LIGHT
- In order to thrive, air plants need bright, indirect light. Rooms with southern or eastern 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!
Watering:
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.Preferable twice in a week for Indoor Plan Terrariums.
- Every one to two weeks, soak your air plant in room temperature tap water (orrain/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 waterFrom the time soaking ends, the plant should be able to dry fully in no more than 3 hours.
- If your plant stays wet longer than this, it may rot. Try placing it in a brighter place with more air circulation to facilitate faster drying.1-3 hours is the optimal drying time for your air plant after soaking.
- Once a week, 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.
- Do all watering in the morning. Evening soaking or misting disrupts the plants ability to respire overnight, and extends drying time.
Is My Air Plant Getting Enough Water?
Signs of under-watering your air plant include the leaf tips turning brown or crispy. The natural concave shape of air plant leaves tends to become more exaggerated when under-watered.
Unfortunately, if your air plant has been over-watered, it’s often too late to save it. If the base of the plant turns brown or black, and leaves are falling out or off from the center, your plant has likely succumbed to rot.
- The dry leaves are to be carefully removed with a forcep or similar tool. Tug gently at the dry leaf, if it comes off easily remove it. If the leave does not come off easily let it stay until its ready to come off.
- Change the charcoal once in 1 year to keep it pest/bug free.
- Never overwater.
