Isn’t it wonderful to know that your wonderful Tillandsia will one day generate their own baby air plants? The cutest part about these ‘baby’ air plants is that they’re called puppies.
Did you know that producing pups is the most popular technique for air plant enthusiasts to perpetuate their collections? That’s right, air plant enthusiasts everywhere can grow their own puppy nursery. Furthermore, the traits of the pups will always be identical to those of the mother plant.
All Tillandsia species will produce pups in a short period of time if the correct conditions are met. It’s simply a matter of understanding what to look for (nodes at the base of the mother plant) and when and how to separate the puppies from the mother plant. It’s also crucial to make sure that both the mother plant and the pups get enough sunlight and water.
Pups will begin to grow shortly after your plant’s first bloom cycle. It could take up to six months for your Tillandsia to bloom for the first time. It’s important to remember, however, that certain air plant species can take several years to blossom.
It’s only after your plants have bloomed that the magic begins to happen. At the bottom of your plant, you’ll see little nodes. This indicates that the baby plants have begun to arrive!
It’s critical that you continue to care for the mother plant as usual during this time. But always remember to be kind with the puppies. As they commence on their life’s path, they might be rather fragile.
Once the puppies have grown to about a fourth of the size of their mother plant, you’ll need to separate them.
Carefully lay the mother plant on its side and cut away the pups with a sharp kitchen knife or a good pair of garden sheers. After you’ve finished this procedure, you’ll be ready to start your own air plant farm!
Allow a couple of days for the cut-off point on both the mother plant and the youngster to harden off.
Your plants will begin to recover from their separation at this time. They may have developed a unique (lopsided) shape while growing up with their mother. In the coming months, your puppy’s shape and size will become more consistent. Plant food should not be used on puppies until they have been separated for at least three months, as they are extremely sensitive at this period. Maintain your normal watering schedule throughout this time.
One of the best things about air plants is how long they last and how easy they are to grow. They don’t require soil; all they require is some sunshine and water every now and again. It’s also simple to care for your air plant puppies, as you’ve seen. With a little TLC, you’ll have a litter of puppies in no time!
Take a peek at our collection of air plants to discover how lovely they (and their offspring) can be…
When can you separate baby air plants?
When people learn that their new air plants will eventually produce small baby air plants known as “pups,” they get ecstatic. Pups are the most convenient technique for air plant enthusiasts and nurserymen to propagate their plants. Plants produced by pups will always have the same traits as the mother plant. After blooming, Tillandsia produces small seeds, however seed germination requires a lot of patience, and as pollination requires other air plants, the germinated plants may not be genuine to the species.
After an air plant’s first bloom cycle, it begins to produce pups. An air plant’s initial bloom might take anywhere from 6 months to many years, depending on the species. The majority of the plants in our store will be grown and ready to bloom within 6 months after your purchase. You’ll find little growth nodes near the bottom of the parent plant when it blooms. Continue to care for the mother plant normally for the next few months until you notice the small pups. Take care not to injure the pups, since they are very fragile when they first begin to grow.
The puppies are ready to be separated when they are a quarter to half the size of the mother plant. Garden shears or a sharp kitchen knife are recommended for a clean cut. Cut the pups away from the mother plant by gently laying it on its side. Congratulations! Now is the time to create your own air plant farm! Allow the separation point on both the mother and the freshly separated pup to “harden off” for a few days after their first separation. Allow the plants to rest and the cut to heal before reintroducing them to the terrariums or watering them. This will assist to avoid rotting by inhibiting bacterial growth at the wound.
How do air plants make babies?
Tillandsia air plants reproduce in the same way that other flowering plants do. Flowers are produced, which lead to pollination and seed production. Offsets new, smaller plants known as pups are also produced by air plants.
Even if the plant hasn’t been pollinated, puppies will form. There will be no seeds if pollination does not occur. Birds, bats, insects, and the wind pollinate air plants in the wild. Some species can pollinate themselves, while others require pollination from other plants.
Can you cut air plants?
We all enjoy air plants since they’re low-maintenance, but like any other plant, you’ll want to trim or prune them from time to time to keep them looking their best. We get a lot of queries about how and when to trim these unusual plants, so we’ve compiled a list of suggestions to help you keep your air plants looking great and identify any problems.
As an air plant grows or acclimates to a new or changing environment, it is natural for it to lose some leaves while producing new ones. Some dead leaves are natural in any living plant, and they don’t necessarily indicate that yours has a problem. You might notice some wilted or dried-up leaves around the base of your air plant, which you can remove by gently pushing on them. When removing dead leaves, however, be cautious since a pup may be growing beneath one of them; in this instance, it’s best to keep the leaf on until the pup has grown to about 1/3 the size of the mother plant and can be securely removed.
At the base of this Tillandsia ionantha, a little pup develops beneath some leaves.
You may notice a small browning on the leaf tips of your airplant. This could be a sign of too much light or insufficient water. This is very widespread in the more affluent areas “ionatha and argentea are examples of “wispy” forms. These browning tips can be carefully trimmed away without hurting the plants. A good rule of thumb is to tilt the scissors and trim the air plant leaf at an angle rather than straight across for a more natural look. If the leaves of your air plants are browning or curling, it may be a sign that they require more water and/or less light, therefore we also recommend “Listening to your air plants and making adjustments to your care as needed. Depending on the amount of water given and the type of climate they are in, some xeric cultivars, such as xerographica and streptophylla, can naturally have curly leaves (read our post on mesic vs xeric air plants).
The leaves of the Tillandsia xerographica will naturally curl and cascade, depending on their moisture, surroundings, and how they are presented.
Air plants, like any live plants, are prone to have a broken or damaged leaf now and then.
These plants are still fully healthy, and the damaged leaves can be cut at an angle to give them a cleaner appearance.
When trimming or pruning your air plant’s leaves, be careful not to cut too much of the length of the healthy leaves. While the air plant is resistant and tolerant, cutting the leaves too short reduces the surface area available for the plant to absorb nutrients.
Tillandsia (air plants) are epiphytes, which means they get their nourishment from trichomes on their leaves and anchor themselves to a tree limb or rock with their roots. Because their roots aren’t employed for nutrient absorption, they don’t require them to survive. When used as houseplants, these roots can be trimmed for aesthetic reasons or used to assist anchor the plant on a wreath or frame. If you do decide to trim the roots, make sure you just cut into the roots and not the base of the air plant.
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.
Do air plants produce pups?
Check out the size of this Tillandsia streptophylla pup that we recently removed from its mother plant it’s huge and healthy!
After an air plant has completed its bloom cycle, it will produce offsets, or new plants “pups” if the right conditions are met. The offsets grow in a variety of ways depending on the Tillandsia species, with some air plants producing pups around the base or root system and others sprouting them from beneath one of but it really serves as protection for the young Tillandsia pup that has sprouted beneath it.
After blooming, air plants produce one to three pups on average. Some kinds can produce a large number of offspring.
When the offsets have grown to reach about 1/3 the size of the mother plant, gently remove them from the mother. The pup will then progress through its own lifecycle, becoming larger and eventually flowering and generating its own offsets if given the correct conditions and care. Gently tug on the pup’s base while supporting the mother plant to remove it. If you have to use too much force to separate an offset that is ready to be removed, we recommend leaving it in tact.
If the offsets are not separated from the mother air plant, they will continue to create a clump “clump” that has the potential to get quite large. The manner you keep them will influence the shape to some extent; for example, hanging clumping ionantha air plants will allow the pups to grow 360 degrees and finally form a spherical clump. These air plant clumps can create several blooms if the conditions are correct, as the individual pups progress through adulthood, finally flowering and producing their own pups.
Following the blooming process, air plants produce offsets, or pups. At some point throughout their lives, all Tillandsia will go through this process, however some types, such as the xerographica air plant, are significantly slower to bloom and produce pups. Tillandsia require plenty of light (the level and intensity that your air plant prefers can vary according on type), water, and air flow to grow during the blooming process and generate offsets. To speed up the blooming process and pup production, you can use a fertilizer specifically developed for Tillandsia (such as this one), but bear in mind that fertilizer should be used in moderation and does not replace adequate care or circumstances.
In our articles about the air plant blooming process and what happens after the bloom, you’ll learn about what happens before an air plant produces pups.
How do you multiply air plants?
Remove offsets, or pups, that develop from the mother plant’s base for the quickest way to propagate your air plant. After the plant’s bloom cycle, one to three puppies will arise. You may choose to leave the pups on the mother plant to form an air plant cluster, depending on the appearance you’re looking for.
Can air plants regrow?
Don’t worry if you damage your plants when grooming; they’ll grow back. Once a month, we recommend using our Grow More Air Plants and Bromeliad Fertilizer.
How do you make air plants grow bigger?
If you want to give your plants a boost, fertilize them once a month in addition to watering them regularly. This will encourage faster growth, blooming, and pup production. Check out and buy our specially designed Tillandsia fertilizer to boost the growth of your air plant!
Be patient with your plants; they will thrive if you provide them with enough light, water, and air movement. When the seasons change, such as in the summer or winter, you need adjust your care routine. You should have a healthy air plant that produces blooms and puppies in no time! Perhaps you’ll grow a giant specimen air plant as well!
Does air reproduce?
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!