So… I decided to get totes to soak my other airplants in. I decided to fill halfway as I wasn’t sure if I could turn the curly’s upside down and get water out center so they don’t rot. Does anyone disagree with how I did this? Also how long do you recommend I keep it in here so I don’t get rot?
by UnderstoodMalcolm
3 Comments
Soaking air plants is less about the species and more about the technique. Perhaps somebody with more specific experience with this species can chime in here, but generally, a good soaking technique can be applied to most air plants.
Rot happens when the core of the air plant is kept too wet for too long. Mind you, air plants are from tropical areas and need to be kept well watered to be happy so there’s a fine line between the two that you’ll need to figure out depending on the conditions you keep your air plants in. I live in the northeast US where it’s pretty dry for air plants so my watering schedule is fairly aggressive. I’ll soak once a week for approx. half an hour and mist them every morning. Sometimes I forget that I’m soaking an air plant and will accidentally leave it submerged for a couple hours and I have yet to kill one from over watering.
If you’re concerned about rot, you can hang the plants upside down for a couple hours after soaking them. That will let all of the excess water drain away from the core. A small fan blowing on them during this time can also help
I put them upside down. I understand that the leaves need water, not the stem. As a matter of fact, the stem should be kept dry.
They are hollow in the middle starting at the base. Flip them upsidedown and you are good. They will still trap water the way you have them.
That’s a beauuuutiful clump btw