AIR PLANTS FAQ

WHAT ARE THEY, WHAT DO THEY LIVE FROM AND HOW TO TAKE CARE OF THEMAir plants

By now everyone knows what air plants are. Or so I thought, until I was asked so many questions by most of my friends. No worries, I didn't know much about them either until I got my very first one and decided to investigate more about it.
If you haven't seen my previous post about air plants, go ahead and click here. It has a video as a special bonus! Every time I go back and check on my previous post, it makes me laugh because of how big my collection has gotten, as well as how grown my first plants are now.
Air plant flower

So without entering into to many technicalities air plants or tillandsia is a specie of plant that usually doesn't need dirt and therefore can grow on top of other plants or random places without becoming harmful or parasites. Instead of roots they have millions of tiny "hairs" that absorb most of the nutrients from the air. They need very little watering and don't require too many special cares.
Together with cacti and succulents, these are the strongest kind of plants, which makes them the best kind to have if you tend to neglect your "normal" plants and end up killing them purposelessly.
air plants

So let's get to know a few of them first.
On the top, it's my very first baby Tillandsia Melanocrater. Oh how much it has grown in the last 8 months! I would say it doubled the size, at least! On the left it's my tiny baby Tillandsia Bulbosa. It is one of my latest acquisitions.

air plants Juncea e tectorum

A closeup on these. On the left is a Tillandsia Juncea and it is so far the only one from my collection that gave any flowers, as you can see in the pictures above. On the right it's one of my favorites, because it is so fluffy and white, and it's called a Tillandsia Tectorum.

himelis

This one is a Tillandsia Ionantha and it was also one of the first ones. You can't really tell from the picture but it's growing a baby and I am so freaking proud of it! *sigh*

air plants

himmelis

This one is a Tillandsia Caput Medusae and it's the big mama of the house (at least for the time being). It is approximately the size of my hand. I love the way it curls on the top. It always makes me think of an ink fish.

air plants

air plants

air plants

Here are Tillandsia Capitata (front) and Tillandsia Juncea (back). These were offered by a very sweet friend of mine on my last birthday, together with this cute glass drop.

air plants

And last but not least are two of the oldest in the house. Above is the Tillandsia Balbisiana and bellow is the Tillandsia Butzii.

air plants

So here is how I take care of my plants. I am not an expert in any way, but I can tell you that I have been growing my collection for a while now and they all seem very healthy and happy with the way I handle them.
Once per week, I place all of my plants together in the same big bowl and fill it up with tap water. Yes I said a big bowl of water and your seeing my sink. That's actually only for the sake of the pictures, because I prefer re-using the water left at the end to water my other plants in the house.
I know that there are some products available to boost your plants, but honestly speaking, so far I haven't feel the need to use any. Plus, the water in this area is pretty soft. But if you know that the water at your place is too harsh, I suggest you to search on products directly with the growers. There's many growers and retailer's websites you can check depending on your location, by just searching "air plants" on Google.
air plants

I don't count the time the plants have their bath but I would say I leave them submerse in water for about one to two hours.
After this, I spread a towel on a table and place them all facing down after giving them a gentle shake, so that most of the water leaves the plants avoiding rotting.
As soon as they are dry, I place them all back into their homes and ta-dan! They're ready for another week without water.
The maximum I left them without water was for two weeks. That's because I went on vacation. They did pretty good, since they live mostly from air, but I wouldn't recommend you to do that often. Specially if the weather is very dry and warm where you live.
As of where to keep them, as long as it is airy, it doesn't really matter. You can leave them just at the top of a table or use any of the so very cute decor options available to hold them.
​Usually when you buy a new plant, it will come with more information about it and instructions. Some plants may require direct sun light, while others prefer shade.
If you want to visit two of the places from where I order my plants click here and here. Both are Dutch websites but if you don't live in The Netherlands, I'm sure you'll find a good retailer close by. I can only recommend this two. The quality of the service and the plants is very good and the delivery time takes into account the needs of the plants, which is awesome!
If you have any other questions, please leave it in the comments and I'll make sure they are answered!
What about you, do you have any air plants around? Is there a special one you'd like to have?




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