One of the most important aspects of keeping your plants healthy and happy is to make sure that they receive adequate water. Many people think that because these little guys are called “air plants” that they don’t need water to survive. Sorry guys, they aren’t that low maintenance. They still need water to thrive and grow! There are a few different ways that you can water your plants depending on what kind of plant they are and where you live in the country.
This is a great method to use for plants that need less water, such as the xerographica air plant that is used to living in a drier desert like conditions. This can also be used for other “xeric” varieties such as the duratii and other plants that prefer less water and more sun. What you are doing with this watering method is filling up a bowl, sink, or container with water and dunking the plant multiple times to ensure its fully saturated by the water. As always, you will want to gently shake excess water out from the plant and put it in an area with good air circulation so it can dry out within a few hours.
Soaking is the best way to ensure that your plants are getting enough water. Some plants such as the xerographica prefer the dunking method to the soaking method because they don’t need as much water as other air plants. With the soaking method we recommend letting the plants soak in a container of water for at least 15-20 minutes. You can even mix in a longer soak once a week or every other week which can last an hour or two. This will help plants that may have become slightly dehydrated to perk back up and gain some hydration back. The soaking method is recommended for for green/mesic type plants like aeranthos, capitata, bracyhcaulous, etc and is not recommended for plants like xerographica and streptophylla.
The biggest downfall of soaking your plants all together would be the potential to spread fungal diseases between your plants. So if you notice a plant looks like it may have fungus or is starting to rot, pull it aside and water it individually after the rest have been watered.
For most environments and most plants, we recommend starting out with once or twice a week soaks for 15 minutes or so and see how the plants respond. Do they get dry tips? Do they seem to close up? If so, you will need to soak more frequently. Theoretically you could soak your plant daily, as long as the plant is able to dry out fairly quickly and doesnt stay wet for prolonged periods of time. Luckily most plants/environments wont need daily soakings so we dont recommend it!
For the sake of this discussion, spraying is not going to be the same as misting. When spraying your air plants, we are talking about spraying them with a hose or sprayer that fully saturates the plants to the point of water run off. The goal is to simulate a nice rain, ensuring the entire plant is able to get wet and absorb sufficient hydration. This is the process that most growers and collectors with large amounts of plant use as soaking and dunking just becomes impossible. The advantage of this method would be ease of watering a large amount of plants and ability to inject fertilizers/fungicides directly into a mixing system, but there are some downfalls as well. The risk of rot/fungus is increased as you are unable to ensure water doesnt sit in the cups of the plant and sitting water in the cups of a Tillandsia will promote fungus/rot if the conditions are present.
You can use misting in-between normal soaking or dunking. Misting is a good way to give your plant a little extra moisture if you notice that its leaves are looking a little dry or if you live in a drier climate with not very much humidity in the air. For most plants in most environments, we do not recommend misting as the sole watering method. The plants need to be fully saturated, and most of the time misting does not do this as the water droplets are so small they are unable to fully be absorbed into the plant. As you can see, there are many ways to water your air plants. The method you will choose will largely depend on the type of Tillandsia you have, the amount of air plants in your collection, your environment, and whether you keep them indoors or outdoors.
Air plants, also known as tillandsias, are unique houseplants that don’t require soil to grow. Their striking shapes and textures make them popular display plants. But caring for air plants is different than typical houseplants. The key question many new air plant owners have is: how much watering does an air plant need?
This comprehensive guide will cover everything you need to know about watering air plants successfully,
Air Plant Watering Needs
Air plants absorb moisture and nutrients through scales on their leaves called trichomes, rather than through roots in soil. This allows them to grow while mounted on driftwood, hung in glass globes, or displayed in other creative ways.
But don’t let the name “air plant” fool you – they still need regular water to thrive! In nature, air plants get moisture from rain, mist, dew, and fog. As houseplants, we have to recreate those humid, wet conditions.
Factors That Affect Water Needs
When determining how much to water your air plant, there are a few factors to consider:
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Air plant variety – There are over 650 species of tillandsia and they have different watering needs. Some, like ionantha are mesic and require more frequent watering. Xeric air plants, like xerographica, can go longer between soakings.
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Environment – Warmer, drier, and brighter conditions will lead to faster moisture loss, meaning more frequent watering. Cool, humid spots need less.
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Display method – An air plant in an open, airy display dries out faster than one inside a terrarium. Adjust watering accordingly.
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Season – During summer’s heat, soak plants as often as every 5 days In winter, they may go 2-3 weeks between waterings
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Plant health – Watch for signs of under or overwatering. Adjust your schedule as needed.
How To Water Air Plants
Air plants need to be soaked, misted, or dunked in water periodically to absorb the moisture they need. Here are the recommended methods:
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Soaking – The best way to water air plants! Soak the entire plant in water for 20 minutes to an hour once a week. Use room temperature filtered or rain water. Let the plant dry upside down before returning to its display.
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Misting – Misting between soakings helps maintain humidity. But misting alone does not provide enough hydration for most air plants.
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Dunking – Dunking plants with stiff leaves repeatedly in water can supplement soakings. Dunk mesic types 2-4 times per week.
Watering Mounted & Blooming Air Plants
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For mounted air plants, mist more frequently, up to 2-3 times per week depending on your climate.
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Avoid getting water in the blooms, which causes rotting. Mist or carefully run water over just the leaves of blooming plants.
How Often To Water
As a general guideline, soak air plants weekly to every 10-14 days. Mesic plants may need more frequent watering while xeric types can go longer between soakings.
Mist as needed between soakings, when plants show signs of dryness. Just keep in mind misting alone is not enough for most air plants.
Adjust the watering frequency based on other factors like seasons, environment, and display method. Observe your plant’s needs and water when leaves start to curl and lose stiffness.
Signs Your Air Plant Needs Water
Watch for these signs your air plant is thirsty and needs a good soak:
- Leaves appear limp, soft, or curled
- Leaf tips turn brown or crispy
- Leaves look lighter in color
- Leaves wrinkle or roll inward
If you see these signs, soak your plant immediately and increase the watering frequency.
Is It Possible to Overwater Air Plants?
Air plants can be overwatered, so it’s important to find the right balance. Make sure plants are dried thoroughly upside down after getting wet. Water trapped in the base of the leaves leads to rotting.
Signs of overwatering include:
- Black/brown at the base
- Leaves falling out from center
- Foul odor
If this happens, stop watering immediately and dry out the plant. Remove any rotted leaves. Hopefully you can save it!
Air Plant Watering Tips
Follow these tips to master watering your air plants:
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Use room temperature filtered, distilled, or rain water. Tap water should sit out overnight first.
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Soak early in the day to allow plenty of drying time.
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Dry plants upside down on a towel, making sure the base is angled down.
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Let plants dry 4+ hours before returning to their display. Wait until fully dry.
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Remove from any containers and soak the bare plant only.
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Adjust frequency based on your specific conditions and the needs of each plant.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line for how to water air plants is to soak the leaves every week to 10 days. Then, always make sure to let the plants completely dry upside down before returning them to their regular spot.
With the right balance of watering and drying, you can keep your gorgeous air plants happy and thriving for years to come!
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FAQ
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