Air Plant Tillandsia: How-to
Some people think that air plants don't need much care, they may be on the right track, but it's not entirely true. It is a "live" plant, so it still requires the basics to thrive. Follow these general guidelines and your air plants should live happily in their new homes!
Light
- Make sure you put the terrarium at a place where it can receive good amount of bright, indirect light. Some direct sun is fine too, but not for too long since it might burn the leaves. But don't leave it at a dark, window-less room either. Artificial light won't be enough for air plants in the long run.
Water
- Occasional misting is okay, but probably not enough since it is dry in Canada and especially if there's central AC running.
- Weekly soaking is recommended: steps below
- Prepare a bucket of water and dunk the plants in for a good 15-30 minutes and then take them out, lay them on a paper towel and wait for them to dry completely (3-4 hours) then stick them back in their home.
- A combination of both works great, weekly soaking and misting every other day
- Water quality: Straight tap water is not optimal in the long run, because the chemicals in the water will damage the plants slowly. Rain water is the best option, but obviously harder to obtain. I recommend filtered water, or tap water after 24h of sitting
- Tip: Save your rice water and soak your plants in it once in awhile, it is a natural fertilizer for air plants.
- Fertilizing is not required but recommended for plant growth and blooming. Fertilize once every 2 weeks with specialized Tillandsia fertilizer. Bromeliad or orchid fertilizer dilluted to 1/4 or 1/2 the strenghth is also fine.
Air
- It is nicknamed Air Plants after all, they take nutrients from the air through their leaves, so these guys really need ample airflow to thrive. If growing indoors, make sure you have your windows opened often, or use a fan to help air circulation.
Blooming and offsets
- Air plant flowers too! And for many plants the leaves will turn bright red when they are ready to bloom. Colours of the bloom can be yellow to pink and even purple!
- After the bloom, air plants often begin to grow offsets, or little baby plants. You can leave it be and let them grow in clumps, or separate the baby plant when it is at least 1/4 of the mother plant