Air Plants or Tillandsia, are epiphytes and in nature, grow on trees or other “hosts”.

Air plants are not parasites, but get all their nutrients from water, light, and nutrients in the air. They absorb these nutrients from small vessels in their leaves called trichomes.

Air plants do not need (or want!) any soil. They are extremely versatile and in your home can be displayed in a shallow dish, used to adorn your favorite beach finds-from driftwood to shells, set delicately on a desk, or displayed in an air plant holder, or wall hanger.

When your air plant arrives, we suggest giving it a bath.

To water it, you’ll want to fill up a bowl with water and soak it for 20-30 minutes. It will float and doesn’t need to be submerged. After soaking, you’ll want to shake off excess water, and set it upside down to dry for 4-6 hours. Drying it upside down is key so that your air plant doesn’t get water stuck inside of it which would quickly lead to rot.

You’ll repeat this watering once/week for optimal health.

Air plants love light and do best in bright, indirect sunlight. At certain times of the year, being right in your window would be too much light for your air plant, so we suggest, if possible, to place your plant within 3-5 feet of a window. In the Winter months, putting your plants closer to a window (granted that it’s not too cold!) will help ensure that it’s getting enough light.

Your air plant likes moisture so please be mindful to not place it near anywhere with dry heat or cool air (like a furnace) as it will dry your plant out too quickly. If you do live somewhere dry, you can supplement its weekly soak by spraying your air plant every couple of days. We love using *Haw’s misters (link)* as they spray a lighter mist that won’t hurt your plant. Air plants will survive in temperatures 60-90 degrees fahrenheit.

Fertilizing your air plants helps them thrive and bloom (yes, air plants bloom)! *We suggest Savvie Studio’s Air Plant Fertilizer (link)*. We spray it on our air plants every two weeks to keep them healthy and we love to see them bloom!