Air Plants

Air Plants are spiky, fuzzy, hairy looking things that look more like a strange animal than a plant. They originate from southern United States to Argentina. The plants are small to large and in different colors. The same plant grown in California may look different in Florida because they grow differently in different climates. Air Plants are very unique because they don’t need soil to grow. They are epiphytes, meaning they don’t need soil and survive by growing on other plants. Air Plants receive their nutrients from moisture and not just air alone. In the wild, they absorb nutrients from rain water and bird poop.

Air Plants can be two to twelve inches in height, depending on the species. Oddly, once they bloom, the mother plant dies and only the pups forming around the mother plant live. They are often sold glued to a piece of drift wood or on a magnet for the refrigerator. They also are sold in bowls of sand or hanging from a piece of clear fishing line. An ex-neighbor of mine stopped by for a visit a few weeks ago and showed me photos of growing Air Plants on pieces of river drift wood near her home.

Air Plants need a lot of water, but too much moisture will cause they to rot and grow fungus. Placing them in a closed terrarium is not a good place for them because they need good air circulation. To keep your Air Plants happy, they need to be submerged and soaked in rain or distilled water once a week for a few hours and fed with a water-soluble fertilizer for epiphytes and bromeliads. After a good soaking, shake off the excess water and allow them to dry off. Some sites say to mist your Air Plants, but most growers don’t recommend it. It is very important to never allow the plants to completely dry out.

Your spiky plants need 4 to 6 hours of filtered sunlight and are happy with temperatures from 50 to 90 degrees. They are not hardy and will die in freezing weather. Many times, Air Plants are grown in the bathroom, where our daily showers provide the humidity the plants enjoy. Air Plants don’t like to be excessively handled. The oils from our skin can clog the sensitive scales on the leaves that capture the moisture and nutrients for them to survive.

There are many kinds of Air Plants, and information and places to purchase them can be easily found on-line. Every time I see one, I think of Cousin Itt on the Addams family! If you want to try something a little different and easy to care for, pick up an Air Plant or two.

Image by cristty