Do you have a sick or dead air plant? If your air plant appears dull, brown, or limp, it’s likely due to overwatering. Indeed, these indicators may indicate that it is quite thirsty! This air plant care guide will show you how to revive a sick air plant that has been neglected, shipped from far, far away, or is just looking a little under the weather.
How do I know if my air plant is dying?
The name “air plant” is a little deceiving. Members of the Tillandsia genus are named after the fact that they may grow without any soil at all. In reality, one of the most common misconceptions we encounter in air plant care is assuming that Tillandsia just require air to survive.
Air plants are epiphytic (meaning they grow on other plants without harming them) and emerge from the curves and branches of trees in their natural habitat of South and Central America’s forests, mountains, and deserts.
Air plants are among our favorites; they look great on their own and are included in many of our Plant Craft items, such as aeriums and mounts.
The following are the best methods for air plant care that we advocate. We’ll start with an overview of how to care for air plants in general, then move on to specific adaptations for aeriums, terrariums, and mounted Tillandsia.
Air plants require strong, indirect light to grow. Rooms with southern or eastern facing windows are ideal because they will be brilliantly lit by the sun for the majority of the day. North-facing windows also perform well, as long as the plant is close to the window and the window isn’t obscured by trees or a neighboring apartment complex. Western light arrives late in the day and can be extremely hot and strong. You don’t want to fry your air plant, so be careful!
As a general rule, the more light the air plant can tolerate, the higher the humidity in your environment. This implies that if you’re going to put your air plant somewhere where it’ll get a lot of light, you’ll need to spray it more frequently – twice a week, if not everyday. Because the humidity from your shower will take care of most plant misting, a sunny bathroom provides a great home for an air plant.
Many customers question if they can keep an air plant in an office or basement room with no natural light. Yes, however there are a few guidelines to follow in order to assure your plant’s success.
It’s essential to use full spectrum (fluorescent) lighting. Regular incandescent bulbs do not produce the quality of light required for photosynthesizing by these plants. Your Tillandsia should be no more than 3 feet from the source of light. Also, if you’re using fluorescent lighting, the plants will need at least 12 hours of light per day.
If you live in a basement or want an air plant in your office, we recommend purchasing a dedicated bulb for your plant (such as a Gro-Lux, Repta-Sun, or Vita-Lite) and placing it on a 12-hour timer to ensure that your plant receives all of the light it need.
Watering an air plant is the most difficult aspect of air plant upkeep. Some individuals swear by misting, while others swear by soaking, and still others combine the two in their air plant care routine.
Watering air plants is difficult in our experience because the plant’s needs vary drastically depending on the location in which it is situated. The first step in watering your air plant is to assess its surroundings. What kind of light does your plant get? At this time of year, what is the temperature in your home? Is the environment excessively dry (does your plant have access to a heater or fireplace?) Is it hot and humid?
After you’ve answered these questions, you can tailor the air plant watering schedule to your specific requirements. As a starting point, we recommend the following:
- Soak your air plant in room temperature tap water (or rain/pond water if you can find it) for 5-10 minutes every one to two weeks.
- After soaking, gently shake your plant to remove any extra water. In a light area, turn it upside down and place it on a towel. This is vital information! If you leave your air plants in too much water, they will quickly rot.
- The plant should be able to dry completely in no more than 3 hours after the soaking is finished. If your plant is left wet for an extended period of time, it may rot. To help things dry faster, try putting it in a brighter area with better air circulation.
- Mist your plant thoroughly once a week to ensure that the entire surface is wet (but not so much that there is water dripping down into the plant).
- The more water you need to water as the weather gets hotter and dryer (summer, early fall). The less water your air plant needs the cooler and more humid the air is (winter and spring). But keep in mind that heaters and fires dry out the air!
- Do all of your watering first thing in the morning. Evening soaking or misting interferes with the plants’ capacity to breathe overnight, resulting in a longer drying time.
The browning or crisping of your air plant’s leaf tips is a sign that it’s been under-watered. When air plants are under-watered, their inherent concave shape becomes more pronounced.
Unfortunately, it’s generally too late to salvage your air plant if it’s been over-watered. Your plant has likely succumbed to rot if the base of the plant turns dark or black, and leaves are dropping out or off from the center.
When it comes to temperature, air plants are relatively laid-back. They thrive in temperatures ranging from 50 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures should be around 10 degrees colder at night than they are during the day.
Once or twice a month, incorporate orchid or Bromeliad fertilizer into your watering routine to keep your air plant happy. Simply sprinkle a pinch into your water and carry on as usual. Fertilizing your air plant promotes blooming and reproduction (or pup more on this later)
Air plants only flower once in their lives, did you know? These blossoms can last anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on the species, and can come in a wide range of vibrant colors, including pink, red, and purple. Flowering is the highest point in an air plant’s life cycle, but it also signals the start of the plant’s old age: after flowering, the plant will die.
But don’t give up! Depending on the species, your air plant will reproduce by putting out 2-8 flowers just before, during, or after flowering “Puppies.” These tiny air plants will eventually grow into their own mother plants, despite their modest size. When the pups are about 1/3-1/2 the size of the mother plant, they can be securely separated. Take care not to pull them out too soon, since they are absorbing nutrients from the mother air plant!
Above: A brass mister is a stylish and classic Tillandsia Xerographica companion.
While larger air plants look great on a windowsill or tabletop, we prefer to incorporate their smaller siblings into our living art “Aeriums” are a type of terrarium that is solely dedicated to air plants! Here’s everything you need to know about air plant care in glass.
- Simply take your plant from the aerium, terrarium, or glass to mist/soak it, then allow it to dry before putting it in the glass, as directed above.
- Keep in mind that maintaining your air plant in glass will produce a microclimate in which the glass vessels will be more humid and hot than the surrounding space.
- Avoid placing glass vessels too close to a window. The sun’s beams are amplified through glass. You don’t want your plant to cook!
- You won’t be able to soak your plant because it won’t come out of the glass, so you’ll have to rely only on misting. This is perfectly OK.
- Smaller glass means less air circulation, which means longer drying time for the plant and less misting.
- Larger glass = more air circulation = faster plant drying time = more misting.
- When misting your air plant, make sure to mist around it rather than directly into it. You don’t want to overwater it; instead, you want to keep it moist.
- We recommend starting with weekly misting and adjusting as needed, depending on the vessel.
You won’t be able to wet your mounted air plant like you can with air plants in small glass pots. Mounted air plants, on the other hand, will require more regular misting than aeriums because they are not enclosed in a humid microclimate. Starting with twice weekly misting and adjusting as needed, depending on how long it takes your plant to dry in your location, we recommend starting with twice weekly misting.
If you follow these air plant care instructions, your Tillandsia should thrive in no time! Do you have any queries or tips regarding caring for air plants? Let us know in the comments!
Can you revive dead air plants?
How can I revive my air plant is a common concern that most people have at some point during their tillandsia growing adventure. The first step in revitalizing any air plant is to figure out what’s causing the problem. Then you can take the necessary steps to address the issue that is causing your air plant to die.
It’s possible that your air plant will turn quite white or gray at times. While a covering of white or gray hair or trichromes on your air plants is typical in most situations, a naturally green air plant that is going excessively white or gray could be an early symptom of your air plant drying.
The good news is that if your air plant becomes very white or gray, it is not dying. When the air plant lacks water, the trichromes simply become more apparent, causing the plant to appear paler than usual.
A dry air plant can be revived by immersing it in water for 5-8 hours. After the soak, shake off any excess water and allow your air plant to dry within 4 hours of watering. Rep the long soaking every 2-3 days until the plant no longer seems to be dry.
If your air plant is drying up again after being rejuvenated with a series of extended soakings, check the light, temperature, and humidity levels of the surrounding environment.
To assist your air plant maintain moisture, keep it away from direct or very bright indirect light. Air plants enjoy temperatures between 50 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. If you expose your air plant to severely cold or hot temperatures, it may be difficult to revive it. Extreme temperatures can dehydrate the air plant to the point where it can no longer thrive.
Root rot is usually indicated by brown or black leaves on the air plant. When air plants are not thoroughly dried out after watering, they might get root rot. When the air plant’s leaves are persistently damp, fungal infections can develop, causing lasting damage to the plant’s cells. The air plant would eventually turn brown or black as a result of these dead cells.
You may resurrect your air plant by gently plucking the brown or black leaves as soon as you notice them to prevent the infection from spreading. To avoid root rot, keep the air plant in a location with sufficient air circulation and allow it to dry quickly after each watering.
Severe occurrences of root rot that spread to the plant’s center can cause the air plant to die. If the root rot is severe enough that the plant begins to fall apart, you’ll need to start over with a new plant.
Growing air plants is a trial-and-error procedure that can take some time. While air plants might wither due to dryness, lack of light, or a lack of nutrients in the water, the most common cause of death is root rot, which is caused by the air plant not drying out correctly.
To avoid the risk of root rot in the future, try other approaches and situate your air plant somewhere with more air movement.
Why does my air plant look dead?
Why are my air plants dying so frequently? If your Tillandsia isn’t looking its best, especially if it’s shriveled or discolored, it’s likely that the plant is dehydrated. Although spritzing the plant is frequently recommended, it rarely provides enough moisture to keep it healthy and hydrated.
If this is the case, reviving a Tillandsia entails getting the plant back to a healthy, well-hydrated state. The best way to do this is to immerse the entire plant in lukewarm water in a bowl or bucket. To keep the plant from floating to the surface of the water, you may need to attach it to a hefty item.
Allow the bowl to soak for 12 hours in a warm location. Remove the plant from the bowl, place it on a layer of paper towels, and let it air dry before putting it back in its position.
If the plant remains dry and sickly, repeat the method, but just submerge the Tillandsia for around four hours this time. Shake the plant lightly upside-down to remove excess moisture from the leaves.
Do air plants die easily?
Although there is no clear answer as to why any given air plant perished, here is a list of points to consider when considering the health and care of your tillandsias.
Over & Under Watering
An air pant can be killed by too much or too little water. It might be difficult to keep a plant hydrated at times. Soak your plant for 20-30 minutes, shake it off, then let it air dry for a few hours before repotting it. We’ve had the best luck making our weekly water baths a habit. The state of the leaves the day following a good soak is a decent rule of thumb. Curled or folded leaves should be avoided in favor of open, flat leaves. After each watering, aim for this look and adjust the frequency as needed so that your air plants look this way the majority of the time. Aeranthos Major is an excellent hydration indicator for air plants. Depending on the plant’s moisture, the leaves of this species coil and open drastically. In smaller species like Ionanthas, the distinction is more subtle.
When plants are not allowed to dry out fully for several days between water baths, they will die from over-watering. When the air plants are misted with water while inside a terrarium or enclosure, this happens frequently. The enclosure’s tightness retains moisture, which might cause rot at the plant’s root.
Exposure to Salts & Chemicals
Water softener salts may be good for our skin and hair, but they are bad for air plants. Have you ever had a house plant that developed a white crust on the top of the soil after a few waterings and allowing it to dry? These are salt deposits that are particularly detrimental to plants that live in the air. Because air plants don’t have soil to filter their salts, they wind up accumulating on the ends of their leaves. This will eventually suffocate the plant since the trichomes will be unable to absorb water and nutrients. Chlorine, which can be found in certain municipal water, is bad for plants and should be avoided if at all feasible.
Rain, well, pond, lake, or non-carbonated mineral water are the best options. Although free of hazardous salts, most minerals are removed from store-bought bottled and filtered water. Although bottled water will not hurt the plant, if it is the only source of water, it will deprive it of essential nutrients.
Extreme Heat and Light
Plants will dehydrate more quickly if they are exposed to direct sunshine. Sitting near to a hot window or in a hot room has the same effect. Direct sunlight can occasionally cause plant leaves to burn. Air plants should not be kept in glass enclosures with direct sunshine since the enclosures can become very hot (like a miniature greenhouse) and the glass can function as a magnifying glass, concentrating the sunlight on the leaves and causing them to burn quickly. Most air plants like temperatures that you prefer, as a general rule. If you wouldn’t sit near your window for several hours at a time because it’s too hot, your air plant is likely to dislike it as well. The majority of tillandsias like temperatures between 55 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
Several species of air plants, however, are adapted to extreme temperatures in their natural habitat. Xerographica, Harisii, and Stricta are all xeric plants that grow in hotter lowland climates. These species can thrive in hotter temperatures and brighter environments as long as they have access to water. In general, the hotter the weather gets, the more watering is required.
Too Little Light
Air plants require many hours of indirect natural light or intense artificial lighting every day. Air plants that are kept in dim restrooms or dark inner halls will soon wilt and perish. Because the lights are on for several hours each day, office settings usually provide adequate lighting. If you have enough light for other typical houseplants like potho vines, spider plants, and philodendrons, then tillandsias should thrive.
Cold
Although many types of air plants thrive natively at high heights, frost or freezing temperatures are extremely unusual. Most air plants are sensitive to frost and temperatures below 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Spanish moss and various forms 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 survive nights in the teens and twenties Fahrenheit, as well as a few days a year when the temperature does not rise above freezing. This, on the other hand, would be a death sentence for most air plants, especially those that are commercially available.
We continue to give our 30-day guarantee for plants that arrive DOA due to the cold over the winter. We don’t utilize heat packs to ship the plants right now because they run out quickly and aren’t particularly effective near the conclusion of their life cycle, when they’re most needed. We’ve also discovered that they can actually burn the plants. When ordering plants in the winter, the best option is to have them delivered to wherever you are when mail is delivered (for example, your place of work or school) to limit their exposure to the cold.
If your air plants are exclusively outside during the summer, we recommend bringing them inside as the temperatures drop below 45 degrees. Indoors, any air plant will thrive. There are certain key winter care issues to evaluate during the winter months, especially at higher latitudes. Here’s a link to a different blog post about air plant winter care.
Fertilizer Burn
Higher fertilizer concentrations in the water and more frequent fertilizing may cause your air plants to burn. If you prefer to water by misting, you may want to include fertilizing in your routine as well. However, it is critical that you thoroughly combine and dilute the fertilizer before spraying the plants (at the same one-quarter teaspoon per gallon of water).
Moisture & Poor Air Circulation
Arid deserts and chilly, dry, and windy highlands are home to the majority of air plants. Some air plants, but not all, thrive in extreme humidity. After you’ve soaked your plants, make sure they dry quickly. When they’re drying, we prefer to place them in front of a ceiling fan. This will help to avoid wet bases, which are prone to root rot. We still recommend that you remove your plants out of their enclosures for watering, even if you mist or spritz them. Spanish moss should be hung in an open area with plenty of air. If placed flush against a wall or used as stuffing in a terrarium globe, it will eventually brown.
Their Natural Life Cycle
Nothing lasts forever, and air plants are no exception. Growth, blooming, and reproduction through pups and seedlings are all part of the life cycle of air plants. Although flowering is one of the high points in most air plants’ life, things do not always go worse after that. Smaller air plants, such as Ionanthas, have bloomed for us a number of times every year. The mother plant, on the other hand, will eventually devote the majority of her resources to producing little offsets. The offsets will be the same size as the mother by the time the mother plant has totally given up, and the cycle will resume. Some species appear to prefer producing pups before the mother plant has bloomed, therefore a pupping plant does not always imply that the mother plant’s bloom has been misted! When an air plant begins to produce offspring, you have two options: divide the young air plants or allow the air plants to organically clump together. For further information, see our blog on Dividing Air Plant Pups.
What does air plant rot look like?
Detecting Rot Rot or fungus may have infected the base of your air plant, which appears brown and feels extremely soft/mushy to the touch. A rotting air plant may frequently lose leaves at its base and may begin to fall apart, or the air plant’s center may come out.
Should I cut off brown leaf tips?
Is it necessary to remove dead leaves? Yes. Remove brown and dead leaves as quickly as possible from your houseplants, but only if they’re more than 50% damaged. By removing these leaves, the remaining healthy foliage receives more nutrition and the plant’s beauty improves.
What is the lifespan of an air plant?
Air plants, often known as tillandsias, are perennial plants. This indicates they survive for an average of more than two years (source), with a lifespan ranging from two to five years. However, the length of time they live depends on the type of air plant as well as the growing conditions.
What happens when air plants turn brown?
It’s possible that your air plant is getting too much sun. While they prefer being in filtered sunlight, if they are exposed to direct sunlight all day, your plant may become sunburned and turn brown. Despite the fact that they are dubbed “air” plants, they nonetheless require weekly watering.
Why are my air plants rotting?
Rot usually begins as mushy purple or black areas around the plant’s base before spreading throughout. The leaves may begin to fall off quickly, or the plant’s center may fall off. An air plant that is rotting is usually an indication of too much water or humidity. Air plants thrive in arid conditions, and while they require frequent watering and enjoy air humidity levels of around 65 percent, they dislike being wet.
Depending on the species, you need only water your air plant once or twice a week. Soak your air plants in your sink for about half an hour, or until the water level is high enough to submerge them. Turn them over and let them dry for an hour or more to allow any contained moisture to drain. This is especially true of air plants in terrariums, as a lack of air circulation may trap moisture in the core, hastening the rot.
It’s also vital not to put air plants in other plants’ soil or on a pebble tray, as the frequent touch with a moist surface might induce rot.
In many circumstances, elder lower leaves of an air plant will turn dark and fall off naturally. The leaves of air plants that fall naturally will turn brown or yellow, but they will remain dry.
How do you save a rotting air plant?
It all comes down to watering, or more specifically, drainage, when an air plant is dying of rot. Air plants need to be misted or soaked in water to be alive, but they don’t want to be wet. It’s important to let the plant dry once it’s been soaked or misted. If the plant’s center remains damp, fungus will take hold and the plant will die.
After you’ve finished watering your air plant, tilt it so it can drain and leave it for four hours to completely dry. This can be done using a dish drainer or by upending the plant on a dish towel.