What Are Air Plants and How Do They Grow? | The Family Handyman
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Hardy, soil-less air plants double as habitation décor. Detect air found facts, adept options to first with, how to intendance for them and more.
Air plants don't crave soil or even containers, just a supportive spot to hang out. Relatively piece of cake to grow and maintain, they are a great choice for those not endowed with a greenish thumb.
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 are epiphytes — plants that attach themselves to other plants for support, without relying on the host to thrive.
- They blot moisture and nutrients through their leaves, not their roots, which they use but to anchor themselves to other plants or objects.
- In the wild, they may cohabitate with a tree or discover a dwelling house atop a stone. At domicile, air plants aren't too picky about their lodgings every bit long as they get plenty light and air. They're happy taking up residence on something equally small as a wine-bottle cork, inside a hanging glass orb or even sprouting from a piece of driftwood.
- With more than 600 species of various shapes, sizes, forms and colors, these resilient plants make versatile home décor accessories.
Where Do Air Plants Grow Naturally?
Most air plants are native to the West Indies, Mexico, Central America and South America, but some grow wild in California and the southern U.S. Visitors to Louisiana volition encounter Spanish moss dripping from centuries-old alive oak and bald cypress trees. (Spanish moss isn't really moss, rather a blazon of Bromeliad that over the years became known as Spanish beard and tree hair.)
Best Air Plants for Beginners
These are some of the more resilient air institute species that are relatively hardy, easy to find and offer a broad range of pattern and display opportunities.
Best Beginner Air Plant: Ioantha
Generally one- to three-inches alpine with pointed leaves, at that place are a few varieties of these easy-to-care-for plants. Many produce red, orange, pinkish or purple blooms. It prefers indirect sunlight and frequent misting.
All-time Beginner Air Plant: Caput-medusa
This plant is ageotropic. That ways it will grow straight whether mounted horizontally or even upside-down, and so it's suitable for many types of displays. It also tolerates less watering.
Best Beginner Air Found: Aeranthos
This common beginner plant derives its name from the Greek "aer" for air and "anthos" for blossom. A hardy plant that requires less watering, its stiff light-green leaves grow upwardly, and a majestic bloom eventually emerges from its pink bud. Its several varieties range in size and colour.
Growing and Caring for Air Plants
It's a common misconception that air plants receive all the water and nourishment they need from the air. Similar all plants, they too need light and h2o, and can, in fact, perish from over or under-watering. Always consider the plant'due south native environment, such every bit hot and dry out, or humid and shady.
Dissimilar their soil-dependent relatives, these unique plants absorb nutrients and moisture through their leaves. Tiny scales or "hairs" on the leaves, known equally trichomes, function like reservoirs that absorb water and nutrients from the temper.
Air Plants and Light
While almost air plants thrive in bright, indirect sunlight, some can tolerate direct light.
Watering Air Plants
In general, y'all should either mist air plants every few days, drenching them until dripping wet, or bathe them weekly.
To bathe, soak them in a bowl of room temperature water for vi to 12 hours. Use filtered water, or tap water you've let sit for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to dissipate. (Do not utilize distilled water — that can kill the plant!)
Later on watering, plough plants upside down and lightly shake off the water. Then lay them on a towel in an expanse with enough of lite and air apportionment, to help dry out the leaves. Permit air plants to dry for about four hours before placing them dorsum in their displays.
Note: Attempt not to touch on the constitute's leaves. Oils from your skin can clog their sensitive little trichomes.
Air Plant Blooms
Endowed with some strange attributes, these plants bloom only in one case in their lifetime, which signals their life wheel peak.
Right around bloom time, air plants produce offsets, the plant's offspring or "pups." These trivial babies, clones of their parent, begin as tiny nodes at the bottom of the establish. Equally newborns, they're delicate, and then allow them to attain at least 1/4-in. to one inch earlier separating them from their mother plant. Once removed, care for them just equally you would the adult plant, and so place and display equally you similar.
How To Brandish Air Plants
Hither'southward an opportunity to show off your inventiveness. Place air plants only about anywhere in that location is adequate indirect lite and airflow, making sure you can attain them for regular watering. Because air plants are lightweight and soil-costless, they offering practical and fun opportunities for designing interesting displays.
"Airplantman" Josh Rosen has been designing with air plants for years. He produces a line of display items, including an unusual hanging outdoor light fixture with optional misting and waterproof LED low-voltage lighting. He suggests framing air plants to hang on walls or outdoor fences to mask an unwanted view or to create an creative focal indicate. The options are express but by your imagination.
- Brandish them lonely or mix them upwards and pair them with mosses, lichen and stones.
- Hang them or place them on tables, shelves or walls.
- Frame plants of contrasting sizes, colors and textures to create living paintings and lush vertical gardens.
- Place them in whatever diverseness of vessels including archetype and novelty pots, bowls, trays, drinking glass globes, terrariums and wreaths in a myriad of materials — ceramic, lightweight concrete, newspaper mâché, macrame, woven wire, felt and more.
- Experiment with natural materials such as wood, cork bawl, rocks, seashells and even colorful minerals like dazzling amethyst crystals.
Where To Buy Air Plants
Unfortunately, the over-drove of air plants in the wild destroys their native habitat and threatens their survival. Even so, y'all can purchase sustainably grown air plants from certified growers online and at some local nurseries.
Source: https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/grow-air-plants/
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