How to Grow and Care For Air Plants

When you talk about plants for home décor, you have to consider the species of plants you want. It’s no secret that they are many décors plant out there, but it is one thing to use a naturally decorative plant to beautify your home, and an entire thing altogether to use a plant without an iota of décor in it, to make your home a spectacle. Air plants are some of nature’s wonders. They are a relatively small plant that doesn’t look like much but have a lot of good in them; if they can be used for décor, then they are good for something. Here are some tips on how to grow and care for air plants.

What are Air Plants

Air plants being small plants that are common in the regions of Mexico, is one of nature’s wonders. They are evergreen and get their source of nutrition from their host, yes! They are epiphyte that grows on bigger trees. Minus the fact that some of their nutrients are acquired from the body of their host, the plant also can absorb nutrient and moist from the atmosphere, giving it the ability to fend for itself, even when the host is long dead. How it absorbs the water and nutrient from the air is through its long and narrow leaves that have individual pores that enable it to absorb the water.

Air plants are lovely and if you’re for a way to start your gardening hobby, then starting with the air plant is a great way to start.

 

The plants are low maintenance and need a minimal amount of time (much like the succulent plants), and energy. Because they are so small and portable, you can conveniently carry this little piece of beauty around with you, everywhere you go, to school, to work, or you even put it in your car.

Like I mentioned before, they are evergreen, the green color of the air plant is usually very light and bright, which in turn brightens up the place you are, be it rainy, or sunny, or even the snowy season.

 

What are the Benefits of Air Plants?

 

You would think a beautiful, time and resources, saving plant is only suitable for its décor and small stature, but this plant packs with it a lot of benefits that I will share with you presently.

 

Cold Fighter

The first thing about this plant that I love is the ability to absorb the water in the air. Water naturally brings cold, and when there is a lot of mist in the air, then the place would usually be cold, and sometimes stuffy. So, when you use this plant in your home, you not only enjoy the beautiful aura it brings but also its ability to fight the cold that is in the air. Moist and misty places are very conducive for the plant to grow, thus, where the place is cold, it warms up the place

 

Purify Your Home by Getting Rid of the Toxins

 

There is a ratio that one plant to every three people at home purifies and improves the air drastically. Naturally, there are a lot of toxins, dust, molds, bacteria, the cleaning products that we use and other health defective things, (including our furniture, paints, carpets/rugs, and even plastic) in our homes. These things altogether are very toxic and affect our bodies and immune system negatively. The air plants not only reduce this toxic waste by 50%, but it also reduces the CO2 by the same 50% making it safer for you to breathe freely.

 

You Look Better and Feel Better

One of the reasons why people sometimes suffer from minor illness is because of what they have been exposed to; an instance would be the air-fresheners and the incense and the scented candles, and all the other perfumed things you use in your homes. These products can sometimes cause allergies and other irritable symptoms that you would have to get rid of. So rather than spend your money on skincare products, why not get an air plant to purify the air to make the room more conducive to live in, while still retaining it sweet, sweet fragrance. The air purifies the air to about 20-30% more cleaner and fresher, thereby reducing the itch and the coughing and the sneezing, making you look better and feel better.

 

Keeps You Calm

Air plants not only make you look and feel better, but it also has a calming effect when it is at home. When you’re around the air plant, your depression, anxiety and stress level are reduced. You no longer feel as irritated and angry normal, which is one of the reasons why people go to the woods to clear their heads.

 

Gives You a Creative and Productive Mind

The air plant helps in the creative and productive performance of people around it. It has the feature of assisting people to concentrate and better analyze a situation that would seem hard to solve. Studies found that plants with concentration aid properties are usually kept in offices to boost the concentration level. It increases the cognitive level-up to 10-15%. How it does this is to reduce the carbon dioxide level in the air

 

Reduction of Pollen Allergies

 

The air plants in a room help to trap the pollen in the atmosphere thereby reducing the level of pollen in the air, which in turn reduces the pollen-induced allergies.

Now that you know about some of the fantastic features of the air plant, it would be nice to get some plants for your home. You can get as many plants as you want, the more, the merrier, but if you only want to get the plant for its benefits and not its beauty, then you would have to do the math. One plant for three persons, so six persons would equal six plants, and so on.

How do you care for air plant so they can have long lives?

Caring for an air plant shouldn’t be an issue, because it takes up less of your time, but the point here is how to make it live a long life. Is it possible that your air plant can live longer than its prescribed time? I would think so; I mean proper care, and adequate attention should be all that it would take to make the plant live a longer life.

When you first get the air plant, soak them in water for about 20-30 minutes, shake it gently so that the excess water can leave its body, then keep it in a lighted area.

Some care tips include;

Watering

Air plant live on air, but they need water to survive. Unlike plants that are planted on soil, the air plant absorbs water through their narrow and long leaves. Although this plant can survive during drought periods, they may eventually die out, if they don’t see water. So, it is in vital that you water the plant not so often, but just enough for them to remain green.

To water the plant, soak them in water for 20-30 minute, take it out of the water and shake gently till the excess water falls off. When that is done, you just put the plant in a room with enough air circulation, where they will be for 4 hours to dry out.

Do this once a week, (2-3 times for optimal care), but always remember to sprinkle water on the leaves now and then, within the week, so that the plants can stay hydrated and have an adequate amount of water to remain evergreen.

If you feel you can’t probably perform this process of watering the plant every week, you could also try soaking it for 2 hours, and then do the same in 2 to 3 week, but you would need to sprinkle the air plant more often this way; its green will be lighter and brighter.

 

Lights

For plants to do well, they will a high moderate of sunlight (along with all its other necessities like water and fertilizer). The air plants thrive well in moderately sunny areas where they can process the photosynthesis process that makes them green and lush. Not just indirect sunlight, but also fluorescent light in homes and offices will do as well. Do not keep them under the sun for hours, unless the plan is to deplete the beauty of the plant entirely. But if you must keep the plant under the sun for hours, then you would have to hydrate the plant every couple of days, (3 times a week of 30 minutes of soaking), you wouldn’t want that.

 

Temperature

All plants do well in a moderately warm room. A room with up to 50-90 degree, would be good for the plant. Anything more or less is wrong for the plant.

 

Fertilizer

You need your plant to be very beautiful thus there is a need for you to feed your plant with a required amount of fertilizer, that would make the plant grow. This rule applies to regular plant, the air plant, on the other hand, does not need fertilizers, but keep them in good shape, remaining lush and blooming, then it would be wise to fertilize your plant every once in a while, like say, once in a month. Always use water-soluble fertilizers, like the bromeliads fertilizer, or the houseplant fertilizer or the miracle-grow, they are good for the plants.

6 Simple Tricks to Keep Your Air Plants Alive

You are probably wondering ways you keep your air plants, but there some trick you can use that will ensure that your plants stay alive for a long time.

• Take it out for a swim

The idea is that you should always soak your air plant in water once in a while. Yes, it is good that you are spritzing the plants all the time, the problem with only spritzing the plant with only water is that they may end up dying fast.

• Out for a little air

When you have soaked the plant for 20-30 minutes, always remember to dry the plants. Shake it off gently to brush out the excess water, then place it in an airy and dry place for the plant to lose the excess water. You want the plant dry, not soaked

 

• A ray of sunshine

You don’t want your plant to wither away, so it would be a good idea to control the kind of light the air plant will be exposed to. Indirect sunlight or filtered bright light is perfect for the plant.

 

• Feeding is key

Like other plants, the air plant would need fertilizer (but not as much as soil plants). To make the plant look good, always feed the plant with soluble water mix fertilizers once a month. Don’t overfeed the plants, unless you want them to burn from the fertilizers.

 

• Cozy is nice

Your plant will need a temperate room to grow. Too cold and it will dry away, too hot and it will wither away. So you have to ensure at all times that your room temperature is between 50 to 90 degrees and that the plant is getting enough air where it is in the room.

 

• A breath of fresh air

For those of you who have glass terrarium and you put your air plants in them, it will be a good idea for you to expose them to air once in a while. There are AIR PLANTS, and they would need enough air circulation to be able to well. When the vessel is closed, the place becomes wet and stagnant that is not good. Before long, the plant starts withering away. If you want to use a glass terrarium, then ensure they have big holes in them. There are two types of air plants that are raving the market, and they are the tillandsia and the thigmotropes perches. These air plants are perfect for home décor and would need special care to continually blossom.

 

• Air plant terrarium

Air plants terrarium being an array of lovely air plant in glass terrariums, are perfect for dining table décor, as well side stools, on top of furniture, and other flat surfaces

The terrarium is like globes where you would put the air plant. To use this globe, you’d need to take the plant from water and ensure it is dried, then put in the terrarium. When around the globe, ensure that the plant has periodic misting and humidity. Small globes mean lesser air circulation and broader and broader globes means better air circulation.

Home décors with air plants

These plants are lovely, and although it has some other benefits, one of its main purposes is to give that house a dazzling touch. It beautifies the house and makes it look like a home garden; a beautiful, home garden.

Decorating with an air plant is easy, all you have to understand is the concept you are going for. There are several ways of decorating with the air plant, so why don’t we look at some.

 

Pile up

One of the easiest ways of decorating with an air plant is to consider the pile-up décor. Merely rest each air plant on top of the other on the shelf, and there you go. To make this kind of décor, you would need the tillandsia air plants. This kinds of air plants are healthy and can rest on top of each other. They need 50-90 degrees of heat for them to remain bright and green.

 

DIY dream catcher

 

This kind of décor is simply aesthetic. All you need is a spoke from an old bicycle, hinge the root of your air plants to the wires of the spoke, and you have yourself a hanging air plant art.

 

Tilly tablescape

The tilly tablescape is an air plant décor with thigmotrope perches that you would elevate in a table display glass, that is easily movable when you want to eat.

 

Bedside greenery

The bedside greenery is one of my favorite. All you need are some long prongs where you’ll attach your air plant (which could either be tillandsia or thigmotropes). Attach the air plants on the top of the prongs, ensure that your attachments are loose, so you can easily remove them for watering.

 

Going up

Last on my list of décor is the going up décor. The good thing about air plants is that they don’t need soil to grow, all they need is moist and water from the air and your watering, which is why you can attach your tillandsia on a tripod or your stair railing, but in a way, you can take it down again.

 

Best Indoor Air Plants for Clean Air

Some the following are the types of air plants you can get to beautify your home:

Chive – air plant, faux, artificial, fake tillandsia bromeliads air plants for indoor or outdoor gardening

 

Unlike real live air plant that requires a lot of attention, the chive artificial air plant is an excellent alternative to the real live air plant. So if you’re one to freak out when it comes to caring for plants, then you can use this fake tillandsia air plant.

You don’t have to soak them, or shake them dry, or regulate its access to the sun, or regulate the temperature of the room, not you won’t do all that; all you do is get the plant and keep it on your furniture and make it look pretty. They are so like the real thing that you will not be able to distinguish the plant from an actual live air plant.

 

24 Air plants variety pack; Large tillandsia terrarium kit with spray bottle mister for water/fertilizer

 

This variety pack comes with at least 4 (or more) individual species of tillandsia air plant; meaning you can display more than one tillandsia variety.

The pack comes with a detailed guide on how to use and plant the tillandsia variety. Plus, since the plants arrive in a pre-blossom state, you will be able to watch it blossom, before your eyes.

They come large and small, meaning for those of you who like to arrange according to size, you can show your skills here.

 

Set of 4 diamond terrarium hanging wall planters; glass air plants succulent geometric containers (7” tall by 5” diameter)

 

This product is perfect for modern home décor. It is not just beautiful, but trendy as well and it adds some level of deluxe elegance to the room. Each of the glass containers was carefully hand blown, which gives it that extra shine. It has a clear glass and an opening where you can put water and fill it up to add to its décor. The general look of the glass terrarium is that zen atmosphere, the vintage yet contemporary look.

 

TDG assorted tillandsia air plants, pack of 5, large

 

The tillandsia plants are by nature, resilient and adaptive. Resilient in that, they could go a long while without water, and adaptive in that they could adapt to the temperature of the room to stay alive. This product is perfect not just for home décor but also for persons who have no time in caring for the plant. The caring process is minimal, all you would have to do is soak one a week, spray 2 or 3 times a week, dry out completely when you’re done soaking. The pack of 5 makes it easy to distribute the plant throughout your home.

Final Words

Air plants are natures’ wonder. They are soilless, yet they end up living longer lives than soiled plants. They are perfect for home décor, and not just that, they serve some beneficial purposes too, including, clearing the air, calming the human nerves down, cleansing the skins, and other amazing properties. This plant is truly one of nature’s marvel.