Q&A for How to Care for Air Plants Indoors

The misconception with air plants is usually that they don't need a lot of natural light, but that's not the case. They actually need a lot of bright filtered sun. If you have a northern or eastern window, I suggest keeping your air plant within three feet of the window. For southern or western exposure, you can keep it a little bit further away—it might get a little bit of sunburn if you keep it directly in the window. Three to seven feet from a bright window is ideal.

Usually you can find them at your local nursery, but if that is not an option, Amazon does sell them in little bundles that aren't very expensive.

It's best to use string or fine wire to attach them to structures. A water-based glue from the florist industry would be okay.

Yes, they can be put in plastic containers but not in potting soil. They will probably not attach themselves to plastic. In nature they grow on tree branches, so organic material like pine bark nuggets (landscape mulch) or orchid bark would be best.

Red cedar slabs are often used for philodendron and pothos poles, so they should be fine. Simply use string or fine wire to attach the plants to the bark or wood.

Yes, there are many larger species of Tillandsia and other bromeliads (sometimes called air plants). These plants are more appropriately called epiphytes, because they live upon the surface of other plants. The growing conditions for most bromeliads are relatively similar, some have spectacular long lasting flowers and some have colorful variegated leaves. To care for the larger ones, you fill the cup formed by the leaves once a week, rather than watering the potting soil or medium.

The roots of air plants do not absorb water; water is absorbed at the base of the leaves. You can submerge your air plants for a few minutes, similar to how they get saturated in the rain. However, misting them over a sink or in the shower is also an effective method.

Air plants are resilient and can survive with weekly watering, especially if they receive good light. While brown ends are not typically cut off in nature, trimming them is fine if you prefer.

Air plants are quite resilient and will likely survive 3 to 5 days in the dark during shipment.

Using an aquarium with LED lights is fine. It's best to use a few dead tree branches and mount the plants on them with string or wire. Ensure the LED lamps provide enough light.

Yes, but it's better to use a material like a tree branch or pine bark nuggets, commonly used as landscape mulch.

Yes, but it's better to use a material like a tree branch or pine bark nuggets used as landscape mulch.

Yes, you can cut off dead flowers if you wish; however, they will fall off on their own in time.

Pine bark mulch is a better choice as it holds water longer, increasing humidity around the plants.

Air plants need bright indoor locations, similar to sunlight filtered by tree leaves in nature. They can grow on cliff faces, but you'll need a plan to water them regularly.