All air plants are native to tropical regions where freezing temperatures never occur. It’s crucial to keep them at a reasonable temperature without a sweater, right? typically from the 1960s or earlier. Keep them away from windows that are cold in the winter and air conditioner vents.
At least a few hours of bright, indirect sun each day are necessary for air plants to thrive. The optimal placement is between one and three feet from an east or west-facing window, or around two feet from a source of artificial light. They can be exposed to hotter, more direct sun for longer periods of time if you maintain them well-hydrated. Avoid areas that are poorly lit.
What may air plants be fastened to?
Utilizing silicone sealant, airplants can be installed on a variety of logs, rocks, and wood. Apply a little amount of silicone to the branch on which you want to install the plant. Then, firmly press the plant into the silicone.
Are containers required for air plants?
Normal pots can be used to grow air plants, but due to their tiny size and low moisture requirements, they are also a good choice for a variety of different planter designs.
Try one of these unique air plant containers for a little something unusual.
This larger air plant is appropriate for a typical household fish bowl. For a distinctive beach picture, include some white gravel and a scattering of shells.
One of my blog’s followers gave me a picture of a wonderfully creative setup she had for her air plants.
These stylish planters are constructed from wood blocks, and the air plants are suspended from a curved wire at the top. so imaginative Lilibeth, thanks for sharing. I adore how these appear!
In the wild, air plants enjoy perching on trees. Wrap some sphagnum moss around a piece of wood and fasten the plant to it to create the same effect. When hanging in this manner, it will appear organic and woodsy.
Any exhibit in the terrarium design would look great with air plants. Terrariums provide the plant with a nearly ideal environment by retaining moisture.
This adorable copper wire-wrapped glass holder in the form of a teardrop is heart-adorned. It makes the small tillandsia, which is resting on a bed of moss, appear completely at home.
A note on copper and air plants:
When the copper area is repeatedly exposed to moisture, as is essential if you water the container, copper pipes and wires can be hazardous to air plants.
If you wish to use a copper-containing container for air plants, make careful to completely seal it with a clear coating like Flex Clear.
As an alternative, you can take the air plant out of the container before watering it to prevent the copper from coming into contact with the liquid.
An old wooden drawer with sections was transformed into a gorgeous succulent planter for an air plant and several more succulents with this simple DIY technique.
Since host trees are where Air plants naturally grow, using log holders to show them makes a lot of sense. With one plant on each end of this attractive log form, the arrangement is symmetrical.
Air plants are ideal options for shallow bowl planting due to their modest stature. For a planter with a minimalist appearance, this attractive air plant bowl employs gravel, a piece of driftwood, and three distinct types of air plants.
The best material to use to create a planter is driftwood. Naturally polished by the surf, it develops cracks where tillandsia can be planted.
Logs can be used in planters in countless different ways. View further designs for log planters here.
On my most recent trip to the neighborhood farmer’s market, I spent some time perusing a booth that sold air plants and had so many lovely containers. I was drawn to this bird cage because I adore the way it seems.
It was about 5 feet tall and had a massive piece of drift wood to hold the tillandsia plants!
This shield-shaped air plant holder is made from a copper tube and a stained wooden plaque. It’s simple to create and presents the plant attractively. View the tutorial for the shield planter at Walnut Hollow Crafts.
The ideal habitat for this air plant is a sphere constructed of flat copper wire. The beautiful moss beneath the assortment of air plants looks fantastic in the planter, which is simple to mist.
In this entertaining coffee pot terrarium, my old Mr. Coffee carafe serves a dual purpose. I paired my air plant with other succulents to create a lovely arrangement that requires very little care.
What must be avoided when handling an air plant?
Here is a list of things to consider while thinking back on the conditions and upkeep of your prized tillandsias, even though there is no conclusive explanation for why any one particular air plant perished.
Over & Under Watering
An air pant can be killed by either too much or too little water. Watering a plant correctly might be challenging at times. Before placing your plant back into a container, soak it for 20 to 30 minutes, shake it out, and let it dry for a few hours. We’ve had the best success making our weekly water baths a tradition. A decent rule of thumb is to observe the leaves’ state the day after a thorough bath. The leaves ought to be open and more flat, not folded or curled. Aim for this appearance with each watering and adjust the frequency accordingly so that your air plants exhibit this appearance the majority of the time. Aeranthos Major is an excellent indicator of hydration in air plants. Depending on the plant’s level of hydration, the leaves of this species significantly curl and open. In smaller species like Ionanthas, the distinction is more pronounced.
When plants are not given enough time to completely dry out in between water baths, they will succumb to overwatering and die. This frequently happens when water is misted over the air plants while they are housed in a terrarium or other enclosure. The enclosure’s tightness retains moisture, which can lead to plant base rot.
Exposure to Salts & Chemicals
Salts from water softeners may smoothen our skin and hair, but they can also damage air plants. Have you ever watered a home plant a few times and then let it to dry before seeing a white crust forming on the top of the soil? These salt buildups are particularly damaging to air plants. Salts end up being deposited on the ends of leaves in air plants because they lack soil to filter the salts. This will eventually choke the plant because the trichomes won’t be able to absorb nutrients and water. Additionally bad for plants, some municipal water contains chlorine, which should be avoided if at all feasible.
The ideal water to use is non-carbonated mineral water, rainwater, water from a well, pond, or lake. Store-bought bottled and filtered water actually lacks the majority of minerals despite being devoid of hazardous salts. While using only bottled water to water a plant won’t kill it, if that’s all they ever get, they’ll be starved of essential nutrients.
Extreme Heat and Light
Plants quickly become dehydrated in direct sunshine. Sitting in a hot room or close to a hot window will have the same effect. On rare occasions, the plants’ leaves might even become burned by the sun. Air plants shouldn’t be kept in glass containers with direct sunshine because the containers can grow extremely hot (like a miniature greenhouse) and the glass may function as a magnifying glass, concentrating the sunlight on the leaves and rapidly causing them to burn. The majority of air plants prefer temps that you prefer, so that’s a solid generalization. Your air plant probably won’t appreciate it if you wouldn’t sit near your window for several hours at a time since you’d be too hot. The majority of tillandsia prefer temperatures between 55 and 85 degrees.
Nevertheless, a number of air plant species are tolerant of high temperatures in their natural habitats. In hotter lowland areas, xeric plants including Xerographica, Harisii, and Stricta can all be found. These species can survive in warmer climates and brighter environments as long as water is available. In general, the need for watering increases as the temperature rises.
Too Little Light
For several hours each day, air plants need powerful artificial lighting or indirect natural light. The health of air plants kept in dim bathrooms or inside hallways will deteriorate, and they will finally perish. In offices, the lighting is typically adequate because it is on continuously for a number of hours each day. Tillandsias shouldn’t be an issue if the area is bright enough for other common houseplants like pothos, spider plants, and philodendrons.
Cold
It is extremely uncommon to observe frost or freezing conditions, despite the fact that many kinds of air plants natively grow at high heights. Most air plants cannot survive in temperatures below 32 degrees or in frost. Spanish moss and the several varieties 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 tolerate days with highs below freezing as well as nights in the teens and twenties Fahrenheit. However, this would be a death sentence for the majority of air plants, especially the ones that are readily available in stores.
For plants that arrive DOA due to the cold in the winter, we continue to provide our 30-Day Guarantee. Since heat packs frequently run out and are ineffective at the end of their useful lives, when they are most required, we no longer use them to ship plants. Our research has also revealed that they have the ability to burn the vegetation. In order to limit their exposure to the cold, it is better to have plants brought to wherever you are when mail is delivered (your place of employment or educational institution, for instance).
If your air plants are only kept outside during the warm months, we advise bringing them inside once the temperature at night drops below 45 degrees. Any air plant will thrive indoors. There are certain crucial care issues to go through for the winter months, especially at higher latitudes. Our second blog that covers winter care for air plants is located here.
Fertilizer Burn
Your air plants may burn if you fertilize them more frequently and at higher water concentrations. You could want to include fertilizing in your routine if you like the misting technique of watering. But before you spray the plants, make sure the fertilizer is thoroughly mixed and diluted (using the same one-quarter teaspoon per gallon of water).
Moisture & Poor Air Circulation
The majority of air plants originate in chilly, windswept highlands or arid deserts. Not all air plants prefer extremely high humidity, but some do. Make sure your plants quickly dry out after bathing. When drying, we prefer to place them behind a ceiling fan. This will lessen the likelihood of bases being too wet and developing root rot. Even if you mist or spray your plants to water them, we still advise taking them out of their cages. Spanish moss needs to be hung in an area with plenty of fresh air. If used as stuffing in a terrarium or against a wall, it will gradually become brown.
Their Natural Life Cycle
Nothing lasts forever, and air plants are no exception. The growth, blooming, and reproduction processes that occur during the life cycle of air plants involve pups and seedlings. Even while blooming is one of the peaks in the life of most air plants, it is not usually a downward spiral after that. A few times a year, we have experienced the blooming of tiny air plants like Ionanthas. The mother plant will eventually focus the majority of her energy on creating little offsets, though. When the mother plant totally gives up, the offsets will have grown to the mother’s size, and the cycle repeats. A pupping plant does not necessarily indicate that you misted the mother plant’s bloom because certain species appear to prefer generating pups before the mother plant has blossomed! You have two choices when an air plant begins to generate offspring: You can divide the new plants or you may let them cluster organically. For more details, see our blog post on dividing air plant pups.
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This knowledge has been really beneficial. Since May of this year, I have probably invested around $1000.00 in air plants. I had never heard of them before that. I believe that I am in love with them. They are the most exquisite and distinctive things I have ever encountered.
My air plant will fit on rocks, right?
Terrariums are a wonderful way to add some greenery to any area, and you can really make your terrarium stand out by using several types of bases! We frequently receive inquiries regarding how to exhibit air plants in terrariums, including what types of bases to use and whether they require soil. The bases and decorations you should pick to create a stunning air plant terrarium are discussed below.
You can use small pebbles, seashells, bark, marbles, preserved reindeer moss, beautiful sand, etc. for the base. Have fun with it! There are countless options for the colors and textures of the sand and rock used in terrariums.
There is no need to provide soil because air plants can survive without it. Most air plants, in fact, shouldn’t be planted in soil. Layering moss, sand, or rock is a simple way to add variety and texture to your terrarium.
Make sure the base you use is entirely dry. You don’t want your air plants to be resting against any moisture in their terrariums or containers.
You should also consider the type and size of the terrarium you are creating. This terrarium will be presented where? Will it hang or rest on a table? You can choose the substrate for your terrarium by responding to these questions. Since moss is lighter than sand and won’t shift as much if the terrarium sways, using it as a base layer may be preferable for hanging terrariums.
Small bits of bark or driftwood can give your terrarium a charmingly rustic appearance as a base or accent, but make sure the wood you pick is pest-free. We like to use orchid bark, which is available at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Use caution when utilizing logs or bark that you may find outside because they could contain insects or pests that could harm your plant.
Watering Terrariums and Plants:
- If you water your plants while they are in your terrarium, too much moisture may become trapped amid the moss, rock, etc., leading to the rot of your plants.
- Before putting the plants back in your terrarium, remove them, soak or mist them, and then make sure they are totally dry.
- No water or moisture should be present in your terrarium or next to the Tillandsia.
Alternatively, if you’d prefer a kit that includes everything you need, look no further—we also carry those!
Check out these DIY terrarium kits, which include everything you need to build one.