Put the plants in a bowl, sink, or other container face down and let them soak for 10 to 20 minutes. As sitting water can create rot and harm or kill the plant, always take care to gently shake any excess water off the base of the plants. We advise watering the plants in the morning and leaving them outside of their containers in a spot where they can dry in four hours or less. Never leave your air plant submerged in water for a long time. Additionally, you can water your plants by “dunking” them in water multiple times and then gently shaking off the extra.
You can put your plant in the dish for a longer soak for a few hours or even overnight if it is having trouble and appears “thirsty.” Wide open leaves indicate a healthy air plant, but closed and curled leaves indicate a dehydrated one! Never immerse a bloom or flower because doing so can make them decay.
Before watering the plants with tap water, let the water remain for a few hours to let any chemicals evaporate. Whenever feasible, it is ideal to use water from ponds, aquariums, or rain. Never use distilled or artificially softened water, however it’s fine to use bottled water and spring water.
Keep in mind that every plant species is unique and will necessitate a different watering routine than others. Your air plants will suffer if you ever place them in soil.
As you might have imagined, air is another crucial factor for your air plant. For the plants to survive and live a healthy existence, there must be a good flow of pure air. After watering, it’s critical that the plants receive adequate airflow to completely dry in 4 hours. While air plants can survive in containers, it is advised against displaying them in closed containers and to wait until they are entirely dry before re-planting them in a container that might limit air flow.
Plants that are too close to the A/C vents may dry up more quickly and need to be watered more frequently.
If you want to keep your air plants in a terrarium or globe, you’ll need to take them out so you can water them normally. Also, be sure to leave them outside until they have had enough time to completely dry out. Four hours usually suffice. You can mist the tillandsia occasionally while it’s in the terrarium or globe to add some humidity. You’ll want to spritz your plants fewer times as the globe gets smaller and more compact. You can give the terrarium a few mists from a water mister a few times each week if it is bigger and has greater air circulation. Just watch out that the plant doesn’t get over-mistified and that it dries off quickly while in the terrarium.
If you bought one of our incredible sea urchin kits, be careful to separate the air plant from the sea urchin before soaking. Wait several hours for the plant to thoroughly dry before removing it from the sea urchin. If you give the air plant back to the sea urchin while it’s still wet, the base will become coated and eventually rot, which will harm the plant. If you want to mildly mist while inside the sea urchin, go ahead!
How frequently do I need to water my air plant?
For the best care, your plants should be watered 2-3 times each week in addition to once every week. Every 2-3 weeks, a 2-hour bath should be taken. You will need to water or mist your plants more frequently if you live in a hotter, drier region. Your plant’s leaves will start to feel heavier and more wet after watering, and they will be softer and lighter in color when they require more water. Dehydration may be indicated by leaves that are wrinkled or rolled.
How are air plants maintained?
Here are 5 easy guidelines to remember when taking care of tillandsia:
- 1) Give your air plant regular waterings. Your air plant will require routine watering.
- 2) Supply light to your air plant.
- 3) Allow your air plant to breathe.
- 4) Maintain a Pleasant Temperature for Your Air Plant.
- 5) Don’t harm your airplant by doing this.
How can I keep my air plant in good health?
Under-watering is the main reason why air plants die in new owners’ care. The overwatering that follows is a close second. According to a longstanding myth, these plants draw all the water they need from the atmosphere and don’t even need to be watered at all. While living in a climate similar to the Tillandsia’s natural environment and having them outside, this may be true, for the rest of us, watering is necessary. No need to worry; your plants will thrive if you follow these easy watering instructions. Pick one of the techniques listed below to water your plants like a pro.
The easiest approach to keep your air plant happy, particularly indoors, is to submerge it. People are frequently shocked to learn that you can completely submerge an aerial plant, but they adore it nonetheless! The only effective method for completely rehydrating your air plant is this. When water enters the plant’s root through the entire leaf surface, a stunning metamorphosis occurs. Curly leaves will frequently straighten, and although your Tillandsia won’t have meaty leaves like succulents, there will be a distinct fullness after soaking.
THE AMOUNT A dry tillandsia can benefit greatly from even a brief 30-minute bath, although they are capable of holding their breath for up to 12–24 hours. Our general rule is to soak for 6–12 hours once every week. Ours normally soaks for 12 hours or so. Even without losing too many of them, we’ve occasionally forgotten about them. Some xeric species, such as Tectorum and Xerographica, should be handled with caution. Since they are more delicate, they favor spraying.
Another method of watering your air plant is to spray it until it is completely saturated. It’s important to keep in mind that this isn’t a light sprinkling. For optimal watering, your plant needs to be totally submerged. While spraying your air plant is a good technique to hydrate it, you’ll need to do it much more frequently than soaking, which results in a more thorough rehydration.
THE AMOUNT 2-3 times each week, spray until completely saturated. This will be greater if you reside in Arizona and less if you reside in Hawaii. Whether your plant is indoors or outdoors, as well as the type of light it receives, are the two most crucial aspects to consider when deciding when and how much water to apply. More water will be appreciated if there is a lot of sun. Regular watering is essential indoors, where there is heat, air conditioning, and generally dry circumstances.
Watch the leaves of your plants to see if they are showing signs of thirst. A healthy white fuzz really indicates that your plant is healthy and not necessarily drying out because curly leaves are drier. Other indicators that you are under-watering include brown leaf tips and a generally withered appearance. Watch how your plant appears after a thorough soak. What is that like right now? Because every plant is unique, pay attention to what yours is now telling you.
Choosing your water
I’ll admit that for a long time, my air plants consumed more expensive water than I did. While my collection grew, I would tirelessly transport containers of purified water for them to enjoy. Tillandsia are accustomed to rainwater that has a pH balance and the ideal ratio of nutrients. The perfect balance is provided by well-filtered water, and I would even conduct my own PH testing to make sure the water was properly balanced between acidic and alkaline.
Tap water frequently contains high levels of chlorine and elements like calcium that can clog the delicate leaves of air plants. Interestingly, distilled water kills air plants by removing all of their nutrients through osmosis. Reverse osmosis systems are frequently used by nursery producers to guarantee that their plants receive the best water and produce the greatest outcomes.
But after many years and painful arms, I decided that my plants needed to become more resilient because I can no longer stand it. I turned on the hose and haven’t turned around since. However, I always make sure to take all of my tillandsia outside when it rains so they can take a lovely, refreshing shower. For similar advantages, you can utilize spring water or pond water.
Tip: Tap water’s chlorine levels drop after about 15 minutes. Before adding your air plants, try filling your soaking bin with water and waiting for this to happen.
Do air plants require direct sun exposure?
As we’ve previously indicated, air plants thrive in indirect sunlight. Your air plants will lose moisture due to too much sunshine, and if they are kept in the sun for an extended period of time, they will burn and eventually perish. Tiny scales on the leaves of air plants—properly referred to as trichomes—serve two main purposes. They first aid the plant’s absorption of nutrients and water. They also aid in reflecting sunlight off the leaf surface.
Tectorum Ecuador’s tall, white, and bright trichomes aid in reflecting the intense light in its open, natural habitat. High elevation cliff sides in Peru and Ecuador are home to this species.
In general, you want to keep all of your air plants as far away from direct sunlight as you can, however depending on the plant’s species and climate, certain tillandsia can tolerate more sun than others. Your plant won’t likely fare well in direct sunlight if its leaves are thinner and wispier. This form of air plant may be better able to handle some direct sunlight for sections of the day since its thicker, broader leaves can hold moisture better. Direct sunlight is typically best handled by silver-leaved air plant species like xerographica.
Avoid exposing your air plants to direct sunlight if you live in a southern state or a desert region where the sun is very powerful. Take extra care in arid environments like the desert because the lack of humidity may cause your plants’ damage and drying out from the sun much faster.
We advise placing your indoor air plants near windows if you intend to keep them there. They could also be maintained close to a window that receives shade from a tree or any other form of solar protection. Many people also choose to maintain their air plants at an office with either bright fluorescent lighting or indirect sunlight from windows.
The same rules apply if you keep your air plants outside; just make sure they are totally covered from direct sunlight or in a location where they won’t receive more than an hour of direct sunshine every day. It should be fine to sit on your porch, lanai, or under a tree.
Air plants thrive in shaded patios and porches that only receive light in the early morning and late afternoon.
Brown stains, dried-out patches that emerge on internal growth, and highly unhealthy splotchy appearances of exterior leaves where completely wet are all symptoms of sunburn. If you see any of these symptoms, remove the plant from its current place right away, and ready to perform some little care. Remove the completely damaged exterior leaves by gently pulling them off. If they are difficult to remove, use a pair of scissors to cut away any damaged sections. After removing the plant’s worst damaged areas, give the air plant a nice soak before moving it to a better, shaded location. Continue watering the air plant as usual and add a few daily, light mistings; do not fertilize it until it is fully healthy again. Avoid oversoaking since if the plant is left wet for too long, it may fall apart. Your air plant should quickly return to its happy, healthy self if you are persistent and patient.
Do my air plants need to be misted?
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!
How long does an air plant 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).