Air plant care
A common misunderstanding about air plants is that they do not need any care at all. Unfortunately, this is not true. Though, relatively they do require very little care. Originally, air plants can live from the humidity in the air, which is why they are called so. It is a very strong type of plant, needing less care than most of the other type of houseplants. Airplants have little fuzzy grey/white hairs on their leaves, which are called trichomes. Via these structures, they can get the needed nutrients from the air in a very effective way. The humidity in their native areas is much higher than here, which is why air plants do need some care!
How to care for air plants?
Spray your air plant regularly / soak your air plant. Specific information can be found below.
Put your air plant in a bright spot, preferably with air circulation as it needs to dry off after watering
Protect your air plant from frosts at all times
Protect your air plant from direct sunlight (indirect sunlight is the best)
Airplant in an open environment In warmer months, it is perfect to spray your air plant once/twice a week. This can be done once every two weeks during colder months. Preferably spray your air plant with the Take Airplants care spray, which has the right fertilizers. It can also be done with water (preferably natural water, but hard water is also fine). Important is that air plants need time to dry off completely. In addition to regular spraying, soaking the air plants monthly is very much recommended. Feel free to read more about the ‘soaking method’ at the bottom of this page.
Airplant in the open glass Basically, the same care as discussed above applies to air plants in an open glass. However, it is very much recommended to get the air plant out of the glass once you spray it. Also, the advice is to let the air plant dry off completely before putting it in the glass again. Spraying with the Take Airplants care spray is preferred, whereas it is also possible with water (natural water is better than hard water/water from the tap). To further improve the health of your air plants, the monthly soaking method can also be applied here of which the details are discussed at the bottom of this page. Important is to always let your air plant dry off completely before putting it back in the glass.
Airplant in closed environment/closed glass Once/twice a week, give your air plant a spray of water or preferably Take Airplants care spray (once/twice every two weeks during colder days). Put your air plant back in the glass once it has completely dried off. As air plants value air circulation, they could deteriorate more quickly when put in a closed environment, like a closed glass. Therefore, keep a good eye on the appearance of the air plant. Whenever you see that it’s losing colour or starts to look a little different/ less healthy, we recommend you to apply the soaking method. This method is discussed in detail at the bottom of this page. After soaking, the most important thing is to let the air plant dry off completely in an open environment with good air circulation and bright light (no direct sunlight). After the soaking method, you’ll find your air plant getting its strong and healthy look again, after which it could be put back into the glass. Whenever you see the same deteriorating process happen again, the process can be repeated.
Soaking method
To make your air plants even happier
, it is recommended to soak them monthly in a container with water (natural water is preferred over hard water). Your air plants will suck up the water for a period of time. After 30-60 minutes of soaking, the air plants like to be put in a bright spot with good air circulation to dry off completely. You’ll see the air plants getting their strong and healthy look after that. Very important is the drying off process.
To further help you with the soaking method, we have provided some visuals below:
Step 1: Soak your air plants in lukewarm water. Try to use filtered water or preferably rainwater. Step 2: Wait for 120-180 minutes. Step 3: Gently shake off the water of your plants. Allow them to dry off completely.
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