I did what the guy who sold it to me told me to do, I bathed it for 1-2 hours/week and left it upside down to dry for >30 minutes. But when I took it out of the bowl today the bottom part separated from the top and there are black spots all over 🙁
by SubstantialMotor75
5 Comments
It rotted. It doesn’t take a lot for it to rot. What kind of bowl? Airplants need decent airflow so it could have been that.
Anything over an hour in water is way too much. I’d say 20-45 minutes a week depending on how dry your environment is. It’s overwatered. Once an air plant is rotted, it’s done. It rots from the inside out
Sorry babes, she is gone but not forgotten .
Don’t beat yourself up too much these big mamas are so prone to rotting even with experience. As all it takes is just one time not getting all of the moisture dried out. And I’ll tel you that every single one of us including the professional growers have some at one point or another.
My biggest change that I did was no more soaking any of my plants. Not only is it time consuming with many plants but you can guarantee you’ll end up damaging them through mechanical means and increase the risk of rot.
Misting is a much safer option even if you live in a dryer climate(my area gets so dry you can actually get a nose bleed in the winter). And they don’t even need to be misted every single day either.
So get another one and try misting instead or increase your ambient humidity. This is a ‘xeric’ type plant and they don’t need as much moisture as the tropical types do. Esp not soaking for 1-2 hours a week(that is way, way too much for this type).
Sorry you lost her.
The same thing happened to mine and I was heartbroken 🙁
It unfortunately rotted. 1-2 hours bath a week is far too much (I know that’s probably what you read online, but you and I are proof that it’s incorrect). I got a new one this summer and it’s been under direct sunlight outside even during heat waves, and I still don’t give it a bath often at all. Since June I’ve only bathed her every 2 months for 30 minutes! I do mist it every day though. She is looking fiiiiiine, so purdy
Aww RIP