How To Care For Air Plants

HISTORY:

Air Plants are members of the Tillandsia genus and are commonly known for their unique ability to survive with little or no soil at all! This unique ability makes them the perfect decorative plants in standalone pieces, terrariums, or wall mounts! Naturally, air plants are from South and Central America and like to grow onto other plants or tree limbs. Now, lets dive into how to care for your air plants!

WATERING TIPS:

The most challenging part about air plants is how to water them. If you give your plant too much water it will succumb to root rot and not survive. Too little water and the leaf tips will become brown or crispy. There are 2 ways to water the plants. First, mist the plants. With a spray bottle, gently mist over the top of the plants once a week. The second way is soaking your plants. You can do this by removing the plant from its container and placing fully into a cup of water for 5-10 minutes. Once the time is up, place the plant on a paper towel to let it completely dry. We recommend letting the plant dry for 1-3 hours to assure its dry before placing it back into its container. Its extremely important to let the plant dry so it doesn't root rot.

WEATHER TOLERANCE:

Air Plants are a native tropical plant and can withstand hot temperatures. During the winter months, they need to be grown indoors as they cannot survive temperatures below 50°.

Every plant is given a plant hardiness score from the United States Department of Agriculture. This score is used to determine the lowest temperature a plant can be exposed to while still being able to survive. The higher the plant hardiness zone number, the warmer the temperatures need to be for that plant to survive. Air Plants have a USDA Plant Hardiness Zone of 10-11 or above.

SUNLIGHT REQUIREMENTS:

Air plants thrive best when the receive bright, indirect light. We recommend placing your plant in a spot that receives roughly 6-10 hours of indirect light per day.

INSECT PROTECTION:

For the most part, air plants are a bug-free plants. The most common bug is the mealybug. If your air plant obtains these bugs, we recommend lightly spraying them daily with mild, soapy water until all bugs are gone. For an in depth analysis on how to prevent and care for plants with bugs click here.

OLD OR DAMAGED LEAVES:

Naturally, old leaves will wilt and die as the plant grows. You can carefully remove these leaves making sure you do not damage the rest of the plant. If a healthy leaf is broken off, the plant will naturally grow back a new leaf to replace it.