Caring For Your Brand New Air Plants
After you've unpacked your plants and spent sufficient time marveling at their unique beauty (and possibly giving them names), follow the directions below for ongoing care of your plants.
Light
Air plants should be kept where they'll receive bright, indirect sunlight or under fluorescent home/office lighting. Periods of direct sunlight are just fine, but more than a few hours of hot sun will deplete the plants of their moisture. If your plant will be in a spot with some pretty direct light, try misting them every couple of days to keep them hydrated.
How do I water my air plants?
As a main method of watering your plants, we recommend leaving a bowl of water out overnight to let the chlorine from tap water evaporate (or use distilled water). Give them a thorough soak in the bowl of water for 20-30 minutes. After their bath, gently shake the plants to remove any excess water from the base and the leaves, and set upside down to dry for a few hours. A plant in bloom should be rinsed rather than submerged in water, and take care when rinsing the delicate flowers.
How Often do I water my air plants?
Your plants should be watered once per week in the summertime and once every 2-3 weeks in the winter. A longer, 1-hour soak is recommended every 2-3 weeks. If you are in a drier, hotter climate, more frequent watering or misting will be needed. You'll begin to notice that after watering, your plant's leaves will feel stiffer and full of water and they'll be softer and lighter in color when they're in need of water.
The good news is that since these plants are very forgiving, you shouldn't stress over their care schedule. While the plants can survive for long periods of drought, they will not grow or thrive and will eventually die off if water is too scarce. Wrinkled or rolled leaves can be a sign of dehydration.
Temperature
Air plants will do best in generally warm conditions (a good range is 50-90 degrees).
Grooming & Aesthetic Maintenance
Everyone needs a little grooming once in a while! It is normal for some of the lower leaves of your tillandsias to dry out as the plant grows or acclimates to a new environment, and those leaves can be gently pulled right off of the plant. If the leaf tips have dried out, you can snip the dried tip off (try trimming at an angle to leave a natural-looking pointy tip), and the same can be done for the plant's roots. Don't worry about harming your plants during grooming--they'll regrow.
Fertilizer
Fertilizing your plants is not necessary, but will keep them in top shape and should promote blooming and reproduction. We recommend using our Grow More Air Plants and Bromedliad Fertilizer once per month. Other water-soluble fertilizers can be used at 1/4 strength (Rapid Grow, Miracle-Grow, houseplant fertilizer, etc.) if Bromeliad fertilizer is not available.
Enjoy!
That's our extensive air plant care details, but at the end of the day, a soak once every week or two is what's most important to keep your air plants healthy.