Air Plant Care

Air plants make great gifts: low-maintenance, long-lived, no pot needed. Here is how to pick the right one, from a hardy ionantha to the Airplant Jellyfish.

Curling, rolling, or closing-up leaves almost always mean an air plant is thirsty. Here is how to fix it and when curling signals something else.

One air plant lives from a couple of years to over a decade, but through its pups a well-tended plant lives on indefinitely. Here is the full picture.

Mount air plants on driftwood or cholla wood without glue using natural crevices, florist wire, or removable putty. Keep them removable so you can water and dry.

Tillandsias are monocarpic: each plant blooms once, then produces pups and slowly declines. Here is the full life cycle, from blushing to the next generation.

To revive a dehydrated air plant, give it a long 2 to 4 hour soak, dry it fully, and repeat weekly. Here is how to tell thirst from rot and nurse a plant back.