Wondering how to keep your air plants happy and hydrated? Let’s talk about soaking, spraying, and misting—and which one actually works best!
As the temperature peaks, proper hydration is key for your plants, so we’re here to show you some of the best Air plant watering tips and secrets. Keep reading!
1. Soaking
One of the best ways to water your air plant is to submerge it in water for several hours every 7-10 days. This allows your air plant to get a big drink of water.
Some tips:
• Make sure your air plants fully dry within 4 hours of watering. Air circulation and a light shake will ensure your plants dry completely and prevent the dreaded rot.
• Best to use room temperature water.
• If you’re concerned about chlorine in your water, you can leave the water sitting out for 15 minutes to allow the chlorine to evaporate.
• Don’t leave your plants sitting in water longer than 12 hours.
• Never use distilled water!
• Use a clean bowl or container—dirty containers can transfer bacteria to the plant, especially if reused without washing.
• In hot and dry climates, soaking every 5–7 days may be needed instead of every 10. Keep an eye on leaf curl or dryness—it’s the plant’s way of asking for more water.
2. Spraying
Most of our plants live outside in our nursery, so we spray the plants with a hose and water nozzle. This mimics rain in an air plant’s natural environment, so it works effectively since the plants can air dry and the water can drip off.
Make sure the plants aren’t left sitting in water and that there’s proper airflow to dry out. You can use the hose sprayer to spray them.
3. Misting
Misting seems to be a popular watering method with a lot of water misters being sold out there. However, this doesn’t have much effect on hydrating plants since the water can quickly evaporate before the plant even absorbs it.
While raising humidity helps reduce water loss, you’re better off spraying or soaking your air plants to help quench their thirst.
Misting can be helpful between soakings, especially in dry weather, but it should not replace a proper soak or spray. Think of it as a quick refresh—not a full meal.
Bonus Tip: Always water your air plants in the morning. Watering late in the evening can leave them damp overnight, increasing the risk of rot.
Once you get the hang of watering, your air plants will grow with minimal demands. Do you have your own tips or watering tricks? Drop them in the comments below!