Now, take this with a grain of salt… I am not a plant expert, and actually about a year ago I was wholeheartedly convinced that there was no possible way I could keep an indoor plant alive for more than a week or two. But despite my black thumb and poor track record, I was also convinced that I needed some air plants. Totally and madly in love with them...
Right before Valentine’s Day last year, we ended up at a local nursery in Spokane, wandering the isles looking for I can’t remember what, and we found a bucket of air plants. I ended up getting five air plants for Valentine’s Day and I couldn’t have been happier. I was also bound and determined to keep those suckers alive.
…And nearly a year later, they are all still going strong!! Woot! I have officially kept something (besides myself and my cat) alive for a whole year! (Exciting benchmark people). So at this point, I figure I’m doing something right, and thought some of you might benefit from my tips and tricks in case you are wanting to take the plunge and get some of your own.
1. Be Consistent. Pick a day of the week that you can be consistent. Consistency is important – the whole under watering, then overcompensating and drowning your plants method doesn’t work well (speaking from experience here).
2. Submerge Them. Gather your air plants. Fill a large bowl with lukewarm water. Place your air plants in the bowl and carefully submerge them. I put them in upside down and let ‘em soak (I have no idea if putting them in upside down is important or not from a scientific standpoint.)
3. Use a timer. Set a timer for 30 minutes. When it goes off, remove the plants from the water, gently shake them off and place them on a towel to dry, or put them back in their spots if a little moisture isn’t an issue.
4. Avoid watering at night. I’ve read that air plants absorb their nutrients through little scales on their leaves at night. If they are wet at night, they can’t absorb the nutrients they need. Granted, there are times when watering during the day is just not possible (or you forgot), and I figure in that case getting a night time soak is still better than nothing at all. But if possible try to avoid watering at night.
5. Lighting. Place them somewhere with at least a little natural light. I have mine in a variety of spots. They don’t seem to need a lot of natural light but they are plants… and with the whole photosynthesis thing, it’s just common sense to assume they are going to need a bit of natural light to survive.
Bonus: Save That Water. If you have other plants you are trying to keep alive, then this tip is for you! After you finish soaking your air plants, don’t pour that water down the drain! Instead, pour it into a watering can and water your other plants. (Add houseplant fertilizer drops first if you want.) And just like that, all your plants are alive for another week. Go ahead and pat yourself on the back, your black thumb is still at bay!
