The post last week on my new Tillandsia or Air plant raised quite a few questions on how to take care of it. So I thought why not do a quick post on my weekly air plant routine.
The air plant is what I consider a misnomer. Unlike what the name suggests they need much more than just air to survive. Being part of the bromeliad they attach themselves to trees or rocks and absorb moisture and nutrients through their leaves. This means that they need water and that too not just mists. I learned this the hard way, by killing a small Tillandsia 11 years ago. The instructions that came with it said to mist it once or twice a week. Doesn’t work! So what I do you do?
- Once every week soak the plants, leaves, roots n all in luke warm water for about 40 mins to 1 hr. The only exception is if the plant has a flower, in which case you should try your best to keep the flower above the water. So far I’ve found the weekly soaking schedule works in our home. In winter if the heat is on round the clock you may need to soak it every 4 days or so. The leaves should feel soft and supple to touch. When the plant starts to dry out you can feel the leaves becoming wilty (if that is even a word).
- When the soaking time is up dry the plant on a paper towel till it is completely dry (see first pic). This may take up to 4-5 hrs depending on the humidity inside your home.
- Once it is completely dry you can perch it back to its container or spot. Returning it back to its perch before it is completely dry will result in rot.
- When choosing spots or containers for the air plants make sure that there is ample room for air circulation around the roots. Again a tight damp corner increases chances of rotting.
- For the same reason hot gluing the plant to a piece of drift wood (a very common practice) might not be a good idea unless you can submerge the piece of wood in water too weekly.
- Also keep them away from direct sunlight and or the window sill or doors where they might be hit with cold drafts. They are a warm weather plant and prefer temperatures above 45°F.
So who is heading out to get an air plant? Or did you already get one?
As much as I am tempted to go out and find one…I know that my luck with plants are minimal. The air plant looks super cool though!
Anu, Try your luck with this one. It is hard to kill these.
Vidya
Hehe – You and I are on the same wavelength! I’m obsessed with these babies right now. I’m going to try the soaking method, I’ve never had an air plant but I’ve had pretty good success with other plants. I do tend to over water in General, so I have to be careful!
How do you usually care for them Jesse? I know my mom’s died with just misting. I’m pretty good with plants too, even a very finicky one. But don’t want to say it out loud lest I jinx it.
🙂
Kind of tempted to buy this, thanks for the information Vidya.I have other indoor plants which kind of survived for more than 4 years now, so hopefully i will get lucky with this one too.
Kavitha,
I think you would do good with them. Plants are in your genes. Remember uncle and aunty’s garden back in the day. 🙂
vidya
Terrain has some beautiful HUGE air plants for sale right now. I’m tempted!
Will check it out. You can always find them on Amazon or Etsy if not.
V
Following the “it just needs misting” advice I got, I brought three back from Florida in November and…you guessed it, the all died. I have another chance this month, I’ll try again!
🙁 Awww… Assure you the soaking works great. My air plant is soaking right now as we speak. Good luck with the new one!
Vidya
I got one last week, but was wondering if my watering advice was accurate. Glad to know it was indeed correct.
Yes, spraying just doesn’t work. Even this method, I have to regular especially in the winter. good luck with your air plant.
They are lovely anywhere in the home. We know! 🙂 Jo
Hi! Have you had luck getting them to re-bloom after the original bloom has finished? Do they need fertilizer included in the soaking water during the year sometime? Just wondering? Thanks!
Deb,
I never had one bloom yet but I would assume that they are like Bromeliads and die after they bloom? I’m not sure but will check it and get back to you.
Vidya
Hi..how to propagate them?
i have a couple and have been lucky to get one to realm. i use to spray but have been soaking them weekly
Any suggestions on separating babies from the parent plants?
I wish I knew where to get one.
Some great tips! Worth noting is that certain types of plants are more drought-tolerant than others. Also we recommend that if you use tap water, you let the water sit out for a bit before soaking the plant so that any chlorine/chemicals evaporate. If the plants are blooming, avoid soaking the bud/bloom as this can cause them to fall off. We have some additional air plant care info on our website (www.airplantdesignstudio.com). Love your photos!
Can you revive a plant?
I don’t think so Maria.
Is there anyway you can darken the print in these posts/comments,they are very hard to read.I have several airplants/tillandsias,and some i’d like to share with you folks,as you would be amazed at the growth on some of mine.
So I bought 2 air plants and they were thriving beautifully on misting alone. Probably because I was doing it more then 2x per week. As soon as I started soaking them and following protocol to a tea they both rotted and died. I have bought 7 more coming in from South Carolina and he instructed me to just mist and only soak in emergency cases for 10 mins max holding the but end out of the water to prevent rot. Fertilize every 2 weeks to a month and his plants look amazing. I think I will go with this plan as it has worked for me in the past and soaking killed all my plants. I will keep everyone posted with pics. I can’t wait for them to arrive. It should be any day now!!!! Also don’t put the plants in any holders made from copper as this is toxic even just as a holder!