Tillandsia or air plants as they are commonly called are easy to grow and fun. I’ve been on such an air plant kick lately and I just picked up a few more. I mentioned this to my sister and she said huh, you mean those green air ferns we used to have a kids? No, I don’t mean those. I mean the new kind of air plants (or newly popular) that you can decorate with and they come in all kinds of shapes, colors and some even bloom.
Since I’m having so much fun with these I thought I’d share how to care for air plants….just in case you want some too!
Air plants are hardy and need a lot less attention than regular houseplants. They love bright but filtered light. I keep all of mine indoors. They need to be protected from frost.
We live on the coast and our air is humid and we rarely turn on the heater. I have several near a window in one of our bathrooms where it’s really humid and the frosted glass lets lots of light in. They love the humidity, I mist them every two weeks in the winter and increase it to once a week in the summer. If your climate is drier or you run the heater often, you’ll need to soak them for 2-3 hours at least every 2 weeks and mist as needed. Add a tiny amount of orchid food to your misting bottle to feed them.
Once you know how to care for air plants, you’ll get rewarded with babies! Really, they multiply. These air plants below were part of a larger plant. I bought one small plant in New Orleans last November, plopped it by the window and today found several baby plants growing along the sides of the parent plant. It’s easy to separate air plants. Divide the clumps by carefully pulling apart the individual plants. They don’t have a traditional root system. It should be pretty easy.
You can use your imagination when it comes to choosing a way to display them. I have some growing in shells 🙂 I also have one in a piece of driftwood, which I love! It’s easy to wire it in place or use a drill with a hole attachment and drill a hole for the base of the plant to nest in. 
I’ve also simply tucked a plant in a natural crevice in driftwood. I think this plant is getting ready to bloom. Yes, some of them do bloom!
They come in lots of shapes and sizes. This one is tucked in my orchid mix and looks a lot like a traditional houseplant.
And this big one has really long thin leaves. It stands about 18 inches tall.
Learning how to care for air plants is not hard. Once you have a few you’ll see how easy they are to take care of and fun to watch grow. I have a few terrific ideas for decorating with air plants that I can’t wait to try.
Now that you know how to care for air plants and how little effort they take are you ready to get some of your own? Check your local plant nurseries and if they don’t carry them you’ll find lots of selection online. Air plants are fun, easy to care for and kind of addicting!
Update: I’ve had such terrific response from this post I’ve decided to publish an air plants part II post. How to properly mount and display air plants. I took a tour of a local nursery that had over 1 million air plants in stock and learned the do’s and don’ts of mounting these fun plants.
Do you have any air plants yet?
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Tracy Boyette says
I love my airplanes. I have them outside and also displayed upside down in shells. I have more luck outside with airplanes. I glue them to waterfalls I don’t use anymore. Happy my mother in law showed me your blog.
Wendi says
Hi Tracy! I love airplants too. I’ve seen several pretty ones upside down in shells I should try that and see if I can hang them in our trees. Love your idea of gluing them to waterfalls. Thanks so much for your sweet comment and visiting my blog, I’m glad you found it too.
CherMarie says
I’ve managed to kill about 3 so far. I have 3 in a piece of driftwood, one of which is dead but still looks good, so I’m leaving it there. I mist about daily, so maybe this is too much? It’s in a bright window, with indirect light, in my kitchen. the ones that died were in glass bowls in sand. I don’t know but I keep trying.
Wendi says
LOL CherMarie, I feel your pain! They can be tricky, it’s my understanding they like air circulation so the glass bowl ones may not have liked it. I do think your biggest culprit is the daily misting. Keep trying! You’ll get it right!
Maria says
i just got some air plants and trying to see how to care and grow more
Wendi says
That’s great! You’ll have lots of fun growing them and watching them grow and multiply is pretty amazing too.
Beth says
Love & want to know & see lots more Please.
Wendi says
Thanks Beth! I will definately try to share more airplant posts:) I’m glad you liked these!
Carol A Grant says
Wendi, Hi u r right bout air plants being addicting i got 2 1-2 months ago im in east texas and i have them laying on clay pots im learning bout them and would like more infor if u got it….. I see u have some in shells how does that do when i was told the bottom couldnt be in the dark… Looking for ideas to display them… Thanks for sharing.
Wendi says
Carol, I have some in shallow shells like the sea urchin shells that have done fine. I made the mistake of putting a few in a conch and they died 🙁 They like air circulating around them, if your shells are deep, I don’t think they will do well. They do seem to do well on driftwood though. I have some tucked into the areas between branches on my pieces. Good luck and thanks for your comment & visit:)
Sylvia says
Really enjoyed your info. I have had several in the past but were outside and probably didn’t get enough moisture. So didn’t do to well. I have one hanging on the edge of my bathroom mirror –called Tallandsia and put out by the Rainforrestflora.com I probably don’t give it the care it should have, but being the bathroom — there is moisture. I live in Southern California and it get very hot and very, very dry. These plants have always intrigued me and I will get more — Again enjoyed you info.
Sylvia
Wendi says
Thank you for such a nice note and I’m glad you enjoyed my post. I’ve been challenged also to find the “right” space for my air plants. Mine like the humidity of the bathroom as well. Everytime I move them away they let me know it wasn’t a good move! Thanks for visiting and your nice note!
Laurie says
So glad to find your site. A friend gave me an air fern and it was dying. I looked online and could only find pictures and no advice. Now I’m going to find more, really excited to try again. Thanks
Wendi says
Laurie, So glad to hear my info was helpful. I found the same thing when I did my airplant searches. Once you get your little plant stable you’ll really enjoy watching it grow, especially if it blooms! Thanks so much for leaving me your note!
Violet says
I love your web. And the info on airplants
Wendi says
Thanks Violet! I appreciate that. Yes, I’m so hooked on airplants. They are super easy to grow and look great. I hope you’ve found my tips helpful. Thanks for visiting and your sweet comment:)
Shirley Crowley says
Hi Wendy
I inherited some lovely air plants and succulents last fall. One of my airs just finished blooming! It was pink and purple! You are so right about getting addicted to them. Thank you for the tip about adding the feed to the spray bottle. I live in the humidity and they grow on driftwood just outside my front door! I live them and want different varieties now! Thanks for your post!
Wendi says
Shirley, I’m so glad my info was helpful! The spray bottle works really well for me. How exciting that your air plant bloomed! Mine are growing and I see a lot of new green growth but haven’t had any buds yet. I’m going out to a nursery this week to get a few more. I’m also planning on another post about different ways to display and mount them. Please stop back by, I may have new information that will be helpful then too. Thanks you kindly for your visit and comment!
Patti Panuccio says
Wendy, I grew up on the other side of Tampa Bay, unless the law has changed we couldn’t take air plants from the trees but we could pick up all you want after a rain storm, and we did. Take a ride inland after the next storm, or even better is south of the Skyway bridge. If you want to take a ride to Sarasota Tropiflora nursery has an amazing inventory of Tilandsia and Bromeliads. I live on the Texas gulf coast now and still by my plants from them. Your on the best coast of Fla.
http://www.tropiflora dot com
Wendi says
Patti…Wow! Thanks for the info. We go over the Skyway Bridge pretty often and to Sarasota. I can’t wait to get out there and see what they have! I also can’t wait to see what I can find that fell off of the trees. I’ll have to check that out as well.
Yes, I am on the best coast of FL…we moved here from TX (Dallas area) and I absolutely love it here! Thanks for taking the time to share your information! Please stop back in and visit again:)
Marie @ The Interior Frugalista says
You mean there’s a plant out there that just might survive in my household! I’m wondering how well they would grow here in the Canadian prairies where the air is dry from our forced air furnaces running nine months out of the year. I must check my local greenhouse and see if they sell them and how to care for them in our climate. Thanks for the inspiration Wendi!
Virgibnia says
I am so happy to have found your blog. I love air plants and anything “beachy”. I live in the desert so I will have to mist the plants. I had planned, on retirement, to move to the beach, buy a shack and fix it up to suit me. But then I learned I was going to be a grandmother only one time, so here I am loving every moment, but still yearning for the beach, maybe when he graduates from medical school!!
Wendi says
I’m so glad you found my blog too, welcome! There are so many ways to decorate with these fun plants. I’m sure your local plant store will have good advice on caring for them in your climate. I completely understand how you feel on being a grandmother! My daughter told me she was expecting right before we were getting ready to move to Fl. I miss them all so much. Thank you for visiting and please do come back!
Wendi says
Marie, you have to try these plants thay are so much easier to maintain…and they are just fun!
Terry says
I love airplants and see no reason they can’t live in your area in the house…they just require that you soak them for about 20 min and let them dry out for about 4hrs before you stuff them back into their “home”. I live in Texas and love them. Have had good luck with a mail order supplier out of Florida that ships them like they are crystal…wrapped in green tissue with their names, etc. Just move away from the windows in the very cold …they love florescent light.
Wendi says
Terry, They can live around the house, mine just happen to grow like crazy in bathroom. It’s probably a combination of the humidity and the filtered light they get. We don’t have bright window light in many areas of the house with the way it faces. Thanks for sharing that they love florescent light I haven’t read that before 🙂
Jeff Barber says
It really doesn’t matter what kind of climate you live in, submerge them in water once a week and they will be fine. Their so easy to care for.
Wendi says
Jeff… Thanks for sharing your information 🙂