Hey everyone, after a a record breaking heat spell, my girlfriend noticed the airplant in our washroom has been struggling. I'd really like to see this little guy fight through, is there anything we can do or is it a lost cause?
Hi! Your plant is a (gorgeous) caput medusae, and I don’t think it looks particularly bad, just dehydrated. I’d suggest to soak it for 15-30 minute, preferably in the morning, hang it * upside down * near any ventilation source like a small fan and check it after a few hours to see if it is completely dry.
Proceed to keep it in any room in the house where it’s not too hot and where the plant can get access to some indirect, bright light. A window would be perfect! For instance, I normally keep my airplants near a west-facing window in the morning and then rotate them on the eastern part of the house after approximately midday.
If your tillandsia starts looking better after the soaking, I recommend to give it a thorough misting or spraying after about 24-36 hours; otherwise, consider another quick soak 24 hours after the first. I have found that during the summer my plants, included my caput medusae, really like to be soak once per week and then they get other 3 heavy misting/spraying during the course of the same week, so you could perhaps slowly, gradually and carefully try to implement something similar.
A quick note about soaking: many people are convinced that pseudobulbous airplants such as caput medusae, pruinosa and bulbosa should never ever get soaked because they are more prone to rot than non-pseoudbulbous varieties. I understand the rationale behind the fear, but humbly, as someone who literally lives on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea where heatwaves have sadly become synonymous with summer, I have to disagree. I almost exclusively collect pseudobulbous tillandsia, I start soaking them more than a year and half ago and not a single one has ever died. Ever. :3 Of course this is just anecdotal experience, and I’m not claiming that you should do exactly as I say, not at all! There is not a plant care routine that works for everybody in this world, unfortunately, and you should learn to understand your plant needs as soon as possible and how to care for them properly. What I’m saying is just that soaking might be a good option NOW for your dehydrated-looking caput, and if you are careful with it there shouldn’t be any issue. At the same time, since I get that my suggestion might be considered controversial, I’m acknowledging that upfront and trying to be as transparent as possible. Soaking might be risky, but it’s also a quick fix when the plant is doing bad!
TL, DR: give it plenty of water and it should recover quickly. Increase the watering frequency during the summer/heatwave. Stay safe, and drink a lot of water!
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Hi! Your plant is a (gorgeous) caput medusae, and I don’t think it looks particularly bad, just dehydrated. I’d suggest to soak it for 15-30 minute, preferably in the morning, hang it * upside down * near any ventilation source like a small fan and check it after a few hours to see if it is completely dry.
Proceed to keep it in any room in the house where it’s not too hot and where the plant can get access to some indirect, bright light. A window would be perfect! For instance, I normally keep my airplants near a west-facing window in the morning and then rotate them on the eastern part of the house after approximately midday.
If your tillandsia starts looking better after the soaking, I recommend to give it a thorough misting or spraying after about 24-36 hours; otherwise, consider another quick soak 24 hours after the first. I have found that during the summer my plants, included my caput medusae, really like to be soak once per week and then they get other 3 heavy misting/spraying during the course of the same week, so you could perhaps slowly, gradually and carefully try to implement something similar.
A quick note about soaking: many people are convinced that pseudobulbous airplants such as caput medusae, pruinosa and bulbosa should never ever get soaked because they are more prone to rot than non-pseoudbulbous varieties. I understand the rationale behind the fear, but humbly, as someone who literally lives on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea where heatwaves have sadly become synonymous with summer, I have to disagree. I almost exclusively collect pseudobulbous tillandsia, I start soaking them more than a year and half ago and not a single one has ever died. Ever. :3 Of course this is just anecdotal experience, and I’m not claiming that you should do exactly as I say, not at all! There is not a plant care routine that works for everybody in this world, unfortunately, and you should learn to understand your plant needs as soon as possible and how to care for them properly. What I’m saying is just that soaking might be a good option NOW for your dehydrated-looking caput, and if you are careful with it there shouldn’t be any issue. At the same time, since I get that my suggestion might be considered controversial, I’m acknowledging that upfront and trying to be as transparent as possible. Soaking might be risky, but it’s also a quick fix when the plant is doing bad!
TL, DR: give it plenty of water and it should recover quickly. Increase the watering frequency during the summer/heatwave. Stay safe, and drink a lot of water!