In their native habitat, they attach to trees, rocks, or nestle into nooks between branches and simply thrive! I know, I know—glass terrariums are adorable, but air plants need circulation of, you know, air. It varies, but a several-hour dunking once a week has killed none, and they’re all thriving. Happy growing! If the air in your home is warm and dry, water the air plant at least weekly. If artificial light is their primary light source, plan to keep it on for about 12 hours per day in order to provide sufficient light. Read more…. With a little preparation and some care, you can learn how to take care of your house plants and keep them looking beautiful. Please leave your valid email address below. I know you thought you’d be fine just spritzing your tilly every few days, but that isn’t … Personally, we have found that Tillandsia Xerographica, Stricta, Aeranthos, and Ionantha to be the most low-maintenance hardy air plant varieties. When it comes to indoor plant care, air plants (Tillandsia) are supposed to be some of the easiest. Watering your plant is simple: Air plants can be grown indoors if given the right care. No matter the watering method used, your air plants will be most healthy if they’re provided non-chlorinated water if possible. Air plants do not have standard roots like other plants. Provide humidity for your air plants. Heavy ones will need extra support with wire or twine. To care for an air plant that lives inside a terrarium, follow the same guidance as provided above for all other air plants. Mist your air plant using a spray bottle two or three times a week, as well. You use a … Before displaying it “After purchasing your new air plant, you need to give it its first watering – you can dunk your plant in water or mist with rainwater,” Andrew Gavin from Andy’s Air Plants, exhibiting at RHS Flower Show Tatton Park (18 – 22 July 2018), said.. 2. Any purchases made through affiliate links are, Harvesting Fresh Lavender: How to Harvest, Prune & Dry Lavender Flowers, How & Why to Feed Seedlings Seaweed Extract, Pilot Playlist – 101 of the Best Tunes to H&C to. Moisture – Even though air plants don’t need to be watered often, they do need some moisture or they will shrivel and eventually die. Required fields are marked *. How do you take care of an air plant? How to care for air plants. There aren’t many plants that are easier or more to take care of than an air plant. Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, such as Amazon links. They’re almost zero-maintenance, but a little care will help them live their  best lives. When overwatered, the body of the air plant will become soft, rotten, and probably discolored. Some of our air plants live on our fireplace mantle. Air plants are prone to getting a bit “fried” in direct sunlight, especially when it is amplified through a glass window or terrarium. Organic Gardening | Real Food | Natural Health | Good Vibes. There are multiple ways to water an air plant. Perfect timing! Yet an occasional feeding will make an air plant exceptionally happy! Always take care to gently shake any excess water off the base of the plants, as sitting water can cause rot and damage/kill the plant. I may make a small commission from purchases made through some of those links, at no extra cost to you. Hopefully with these air plant care tips, you can help your new friends live their best life. I know because y’all tell me. Turn the air plant upside down and shake it gently to drain off excess water. However, they are not parasitic since they do not harm or draw energy from the host. Lol, not to excite in your plight – but I love a good “ah-ha” moment that makes you feel ready to try again. Airplants might just be the easiest plant you'll ever grow. I beg to differ! Hey! Water. After you've unpacked your plants and spent sufficient time marveling at their unique beauty (and possibly giving them names), give them a good soak in a water bath (submerged in the water) for about 20-30 … Thank you for the information! On the other hand, if you live in a humid climate you can likely get away with watering only every-other-week. Partially true, this often occurs because they don’t know the best way to take care of air plants to help them thrive. Because this is probably the number one mistake made in air plant care. | Updated November 19, 2020, Low Light Houseplants for Darker Homes and Offices. Get one year of Sunset—and all kinds of bonuses—for just $24.95. It depends, really… Do you run a fan or open a window to allow some air flow in there? I always intend to follow the advice Airplant Man gave me to soak them overnight. In an enclosed environment, a microclimate is created within the terrarium. However, you’ll want to take special care when watering blooming air plants not to get the flower wet, so we recommend that instead of dunking or soaking the whole plant, you dunk, mist, or hold under gently flowing water only the portions of the air plant that allow you to avoid wetting the bloom. Tillandsias, also known as air plants, are a genus of over 600 different species of epiphytes – plants that do not grow in soil. Generally speaking, smaller terrariums will become more humid and stagnant than larger ones. Depending on the variety of the plant, it may need to be watered only once every one or two weeks, as well. How to Take Care of Air Plants. However, keep in mind that while our climate isn’t particularly “humid”, it definitely is not dry. Spray your plant a few times every day. Air plants need just slightly more care than that. Submerge the plants and leave them for half an hour. Air plants lack a functional root system. These easy to take care of plants are a great way to light up the room with nature!. Happy holidays. Their root system is truly short and only used to hold on to a surface. Happy Sunday! It can be very sad when a beloved or big old air plant gets to this stage, but know that it is simply part of their natural lifecycle. I will only link to products I know and believe in! Shake off any excess water and put them in a bright spot for at least 4 hours. Air Plants are not only interesting, but they're so easy to take care of. For example, if you run a forced air heating system in the winter that may be more drying. Place the plants face down in a bowl, sink, or container and lets soak for 10-20 minutes. If you enjoyed this article, please leave a comment or share it to spread the love. 2 | KEEP THEM UPSIDE DOWN Our shower makes the whole room get a slight mist (even with fan on and window open). As you know they aren’t the cheapest to replace! If you do opt to fertilize your Fuego, you should use a water-soluble fertilizer made specifically for Tillandsias. Now offering Organic Sourdough Starter! Let’s talk about a few common mistakes in air plant care, considerations for mounted or terrarium air plants, and the ultimate goal: how to not kill your air plants. Follow air plant care instructions in the package to soak your air plants once a week in water for 30 minutes. Once a week, submerge air plants in water and let them sit there for hours. Your email address will not be published. So if you regularly fed your tillandsia to get it to produce pups, you could gently separate them before the mother dies and there is a chance she may produce more, or produce several at once. We keep our air plants in the brightest rooms of our house. There are two different methods you can use to water your air plant: misting or soaking. Their poor little cores will rot if they don’t get to drain and dry out! If they cannot be removed for some reason, you can mist directly into the terrarium but pay extra attention to the moisture level inside. For example, some of our air plants are mounted on wreaths, boards, or cork in a manner that prevents me from fully submerging or otherwise soaking them – and they’re doing just fine! I was letting it soak too long and not allowing enough dry time. Let them soak for about half an hour, then turn them upside down on a towel to let them drain. My child made me a small ceramic wall planter with a very tiny space for a plant and I bought a little baby Tillandsia to go inside. The ideal temperature range for air plants to thrive is 55 to 90°F, though they are hardy down to about 45 degrees. They are so beautiful and unique. After watering your air plant, do not simply set it back in its home. That definitely helps! I just got two small air plants to be the guinea pigs for the spot… so hopefully, if all goes well, there will be lots more in our bathroom. I am obsessed with your site! Air plants absorb the Carbon Dioxide from the air at night instead of the day time. Would they get enough sunlight? I’ll admit, we’ve killed a few over the years too! Air plants prefer bright indirect light. Standard incandescent bulbs don’t emit the quality of light that air plants need to photosynthesize. Flip them upside down (root side up) on a towel in sunlight and let them dry completely (usually for one to three hours). Yay! Allow the air plant to soak in the water for only a few minutes – 5 to 10 minutes is plenty. With our cool summers and foggy coastal influence, we water our air plants every two weeks 80% of the time, adjusting to more frequently during rare hot weather or extra-dry conditions. Although most Air plants don’t need fertilization, if you want to go out of your way to give your plant some extra nutrients, it’s not a bad idea at all. And it’s from that point onwards that their activity of growth will stretch out over the span of the next 3-5 years.. Now there are several different species of Air Plant, here’s just a few common ones for you to be able to identify which one is yours to get you started: Visit our Shop menu for more details. Here’s how to take care of an air plant. Use the fan to increase air circulation in the area, but don’t necessarily point it directly on the plants. We’ll talk about how much and how often in just a moment. Terrarium air plants may require less frequent water than other “open-housed” air plants. However, if you find that your air plants are not drying fast enough, you can help speed up the process by using a fan nearby. Pay attention here! I hope this article helped prepare and excite you to jump in! They’re actually part of the Bromeliad family, which includes other members who enjoy a soil-free lifestyle – such as orchids and Spanish moss. Get yourself a copy of Air Plants: The Curious World of Tillandsias. . I hope that helps! From left to right: Tillandsia caput-medusae, T. streptophylla hybrid, T. magnusiana (Caitlin Atkinson). It is actually easier to kill them by overwatering than under-watering, since air plants are prone to rotting if allowed to sit in standing water for too long. Take them out of the terrarium to water and fully dry, and then put them back. Air plants can survive without additional fertilizer, especially if rain water or other fresh water is used to water them. At least you get new babies from the process! I hope that helps! #turmeric #growyourownmedicine #, Sourdough pancakes: more delicious and nutrit, You want the honest truth? Keep in touch with our weekly newsletter and receive a FREE digital, printable garden planning toolkit! One of the many awesome things about air plants is that they can be mounted to surfaces such as cork, boards, trees, branches, wreaths, or other decorative structures. Note: Some air plants have a more dense bulbous body than others. Worms are a “living soil amendment”, says Cornell University, and a key component to the vitality of our garden! The short answer is yes, grow lights can be used to provide supplemental light for air plants – or serve as their only source of light! SUNSET is a registered trademark For starters, they don’t even need soil, absorbing water and nutrients through scales on their leaves—in the wild they survive just hanging onto the bark of trees and whatnot, catching whatever bit of rain and bird poop that comes their way. Make sure your air plant has lots of sunlight☀️. How to Care for Air Plants? Instead, I either heavily mist them or only quickly dunk them. I also know because I see a lot of parched, browning air plants that are clearly dying of thirst. Meaning, don’t plan to keep them right in a windowsill unless it receives filtered light, or possibly only gentle morning sun. 1. Instead, you’ll need to lightly mist the leaves of the plant using water or water with a nutrient mixture. The plant’s short roots do not absorb liquid or nutrients like standard fauna. For example, if you’re able to use collected rain water or pond water, or at least run tap water through a basic charcoal filter to remove chlorine first. In often cases, most Air Plants take numerous months of care for their seeds to sprout. Thanks for tuning in! Air plants are a stunning and unique addition to any house plant collection! Do you think that would be good for airplants or would small daily mist from the shower be too much? A tapestry of Tillandsia (Caitlin Atkinson). For lush-looking plants that earn you bragging rights (such as being known as the “air plant whisperer, for example), feed your plants once a month by adding fertilizer to the water mix. Almost all of the adora. Don’t have air plants at home yet? Read along to learn how to take care of air plants, including tips for water, light, airflow, and fertilizer. I know you thought you’d be fine just spritzing your tilly every few days, but that isn’t enough. Everyone always gets excited when they hear that their new air plants will eventually start to produce little baby air plants called "pups". Like I mentioned above, air plants can easily rot and die if they’re left with a “soggy bottom”. However, caring for air plants can be a bit mysterious and even frustrating for new air plant parents. Best Houseplants: 9 Indoor Plants for Low Light. Air plants living in more arid conditions will benefit from a deeper soaking routine instead. Perfect timing! Oh chickens... always keeping us on our toes! I’m all about simple living, real food, and everything plants. So, how can you tell if you’re providing enough water, or perhaps too much? 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