rule: air plants with bulbous bases, even those with bright green, smooth leaves, should frequently not be wet for extended periods of time as well. Because of water buildup in their bulbous bases, plants are susceptible to internal rot.
Instead of being wet, Xerographica air plants should be sprayed or submerged. These plants, which are xeric in nature, are indigenous to arid areas. These plants can survive more sun and less water. A xerographica should be submerged in a basin or pail of water, then gently shaken to let the water drip off the leaves. To prevent water from getting stuck in the leaves, let the item dry upside-down.
The Tillandsia tectorum is an air plant that you shouldn’t wet because it has a lot of fuzzy leaves. The tectorum’s large trichomes on its leaves aid in absorbing moisture from the surrounding atmosphere. These plants have evolved to survive without much precipitation and are naturally found in arid areas of Ecuador and Peru. Depending on how hot and dry it is where you live, we advise spraying these guys every other week or so. They also favor open air and strong light.
The distinctive feature of bulbous air plants is that they have what are known as “pseudobulbs.” In the natural, ant colonies construct their nests inside of these hollow onion-shaped bulbs, which are essentially hollow themselves. When watering these plants, especially when soaking them, exercise caution. These so-called pseudobulbs are susceptible to water intrusion, which can cause the plant to rot from the inside out. You can either submerge them in water and shake off the extra afterward, or you can hold them under running water while avoiding their bases. The T. caput medusae, T. bulbosa, T. pruinosa, T. pseudobaileyi, T. butzii, and T. seleriana plants are included in this group.
Another reason not to soak T. pruinosa and T. seleriana is that they both have a lot of trichomes. They could decay from soaking because of too much water.
You shouldn’t immerse air plants with delicate leaves like T. fuchsii v gracilis and T. andreana. These plants benefit more from light misting or rapid dunks. You may need to spritz these plants as frequently as every couple of days to make sure they are receiving enough water because of their thin, wispy leaves, which can cause them to dry out more quickly between waterings.
The Tillandsia magnusiana should be misted or dipped rather than soaked because it has a lot of trichomes. These plants’ form and trichome content can make them more prone to decay.
When watering air plants that are in bloom, exercise caution to avoid getting the blossom itself wet. While it would be acceptable to soak the plant’s bottom leaves, we frequently advise pouring water over them or immersing them to avoid wetting the blossom. A bloom that has been moist for a long time may develop rot, which may eventually spread to the leaves and kill the plant.
Mist
Spraying air plants with water from a bottle on occasion is beneficial. Your air plants will enjoy a cool mist, especially if you live in a dry environment. Remember that you shouldn’t use this technique to water your air plants exclusively. The trichomes won’t be able to get all the water they require from misting on their own.
Although most air plants require more watering than misting, Tillandsia tectorum is an unique exception. This air plant is native to the Andes mountains, where the hard environment has allowed the plants to evolve in a special way. Due to an abundance of trichomes that protect them from the sun’s rays, they appear fuzzy. The trichomes also maximize the little moisture that is present.
This indicates that misting—rather than soaking or dunking—is the optimum method of hydrating these air plants, which also benefit from direct sunlight.
Your climate will determine how often you need to water T. tectorum. If your area is humid, spraying the plant thoroughly once every three weeks will do. You must sprinkle your T. tectorum once a week in dry regions.
Depending on your climate, thoroughly mist a T. tectorum once a week to once every three weeks. Never submerge a T. tectorum or wet it.
Dunk
Giving your air plants a brief dunk will keep them going for the day until you have time to give them a full drink if you are in a rush and are aware that they are thirsty. You can swiftly immerse an air plant in water once or multiple times by doing so. Alternately, place the plant under the sink’s faucet.
Air plants should be promptly and entirely submerged in water before being dunked. Quick dip time for this T. tricolor v melanocrater.
Soak
Nothing works better than a thorough soaking to truly hydrate an air plant. This can be done by placing the entire plant in a dish that has been filled with tepid water. You might use a sink or even a tub if you have a lot of air plants.
Allow your air plants to soak in a water bath for about an hour once a week. Make sure to modify this timetable to reflect your local climate. Your plants might just require 20 minutes if the humidity where you reside is extremely high. It can be necessary to soak for up to 4 hours in dry conditions.
Watering Air Plant Arrangements
It can be a little challenging to remove an air plant that has been affixed to a display, but it is definitely achievable. Use your faucet instead of soaking the entire arrangement in a bowl of water.
Hold the air plant under a gentle stream of lukewarm water, keeping the wood or other surface it is bonded to out of the water. Allow the water to soak the plant for a while.
Hold the air plant under the faucet for a few minutes while using lukewarm water to keep the driftwood dry. A T. abdita is shown above attached to driftwood.
Hold the display after watering to ensure that any extra water runs off and does not collect inside the plant.
If the air plants can be easily removed and are not permanently attached to the display. Remove them from the arrangement and hydrate them by soaking the plant in a bowl of water, just like you would any other air plant.
Drying
Allowing your air plants to dry up completely can maintain their long-term health and longevity. After watering your plants, allow them to rest for around 4 hours on their side with plenty of airflow. With this drying technique, water won’t build up inside the plant and cause it to decay. Return the plants to their display once 4 hours have passed. You cannot exaggerate how crucial it is to let your plants drain and dry off.
Place air plants on their sides or upside-down so that any excess water may drain away from the plant. This will help the plant to dry. For this, you could make use of a dish drying rack, a colander, or a towel.
Vacation
Taking a trip? No issue. Without you, your air plants will remain alive. Soak your air plants for 12 hours right before you leave. Soak them once more for 12 hours when you get home. This strategy works well for a two-week trip. If it takes longer, you’ll need to enlist the aid of a friend or neighbor.
Soak and Dry
You now know how to water your air plants correctly. Your air plants won’t decay from too much moisture accumulation or crumble in your palm from dehydration. You can do this. Rinse and dry. I’m done now!
How can I determine the health of my air plant?
Unique and hassle-free indoor plants, air plants (Tillandsia) add significant visual charm to your home. These unique plants come in a variety of sizes, have health benefits for your home during the photosynthesis process, and need very little upkeep from you, which appeals to busy professionals. How can you know whether your air plant is healthy considering that they require less maintenance than other plants?
Hydration of the plant is essential to avoid underwatering and determine the health of your air plant. To determine whether the plant is getting too much or not enough moisture, regularly look for discolored leaves or dry or wet rot. An air plant is in good health if it blooms and produces fluff.
There are numerous techniques to determine whether your air plant is healthy, and the majority of them only require a visual examination. They could quickly get ill by doing some unexpected activities. Continue reading to learn more about 11 quick ways to assess the general health of your air plant.