From this ultimate guide on how to take care of air plants, you will get to know pot, sunlight, watering, climate, etc. to grow air plant. These awesome houseplants are quite popular, and if you are a beginner them growing them could the best choice as they are draught tolerant and hardy.
Table of Contents
What Are Air Plants?
Air plants or Tillandsia, a genus of approximately 650 species of flowering plants. They are epiphytes, which means they grow on other plants and derive nutrition from plants, water and air. However, some of the species are also aerophytes, which means they can get nutrition from water and air.
Leaves of air plants are silvery in colour and are covered with trichomes. Due to presence of specialized cells, i.e., trichomes, they are able to absorb moisture around them.
Most of the air plants are found in rainforests that have humid climatic conditions. However, you can also find them growing on rocks in deserts, and even on cactus and wires. They are draught tolerant and hardy which means they can survive with minimal care.
Air Plants Care
You must be wondering that air plants doesn’t need soil to grow, so it would be quite difficult to care for them. While its quite opposite, air plants can literally grow well if you take care of these points that I am going to share with you.
Pot & Styling
Although you can grow air plants by literally hanging them in air tied with a rope or keeping them in bowls, but keeping them in terrariums increase their glamour. There are lot of decorative plastic containers specially designed for air plants that you can choose.
Moreover if you have epiphytic orchids, then you can keep your air plants along with them. As they require similar care so they grow well together.
Temperature
Temperature ranging between 10 to 32o Celsius is quite good for air plants. If the temperature falls below 10 Celsius then you will need to have a heater in the room where you have kept your air plants. Make sure to keep heaters not so close to the plant.
Sunlight
Avoid keeping these plants under direct sunlight. In their natural habitat they grow under shed of a tree, which means they love to grow under indirect sunlight. Therefore, if you willing to get a perfect plant to decorate your bedroom, bathroom, living room, or kitchen then getting these plants can fulfil your wish.
How To Water Air Plants?
You have to take care of watering in air plants. You do not need to water them regularly but following this guidelines will help you to keep them healthy. Once after every week, submerge your air plants in a jug full of water. Keep them submerged for 10 to 15 minutes, then take out and shake gently.
Place them on a towel and keep them there for almost another 3 hours. During this time keep rotating after every hour so that water from every part gets soaked by the towel. You can now put your air plants back in the pots.
If atmospheric humidity falls below 50%, then misting with water is required. You can mist your plant alternatively once during hot summer days.
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Blooming
Air plants bloom only once in their lifetime and the flower lasts for about two weeks. After flowering air plant dies as all energy is lost for producing flower. But at the same time they produce new babies that are known as “pups.”
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FAQ
Can I use worm castings tea on Tillandsia?
Although there is no need to add fertilizer on Tillandsia, but adding fertilizer can help in rapid growth & blooming. You can use worm castings tea on Tillandsia, but use it only twice in a year.
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