If you aren’t familiar with what an air plant is, how to take care of it, or where to buy them…here’s a few things you need to know to impress your less informed friends.
- An air plant’s real name is Tillandsia. Tillandsia is the name that is used when an airplant wants to sound super professional & important. Like when I introduce myself as Jennifer instead of Jenn or Jenny.
- There are over 550 varieties of Tillandsia.
- An air-plant is a plant that does not need to be potted or grown in soil.
- Air plants are like people, they need air, light & water (and cake) to survive. It’s not some inanimate piece of décor! (and they don’t really need cake, I NEED cake).
- Water your air plant like once a week. You don’t need one of those fancy brass mister thingys that cost like 35 dollars, just run your air plant under the faucet (be sure to protect the root, don’t drench it with water) and then let that baby dry upside down for like three to four hours before putting it back.
Here are a few of my favorite types of larger air-plants:
Stricta
Photo By: Royal Orchid Exoflower
Photo By: Royal Orchid Exoflower
Harrissi
Photo By: Life Under The Grow Lights
Photo By: Life Under The Grow Lights
Capitata Photo
By: Dandeli0ndust
By: Dandeli0ndust
Here are a few of my favorite types of smaller air-plants:
Here’s where you can buy air plants online if for some reason you don’t live near a super cool plant shop or garden center.
- Air Plant Supply C0 – free shipping on orders over $60 + a 30 day air plant guarantee. Check em’ out!
- The Sill – check out this set of six assorted air plants!
- Cuffel Farms – I have to give some love to my local San Diego air plant shop. I love this place & there are so many air plant options available for purchase online! Click here to see!
- Pistils Nursery – an all around beautiful shop with some great air plant options, click here!
A few more fun facts…
- The pineapple is a cousin to the air plant.
- Air plants are the worst stage-five-clingers you’ll ever meet (aka epiphytes). Air plants cling on to other things like rocks and branches to grow but not to survive.
- Air plants like it dirty. If you can, water your air plant with lake or pond water. Oh, you don’t have a gorgeous natural lake in your backyard (yah, me neither)…so maybe just use tap water that’s left out for a couple of days (for sure something I already do). You can even collect rain water in a bucket and use that (this takes way more energy and I probably will just stick with the tap water that’s been sitting in a cup on my beside table for the last three and a half days)!
