Where To Order Air Plants

Air plants are one of nature’s many wonders and by far one of the most unusual plant species. We will discuss what they are, how to best care for them, how to display them, and our top three favorites in this journal.

A Brief Overview

Tillandsia, the Latin word for air plants, are indigenous to South and Central America’s mountains, deserts, and woods, and certain varieties can even be found in the southern United States. Air plants grow on and around trees because they are epiphytic, but they are not parasitic. Instead, they absorb nutrients from the air and sporadic rainfall through their leaves. Their leaves have layers of trichomes, which are small, hair-like structures that are silver in color and help the plants easily absorb water. Unexpectedly, the tiny roots that air plants have serve to hold the plant to a surface rather than to absorb nutrition. It’s normal practice to trim the roots off of plants before bringing them indoors for a cleaner appearance.

Life Cycle

Air plants have a predictable life cycle, in contrast to many other tropical indoor plants. Years after reaching maturity, the air plant will blossom, with the majority of the blooms featuring extremely strong violets, pinks, reds, and oranges. After they have blossomed, the mother air plant will gradually start to generate offshoots known as “pups.” You can carefully remove these pups, which will grow into new, healthy air plants once they are roughly one-third the size of the mother plant. Following this stage, the mother plant will gradually start to die, leaving behind a sizable number of baby air plants, and the cycle will then begin again.

Care

You can be sure that air plants don’t require (or even particularly appreciate) that kind of harsh, direct sunlight, despite the fact that some of them may resemble succulents, cacti, and other light-loving plants in appearance. In their natural environment, air plants grow around the shaded canopies of trees, so they prefer bright indirect light [learn more about lighting here] when placed indoors.

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 giving the air plant its weekly wash, gently shake it out to get rid of any extra water that may have gotten between its leaves. Before returning your air plant to its normal position, turn it upside down for a couple of hours to let any remaining water drain from the plant. By doing this, your air plant’s risk of developing rot is significantly reduced. Your air plant will have a longer, happier life if you follow these maintenance advice.

Ways to Display

Because air plants don’t require soil (i.e., a container) to survive, one of its most intriguing characteristics is that they may be placed almost anyplace. They can be displayed in a transparent glass container with pea gravel to support them or left alone on a desk or countertop to give off a more natural appearance. There are countless options.

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This tiny T. tectorum specimen resembles a fuzzy snowball. Because of the abundance of its silvery trichomes, it can tolerate extreme heat and drought.

T. xerogrpahica: These air plants, sometimes known as the queen of the air plants, can grow to be quite large. They form a rosette and have long, silvery-green leaves that spiral around one another.

T. streptophylla: This air plant, which is bulbous and has ringlet-like leaves, curls more tightly the longer it goes without water.

I hope this post has helped you learn a little bit more about air plants. They are wonderful plants that everyone ought to use. Please feel free to ask any more questions regarding them in the section below.

Which air plants are the best?

How can air plants be obtained?

Here are 5 easy guidelines to remember when taking care of tillandsia:

1) Give your air plant regular waterings. You will need to regularly water your airplant.
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.

Will air plants endure transport?

The care of air plants is simple and they are highly hardy. We have observed them surviving for up to two weeks without light or water in a shipping box (Do not try that at home). You should open the package as soon as your new air plants are delivered. As with all plants, air plants require light, air, and water. We ship them using Priority Mail, which delivers packages in 2 to 3 days.

You should soak your air plants in room-temperature water for 20 to 60 minutes to reduce the stress of transportation. Simply place the plants totally submerged in a dish of clean water. Municipal water frequently contains chemicals like fluoride or chlorine. Your air plants will thrive if you have well water, pond water, creek water, or rain water. Spring water in bottles is another option. Use tap water instead of distilled water since it has more nutrients and minerals that air plants need. Since air plants do not require soil to survive, all of their nutrients, light, and moisture are obtained through their leaves.

Your air plants’ leaves may have a white, fuzzy coating, especially after a thorough soaking. Trichomes is the name for them. Trichomes, which are tiny protrusions on the leaves, are what the plants use to absorb water and nutrients. They are not a fungus or a mold.

After soaking, take your air plants out of the water, carefully shake off the excess water, and then spread the plants out so they may dry completely before being placed in a display. The best spot to let them dry and soak up some sunlight is on a lovely sunny window sill. Avoid placing your air plants in the sun’s direct rays. They prefer direct, bright sunlight. Allowing your air plants to dry completely is crucial if you intend to place them in a glass terrarium, a wall hanging display, or any other type of enclosure (or in a hole to stand them up). Your plants are less likely to rot if you let the air plants completely dry.

Within an hour or two, your air plants ought to be dry. After they have dried, place them where they will receive a lot of bright, indirect sunlight. They will quickly dry out if you place them in the sunshine. Your air plants often simply require a weekly 30-minute soak in water. In addition to the soak, you might need to spritz them with water once a week if they are in an extremely dry or heated area. If their leaves start to curl, that is a sign that they are becoming too dry. If you observe this happening, give them a nice bath. Despite their name, air plants require a little bit more than just air to survive.

Spraying them with water two or three times a week would enough if you are unable to let your air plants soak in a bowl of water while they are on display.

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).

Which air plant is the most beautiful?

You must already be aware that because air plants are epiphytes, they may grow without soil. And if that wasn’t intriguing enough, these plants are even more remarkable because their roots are hidden! But hold on, read about some of the greatest Types of Air Plants on this list before you buy some of them.

Tillandsia ionantha

One of the most well-known types of air plants, it is also referred to as the sky plant. During its final days of life, it produces vivid blossoms, and the glossy, greenish-silver leaves adds to its beauty. It thrives in a tropical climate and has short stems because it is a bromeliad.

What kind of air plant is the simplest to grow?

Harris’s Tillandsia
Caput-Medusa Tillandsia
The Tillandsia ionantha
fuchsii Tillandsia
Tectorum-type Tillandsia
Streptophylla Tillandsia
Tillandsia aerophylla
Capital Tillandsia
Tillandsia spp.
Byzantium butzii
Twig-leaved Tillandsia

#1: Tillandsia harrisii

The air plant Tillandsia harrisii has rosette-shaped leaves that are soft and fuzzy and have a silvery color. You shouldn’t have any trouble locating them for sale, like here, as they are generally accessible. This fuzzy air plant is a member of the xeric group, which originates from hotter regions of the earth.

This would imply that T. harrisii doesn’t require a lot of watering and can survive if you neglect it occasionally. For newcomers and busy individuals, that is excellent news. Your plant needs watering if you notice that it’s less fuzzy and seems dry.

Additionally, because T. harrisii prefers bright light, you can place it close to a window or ledge where it will receive indirect light the majority of the day and bright, unfiltered light in the morning and afternoon. Use fluorescent lights similar to these in a workplace or throughout the winter (that applies for all air plants).

What air plant has the fastest rate of growth?

They come in a huge range of color combinations in addition to different sizes. You can get plants with soft green hues as well as other vibrant varieties with blazing reds, pinks, and purples. There are two primary types of air plants, xeric and mesic, as was already mentioned. Fuzzy texture and subdued silver and green color tones define xeric air plants. The texture and color of mesic air plants are smoother and more vibrant. Discover some of the most well-liked air plant varieties by reading on.

Tillandsia cyanea (Pink Quill)

The distinctive bright pink feather-like flower that gives the pink quill air plant its name. The pink quill plant’s ability to grow in soil and perform as well when grown in soil or in the air is another element that sets it apart from other plants. Flowers will periodically blossom on the gorgeous pink quill, but they will only survive a few days, and the quill can only hold two flowers at once.

Tillandsia usneoides (Spanish Moss)

Spanish moss has a lengthy, stringy texture that makes it stand out from the other types of air plant variations. The plant creates a beautiful ethereal image when draped over tree branches in its natural habitat. Spanish moss is not really Spanish. French explorers gave it the moniker because they felt it resembled the beard of a Spanish Conquistador.

Tillandsia bulbosa

The bulbous roots of the bulbosa stand in stark contrast to its spindly bracts. This plant creates a symbiotic relationship with ants when growing outside. The plant consumes the ant waste while the ants find refuge in the bulbs. An added benefit is that this type thrives in dim lighting. The disadvantage of Tillandsia bulbosoa is that if it is not properly dried after watering, water can easily become trapped in the base and cause root rot.

Tillandsia aeranthos bergeri

Every spring, this cultivar blooms, displaying lovely pink and purple flowers. When compared to other types, Tillandsia aeranthos bergeri produces pups far more quickly, making it a fantastic choice for someone who enjoys plant propagation. In comparison to other Tillandsia houseplant kinds, it is also a larger variety of air plant; they can reach heights of roughly six to nine inches.

Could you simply sprinkle the plants?

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!