Pistils Nursery sells Bulbosa Air Plants in small and large sizes, with prices ranging from $6 to $20 depending on the size.
Where do you find air plants?
Air plants are one of nature’s numerous oddities, and they are by far one of the most peculiar sorts of plants. We’ll look at what they are, how to care for them, how to display them, and our top three favorites in this journal.
A Brief Overview
Air plants, also known by their Latin name, Tillandsia, are native to South and Central America’s mountains, deserts, and woods, with some types being found in the southern United States. Air plants are epiphytic, meaning they grow on and around trees rather than being parasitic. Instead, they get their nutrition from the air and the occasional rain that falls on their leaves. Their leaves have trichomes, which are small silvery hair-like components that assist them to absorb water quickly. Air plants have very little roots that, strangely, do not take in nutrients and are instead employed to anchor the plant to a surface. When bringing them indoors, it’s normal to clip the roots off to give them a cleaner appearance.
Life Cycle
Air plants, unlike many other tropical houseplants, have a predictable life cycle. The air plant will bloom after several years of maturation, with the majority of the blooms consisting of extremely strong violets, pinks, reds, and oranges. The mother air plant will progressively begin to produce offshoots known as “pups” after they have blossomed. These pups can be gently removed once they reach about one-third the size of the mother plant and will grow into fresh, viable air plants. The mother plant will gradually die after this stage, leaving a large number of baby air plants behind, and the cycle will begin all over again.
Care
While some air plants resemble succulents, cacti, and other light-loving plants, you may rest confident that they don’t require (or even appreciate) that much direct sunlight. Air plants prefer bright indirect light when brought indoors because they thrive in the shade of trees in their natural environment.
Contrary to popular belief, air plants do need water to survive and can’t thrive on air alone.
Once a week, immerse your air plant in water for about an hour. After the air plant has had its weekly bath, gently shake it out to remove any extra water that may have become trapped between its leaves. Allow any remaining water to drain from your air plant by turning it upside down for a couple of hours before returning it to its normal position. This significantly reduces the likelihood of your air plant developing rot. Your air plant will have a longer, happier life if you follow these care instructions.
Ways to Display
One of the most fascinating aspects about air plants is that they don’t require soil (read: a container) to survive, allowing them to be planted almost anywhere. You may use them to create a natural aesthetic by placing them beside pieces of wood and rock, putting them in transparent glass with pea gravel to prop them up, or simply displaying them on a countertop or desk as is. The options are limitless.
Where is the best place to put an air plant?
All air plants are native to tropical areas where freezing and frost are unheard of. Is it necessary to keep them at temperatures that you are comfortable in without wearing a sweater? Temperatures are usually in the 60s and higher. Place them away from air conditioner vents and drafty winter windows.
Air plants need at least a few hours of bright, indirect sunlight per day to thrive. It’s best to put it within 1 to 3 feet of an east- or west-facing window, or within a foot or two of a light source. They may have hotter, more direct sun and longer exposure if you keep them well watered. Avoid places that are dimly lighted.
How do you care for air plants in Malaysia?
They thrive under a bright, non-direct light source, or within one meter of an open window if you’re indoors. The ideal way to hydrate air plants is to immerse them in filtered water for 30 minutes to several hours once a week; the longer you soak them, the more moisture they can absorb.
Can you buy air plants online?
Online retailers such as Amazon, Etsy, and eBay sell air plants. Online purchases are normally delivered fast, and because they are supplied directly from the seller, they are in excellent condition. The disadvantage of purchasing plants online is that you cannot physically touch them or browse the inventory to determine the best one for you, but most vendors make it simple to select and decide.
Because plants are immersed in a sand-filled pot, shipping them can be difficult. To avoid a mess, the plant suppliers just ship everything in separate containers. When the pot and the soil arrive, for example, they are in separate containers. Because air plants are lightweight, they do not require soil to develop and do not create a lot of mess; you can just transfer them to the pot after you receive them.
Amazon
Various plant providers on Amazon promise healthy and attractive plants. These plants normally come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, which means you can always return them and get your money back if you don’t like them or don’t get what you expected. The majority of Amazon orders arrive in 1 to 3 days, which is not a lengthy time at all. All plant orders include detailed care instructions so you can properly care for your plant.
Etsy
On Etsy, several sellers sell air plants in 5-packs. These air plants can be kept in terrariums or displayed in your garden. You don’t have to feel overwhelmed when purchasing air plants. Keep the plants out of direct sunlight and spray them once or twice a week.
Another online retailer with a choice of air plants to pick from is Etsy. Reliable Etsy vendors go out of their way to make your online purchasing experience as pleasant as possible. If you are dissatisfied with your order, you can always place a new one because they have a variety of possibilities.
If an online retailer does not have a plant that you like, let them know and they may be able to refill it for you.
eBay
eBay is another major internet purchasing destination. eBay has a number of providers who can delivery your order quickly. The issue with eBay, though, is that you may not always get what you see online.
If the plant you got does not include blooms of various colors, you may have to wait a bit for the flowers to blossom and care for the air plant. The majority of orders include helpful PDFs that go through plant maintenance in great detail. These publications cover all you need to know about air plants, from how to care for them to how to exhibit them.
How long do air plants last?
Blooms of air plants have a variety of lifespans, ranging from a few days to 2-4 weeks. However, the flowers of certain larger air plants, such as t.xerographica, can endure for up to a year.
If you want your air plant’s bloom to remain longer, avoid soaking it or watering it at all. The bloom of an air plant cannot absorb water, therefore watering it will cause it to wilt quickly.
Tillandsias only flower once in their lives, after which they produce pups and die. Blooming usually occurs within 1-2 years of receiving it, but this can vary.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please see this resource page if you want to learn more about air plant care.
How do you pick air plants?
When you visit a nursery, you can usually get a sense of how well the plants are doing. There should be no weeds, the lawn should be green, and each plant should be free of flaws.
Foliage:
There are many different varieties of leaves available for air plants. Some are bright and shining, while others have a velvety texture. Some are green, while others are more silvery green; some are shiny and smooth, while others have a velvety texture.
Here are some examples of healthy air plants and how they differ from one another.
Any plants that are fading or have brown leaves, or that appear dry along the edges, should be avoided.
When you crush the leaves, are they firm but malleable, or do they create a crunching sound? The plants should be bushy and even in appearance, with leaves that are well spaced and well filled out.
How long do air plants take to grow?
Air plants don’t grow quickly in fact, they grow slowly. Air plants that are cultivated from seeds need at least a month to germinate, and then 4-8 years to mature into larger plants. For the first 2-3 years or so, their growth will be particularly modest.
Most people propagate air plants from pups, but it takes 2-4 years for pups to mature into mature plants. When you acquire medium-sized air plants, they usually grow for a few years before producing pups (offsets). When the pups have grown to half their original size, they can be detached from the parent plant.
The parent plant will blossom for the first (and only) time during this time, following which it will begin to create pups. This is the point at which your tillandsia is ready to reproduce. The parent plant begins to deteriorate once the pups are born.
You can keep the parent plant without separating the puppies if you choose; this will eventually make a lovely cluster. Consider this: air plants only flower once in their lives, after a few years of development. After that, the parent plant produces pups, and its life is done.
It will take 12-16 months for you to notice substantial growth if you have just purchased a new plant. You should see blossoming after 1-3 years.
Air plants bloom from early spring to mid-summer, and then again from early autumn to late autumn. During the winter and during the peak summer months, they will show little to no growth.
Does air plants need sun?
Air plants make excellent office plants since they demand indirect light, which they can get either through a window or artificially with full spectrum fluorescent lights.
Of course, there are exceptions to everything in nature. Some silver-leafed air plants can withstand more direct sunshine than others. One of the few tillandsias that can tolerate full light is the enormous Xerographica air plant (read more about the Xerographica here).
We propose that you experiment with varied lighting circumstances for your air plants to observe how they respond. Where have you seen the best success with your air plants? What hasn’t worked for your air plants in terms of lighting?
What kind of water do you use for air plants?
On our Facebook page, we get a lot of queries on how to water air plants, so I wanted to elaborate a little. While Tillandsia (also known as air plants) are easier to care for than many other plant kinds, they do require some upkeep and TLC, and water plays an important role in their overall health. Here are some of the most common questions we hear about watering air plants, along with our answers:
This is mostly determined by your climate and where you keep the air plants, as well as the Tillandsia species (learn more about mesic vs. xeric air plants here) and the type of environment in which it grows in nature. We reside in Tampa, FL, so it’s very humid here for the majority of the year, and we don’t run the heat in our house during the winter like our friends up North (I’m not trying to rub it in!). We water our plants twice a week on average, but individuals who live in drier climes will need to water more frequently. Depending on the time of year, you may discover that you need to water your plants less. It also depends on where you keep them in your house or office. A humid bathroom will keep the plants moist, but those near an air vent or heat source will need to be watered more frequently. (Please note that keeping your plants near heat sources is not recommended.)
Note that, while humidity might slow the drying process, it is not a suitable watering method in and of itself!
Again, you’ll want to adapt your watering methods based on your climate and air plant species, but we recommend soaking your plants in water at least once a week for MOST air plants and settings. You can use anything that allows you to totally submerge the air plants, such as a bowl, bucket, or your sink. Soak them for 30-60 minutes at least once a week, and every other week if you live in a dry area, give them a longer soak for an hour or more. If you live in a humid environment or have a xeric air plant, you may want to cut the soak time in half.
After bathing, make sure the air plants are completely dry. Turn them over and softly shake them, or lay them out to dry with the leaves down. Allowing water to remain in the leaves can cause the plants to decay. The plants should be placed in an area with sufficient air circulation and should be able to dry entirely in 4 hours. If your plants are housed in a globe or terrarium, ensure sure they are thoroughly dry before bringing them back home!
You’ll notice how wide and open the leaves are after soaking them, and how much more “happy” they appear. This is how a properly hydrated air plant should seem! If the color turns slightly dull and the leaves begin to close/curl over time, this is an indication that your Tillandsia is thirsty, and you should give them another soak. If your air plant is in desperate need of water, soak it for several hours or overnight to see if you can rehydrate it. Before soaking or spraying them again, make sure they have a chance to dry thoroughly.
It’s also a good idea to spray the plants in between waterings. If you live in a dry area, this might be a terrific method to keep plants healthy and offer them some additional attention. Unless you have one of the few varieties of air plants that like low moisture, such as the T. tectorum (which we only propose misting) or the T. xerographica, misting is not a substitute for a proper soak (which we recommend dunking instead of soaking).
When it comes to water, air plants aren’t picky, and most tap water is good, but it all depends on the water quality in your location. Because these waters are more nutrient-dense, the best water to use is rain water, aquarium water, or pond water (note: if using one of these waters, don’t add any additional fertilizer). If you’re using tap water, let it out for a few hours to allow the chlorine to disperse (maybe 24 hours in some areas.)
Do not use distilled water because it is too “clean” for these plants and will deprive them of the nutrients they require. Also, avoid using artificially softened water because it contains too much salt for Tillandsia.
We recommend soaking your air plants in the morning to ensure that they dry completely throughout the day, as well as because air plants utilize the evening to breathe carbon dioxide and will be unable to do so if they are wet in the evenings.
This is known as CAM, and you can learn more about it in our page on how air plants breathe. You can check on them before going to bed and put them back in their terrariums or displays if you expose them to some indirect sunlight.
These are the most frequently asked questions about watering air plants. Did we respond to your question? If you’re not sure, just ask! Are you looking for more information on how to care for air plants? Visit our Air Plant Care page for more information.