Tillandsia stricta hybrid bare root, Air Plant

LIGHT

HOW MUCH LIGHT DOES AN AIR PLANT NEED?

In order to thrive, air plants need bright, indirect light. Rooms with South- or East-facing windows make good candidates, because these spaces will be brightly illuminated with sun for most of the day. Rooms with North-facing windows work well, too, as long as the plant is placed close to the window, and the window isn’t blocked by trees or a neighboring apartment complex. Western light tends to come late in the day, and can be very hot and intense. Careful—you don’t want to fry your air plant!

As a general rule of thumb, the higher the humidity in your space, the more light is tolerated by the air plant. This means that if you’re putting your air plant where it will receive loads of light, you should plan to mist it more often - twice a week or even daily. A sunny bathroom or active kitchen makes a happy home for an air plant, because the humidity from your shower or boiling water will take care of most plant misting for you.

WATER

HOW TO WATER AN AIR PLANT

Watering an air plant is the trickiest piece of the air plant care puzzle. Some people swear by misting, others by soaking, and still others use a combination of both misting and soaking in their air plant care regimen.

In our experience, watering air plants is tricky because the needs of the plant vary dramatically with the space in which it is placed. Also, some species require specific care. The first step to watering your air plant is to evaluate your space. How much light is your plant receiving? What is the temperature in your home at this particular time of year? Is the space very dry (is your plant near a heater or fireplace?) Or is it very humid?

• 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. This is very important! Air plants will quickly rot if they are allowed to stand in excess water.
• From the time soaking ends, the plant should be able to dry fully within 3 hours. If your plant stays wet longer than this, it may rot. Try placing it in a brighter place with good air circulation to facilitate faster drying.
• Once a week (separate from watering), mist your plant thoroughly, so that the entire surface of the plant is moistened (but not so much that there is water dripping down into the plant).
• The hotter and dryer the air (summer, early fall), the more you need to water. The cooler and more humid the air (winter and spring) the less water your air plant will need. But remember that heaters and fireplaces dry the air, so just pay attention to your plant.
• Do all watering in the morning. Evening soaking or misting disrupts the plants ability to respire overnight, and extends drying time.