To water your air plant, place it face down in water, either in a container or your sink and let them soak for 10-20 minutes. Alternatively you can dunk plants several times in water. After soaking, gently shake off excess water to prevent rotting or damage.
There is an exception to this rule though, air plants with bulbous bases, even those with bright green smooth leaves, often should not be soaked for long periods of time either. Water can get trapped in their bulbous bases and could cause the plants to rot from the inside out.
Soak your air plants in a bowl of water for 20 minutes to an hour every week to 10 days is best. Submerge the entire plant. If your plant has a bloom, you may wish to keep the bud above the water to not disturb it, although in nature they get wet all the time.
A light application of water, such as misting, will not fully absorb through the plant's leaves and the water will most likely evaporate before it can nourish the plant. A deeper, more thorough method of dunking or soaking is recommended for most plants every week to ten days to ensure proper hydration.
The best option for you to use is rainwater or filtered water. If none of the above is available, you may use tap water, but make sure to allow your air plants to sit out in a bowl for at least 24 hours. This would evaporate the chlorine that can turn the tips of your plant's leaves to brown.
First, fill a sink or bowl with room-temperature water, deep enough to completely submerge each air plant. Let your plants soak for 30 to 60 minutes. After removing your plants from water, gently shake off excess moisture. Then, set each air plant upside down on a clean cloth or paper towel to drain for an hour or two.
Roots: Air plants anchor themselves to objects by their roots and need to be attached to something in order to grow.
Every one to two weeks, soak your air plant in room temperature tap water (or rain/pond water if you can find it) for 5-10 minutes. After soaking gently shake excess water from your plant. Turn it upside down and place it on a towel in a bright space.
For best results and an extra boost of nutrients, add one pump of Miracle-Gro® Indoor Plant Food to the soaking water or mist your air plant once a week with Miracle-Gro® Ready-to-Use Orchid Plant Food Mist.
How long can air plants go without water? Some of the fuzzier Tillandsia varieties with the most trichomes can last 2 weeks or more without water, but most air plants should go no more than 2 weeks without water.
If grown from seed, an air plant will take two years or longer to grow much bigger than 1 inch. Pups, on the other hand, will grow quicker than seed-grown plants and can bloom within the first few years of life.
If your plant is struggling and looks "thirsty" you can leave them in bowl for a longer soak of a few hours or even overnight. A healthy air plant will have wide open leaves while a dehydrated air plant will have closed and curled leaves! Never submerge the bloom or flower, as it can cause the flower to rot.
If the base of your air plant looks brown or black and feels overly soft/mushy to the touch, it might be the victim of overwatering. Also, overwatered air plants will start to lose some leaves and could start to fall apart from the center, and this will likely succumb to rot.
Signs of an Overwatered Air Plant
If the center leaves are falling out, or the base of the plant begins to turn black or brown, this is a sign that it's beginning to rot from too much water. Remove any damaged or diseased parts with sanitized shears, put the plant in a sunny spot in the room, and hope for the best!
It is best to soak your air plants for 20 minutes to an hour every week to 10 days, with a supplemental misting depending on current climate and time of year. The water should be lukewarm, as cold or hot water will shock the air plants.
Try to place your air plant 3-5 feet from a window or near an artificial light source. Too much sunlight is not good for an air plant, even indoors. If growing outside, make sure to select a partially shaded location. Few varieties can handle all day sun.
You may notice that your air plants have a white, fuzzy, layer on their leaves, especially after a good watering. These are called Trichomes. Trichomes are small outgrowths on the leaves which absorb water and nutrients for the plants. They are not mold or a fungus.
A Glass Garden
On-trend and artful terrariums are perfect for creating the humid microclimate that air plants thrive in. Making your own terrarium isn't too tricky if you pick the right complementing plants and position.
Tip: Tillandsia don't love to be handled. Besides our clumsy hands snapping the occasional leaf, the oils in our fingers actually clog the air plant's sensitive leaves. All Airplantman designs keep this in mind so that it is easy to give your Tillandsia the water it needs without touching it directly!
Because they don't need dirt, you can put them in creative places. Place one in a shallow bowl or vase filled with rocks or sand, place one in a tiny container with a magnet and put it on the fridge, or tie them to driftwood with a translucent fishing line. Don't put them in an enclosed terrarium.
Air plants can rot if they are in spaces without plenty of air. For some Xeric air plants misting a few times, a week may be enough. However, most air plants and certainly Mesic plants (the greener types) will need a combination of misting and soaking to receive the moisture they need to survive.
You can either twist and pull new pups off the mother plant or leave them on as they begin to clump together and the mother plant will slowly die and be replaced by the pups. Be sure to wait until pups are 1/3 to half the size of the mother plant before you remove them.