Q&A for How to Water Air Plants

A lot of people think that air plants don't need a lot of natural light, but they actually need a lot of bright, filtered sun. If you have a north-facing or east-facing window, I suggest keeping your air plant within 3 feet of the window. If your windows face South or West, you can keep the plant a little further away so they don't get a sunburn—maybe 3-7 feet.

Fill a large bowl or your sink with water and fully submerge the plant for about 15 minutes. That allows the plant to drink out of the hairs on its leaves. Then, shake the plant out and dry it upside-down to make sure it's not holding moisture in any of its crases. Once it's dry, just put it back where it was. Do this about once a week.

My preferred way of watering an air plant is to soak it. When you're misting, sometimes you may not get moisture to every part of the plant. Also, you have to mist daily, because air plants rely on humidity for moisture. However, they're not really used to being wet all the time, so misting them can cause them to rot.

Yes, you can use the fertilizer-water from soaking your air plants to water other plants.

If the temperatures at your home are warm year-round, you can keep it outside. However, if temperatures drop below 10°C or 50°F for extended periods, the plant should be moved indoors to a sunny window.

It doesn't matter much. Air plants are resilient, and some moisture will pass through the scales on the leaves while excess water will be shed.

When you submerge your air plants for an hour each week, additional misting is usually not necessary. A 15-minute soak is generally sufficient for their hydration needs.