Hardy, soil-less air plants double as home décor. Discover air plant facts, good options to start with, how to care for them and more.
No Soil Required: How to Grow Air Plants
Relatively easy to grow and maintain, air plants are ideal for those lacking a green thumb. They don’t require soil or even a container, just sun, water and a supportive spot to hang out. Valued for their low maintenance care needs and striking appearance, air plants have become a favorite among houseplant beginners and experienced gardeners.
Read on for expert tips and advice to grow your own air plants.
On This Page
What Are Air Plants?
Air plants, or Tillandsia, grow floating in the air, where they live and thrive without soil. Part of the Bromeliad family, air plants do not have traditional roots; instead, they absorb moisture and nutrients through their leaves. “Air plants uptake water and nutrients via trichomes, which are the raised hair or scale-like structures that cover the surfaces of their leaves,” Tina says.
There are more than 600 air plant species of various shapes, sizes, forms and colors.
Learn surprising facts about succulents.
Do Air Plants Bloom?
“I’ve had this air plant for about three years. One day I noticed beautiful purple flowers on it that lasted a few weeks. Is it normal for an air plant to bloom, and will it rebloom?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Julie Bresette of Belton, Missouri.
Gardening expert Melinda Myers says, “Air plants flower when they receive sufficient moisture and bright indirect light. Like other members of the bromeliad family, the plant eventually dies, but it will produce offsets, called pups, at the base of the original plant. Once these offsets are one-third the size of the parent plant they can be divided and grown on their own or left to be grown as a cluster.”
Check out the top 10 blooming houseplants to grow indoors.
Air Plant Size
According to Jarrod, these plants come in a range of sizes, from a few centimeters to up to 7 feet long. “There is no ‘typical’ size of air plants,” he says, but most domestic varieties will stay within 2 to 12 inches long.
Air Plant Lifespan
Air plants generally live between one to 15 years. “Each [species] has a unique life cycle,” Jarrod says.
Air Plant Native Range
These plants are native to Central and South America, Mexico and parts of the southern United States.
Best Air Plants for Beginners
These are some of the most resilient air plant species that are relatively hardy, easy to find and offer a broad range of design and display opportunities.
Ioantha
Generally 1 to 3 inches tall with pointed leaves, Ioantha is easy to care for and has a few varieties. Many produce red, orange, pink or purple blooms. It prefers indirect sunlight and frequent misting.
Caput-medusae
Caput-medusae will grow straight whether mounted horizontally or even upside-down, so it’s suitable for many types of displays. It also tolerates less frequent watering. “I’ve had mine for years, and it’s forgiving of light and water,” Tina says.
Aeranthos
This popular beginner plant is a hardy species that requires less watering. Its stiff green leaves grow upward, and a purple flower eventually emerges from its pink bud. Its several varieties range in size and color.
Care and Growing Tips for Air Plants
It’s a common garden myth that air plants receive all the water and nourishment they need from the air. Like all plants, they, too, need light and water and can perish from over or under-watering.
How to Water Air Plants
There are a few acceptable watering practices. You can mist air plants every few days, drenching them until dripping wet, bathe them for six to 12 hours in a bowl of water once a week, or a third method, which Tina prefers. “After a lot of trial and error, I think the best way to water is to flip them upside down and water the leaves under the faucet,” she says.
Whatever method you choose, it’s crucial to shake off excess water when finished and set the plant out to dry on a towel for at least four hours.
Note: Try not to touch the plant’s leaves. Oils from your skin can clog their sensitive little trichomes.
Do Air Plants Need Sunlight?
While all air plants need some sun, light needs vary across plant types. “Most species want bright, indirect light, but some need direct sun to flourish,” Jarrod says.
Tina has a good rule of thumb when determining a plant’s light needs. “The more fluffy and gray a Tillandsia looks, generally the more sun and heat it can take,” she says, but be sure to follow care instructions carefully.
How to Display Air Plants
Because they are lightweight and soil-free, these plants offer practical and fun opportunities for designing interesting displays. They’re happy residing on something as small as a wine-bottle cork, inside a hanging glass orb or even sprouting from a piece of driftwood.
Make a terrarium to bring the outdoors in.
Where to Buy Air Plants
Unfortunately, over-collection of these plants in the wild destroys their native habitat and threatens their survival. However, you can purchase sustainably grown air plants from certified growers online and at some local nurseries.
Air Plant FAQs
Do Air Plant Roots Need to Attach to Something?
“Air plants don’t need to be attached to anything to grow,” Tina says. “They’re epiphytes, which means they live on a branch, trunk, rock, or other place that isn’t soil, so they aren’t saturated in water for long.” However, they do need to be placed in a way that allows for good air circulation.
Can You Revive an Air Plant?
As long as the plant is not too far gone, you can revive an air plant. Trim away any dead or dying leaves, then ensure adequate air circulation and light conditions. Water as needed and use an air plant fertilizer (diluted to half strength) once a month.
Is Your Air Plant Dead?
Signs that an air plant is alive include visible green at the base of the plant, firm leaves and a positive response when watered. If none of these signs are present, the plant is most likely dead.
About the Experts
- Jarrod Bouchie is a senior e-commerce manager at Pistils Nursery, a Portland, Oregon, plant shop specializing in unique plants and gardening educational programs.
- Tina Huffman is a plant and decor blogger at greenhousestudio.co. She has been an air plant enthusiast ever since ‘discovering’ them in a university greenhouse as an undergrad plant science major.
- Melinda Myers is the official gardening expert for Birds & Blooms. She is a TV/radio host, author and columnist who has written more than 20 gardening books. Melinda earned a master’s degree in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Sources
University of Florida: Florida’s Native Bromeliads (2022)
