This plant is dead. The browning comes from the center, which suggests it has already died to wet rot.
Airplants need 3 things to thrive: water, light, and airflow. These need to be balanced, so low light needs less water. More water means more light and airflow.
Generally, most indoor airplants lack airflow – which is not necessarily having a fan on the plant 24/7. Airflow is really more about the natural movement of air, so while fans can be a temporary fix, airplants really thrive outdoors in tropical climes.
Since I moved my collection outdoors, I barely have to do much to them.
NoCover7611
So, not all air plants should be treated and cared the same way. This is bulbous type, which shouldn’t be soaked. Yet these guys need a lot more water than other air plants that are more draught tolerant (like xerographica and those with much lighter green foliage (gray green) and a lot more trichomes). Xerographica can go without constant water feed for a week even (not ideal but I’m just saying they’re a lot more draught tolerant), while these guys would easily perish if you feed it this way regularly due to dehydration.
In your case, I think he may have rotted or dried up. Can’t tell just by a photo though. How did you feed? These bulbous type needs to be spray misted everyday even (in a green house they feed twice a day with sprinklers), depending on the ambiance temperature and humidity as well as how much light they all get.
All air plants benefit from air circulation. It’s better to get a circulator fan (very different type of fan) that blows air only in one direction and an oscillating fan that’s used for humans in summer time is not really ideal as it doesn’t do much. Because if you oscillate a fan with a weak motor, it doesn’t circulate air direction it actually only stirs the air in a room and won’t move air through the rooms effectively. In my case I’ve invested in a nice circulator fan for all of my plants, costed about $300 equivalent to get a really nice circulator fan (a good investment if you love plants!) I can circulate multiple rooms at the same time with doors open as it’s very powerful, a huge room, living room and bed room, plus a hallway and entrance using this one fan. It has paid off and my plants thriving way better than before I got the fan. Air is always fresh and I don’t get still air even for myself and my plants are never diseased with mold or bacterial infection. I don’t experience any rotted air plants even if I don’t drain my air plants, essentially mimicking outdoor setting.
So if you’re going to grow air plants and tropical plants indoors, you should get a circulator fan (tip: pro growers green house actually has several industrial sized circulator fans on a timer and air is always moving). You also shouldn’t expose air plants to freezing temperatures. They likely turn brown and they do die actually or if they don’t die, they would take a long time to recover in spring and can stunt their growth. You can keep them healthy inside in a right setup. 🙂
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i have the same issue
Was it a bulbous plant and you soaked it?
This plant is dead. The browning comes from the center, which suggests it has already died to wet rot.
Airplants need 3 things to thrive: water, light, and airflow. These need to be balanced, so low light needs less water. More water means more light and airflow.
Generally, most indoor airplants lack airflow – which is not necessarily having a fan on the plant 24/7. Airflow is really more about the natural movement of air, so while fans can be a temporary fix, airplants really thrive outdoors in tropical climes.
Since I moved my collection outdoors, I barely have to do much to them.
So, not all air plants should be treated and cared the same way. This is bulbous type, which shouldn’t be soaked. Yet these guys need a lot more water than other air plants that are more draught tolerant (like xerographica and those with much lighter green foliage (gray green) and a lot more trichomes). Xerographica can go without constant water feed for a week even (not ideal but I’m just saying they’re a lot more draught tolerant), while these guys would easily perish if you feed it this way regularly due to dehydration.
In your case, I think he may have rotted or dried up. Can’t tell just by a photo though. How did you feed? These bulbous type needs to be spray misted everyday even (in a green house they feed twice a day with sprinklers), depending on the ambiance temperature and humidity as well as how much light they all get.
All air plants benefit from air circulation. It’s better to get a circulator fan (very different type of fan) that blows air only in one direction and an oscillating fan that’s used for humans in summer time is not really ideal as it doesn’t do much. Because if you oscillate a fan with a weak motor, it doesn’t circulate air direction it actually only stirs the air in a room and won’t move air through the rooms effectively. In my case I’ve invested in a nice circulator fan for all of my plants, costed about $300 equivalent to get a really nice circulator fan (a good investment if you love plants!) I can circulate multiple rooms at the same time with doors open as it’s very powerful, a huge room, living room and bed room, plus a hallway and entrance using this one fan. It has paid off and my plants thriving way better than before I got the fan. Air is always fresh and I don’t get still air even for myself and my plants are never diseased with mold or bacterial infection. I don’t experience any rotted air plants even if I don’t drain my air plants, essentially mimicking outdoor setting.
So if you’re going to grow air plants and tropical plants indoors, you should get a circulator fan (tip: pro growers green house actually has several industrial sized circulator fans on a timer and air is always moving). You also shouldn’t expose air plants to freezing temperatures. They likely turn brown and they do die actually or if they don’t die, they would take a long time to recover in spring and can stunt their growth. You can keep them healthy inside in a right setup. 🙂
It’s toast.