this is my mom‘s plant. I’m taking care of for a while. It was looking really crispy due to underwatering. well looks like I went a little overboard on the other side of the spectrum and gave it rot 😞 I sprinkled some cinnamon on it and haven’t watered in over a week and I keep finding these spots of rot. I’ve pruned and trimmed the heck out of it and it’s looking pretty sad, but I keep finding more spots pop up. what do I do, Is it a lost cause?
by Butthair_Floss
2 Comments
What spots are you talking about? It looks okay to me. If it is in fact rotting, there’s nothing you can do about it. It will rot from the center of the plant and will eventually fall apart. But yours looks fine to me. The tips of the leaves turning brown and curling are a sign that the plant is too dry and needs moisture. Is that what you’re cutting off?
Air plants are from tropical areas and like lots of humidity and moisture and get all the water they need from the air. If you are in a part of the world that has seasonality, you’ll need to mist the plant with distilled water every day/multiple times a week. Rotting is not a result of over watering your air plant. It’s a result of water getting stuck in the fine crevices between the leaves near the core of the plant. After you mist it, shake off excess water and set it upside down to drain off water or place it in front of a fan to get airflow
Dug on the centre leaves gently. If they slide on, it’s core rot and the plant is likely a goner. Another way to check is if the base feels soft and squishy and has a funky smell to it.
As it is right now, it looks ok but with watermarks on the leaves from not drying off well so the trichomes got damaged